Ivan Dementievich Chersky
Ivan Dementievich Chersky (1845-92), geologist, paleontologist, geographer and researcher of Siberia. For his revolutionary activity he was demoted and sent as a soldier to Siberia and then released from service for health reasons in 1869. With the encouragement of Siberian scientists he took up geology and paleontology. In 1871 he moved to Irkutsk and in 1873-76 studied the Sayan Mountains, the Sayan and Angara regions, and later Lake Baikal and the basis of the Selenga, Lower Tunguska, Indigirka and Kolyma rivers. Many of his geological discoveries are still of significance. His discovery of a camp of pre-historic men belonging to the Palaeolithic Age caused a sensation for previously it was considered that such ancient finds could be unearthed on the European continent only. His works include The Results of a Study of Lake Baikal (1886) - awarded an Academy gold medal and On the Geology of Inner Asia (1886). A mountainous region of Yakutia and the Magadan region, a mountain ridge to the east of Lake Baikal and several mountain tops near Baikal were named in his honour. You'll go up one of them during your visit to the lake.
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