Ivan Kuzmich Bazhenov

Ivan Kuzmich Bazhenov – a geologist, professor of the Department of Mineralogy and Crystallography at Tomsk State University. One of the founders of the science of metallogeny. He studied at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute and then continued his studies at the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute. In 1920 he began working at the Siberian branch of the Geological Committee: he laid the foundations for the geological study of the Western Sayan and created the first geological map of that region. In 1922 he became an assistant, and later a professor and head of the Department of Mineralogy at Tomsk State University.

Bazhenov introduced new geochemical methods into geological practice, initiating the creation of spectral laboratories and laboratories for concentrate analysis in Siberian geological organizations. These innovations made it possible to significantly speed up and reduce the cost of exploring mineral deposits. In 1949 Bazhenov was arrested, but in 1954 the case was closed, and he was able to return to his department. In 1991 the mineralogical museum of Tomsk State University was named after Ivan Kuzmich Bazhenov.