Christian Leopold von Buch (26 April 1774 – 4 March 1853), usually cited as Leopold von Buch, was a German
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, alth ...
and
paleontologist
Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of foss ...
born in Stolpe an der Oder (now a part of
Angermünde
Angermünde () is a town in the district of Uckermark in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is about northeast of Berlin, the capital of Germany.
The population is about 14,000, but has been declining since its traditional industrial base ...
,
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squar ...
) and is remembered as one of the most important contributors to geology in the first half of the nineteenth century. His scientific interest was devoted to a broad spectrum of geological topics:
volcanism,
petrology
Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rock (geology), rocks and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous and metamorphic petrology are commonly ...
,
fossils,
stratigraphy and
mountain formation
Mountain formation refers to the geological processes that underlie the formation of mountains. These processes are associated with large-scale movements of the Earth's crust (tectonic plates). Folding, faulting, volcanic activity, igneous int ...
. His most remembered accomplishment is the scientific definition of the
Jurassic system.
Biography
Buch studied with
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...
under
Abraham Gottlob Werner
Abraham Gottlob Werner (; 25 September 174930 June 1817) was a German geologist who set out an early theory about the stratification of the Earth's crust and propounded a history of the Earth that came to be known as Neptunism. While most tene ...
at the
mining school in
Freiberg, Saxony. He afterwards completed his education at the universities of
Halle Halle may refer to:
Places Germany
* Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt
** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt
** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany
** Hal ...
and
Göttingen.
German and Italian explorations
He began writing on geological topics early in life. His ''Versuch einer mineralogischen Beschreibung von Landeck'' (Breslau, 1797) was translated into French (Paris, 1805), and into English as ''Attempt at a Mineralogical Description of
Landeck'' (Edinburgh, 1810). In 1802 he published ''Entwurf einer geognostischen Beschreibung von Schlesien'' ("The
Geognosy of
Silesia"), which became the first volume of his ''Geognostische Beobachtungen auf Reisen durch Deutschland und Italien'' ("Geognistic Observations while Travelling through Germany and Italy", see below). He was at this time a zealous upholder of the
Neptunian theory
Neptunism is a superseded scientific theory of geology proposed by Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817) in the late 18th century, proposing that rocks formed from the crystallisation of minerals in the early Earth's oceans.
The theory took its ...
of Werner, with some modifications. In 1797, he met Humboldt at
Salzburg, and with him explored the geological formations of
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
, and the adjoining
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
. In the spring of 1798, Buch extended his excursions into
Italy, where his faith in the Neptunian theory was shaken. In his early works, he had advocated the aqueous origin of basaltic and other formations, but now he saw cause to abandon Werner's theory, and to recognize the volcanic origin of the
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...
s.
He saw
Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of ...
for the first time in 1799. Later, in 1805, he had the opportunity, along with Humboldt and
Gay Lussac, of witnessing its actual eruption. It was a remarkable eruption, and supplied Buch with data for refuting many erroneous ideas then entertained regarding volcanoes. In 1802 he examined the extinct volcanoes of
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auver ...
in the south of
France. The aspect of the
Puy de Dôme
Puy de Dôme (, ; oc, label=Auvergnat, Puèi Domat or ) is a lava dome and one of the youngest volcanoes in the region of Massif Central in central France. This chain of volcanoes including numerous cinder cones, lava domes and maars is ...
, with its cone of
trachyte and its strata of basaltic lava, induced him to abandon as untenable the doctrines of Werner on the formation of these rocks. The results of all these geological travels were given to the world in the two volumes of his ''Geognostische Beobachtungen'' (Berlin, 1802 and 1809).
Scandinavian explorations
In 1806, Buch proceeded to
Scandinavia and spent two years in examining its physical constitution. This furnished the materials for his work entitled ''Reise durch Norwegen und Lappland'' ("Travels in Norway and Lapland", Berlin, 1810). He made many important observations on the geography of plants, on climatology and on geology. He showed that many of the
erratic blocks on the North German plains must have come from Scandinavia. He also established the fact that the whole of
Sweden is slowly but continuously rising above the level of the sea from
Frederikshald to
Åbo
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...
