George Henry Frederick Ulrich

Georg Heinrich Friedrich Ulrich ( George Henry Frederick; * July 7, 1830 in Zellerfeld, Upper Harz, Germany, † May 26 1900 in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, New Zealand) was an Australian geologist and mineralogist.

Life and work

After completion of the Royal Grammar School Ulrich 1847 began the study of geology and mineralogy at the Royal Prussian Mining Academy (now the Technical University of Clausthal ), where he graduated with distinction in September 1851.

After he unsuccessfully tried to get a job as a mining inspector in Bolivia, he emigrated in 1853 to Melbourne in Australia from. There he first took part in various mining excavations and prospecting until 1857 he was hired as an assistant, secretary and draftsman of the Royal Mining Commission. The following year, he became a geologist and surveyor to the extended authority of the Geological Survey, was naturalized on 29 July 1858 and changed his name to George Henry Frederick.

After the dissolution of the Geological Survey in 1869 was Ulrich curator of the mineral collection as well as a lecturer in mineralogy at the Industrial and Technology Museum in Melbourne. In the same year he discovered and described a new mineral in the type locality also described by him nuggety Reef at Maldon in Victoria, that he called after this locality as Maldonit.

In 1877 he became director of the Foundation " School of Mines " and Professor of Mining and Mineralogy at the University of Otago.

When collecting rock samples on the Flagstaff Hill in Port Chalmers near Dunedin on May 26, 1900, he fell 100 feet ( 30 m ) in depth, and died the same day from his injuries. He was buried in the Northern Cemetery in Dunedin.

Private Ulrich was known as a humble and friendly scientist who was highly regarded by colleagues and students throughout Australia. He was married to Catherine Sarah Spence. They had four daughters and three sons, of whom Frank Ferdinand Aplin a well-known surgeon in New Zealand and George Heinrich Roemer, a well-known lawyer was.

Works

• Gold and silver bearing reefs of St. Arnaud: report on the gold and silver bearing reefs of the district of St. Arnaud (1864 )
• Notes and observations on the Nuggetty Reef, Maldon (1868 )
• Contributions to the mineralogy of Victoria (1870 )
• Mineral resources north of Port Augusta: report of the mineral resources of the country lying within 250 miles north of Port Augusta (1872 )
• A descriptive catalog of the specimens in the Industrial and Technological Museum, Melbourne, Illustrating the rock system of Victoria (1875 )

Honors

• Ulrich was a member of the Geological Society of London
• A Birch, Mumme and Segnit 1988 described, new mineral was named in his honor Ulrichit.