July 6, 1926-January 5, 2023

Professor Feng Zengzhao, the initiator and honorary chairman of the International Society of Palaeogeography, died in Beijing at 20:50 on January 5, 2023, aged 96.

Feng Zengzhao, the editor in chief of journal of palaeogeography(Chinese and English Version), was born in Dengfeng County, Henan Province in 1926 and joined the CPC in 1993. He graduated from the Department of Geology of Tsinghua University in 1952, then having taught in the Department of Petroleum of Tsinghua University from 1952 to 1953, and have worked in Beijing Petroleum Institute, China university of Petroleum(East China), Beijing Graduate Department of China university of Petroleum(East China) and China University of Petroleum(Beijing) in succession since 1953. He was promoted as a professor in November 1985, enjoying the special allowance of the State Council since 1991, and retired in September 1996.

Mr. Feng kept on working for 26 years after his retirement. In 1999, at the age of 73, he founded the Journal of Palaeogeography(Chinese Version); In 2012, when he was 86 years old, he founded the Journal of Palaeogeography (English Version); In 2013, at the age of 87, he initiated the establishment of the International Society of Palaeogeography, which took nearly nine years and two months. Finally, the Society was established in Beijing in July 2022, which is the only international academic organization in the field of geology in China. After establishment of the "Professional Committee of Lithofacies and Paleogeography of the Chinese Society of Mineral and Rock Geochemistry", he organized the "National Academic Conference of Palaeogeography and Sedimentology" once every two years, which has been held for 16 consecutive sessions, in addition, the biennially organized "International Conference of Palaeogeography" by professor Feng Zengzhao has been held for five consecutive sessions.

Mr. Feng has written a great deal of works in his life. He has authored 8 books on sedimentology such as Sedimentary Petrology, China Sedimentology, 14 books on lithofacies and paleogeography such as Early Paleozoic lithofacies and Palaeogeography of North China Platform, Cambrian and Ordovician lithofacies and Palaeogeography of China, 5 translated books and more than 10 articles on sedimentology such as Origin of Sedimentary Rocks, Classification of Carbonate Rocks, 99 articles by the first author and 37 articles by the non-first author, with a total of more than 16.5 million words.

Mr. Feng had worked for the education and geological career of China for 70 years! He has won the Li Siguang Geological Science Award (Scientific Research Award), the second prize of National Teaching Achievements, the special prize of excellent teaching materials of China National Petroleum Corporation, the first prize of the Science and Technology Progress Award, the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and 14 awards from Shandong Province and Beijing. Mr. Feng is a science and technology expert with outstanding contributions who enjoys the special allowance of the State Council, an expert with outstanding contributions to the Chinese petroleum industry, and a scholar of the Chinese sedimentology achievement award. In 2013, China University of Petroleum (Beijing) won the Meritorious Award for School Creation on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the school, and won the annual nomination award of Beijing Model in 2022.

Professor Feng Zengzhao has a life of glorious, a life of striving for the Party's education and higher education in petroleum, a life of promoting the development of paleogeography, and a life of performing on the world stage. He is the initiator and founder of the International Society of Palaeogeography. His death made us lose a wise leader, which is also a huge loss to our Society.

Professor Feng Zengzhao, honorary chairman, will always inspire us to devote ourselves to palaeogeography.

Deeply mourn and remember Professor Feng Zengzhao, the Honorary Director.