.
Canary Islands and the Atlantic
In 1815 Buch visited the
Canary Islands in company with
Christen Smith
Christen Smith (17 October 1785 – 22 September 1816) was an early 19th-century Norwegian physician, economist and naturalist, particularly botanist. He died, only 30 years old during a dramatic expedition to the Congo River in 1816, leaving a ...
, a Norwegian botanist. These volcanic isles furnished the starting point from which Buch commenced a regular course of study on the production and activity of volcanoes. This is attested by his standard work on the subject entitled ''Physical Description of the Canary Isles'' (1825). His observations convinced him that these and other islands of the Atlantic owed their existence to volcanic action of the most intense kind, whereas the groups of islands in the South Sea were the remains of a pre-existing continent. During his time in the Canary Islands, he visited the Las Cañadas
Caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber i ...
on Tenerife and the
Caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber i ...
de Taburiente on La Palma. When he published his memoirs and observations about his excursion, he introduced the Spanish word "Caldera" (meaning "''Bowl''") into the geological and scientific vocabulary. After his return from the Canaries he visited the basaltic group of the
Hebrides and the coasts of
Scotland and
Ireland.
Buch's geological excursions, even in countries which he had repeatedly visited before, continued without interruption until a very advanced age: eight months before his death he visited the mountains of Auvergne, and on returning home he read a paper on the Jurassic formation before the Academy of Berlin. Humboldt, who had known him intimately for a period of more than sixty years, called him the greatest geologist of that period. Buch was unmarried and lived aloof from the world, entirely devoted to scientific pursuits. His excursions were always taken on foot, with a staff in his hand, and the large pockets of his overcoat filled with papers and geological instruments.
Evolution
In the third edition of his ''
On the Origin of Species
''On the Origin of Species'' (or, more completely, ''On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life''),The book's full original title was ''On the Origin of Species by Me ...
'' published in 1861,
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
added a ''Historical Sketch'' giving due credit to naturalists who had preceded him in publishing the opinion that species undergo modification, and that the existing forms of life have descended by true generation from pre-existing forms. According to Darwin:
:The celebrated geologist and naturalist, Von Buch, in his excellent 'Description physique des Isles Canaries' (1836, p. 147), clearly expresses his belief that varieties slowly become changed into permanent species, which are no longer capable of intercrossing.
Evolutionary biologist
Ernst Mayr has written that Buch was the first naturalist to suggest
geographic speciation, in 1825.
Memberships and honors
In 1825, he was elected a foreign member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Buch was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
in 1849.
Recipient of the
Pour le Mérite
The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eagl ...
for Sciences and Arts.
Elected as the first foreign member of the
Geological Society of London.
The
German Geological Society (DGG) named its
Leopold-von-Buch-Plakette after him.
Works
Besides the works already mentioned, paleontology works by von Buch include:
*''On the Ammonites'' (1832)
*''On the Terebratulae'' (1834)
*''On the Ceratites'' (1841)
*''On the Cystidae'' (1845)
Other books include:
*''Geological Map of Germany'' (42 sheets; 1832)
*''Über den Jur in Deutschland'' (1839)
References
Sources
*
*
External links
* This work in turn cites:
**
Geognostische Beobachtungen auf Reisen durch Deutschland und Italien, 1802- full digital facsimile, Linda Hall Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buch, Christian Leopold von
1774 births
1853 deaths
People from Angermünde
18th-century German geologists
German untitled nobility
German paleontologists
Tectonicists
Petrologists
People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Proto-evolutionary biologists
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)
Wollaston Medal winners
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Foreign Members of the Royal Society
University of Halle alumni
University of Göttingen alumni
19th-century German geologists