MARTIN Joseph (EN)

Biographical article

Joseph Martin graduated as an engineer from the École des Mines. He fought in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, then moved to Russia. Here, he completed three missions as a Prospector of Mines (1879–1880, 1882–1883, and between 1889 and 1892). He is known for having travelled 35,000 kilometres in virtually unknown regions in Siberia between 1883 and 1886. His travels took him, in particular,to the Stanovoi Mountains(one of the highest mountains ranges in Eastern Siberia) and the Altai mountains, on the south-western confines of Mongolia. He explored the Sikhote-Alin Mountain Range, between Amur River and the Pacific. During these missions, he studied geology, mineralogy, and ethnography. He returned to France with many samples of precious stones. His last mission, organised by the St Petersburg Geographical Society, began in 1889. The plan was to cross Central Asia from East to West. He left Peking, crossed Tibet, and entered Xinjiang (Chinese Turkistan). After falling ill, he followed the Silk Roads. He died from fever and exhaustion in Ferghana in Uzbekistan. He was also a member of the Société de Géographie in Paris.