Bernhard von Cotta
Encyclopedia
Carl Bernhard von Cotta, known as Bernhard von Cotta (24 October 1808 – 14 September 1879), was a German
geologist
.
He was born in a forester's lodge at Kleine Zillbach, Meiningen
, near Eisenach
, the son of Heinrich von Cotta
, founder of the Tharandt Forestry Academy near Dresden
. He was educated at the Bergakademie Freiberg and the University of Heidelberg, as well as at his father's forestry academy. Botany
at first attracted him and he was one of the earliest to use the microscope
in determining the structure of fossil
plants. Later on he gave his attention to geology
, to the study of ore
-deposits, of rock
s and metamorphism
. He studied deposits of minerals in the Austria
n Alps
, Hungary
, and Romania
. He also examined soils and studied their effects on the geography and history of Germany.
From 1842 to 1874 he held the professorship of geology in the Bergakademie and was regarded as an excellent teacher. He published many important works on geology, including Rocks Classified and Described: a Treatise on Lithology (translated by Philip Henry Lawrence, 1866), one of the first comprehensive works on the subject issued in the English language
, which gave great impetus to the study of rocks in Britain
.
He also worked with Professor Carl Friedrich Naumann
to publish geological maps of the region of Saxony
between 1836 and 1847.
He died at Freiberg, Saxony
.
His daughter, Alice von Cotta, born in 1842, worked at Bedford College, London, and later as a school principal at the women's school Victoria-Lyceum in Berlin
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
.
He was born in a forester's lodge at Kleine Zillbach, Meiningen
Meiningen
Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
, near Eisenach
Eisenach
Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...
, the son of Heinrich von Cotta
Heinrich Cotta
Johann Heinrich Cotta was a German silviculturist who was a native of Kleine Zillbach, near Wasungen, Thuringia. He was the father of geologist Bernhard von Cotta ....
, founder of the Tharandt Forestry Academy near Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. He was educated at the Bergakademie Freiberg and the University of Heidelberg, as well as at his father's forestry academy. Botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
at first attracted him and he was one of the earliest to use the microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
in determining the structure of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
plants. Later on he gave his attention to geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, to the study of ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
-deposits, of rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
s and metamorphism
Metamorphism
Metamorphism is the solid-state recrystallization of pre-existing rocks due to changes in physical and chemical conditions, primarily heat, pressure, and the introduction of chemically active fluids. Mineralogical, chemical and crystallographic changes can occur during this process...
. He studied deposits of minerals in the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. He also examined soils and studied their effects on the geography and history of Germany.
From 1842 to 1874 he held the professorship of geology in the Bergakademie and was regarded as an excellent teacher. He published many important works on geology, including Rocks Classified and Described: a Treatise on Lithology (translated by Philip Henry Lawrence, 1866), one of the first comprehensive works on the subject issued in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, which gave great impetus to the study of rocks in Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
.
He also worked with Professor Carl Friedrich Naumann
Georg Amadeus Carl Friedrich Naumann
Georg Amadeus Carl Friedrich Naumann , also known as Karl Friedrich Naumann, was a German mineralogist and geologist. The crater Naumann on the Moon is named after him....
to publish geological maps of the region of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
between 1836 and 1847.
He died at Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, administrative center of the Mittelsachsen district.-History:The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries...
.
His daughter, Alice von Cotta, born in 1842, worked at Bedford College, London, and later as a school principal at the women's school Victoria-Lyceum in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Commemorations
- Bernhard-von-Cotta-Straße in Freiberg, the location of the present Bergakadamie Freiberg, Inst. of Geology, is named after him.
- The Dorsum Von CottaDorsum Von CottaDorsum Von Cotta is a wrinkle ridge at in Mare Serenitatis on the Moon. It is 199 km long and was named after Carl Bernard von Cotta in 1976....
, a wrinkle ridge on the MoonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, is named after him.
Publications
- Die Dendrolithen, 1832
- Geognostische Karte von Sachsen, 1832-1845
- Geognostische Wanderungen, Bd. 1-2, 1836 - 1838
- Anleitung zum Studium der Geologie und Geognosie, 1839
- Geognostische Karte von Thüringen, 1843-1848
- Gangstudien, Bd. 1-4, 1850-1862
- Briefe über Humboldts Kosmos, 1850-1860
- Gesteinslehre, Bd. 1-2, 1855, 1866 (englisch)
- Lehre von den Flözformationen, 1856
- Deutschlands Boden, sein geologischer Bau und dessen Einwirkung auf das Leben des Menschen, Bd. 1-2, 1854 u. 1858
- Lehre von den Erzlagerstätten, Bd.1-2, 1859-1861, 1870 (englisch)
- Katechismus der Geologie, 1861
- Geologie der Gegenwart, 1865
- Der Altai, sein geologischer Bau und seine Erzlagerstätten, 1871
- Geologische Bilder, 1876