Pyotr Kropotkin (geologist)
Introduction

**Pyotr Nikolayevich Kropotkin** (; November 24, 1910, Moscow – 17 January 1996, Moscow) was a [Soviet](/wiki/Soviet_Union "Soviet Union") [Russian](/wiki/Russians "Russians") [geologist](/wiki/Geologist "Geologist"), [tectonician](/wiki/Tectonics "Tectonics"), and [geophysicist](/wiki/Geophysicist "Geophysicist"). 

Kropotkin came from an aristocratic family, he was the grand\-nephew of the anarchist prince [Peter Kropotkin](/wiki/Peter_Kropotkin "Peter Kropotkin").

His main publications were devoted to [tectonics](/wiki/Tectonics "Tectonics") and its relationships with [magmatism](/wiki/Magmatism "Magmatism") and to tectonic and geophysical problems. He developed a theory of the [Earth's](/wiki/Earth "Earth") outgassing and abyssal [inorganic origin of petroleum](/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin "Abiogenic petroleum origin") and coined the terms "cold outgassing".

Kropotkin graduated from *[Moscow Geological Exploration Institute](/wiki/Moscow_Geological_Exploration_Institute "Moscow Geological Exploration Institute")* (MGRI) in 1932\. He took part in prospecting for [oil](/wiki/Oil "Oil") in the West [Urals](/wiki/Ural_Mountains "Ural Mountains"). Since 1936 he was with *Geological Institute* of [Russian Academy of Sciences](/wiki/Russian_Academy_of_Sciences "Russian Academy of Sciences") (RAS). He was elected a RAS Academician in 1992 and was awarded the [Demidov Prize](/wiki/Demidov_Prize "Demidov Prize") in 1994\. 


What was Pyotr's family background?