Julius von Haast

Sir Johann Franz "Julius" von Haast (May 1, 1824 – August 16, 1887) was a German geologist. Haast was born at Bonn, Kingdom of Prussia. He received his early education partly in that town and partly in Cologne, and then entered the university of Bonn, where he studied geology and mineralogy. In 1858 he travelled to New Zealand to report on the suitability of the colony for German emigrants. He then became acquainted with Ferdinand von Hochstetter... more

Sir Johann Franz "Julius" von Haast (May 1, 1824 – August 16, 1887) was a German geologist. Haast was born at Bonn, Kingdom of Prussia. He received his early education partly in that town and partly in Cologne, and then entered the university of Bonn, where he studied geology and mineralogy. In 1858 he travelled to New Zealand to report on the suitability of the colony for German emigrants. He then became acquainted with Ferdinand von Hochstetter, and assisted him in the preliminary geological survey which von Hochstetter had undertaken. Afterwards Dr Haast accepted offers from the governments of Nelson and Canterbury Provinces to investigate the geology of those districts, and the results of his detailed labours greatly enriched our knowledge with regard to the rocky structure, the glacial phenomena and the economic products. He discovered gold and coal in Nelson, and he carried on important researches with reference to the occurrence of Moa and other extinct flightless birds. His... less