Otto Wilhelm Hermann Abich
Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich | |
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Born | 11 December 1806 |
Died | 1 July 1886 | (aged 79)
Nationality | German |
Alma mater | Humboldt University of Berlin |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Mineralogy, geology |
Institutions | University of Tartu |
Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich (11 December 1806 – 1 July 1886) was a German mineralogist and geologist. Full member of St Petersburg Academy of Sciences (hon. member since 1866).
Biography
He was born in Berlin and educated at the local university.[1] His earliest scientific work is related to spinels and other minerals. Later he made special studies of fumaroles, of the mineral deposits around volcanic vents, and of the structure of volcanoes. In 1842 he was appointed professor of mineralogy in the university of Dorpat (Tartu), and henceforth gave attention to the geology and mineralogy of the Russian Empire.[2] Residing for some time at Tiflis, he investigated the geology of the Armenian Highland (this term was introduced by Abich)[3] and Caucasus.[4][5] In 1844 and 1845 he ascended Ararat volcano several times,[5] studied the geological event of 1840 that was centered on Ararat (Akori village). In 1877 he retired to Vienna, where he later died. The mineral Abichite was named after him.[2]
Publications
The following are listed in Chisholm (1911), p. 62:
- Vues illustratives de quelques phenomenes geologiques, prises sur le Vesuve et l'Etna, pendant les annees 1833 et 1834 (Berlin, 1836);
- Ueber die Natur und den Zusammenhang der vulcanischen Bildungen (Brunswick, 1841);
- Geologische Forschungen in den Kaukasischen Ländern (3 vols., Vienna, 1878, 1882, and 1887).
References
- ^ "Biography".
- ^ a b public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abich, Otto Wilhelm Hermann von". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 62. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Armenian identity in a changing world, Levon Abrahamian, Mazda Publishers, 2006 – p. 50
- ^ "Hermann Abich (1806–1886): 'the Father of Caucasian Geology' and his travels in the Caucasus and Armenian Highlands, by E. E. Milanovsky".
- ^ a b Four Centuries of Geological Travel: edited by Patrick N. Wyse Jackson, p. 178
Further reading
- Tikhomirov, V.V. (1970). "Abich, Otto Hermann Wilhelm". Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 19–21.
- 1806 births
- 1886 deaths
- Scientists from Berlin
- People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg
- 19th-century German geologists
- German mineralogists
- Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences
- Full members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences
- Honorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences
- Humboldt University of Berlin alumni
- Academic staff of the University of Tartu
- Explorers of the Caucasus