Hans Merensky
Merensky, Hans (1871-1952) was a South African geologist, mining engineer, and naturalist whose efforts contributed greatly to the development of the country's natural resources.
Merensky was born at Botshabelo, Transvaal (now in the Free State), South Africa, the son of German missionaries. His family returned to Germany and he was educated there, studying geology at the University of Berlin. In 1904, he returned to South Africa, where he worked as a geologist and mining engineer.
After World War I (1914–1918) broke out in 1914, Merensky was interned as a prisoner of war in a concentration camp at Maritzburg because he had served as a Prussian Army officer. He was released in 1919.
Merensky received an ore sample in 1924 from a farmer in the Lydenburg region. Merensky identified the ore as platinum. The area was explored, and Merensky identified what would become the world's largest and most important platinum ore reserve. Called the Merensky Reef, it is now part of the Bushveld and it covers more than 186 square miles (300 square kilometers).
In 1926, Merensky predicted that diamonds would be found near fossilized oyster beds around Alexander Bay, on South Africa's west coast. He became wealthy when claims he staked nearby produced diamonds of unequaled size and quality. He discovered a large chrome deposit in the former northeastern Transvaal in 1937. That year he located a large vermiculite deposit and a massive phosphate deposit near Phalaborwa. His pioneering work led to the discovery of gold fields in the Free State Province in 1934.
Merensky was an avid conservationist, and in his will he established a trust to ensure continuation of agricultural, horticultural, and forestry operations on his Westfalia Estate, focusing on water and soil conservation and soil revitalization. In 1973, the trust was taken over by the Hans Merensky Foundation. It provided monies for the education and training of students and grants to carry out research in a variety of fields, ranging from agriculture and forestry to industrial chemistry. A South African wildlife and nature reserve bears his name.