Abstract
AS briefly reported in NATURE last week this venerable geologist died at Vienna on July 1. As far back as the year 1831 he began his scientific career by the publication of an important memoir, in which by novel methods of chemical analysis he determined the composition of various minerals of the Spinel family, and showed how alike by chemical composition and crystalline form they could all be ranged in one group. This early paper gave evidence of the carefulness of observation which distinguished him through life. It was followed by other chemical and mineralogical essays, especially in the department of volcanic products. Gradually he was led to devote special attention to the phenomena of volcanic action, and in the course of his investigations to visit most of the volcanic districts of Europe. His folio atlas of views illustrative of Vesuvius and Etna (1837), and his “Vulkanische Bildungen” (1841), are among the best known of his writings. He had great facility as a sketcher, and some of his drawings of volcanic craters have done duty for nearly half a century in text-books in many languages. The east of Europe presented a wide and almost unknown field for his exploration. As far back as 1840 he published notices of his wanderings in the Caucasus. He ascended to the summit of Mount Ararat, and devoted most of the remainder of his life to the investigation of the vast region of the Caucasus and south-eastern Europe. Many papers published from time to time in the scientific journals record his unwearied industry. But perhaps the most striking and durable monument of his scientific achievements is his great work, “Geologische Forschungen in den Kaukasischen Landern,” the publication of which he was superintending at the time of his death. This magnificent monograph, of which only the first part has been published, brings before the reader in a series of maps, sketches, large panoramic views, and detailed descriptions a picture of the external aspect and geological structure of the Caucasian region and impresses him with a profound admiration for the author's geological prowess. Abich had during the last few years settled in Vienna, availing himself of the typographic facilities to be found in the Austrian capital. He has been a notable instance of the longevity attained by many active field-geologists, for he almost reached the age of three score and ten years, retaining to the end his enthusiasm and industry. It is to be hoped that the second part of his monumental work, which is to treat of the eastern half of the Armenian Highlands, has been left in such a state as to admit of publication.
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Herrmann Abich . Nature 34, 290 (1886). https://doi.org/10.1038/034290b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/034290b0