Mirali Qashqai

Mirali Qashqai
Born	(1907-01-20)January 20, 1907 Yelizavetpol, Caucasus Viceroyalty, Russian Empire
Died	April 23, 1977(1977-04-23) (aged 70) Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
Awards	Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Scientific career
Fields	Geologist
Institutions	National Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR

Mirali Seyidali oglu Qashqai (Azerbaijani: Mirəli Seyidəli oğlu Qaşqay; January 20, 1907 – April 23, 1977), was an eminent Azerbaijani and Soviet geologist, author of multitude works in the sphere of geomorphology and stratigraphy.^[1] He was an honorary member of Mineralogical Society, former chairman of Azerbaijani department of the Society, and full member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR. He was one of the founders of scientific school in the sphere geologo-mineralogical sciences and he was the supervisor of geochemistry and mineralogy of ore departments of Geology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.

Most important works of Mir Ali Gashgai were dedicated to petrology and mineralogy of Azerbaijan. Qashqai studied the iron-cobalt and alunite deposits of Dashkasan and discovered the deposits of obsidian and perlite in Kalbajar (together with A. Mammadov).^[1] Together with S. Aliyev, he compiled the geothermic map of Azerbaijan and proposed the theory of volcanic origin of Caucasian pyrite and chalcopyrite instead of the intrusive one.^[1] Following the landfall of Yardymly meteorite in 1959 he led the examination of its chemical and physical properties.^[2]