Johannes Weigelt

Theodor Otto Gustav Johannes Weigelt (24 July 1890 in Reppen, 22 April 1948 in Klein-Gerau) was a German paleontological, geologist.

In 1924, he was commissioned to study the geology of seismic events along the Texas Gulf Coast and discovered that salt domes were important in oil drilling.

A year later he published "Recent Vertebrate Corpses and Their Palaeobiological Significance" that cemented his reputation as the founder of biostratinomy the process that occurs after an organism dies but before its final burial.

After finishing high school, which he spent in Halle and Blankenburg in 1909,[5] Weigelt studied natural sciences and prehistory at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

[6] Just one year later, in 1914, he wrote a geological-archaeological thesis on the stratigraphic work on the Upper Harz Kulm,[4] but was only awarded his doctorate in December 1917 due to the outbreak of the World War I and his voluntary participation in it.

In 1927, he formalised his research taken during his time in Texas to publish "Recent Vertebrate Corpses and Their Palaeobiological Significance" that cemented his reputation as the founder of Biostratinomy.

[4] In 1928, Weigelt completed his commission in Texas he returned to Germany and was promoted to full professor of geology and palaeontology,[7] succeeding Otto Jaekel.

[4] A year later in 1929, Weigelt became full professor of geology and palaeontology at the University of Halle, succeeding his former scientific mentor Johannes Walther.

The reptile had originally been found by a fossil hunter and purchased by Otto Jaekel and it led Weigelt to conduct an osteological study of the specimen.

He also worked as an advisor to the four-year plan authority and developed ore deposits for the industrial conglomerate Reichswerke Hermann Göring in Salzgitter.

[4] Weigelt was awarded several high medals of the National Socialist regime and was appointed Gaudozentenführer (local leader of a faculty) in 1945.