HANS KUGLER
-The Father of Trinidad Geology
THE STORY OF A Dedicated GEOLOGIST
N. Payne (TRINTOC)
Hans G. Kugler died on December 16th 1986 at the age of 93. Although his name is well known to the geological community
in Trinidad and Tobago, not many of us especially the younger ones, know much about his life and the exact nature
of his work here. On April 3rd, 1987 his friends, family and colleagues met in the Natural History Museum in Basel
to remember him. The following life story was condensed mainly from the various speeches made on his behalf at
that meeting.
Hans Kugler was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1893. As a teenager at school he was already active in the fields
of geology and natural history, doing field mapping exercises, fossil collecting and helping Dr. August Tobler
at the Natural History Museum in Basel. In the winter of 1912 he started geological studies at the University of
Base and soon after became the assistant of Dr. Tobler, someone whom he greatly admired. The two men developed
a close relationship which lasted throughout Kugler's student life and shaped his professional career.
Kugler first came to Trinidad with Dr. Tobler while still a student in 1913. Together with Tobler's Indonesian
field assistant, Mas Bakal, they conducted field mapping exercises in the south -eastern corner of Trinidad for
the
Central Mining and Investment Corporation. Kapur Ridge, a prominent feature in the Guayaguayare area, carries a
Malay name, a result of the group's Indonesian influence.
In May 1914, Kugler returned to Basel and remained there during the first World War. Due to poor eyesight he was
exempt from active duty and remained at the University. He eventually received his Ph.D. in 1920 with a thesis
on the petrography of igneous rocks from Sumatra, although he was already developing a keen interest in the field
of biostratigraphy.
In that same year he returned to Trinidad to start a career in the geology of the region, in particular Trinidad,
Venezuela and British Guyana. His fiancée, Aline Werdenberg, joined him and they were married at the Red
House in Port of Spain in May 1921.
In the period 1921 to 1925, Kugler worked for the Apex Oil Company and was instrumental in mapping what became
known as the Apex Anticline. This work influenced the development of the highly successful Apex Field.
In 1925 Kugler moved to the Trinidad Petroleum Development Company Limited (TPD) and recommended test drilling
at Palo Seco. The resulting success in this area developed TPD into a major company in Trinidad. He soon left that
company, however, and rejoined the Central Mining and Investment Company, with which he went to Venezuela to conduct
exploratory work in the state of Falcon for a subsidiary,. North Venezuela Petroleum (NVP).
In the years between 1925 and 1952 Kugler did extensive work both in Venezuela and Trinidad for NVP and Trinidad
Leaseholds Limited (TLL), the latter being also a subsidiary of the Central Mining and Investment Company he traveled
back and forth between the two countries with occasional visits to London where TLL's headquarters were based.
During this period he headed teams of geologists including Tom Bower, Ernst Lehner, Paul Lenzinger, Alfred Senn,
Hans Suter and Louis Vonderschmith. They produced detailed geological maps and together with Carl Wiedenmayer of
Venezuela developed the Cumarabo Field. Kugler also published many works during this time and blossomed into a
geologist of international repute.
Between 1952 and 1959, Kugler spent much time in Pointe-a-Pierre where he worked closely with people like John
Saunders, whom he met in 1952, Ken Barr, Karl Rohr and George Higgins.
He continued to publish and liaise with the international geological community, serving as Vice President of the
Geological Society of America in 1954 and 1955, a post seldom held by non-Americans at that time. In 1956 Texaco
bought over TLL and in 1959, at age 65, Kugler retired and returned to Basel with his family, after turning down
an offer of Government Geologist in Trinidad. He continued however, to be a consultant for Texaco.
In Basel he immediately joined the Commission of the Natural History Museum, an institute he had never lost touch
with over the years. The Museum had already reserved Dr. Tobler's former office for him and Kugler established
his extensive library and permanent work place there. The Museum became his home away from home and he worked there
voluntarily till his death last year. Between 1963 and 1968 he functioned as effective head of the Geological Department
after the official administrator tell ill. He was instrumental in the editing and relocation of the geological
department into a Centre for Caribbean geological documentation and research. Together with John Saunders he established
the selection of the Natural History Museum as the European location for a reference collection of the Deep Sea
Drilling Program (DSDP). Dr. Kugler also remained an active publisher of reports, mainly on the Caribbean, and
conducted and participated in many international Field trips and Seminars. In 1968 he was elected honorary member
of the AAPG. Up to days before his death he worked at his desk in the Museum.
