Michel-lévyte

Named in 1889 by Alfred Lacroix in honor of Auguste Michel-Lévy [7 August 1844 Paris, France - 27 September 1911 Paris, France]. Auguste Michel-Lévy is one of the great mineralogists of all time. His researches in optical mineralogy were fundamental to the success of that method. He was also an exceptional geologist whose fieldwork was rich in experience in the Massif Central of France, but his researches in the Moravan Massif and the Alps are still important. Michel-Lévy particularly emphasized the use of birefingence in optical petrography and he developed the currently used methods of determining feldspar compositions optically. He was also an important pioneer in rock synthesis. Michel-Lévy's textbooks were extremely influential.