Specialist in Foraminifera and Calpionelida, he discovered about 250 new species and published more than 200 textbooks, scientific articles, etc.
In 1926 and 1927 he took specialization courses in the University of Paris, with professor Cailleux, and in Strasburg, with professor Lapparent. When he went back to Mallorca he started a scientific task that would take more than 65 years, which is reflected in the main international publications, like: Micropaleontology of New York, Revue de Micropaléontologie of Paris, Revista Española de Micropaleontología of Madrid, etc.
Although Colom always used to work as independent of any public or private institution, he was a member of the Societé Geólogique de France (1966), of the Cushman Foundation (1954), of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas of Madrid (1950), of the Real Academia de Ciencias de Madrid (1950), and the Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona (1954).
He had an important pedagogic influence in the field of Micropaleontology in the Latin American countries and his scientific prestige was so well known in his birth land that the University of Illes Balears named "Guillem Colom Casasnovas" one of the buildings of the Science College, where they still work on Micropaleontology. Colom is considered pioneer and one of the greatest promoters of this field. Today, Calpionelida, microplancton that he studied very deeply, are divided in Calpionellidae and Colomiellidae in his honor.
Text by Guillem Mateu.
Main works
- Introducción al estudio de los Microforaminíferos fósiles (1946)
- Litomicrofacies de los terrenos secundarios de España (1969)
- Foraminíferos Ibéricos (1974)
- La obra científica de Guillermo Colom Casasnovas (1900-1993) Vol. II. G.Mateu. Instituto Español de Oceanografia (2009)
For more information
- La obra científica de Guillermo Colom Casasnovas (1900-1993) Vol. II. Guillem Mateu. Instituto Español de Oceanografia (2009)
- Ramon Margalef i Guillem Colom: diàleg epistolar entre dos savis, mestres i pioners de la ciència. Guillem Mateu. Universitat de les Illes Balears (2009)
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