To fully grasp the contributions that Dr. Kugler made towards the development of Trinidad's Geology and Natural
History, one should note some of his pioneering achievements here.
FIELD WORK: Kugler promoted extensive field work wherever he went. Together with geologists like Karl Rohr, George
Higgins, Ken Barr and Tom Bower he dug thousands of test pits and auger holes throughout the island, often under
hostile conditions and using modified equipment. Karl Rohr, for example, developed a technique for obtaining an
oriented core from the bottom of auger holes, making use of the machine shop at Pointe-a-Pierre.
PALEONTOLOGY: In 1929, on Kugler's recommendations, the Pointe-a-Pierre Laboratory was established to do biostratigraphic
work for TLL. The resulting studies received worldwide recognition and established that facility as a pioneering
one in the field of micropaleontology. Among the dominantly Swiss paleontologists who worked there were Hans Naegli,
Kurt Schmidt, Hans Renz, Paul Bronnimann, Hans Bolli, Jean-Pierre Beckmann, Charles Stain-forth, Walter Blow and
John Saunders.
ELECTRIC WELL LOGGING: Kugler helped to encourage Schlumberger to first come to Trinidad in 1928. In the various
attempts to obtain good results in Guayaguayare, they introduced the so-called "3rd" curve, a deep reading
tool which allowed the measurements of electrical properties beyond the zone of drilling mud invasion, a significant
breakthrough in electric logging.
AERIAL PHOTO INTERPRETATION:
Kugler introduced photogeology to Trinidad and sent Karl Rohr to Holland for specialist training. The subsequent
work done by Rohr with this tool significantly influenced the final preparation of the 1:100,000 geological map
of Trinidad, published in 1961.
SEDIMENTARY VOLCANISM AND WILD FLYSCH: Kugler studied these aspects of Trinidad geology and published works on
both large and small scale shale diapirism. His ideas on slumping and Wild flysch provided a basis for the interpretations
of the '5Os and '60s, allowing for more simple explanations of complex structural observations.
SOLDADO AREA: In 1939 Kugler was involved in negotiations with the Venezuela government over the ownership of Patos
Island and Soldado Rock in the Gulf of Paria and the definition of the Trinidad/Venezuela border in that area.
At the end of it Trinidad received Soldado Rock and Venezuela Patos Island. This decision proved to be of great
significance some years later when Soldado became a major oil producing area.
THE 1:100,000 GEOLOGICAL MAP OF TRINIDAD: The publication of this map and accompanying sections in 1961 is Kugler's
best known achievement here. An excellent piece of work, it represents the compilation of years of mapping and
research done by a group of dedicated geologists among whom Kugler was pre-eminent.
NATURAL HISTORY: Kugler was a very keen naturalist and was much involved in the documentation and conservation
of local flora and fauna both living and fossil. Wherever he went he collected and studied the wildlife of the
area, often sending specimens back to Basel for the museum's collection. He made significant fossil discoveries
including bones of large Pleistocene mammals such as Glyptodon, Megatherium and Mestodon in Forest Reserve. His
pets ranged from coral snakes to deer and he was a prominent member of the Field Naturalist Club and an honorary
game warden.
INFLUENCE ON THE GEOLOGICAL
COMMUNITY: Kugler led by example, establishing with his style an attitude of encouragement which undoubtedly inspired
his co-workers to perform at their best. Always enthusiastic and disciplined about what he did, he earned the nickname
"Lion" while at Pointe-a-Pierre. H is constant documentation and publishing of papers (57 in all), while
at the same time honouring the work of his colleagues, ensured the continuation of his efforts even after his departure
in 1959.
Dr. Kugler will be remembered by his family and friends as an energetic, vibrant and dedicated man who, although
hard working, was always prepared to be helpful and considerate to his co-workers, enjoying lively discussions
at anytime. He has been described as kind, thoughtful and generous but shunned the flamboyance of cocktail parties.
He should serve as a shining example to the young professionals of today who are often encouraged to put personal
gains and material wealth above the need to strive for excellence in their chosen fields.
The author expresses sincere thanks to John Saunders of the Natural History in Basel for providing the information
used in this report. The GSTT would also like to extend its sympathy to the passed away in 1987. He too will be
remembered for his significant contribution to the knowledge of the geology of Trinidad.
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