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Alexander Zemtsov

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

Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

3. History of geological science timeline

Let us consider important facts in the history of geology and geological thinking dealing with the subject of this article.

Below is the chronology of important events:

1794	Immanuel Kant is elected honorary member of the St.-Petersburg Academy of Sciences (this fact is omitted in Kant’s biography in the Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd edition, vol. 11 (1973))
1796	A. v. Humboldt for the first time uses the term “physics of the Globe” in one of his letters.
1798	Th. Malthus publishes his research on population growth and mentions that regions near volcanoes are overpopulated in spite of disasters (Thomas Malthus. An Essay on the Principle of Population…. London, 1798)
1804	Watt, Gregory. Observations on basalt, and on the transition from the vitreous to the stony texture, which occurs in the gradual refrigeration of melted  basalt; with some geological remarks. Publ. in the Philosophical Transactions. London, 1804.
1805	Hall, Sir James. Account of a series of experiments, showing the effects of compression in modifying the action of heat. Read in the Royal Society of Edinburgh, June 3, 1805.
1808	Humphry Davy explains volcanic activity as an interaction of alcalic metals with the mixture of air and water, penetrating deep inside through the cracks and faults in the Earth crust’s upper layers.
1825	Leopold von Buch publishes his research on physical geology of the Canary Islands.
1830-1833	Charles Lyell’s “Principles of Geology” (in 3 volumes) are published
1831	J. W. v. Goethe and A. v. Humboldt last meeting before Goethe’s death on March, 22, 1832; they probably discuss the nature of volcanism
1834	The corps of Mining engineers is established in Russia as a military government organization, subordinated to the Finance Ministery (minister: G. v. Cancrin)
1835	S. D. Poisson (1781-1840) claims that the Earth’s interior is solid and rigid, contrary to the idea of the liquid core.
1842	Leopold von Buch’s article “Observations on the volcanoes of the Auvergne” appears (uplifted craters theory formulated)
1845	Humboldt’s “Kosmos” is published.
1849	The Russian National Physical Observatory is established in St. Petersburg.

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