Emil Jakob Grosse (1880-1971) - a (nearly) forgotten German geologist and his traces in Colombia and Brazil.

Emil Jakob Grosse was a German geologist who made significant contributions to the geology of Colombia and Minas Gerais, Brazil. His research in Antioquia focused on coal reserves and included studies in petrology, structural geology and economic geology. In Minas Gerais, he estimated iron ore reserves at the Fábrica mine, primarily hematite hosted in a banded iron formation (BIF) of the Itabira Group. Despite his substantial work, information about him was scarce, both in Brazil and within the German Geological Society. This prompted a more in-depth investigation. Through literature searches and interviews with local historians and miners from his birthplace of Heiligenwald, Germany, as well as individuals familiar with mining in Colombia and Brazil, a clearer picture of Grosse emerged. We illustrate a timeline of Grosse's life. Born in Heiligenwald on December 6, 1880, he completed his undergraduate studies in 1904 and moved to Berlin. Between 1904 and 1908, he conducted research on recent volcanic rocks in Central Italy. He gained mapping experience in Africa from 1911 to 1912. In 1920, Grosse married Magdalena Siegmund and embarked on several trips to Colombia. Initially, he focused on the coal-producing Amagá Formation, an Oligocene to middle Miocene sedimentary succession. He later served as the head of the Colombian Scientific Commission. From 1936 to 1971, Grosse made at least three trips to Brazil, including two during World War II. In 1949, he obtained a permanent residence visa for Brazil. However, he eventually returned to Germany, where he passed away in 1971. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]