Adolf Schenck

Adolf Schenck ( born April 4, 1857 in Siegen, † September 15, 1936 in Halle ( Saale) ) was a German mineralogist, geographer, botanist and university professor.

Life

The son of a doctor attended schools in wins and Soest, where he in 1877 the Abitur. After Schenck studied science and geography at the universities of Bonn, Berlin and moved to Bonn. In 1884, he was there for a Dr. phil. doctorate and received in the same year, a position as a research assistant at the mineralogical museum of the University of Bonn.

1884 was Schenck participants in a mining expedition to German South West Africa, which together put Adolf Lüderitz. Leader of the expedition was Karl Hoepfner Other participants included the mining engineer and geologist Waldemar Bleck, August Lüderitz, the brother of Adolf Lüderitz, Ludwig Conradt and botanist Hermann Pohle. On the ship Hans Schinz drove to South West Africa, with the mission to explore the plant world and the possibilities for agricultural use in the new German colony.

While Schenck and Pohle performed their plant collections in the southern part of the colony, the working area of Schinz was limited to the north. Schenk collected by plants and lichens also minerals. As in West Africa, no significant mineral resources have been found, Schenck visited mines with ore and gold deposits in South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique.

A number of plant taxa were named after Adolf Schenck, so Barleria schenckii Schinz, Mesembryanthemum schenckii Schinz ( = Brownanthus vaginatus ( Lam.) Chess. & M. Pignal subsp. Schenckii ( Schinz ) Chess. & M. Pignal ) or Sesamum schenckii Asch. ex Schinz. The lichen Parmelia schenckiana waste. Arg ( = Xanthoparmelia schenckiana ( Müll. Arg ) Hale) also carries his name.

1887 Schenck returned to Germany and in 1889 he qualified for geography at the University of Halle, in 1899 was appointed professor and taught mainly colonial geography. In 1918 he was appointed full professor and honorary professor emeritus in 1922. He held until 1932 lectures at the University of Halle.

His brother Henry Schenck was also a noted botanist.

Writings

• Adolf Schenck (1885 ): The area between Angra Pequena and Bethany. Preliminary releases from Lüderitz country .. Petermann's Mittheilungen. 31:132-136.
• Adolf Schenck (1988 ): The geological evolution of South Africa. Petermann's Mittheilungen. 34:225-232.

Honors and Memberships

• Member of the National Liberal Party, later DVP to 1931
• Honorary member of the Association of colonial warrior protection force " General Maercker "
• Chairman and Honorary Chairman of the Department Hall of the German Colonial Society
• Board member of the German Colonial Society