Thomas van der Hammen

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	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)

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]

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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Muisca

Topics
General Agriculture Architecture Art Astronomy Calendar Cuisine Economy Mummification Music Muysccubun Mythology Numerals Religion Society Toponyms Warfare Women Specific Battle of Pasca (~1470) Battle of Chocontá (~1490) Chicha Duit Emeralds Muisca raft Ruana Tejo Tunjo Zoratama The Salt People Zipaquirá Nemocón Tausa Sesquilé

Geography and history

Altiplano Cundiboyacense Bogotá River Frío Fucha Juan Amarillo Soacha Teusacá Torca Tunjuelo Bogotá savanna Suba Hills Wetlands Eastern Hills Flora & fauna Suárez River Ubaté-Chiquinquirá Valley Neighbouring areas Ocetá Páramo Tenza Valley History Prehistory (<10,000 BP) Lake Humboldt El Abra Tibitó Sueva Tequendama Lithic (10,000 - 2800 BP) Piedras del Tunjo Checua Galindo Nemocón Sáchica Aguazuque Lake Herrera El Infiernito Ceramic (>800 BC) Herrera (800 BC - 800) Early Muisca (800 - 1200) Muisca Confederation (~1450 - 1540) Cabildo Mayor (>2002)

Religion and mythology

Deities Chiminigagua Bachué Chía Sué Bochica Huitaca Chibchacum Cuchavira Nencatacoa Chaquén Chibafruime Guahaioque Sacred sites Built Sun Temple Moon Temple Cojines del Zaque Goranchacha Temple Hunzahúa Well Natural Fúquene Guasca Guatavita Iguaque Siecha Suesca Tota Ubaque Tequendama Falls Mythology Myths El Dorado Monster of Lake Tota Mythological figures Goranchacha Idacansás Pacanchique Thomagata

Caciques and neighbours

Northern caciques zaque of Hunza Hunzahúa Michuá Quemuenchatocha Aquiminzaque iraca of Suamox Nompanim Sugamuxi cacique of Tundama  Tundama Southern caciques zipa of Bacatá Meicuchuca Saguamanchica Nemequene Tisquesusa Sagipa cacique of Turmequé Diego de Torres y Moyachoque Neighbours Chibcha-speaking U'wa Sutagao Guane Lache Arawak-speaking Achagua Tegua Guayupe Cariban-speaking Panche Muzo Yarigui

Spanish conquest

Conquistadors Major Gonzalo de Quesada Hernán de Quesada Baltasar Maldonado Gonzalo Suárez Rendón Juan de Céspedes Juan de San Martín Minor Antonio Díaz de Cardoso Antonio de Lebrija Bartolomé Camacho Zambrano Gonzalo García Zorro Gonzalo Macías Hernán Venegas Carrillo Juan de Albarracín Juan del Junco Juan Tafur Lázaro Fonte Luis Lanchero Martín Galeano Martín Yañéz Tafur Miguel Holguín y Figueroa Ortún Velázquez de Velasco Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela Pedro Ruíz Corredor Neighbouring conquests Conquest of the Chibchan Nations Conquest of the Muzo Conquest of the Panche Battle of Tocarema (1538)

Research and collections

Scholars Acosta Acosta Samper De Aguado Arango Broadbent De Castellanos Celis Correal Duquesne Freyle Friede Gamboa Groot Hammen Humboldt Izquierdo Langebaek De Lugo Ocampo De Piedrahita De Quesada Reichel-Dolmatoff Schrimpff Simón Triana Uricoechea Zerda Publications Elegías (1589) El Carnero (1638) Epítome (1889) Research institutes ICANH Universidad Nacional Universidad de los Andes Universidad La Javeriana University of Pittsburgh UPTC Collections Museo del Oro Archaeology Museum of Sogamoso Archaeology Museum of Pasca Metropolitan Museum of Art

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