What is Nicolas Desmarest?
{{Infobox Scientist |name = Nicolas Desmarest |box_width = |image = Nicolas Desmarest.jpg |birth_date = 16 September 1725 |birth_place = [[Soulaines-Dhuys]] |death_date = 20 September 1815 |death_place = [[Paris]] |residence = |citizenship = |nationality = [[France|French]] |ethnicity = |field = [[geology]] |work_institutions = |alma_mater = |doctoral_advisor = |doctoral_students = |known_for = |influences = [[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon|Buffon]] |influenced = |prizes = |religion = |footnotes = }} '''Nicolas Desmarest''' (16 September 1725 – 20 September 1815) was a [[France|French]] [[geologist]]. Desmarest was born at [[Soulaines]] in the department of [[Aube]] in France. He was educated at the college of the Oratorians of [[Troyes]] and [[Paris]]. While doing this, he earned money by teaching, to pay for his education. [[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon|Buffon]]'s ''Theory of the Earth'' interested him, and in 1753 he won a prize by writing an essay on the ancient connection between [[England]] and France. A lot of people were interested in this. He was given job studying and reporting on [[manufacture|manufacturing]] in different countries. In 1788 he became inspector-general of the industries of France. Demarest travelled around on foot to learn more about the Earth's structure. In 1763 he noticed that the [[basalt]] rocks in [[Auvergne]] were old [[lava]] streams. He noticed that they were similar to the columns of the [[Giant's Causeway]] in [[Ireland]]. He knew that they were evidence of the operations of old [[volcano]]es which were no longer active. In 1774 he published an essay on the subject (with a [[geology|geological]] [[map]]) after visiting the area a few times. He then discussed the changes that the rocks had gone through because of [[weathering]] and [[erosion]]. This was the first time that anyone had ta