Chapter 53 52. Li Siguang - The Light of Geology and His Great Achievements

Li Siguang (1889-1971), a Mongolian, styled Zhonggong, formerly known as Li Zhongkui, was born on November 18, 1889 in a poor family in Huanggang City, Hubei Province (now Huilongshan Town, Tuanfeng County, Huanggang City, Hubei Province).He is a world-renowned scientist, geologist, educator and social activist, one of the founders and main leaders of my country's modern earth science and geological undertakings. Li Siguang is an outstanding geological scientist in my country. He devoted his whole life to assiduously climbing the peak of geological science and technology.The geomechanics theory he founded and his great contribution to my country's socialist construction have set up a monument in the history of my country's science and technology.Chairman Mao had met him seven times and spoke highly of his contribution.

Li Siguang studied diligently and studied hard since he was a child. In 1904, due to his excellent grades, he was sent to Osaka Higher Industrial School in Japan to study shipbuilding machinery. In 1905, he joined the Tongmenghui led by Sun Yat-sen. Sun Yat-sen liked his youth and ambition, and presented him with the gift of "work hard to learn and serve the country". In 1911, Li Siguang participated in the 1911 Revolution. After the failure of the 1911 Revolution, he went to study in England, mainly studying geology. After graduating in 1918, he received a master's degree in natural science. In 1920, Li Siguang politely declined the persuasion of his British teacher to invite him to stay in Britain as a famous scholar, and resolutely returned to China to take up the post of professor of Geology Department of Peking University. A variety of geological specimens, arduous field investigations and assiduous research work.

In 1921, Li Siguang discovered the remains of Quaternary glaciers in my country for the first time, and initiated the research work of Quaternary glacial geology in my country; in 1926, he wrote the monograph "The Main Causes of the Changes of the Earth's Surface Image"; in 1927, he wrote "Northern China "Paleontidae" paleontological monograph; in 1932, he served as the acting president and honorary professor of National Central University. After 1933, he successively wrote many works such as "East Asian Tectonic Framework", "China's Sinian Glaciers", "The Birth of the New Huaxia Sea", which shocked Chinese and foreign scholars.As a result, geomechanics was born in China, and Li Siguang became the well-deserved founder of this discipline.

When the first five-year plan began, the country was in desperate need of oil.However, due to the influence of the "China's poor oil theory" and the old petroleum geology theory spread by imperialist scholars, my country's petroleum census work is limited to a corner in the northwest, and no significant progress has been made.Li Siguang analyzed my country's geological conditions to Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai based on his years of research on China's geological theory and from the perspective of the New China tectonic system.It is believed that in the vast territory of our country, the reserves of natural oil resources are abundant.In particular, the Neocataxia subsidence zone in the east has good oil generation and oil storage conditions, and the Songliao Plain and Beibu Gulf in the northeast, as well as the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea, all have "economically valuable sediments".Li Siguang disagreed with the theory that "China is poor in oil", and proposed that we should open up the situation that oil exploration is limited to a corner in the northwest, and carry out petroleum geological surveys in the Songliao Plain, the North China Plain, and even the whole country, and find out a few promising and large-scale oil fields. oil-bearing areas.According to Mao Zedong's strategic decision, the Ministry of Geology, together with relevant departments, successively carried out oil surveys in Songliao Plain, North China Plain and other areas, and Li Siguang personally guided this work. On September 24, 1959, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Petroleum Industry launched a self-spraying industrial oil flow for the first time in the Gaotaizi structure of Zhaozhou County, Heilongjiang Province. victory.Later, Shengli Oilfield and Dagang Oilfield were discovered one after another, which proved Li Siguang's scientific foresight and shattered the theory that "China is poor in oil".

Li Siguang used the theory of geomechanics not only to guide the search for oil, so that my country's oil resources can be developed and utilized, but also successfully guided the search for coal, metal minerals, water and geothermal... all achieved gratifying results.Whatever the motherland needs, he will study and find it. In the 1960s, strong earthquakes occurred continuously in my country, which seriously threatened the construction of socialism and the safety of people's lives and properties. The country urgently needed to solve the problem of earthquake prediction.Li Siguang, who is over seventy years old and already suffering from aneurysm disease, has actively devoted himself to the research work of earthquake prediction.In his later years, Li Siguang lived a simple life.There is no meat or fish in the diet.The clothes are also very careless, muddling along, and even patch after patch.After Li Siguang's death, the staff wanted to find a few relics to keep, but they couldn't find anything worthy of preservation.Li Siguang holds many positions, but except for the meetings that he must attend, he never shows up on occasions such as evening parties and commemorative events.He always felt that the older he was, the tighter time was, and he should try his best to spend the limited time in useful places.

After the Xingtai earthquake in Hebei Province on March 8, 1966, he visited the disaster area to investigate in person. In October 1970, he went to Yanqing, Miyun and other places to observe changes in geological tectonic activities... He said: "As long as I have another half a year, I have the confidence to organize manpower to overcome the difficulty of earthquake prediction." He died the next day of a sudden rupture of an aneurysm.The day was April 29, 1971, at the age of 82.