Name Henri Fontaine | ||
Promocion Henri Fontaine
Henri Fontaine (born in 1924 in Normandy, France) is a French Roman Catholic missionary. He is also a pre-Tertiary geologist/paleontologist, Paleozoic corals specialist, and archaeologist.
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Biography
Admitted in the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris and ordained in 1948, he was sent to Hanoi (Vietnam) in 1951 as professor at the Petit Séminaire. Meantime, he plunged into the study of Devonian corals of Indochina and Yunnan. In 1954 Viet Nam was divided into the North and the South, he settled at Saigon.
1954-1975
When he arrived in Saigon, in geology, there was neither geological survey nor geologists. Upon the request of the Government of South Viet Nam, he set up and oversaw the new Geological Survey, and carried out research into limestone and coal for developing cement factory and coal mine, pure silica sands for glassworks, mineral springs for drinking and medicinal waters. Mineral water of the Dangun Spring (Province of Binh Thuân), one of the studied springs, has been exploited and bottled under the name Laska, its label mentioning its discovery in the 1950s by the French scientist H. Fontaine.
He released the only annual geological publication "Archives géologiques du Viet Nam" of which the first number came out in 1952 at Hanoi under the direction of Edmond Saurin who was the last chief of Geological Survey of Indochina. From then on to 1975, this publication went through 16 new editions under his responsibility.
Early 1960, after getting Doctorat ès Sciences (PhD) at the University of Paris (Sorbonne, France), he was officially appointed expert-geologist to the Geological Survey of the Republic of Viet Nam, dependent himself on the Department of Cultural and Technical Cooperation (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France) from then on to 1976.
He founded the Department of Geology of the University of Huê (ancient imperial capital) and supported post-graduate students at the Faculty of Sciences of Saigon.
His research improved the geological maps 1/2 000 000 of the former French Indochina, the geological understanding of coastal areas, islands of the Gulf of Thailand, and early Quaternary alluvial formations in the northwest of Saigon. He also contributed to developing pilot studies in order to build up dams on different rivers (La Nga, Dông Nai…), to explore heavy minerals in dunes of sand along eastern coast and bauxite on basaltic plateaus.
On fieldworks, he discovered a prehistorical site at Phuoc Tân (on the route to Bà Ria) and unearthed many others (Ngai Thang, Cù lao Rùa…). Furthermore, he studied some archeological sites (Dau Giay, Hoà Vinh near Phan Thiêt). In 1971, with Hoang Thi Than, they discovered a funeral jars site at Phu Hoa (Province of Dông Nai). The sites of Hoà Vinh and Phu Hoà belong to the Sa Huynh Culture.
End 1975, a few months after the establishment of the communist regime over the South, unwillingly he returned in France.
1976-1977
He joined the Catholic Institute of Paris and continued his research.
1978-2013
Late 1978, he was officially appointed cooperating expert to the CCOP (Coordinating Committee for Coastal and Offshore Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia) which is based at Bangkok (Thailand) and supported until 1991 by the United Nations and sponsored thereafter by the member countries and the cooperating countries. From 1973 onwards, the CCOP has conducted a research project entitled "Pre-Tertiary Petroleum Potentials in the CCOP Region" with the support of the French Government which appointed his experts on pre-Tertiary geology and palaeontology to the CCOP. So, Father Fontaine succeeded Mr André Bonnet, other French geologist, and spent many months each year in Asia.
Following predetermined programs, he realized several missions on the field, accompanied by the geologists of the member countries of the CCOP (Cambodia, China, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand). Many thousands of samples were collected, from which thin sections were prepared at beginning in France at National Museum of Natural History (France) and thereafter in Thailand. They were studied in France with the cooperation of his French colleagues. He wrote almost his publications.
His works provided many new data on stratigraphy, palaeontology and paleogeography in the Southeast Asia.Carboniferous rocks were identified for the first time in different localities in east, northeast, northwest and central Thailand, in a handful of sites in Malaysia, and Indonesia (Sumatra). The study of Permian was extended with more detail in these countries and in Philippines. Regarding Triassic, it was identified instead of Permian at many localities of Thailand and Malaysia. The presence of marine Jurassic in the west of Thailand which had been almost unknown was demonstrated by the discovery of fossils.
Reaching the age limit in the 80's, he undertook fieldworks as volunteer with the support from the national Geological Surveys and geologists of the countries of the Southeast Asia, while being on good terms with the CCOP.
In 2013 at the dawn of his 90, he performed his last fieldwork in Thailand with Thai geologists.
2014 -
Slowing down his rhythm, he pursues his research and takes pleasure in analysing his long list of publications (about 300 papers) which were sent out into many technical or scientific bulletins in Asia.
His international scientific career, exceptionally long (almost 60 years), was possible only thanks to effective and long lasting cooperation and to good terms between geologists in spite of their difference of language, age and religious inspiration.