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Thomas van der Hammen (Schiedam, Netherlands, 27 September 1924 - Chía, Colombia, 12 March 2010) was a Dutch palaeontologist, botanist and geologist.[1] He had published more than 160 works in five languages.[2]

Thomas van der Hammen
Born	(1924-09-27)27 September 1924 Schiedam, Netherlands
Died	12 March 2010(2010-03-12) (aged 85) Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Nationality	Dutch
Alma mater	Leiden University
Known for	Geology, palaeontology
Spouse(s)	Anita Malo
Children	Cornelis, María Clara
Awards	Premio a la vida y obra, fondo para la protección del medio ambiente, 1995
Scientific career
Fields	Geology, palaeontology of Colombia
Thesis	Late-glacial flora and periglacial phenomena in the Netherlands (1951)

Biography

Thomas van der Hammen was born in the city of Schiedam in South Holland, western The Netherlands and studied botany and palaeontology at Leiden University from 1944 to 1949. He was a deeply religious man.[3]

After his studies and years of research at the University of Amsterdam, Van der Hammen arrived in Bogotá in 1951.[3]

Thomas van der Hammen analysed the Bogotá savanna and concluded a great lake (Lake Humboldt) was present there around 60,000 years BP, covering present-day Bogotá, Soacha, Funza, Mosquera, Madrid, Cota, Chía and Cajicá.[4] Van der Hammen has contributed greatly to the understanding of the geology of the Bogotá savanna and surrounding areas. He has worked with Gonzalo Correal Urrego towards an understanding of the prehistoric sites, as El Abra, Tequendama and Tibitó in central Colombia and has defined and described various geological formations, such as the Marichuela,[5] Tunjuelo,[6] and Subachoque Formations.[7] His paleobotanical background proved valuable in dating the continental Cacho Formation.[8]

In 2000, a natural reserve in the north of Bogotá bordering Chía and Cota, Thomas van der Hammen Natural Reserve, was named after the naturalist. The mayor of Bogotá, Enrique Peñalosa who ran twice for the Green Party, allowed for the construction of homes in the reserve, leading to protests of the people.[9][10]

In 2003, Dr. van der Hammen granted a wide-ranging interview to Radio Netherlands about his work and his life.[11]

Works

This list is a selection.[1][2][12]

Books

• 2008 - La Cordillera Oriental Colombiana Transecto Sumapaz - Estudios de Ecosistemas Tropandinos
• 1986 - La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia) Transecto Buritaca-La Cumbre
• 1979 - Changes in life conditions on Earth during the past one million years
• 1953 - Late-glacial flora and periglacial phenomena in the Netherlands

Articles

• 2006 - La conservación de la biodiversidad: hacia una estructura ecológica de soporte de la nación colombiana
• 2001 - Diversidade biológica e cultural da Amazonia
• 1997 - El bosque de Condalia
• 1981 - Environmental changes in the Northern Andes and the extinction of Mastodon
• 1978 - Stratigraphy and environment of the Upper Quaternary of the El Abra corridor and rock shelters (Colombia)
• 1972 - Changes in vegetation and climate in the Amazon basin and surrounding areas during the Pleistocene
• 1966 - The Pliocene and Quaternary of the Sabana de Bogotá (The Tilatá and Sabana Formations)
• 1957 - Climatic periodicity and evolution of South American Maestichtian and Tertiary floras
• 1951 - Vegetatie en stratigrafie van het Laat-glaciaal en het Pleni-glaciaal
• 1949 - De Allerod-oscillatie in Nederland. Pollenanalytisch onderzoek van een laatglaciale meerafzetting in Drente

The standard author abbreviation Hammen is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[13]

See also

• Tequendama, Tibitó
• Gonzalo Correal Urrego, Bogotá savanna, El Abra, Thomas van der Hammen Natural Reserve

References

Bibliography

• Montoya Arenas, Diana María, and Germán Alfonso Reyes Torres. 2005. Geología de la Sabana de Bogotá, 1–104. INGEOMINAS.

Notable works by Van der Hammen

• Hammen, Thomas van der, and Gonzalo Correal Urrego. 2003. Supervivencia de mastodontes, megaterios y presencia del hombre en el Valle del Magdalena (Colombia) entre 6000 y 5000 A.P. - Survival of mastodonts, megatheriums and the presence of man in the Magdalena Valley (Colombia) between 6000 and 5000 years BP. Rev. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. 27. 159-164. Accessed 2016-07-08.
• Hammen, Thomas van der. 2003. La conservación de la biodiversidad: hacia una estructura ecológica de soporte de la nación colombiana, 286-291. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Accessed 2016-07-08.
• Hammen, Thomas van der. 1994. Stratigraphic Dating and Cultural Sequences of Pre-Hispanic Northern South America, 381-393. The Getty Conservation Institute. Accessed 2016-07-08.
• Hammen, Thomas van der, and Antoine M. Cleef. 1983. Datos para la Historia de la Flora Andina. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 56. 97-107. Accessed 2016-07-08.

External links

• Youtube.com: Interview with Thomas van der Hammen—(in Spanish)

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