Azerbaijan National Academy of Science

Ezel Sultanov was born in 1905 in the city of Sheki. In 1930, he graduated from the Azerbaijan Polytechnic Institute (now the Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry) with a degree in engineering geology. In 1939 he was a doctor of philosophy, in 1944 a doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences, in 1945 he received a degree of professor, in 1958 he was elected a corresponding member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences and in 1959 a full member.

In 1930-1934, he began his career as a chief of exploration brigades in Transcaucasia.

In 1934, he was appointed head of the Azerbaijan Geological Bureau and in 1935 he entered the graduate school of the Moscow Petroleum Institute. In 1939-1945 worked at such posts as a senior researcher at the Azerbaijan branch (now the Institute of Geology and Geophysics) of the Institute of Geology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, in 1945-1949. Director of the Institute of Geology, Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan SSR, in 1952-1956 Vice-Rector for Research of Azerbaijan State University (now BSU), Head of the Department of Petrography of Sedimentary Rocks, in 1954-1955. Chairman of the Council on Productive Forces under the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR, in 1958-1970. Director of the Institute of Geology.

E.Sultanov made great efforts to study the mineral raw materials and energy resources of Azerbaijan.

He supervised the lithology department, which unites the metallogenic laboratories of sedimentary rocks, which study sedimentary rocks by physico-chemical methods, as well as lithology, facies and paleogeography.

The scientific activity of E.Sultanov was related to the solution of important problems of geology, the search for oil and gas fields and their forecasting, as well as the study of deposits and the origin of volcanogenic-sedimentary methods of non-metallic deposits and building materials.

The great merits of the scientist were in the study of ore deposits in the southern foothills of the Greater Caucasus, especially the Balakan-Zakatala zone.

E.Sultanov is one of the main creators of lithological-geochemical studies in the study of sedimentary rocks.

He was an outstanding scientist in the field of volcanic-sedimentary rocks and deposits in the place of oil and gas fields, and the lithology of non-metallic minerals. He was engaged in the study of sediments and volcanic-sedimentary rocks, as well as various ancient sediments, ranging from the Paleozoic to the anthropogen. He studied the lithophase composition, its correlations, conducted research on its preparation, also determined its facies and paleogeographic conditions.

For the first time, determined the pattern of the facies cyclical nature of the formation of the oil and gas production layer in Azerbaijan. The scientist was one of the founders of the school of lithography in Azerbaijan.

Under his leadership and participation, medium-scale maps, a mineral map and a lithological map (of non-metallic and building materials), a map of geological and lithological deposits of the fourth period, and a hydrological map of ground and pressure waters were compiled.

E.Sultanov is the author of more than 300 scientific works, including several monographs and popular science reference books. E.Sultanov also participated in the training of scientific personnel.

Under his leadership were trained more than 20 doctors of sciences and doctors of philosophy.

For a long time, he taught at the Azerbaijan State University and the Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Chemistry (now ASUA).

E.Sultanov was a member of the Committee of sedimentary rocks of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, an honorary member of the British Royal Society for Mineralogy.

He was awarded the Order of the Red Labor Banner and several medals, as well as honorary decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR.

Academician Ezel Sultanov died in 1990 in Baku.