HiN 11 | A. Zemtsov

Alexander von Humboldt’s ideas
on volcanism and their influence on Russian scientists

Present-day studies of the history of Russian science in the 19th century show that it is full of gaps, which we can begin to fill today thanks to the rapid arrival of new data, the use of which was restricted in the Soviet period. The main reason behind such gaps is simple: the flat-out neglect of the so-called pre-revolutionary period (before 1917) in the Soviet Union.

The first step in restoring the full picture of the history of Russian science entails combining and distilling the relevant facts. In order to understand Humboldt’s influence on Russian geology it is necessary to tripod a careful analysis of his expedition to Russia in 1829 and the subsequent familiarity of Russian scientists with Humboldt’s legacy.

This paper deals mainly with two prominent Russian scientists in the field of geology, P. Semenov (1827-1914) and P. Kropotkin (1842-1921), and their knowledge of Humboldt’s achievements in volcanology.

The first Russian translation of Humboldt’s relevant research papers was completed by Ivan Neronov (Иван Неронов) and printed in St. Petersburg in 1835. In the chapter devoted to volcanology, “On the construction and mode of action of the volcanoes in different parts of the Globe,” Humboldt discusses the internal heat of the earth and mentions the chemical analysis of glassy volcanic tephra of Vesuvius made by G. Rose[1]. In this book, for the first time Humboldt has clearly formulated the geological concept of volcanism as a connection of the incandescent (red-hot) Earth interior with its surface. Another important idea formulated in this volume is the possibility of global climate change caused by volcanic activity.

I. Neronov also translated and published in St. Petersburg “The Travels of Baron Alexander von Humboldt, Ehrenberg and Rose over Siberia and towards the Caspian Sea” (1837).[2] The first volume of Humboldt’s “Kosmos” was published in St.- Petersburg in 1848; part 2 (translated by M.Gusev) - in 1851; part 3 (translated by M.Gusev) - in 1853-57; part 4 (translated by Ya.Weinberg) – in Moscow in 1863; part 5 (translated by Ya.Weinberg) – in Moscow in 1863.[3] Of Humboldt’s work “Central Asia” a first volume of the Russian translation was published only in 1915.[4]

Humboldt’s concept of volcanism has passed the test of time. This concept is one of the most fruitful in the history of volcanology and geophysics.

The great Russian scientist Vladimir Vernadskiy (1863-1945) has stressed several points concerning the place of Humboldt’s heritage in the history of science in his “Essays on Geochemistry” (Russian edition, 1933) (Vernadskiy, 1994, pp. 412-413):

Humboldt’s scientific biography has not yet been written, and his scientific heritage should be thoroughly investigated;

In 1973, the USSR Academy of Sciences published “The History of Geology” (edited by I. Batyushkova). This book, a 400-page volume, is devoted to the history of Earth’s sciences from ancient times to the beginning of the 20th century. One can count the number of the leading scientists’ citations in the “List of names” in this volume:

[1] This is a special chapter in “Baron Humboldt’s travel in America with geological and climatic studies on Asia”, published in Russain in St. Petersburg in 1835 (see pages 99-140 in the mentioned volume). On possible climate changes caused by the internal heat see pp. 129-131.

[2] Cf. Fiedler, Horst und Ulrike Leitner: Alexander von Humboldts Schriften. Bibliographie der selbständig erschienenen Werke. Berlin 2000. (Beiträge zur Alexander-von-Humboldt-Forschung. Bd. 20), p. 354.

[3] Cf. Fiedler, Horst und Ulrike Leitner: Alexander von Humboldts Schriften. Bibliographie der selbständig erschienenen Werke. Berlin 2000. (Beiträge zur Alexander-von-Humboldt-Forschung. Bd. 20), p. 426.

[4] Cf. Fiedler, Horst und Ulrike Leitner: Alexander von Humboldts Schriften. Bibliographie der selbständig erschienenen Werke. Berlin 2000. (Beiträge zur Alexander-von-Humboldt-Forschung. Bd. 20), p. 364.