Balthazar Mathias Keilhau (2 November 1797 – 1 January 1858) was a Norwegian geologist and mountain pioneer. He is regarded as the founder of the discipline of

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

in Norway, and has also been credited for the discovery of the

Jotunheimen Jotunheimen (; "the home of the Jötunn") is a mountainous area of roughly in southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all located in the Jotunheimen mountains, in ...

mountain range.

Personal life

Keilhau was born in

Gjøvik Gjøvik () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Gjøvik (town), town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Norway, Biri, Bybrua, ...

to parish priest Johan David Bertram Keilhau and Johanne Marie Bodom. In 1830 he married Christine Kemp. His wife had been engaged to mathematician Nils Henrik Abel, a friend of Keilhau. When Abel died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in 1829, Keilhau was worried about his fiancé, and offered to marry her, although they had never met, and she accepted. Keilhau died in Christiania in 1858.

Career

Keilhau is regarded as the founder of geology in Norway. He graduated from the Christiania Cathedral School in 1816. In 1821 he graduated in

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

, the first one at the University in Christiania, and received further industrial practice in

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production and fo ...

. He subsequently studied

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, and geology in

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

. Keilhau made the first ascent of

Falketind Falketind is a mountain in Årdal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the Jotunheimen mountain range inside the Utladalen Landscape Protection Area. The mountain is east of the old mountain farm, Vettismorki, and nort ...

in 1820 along with two other climbers. He has later been labeled the "discoverer" of the mountain range of

. The mountain of Keilhaus topp is named after him. The 1820 journey, which he made along with fellow student Christian Boeck, was thoroughly documented in the article "Nogle efterretninger om et hidtil ubekendt stykke af det söndenfjeldske Norge". He lectured at the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo (; ) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick University, the university was established in 1811 as the de facto Norwegian conti ...

in Christiania from 1826. In 1827 he joined an expedition to Bjørnøya and

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norway, Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of continental Europe, mainland Europe, it lies about midway be ...

. At Svalbard, the mountain of Keilhaufjellet and the glacier of Mathiasbreen are named after him. He was appointed professor from 1834. Among his publications is the three-volume ''Gaea Norvegica'' (1838–1850). The first volume from 1838 describes the Oslo Geological Region, the second volume from 1844 covers Northern Norway, and the third volume from 1850 covers Southern Norway. This work is the first complete overview of the Geology of Norway. He was decorated Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

, Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

, and Knight of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keilhau, Baltazar Mathias 1797 births 1858 deaths People from Gjøvik 19th-century Norwegian geologists University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo Norwegian mountain climbers Knights of the Order of Vasa Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Jotunheimen Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters