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ROCK STARS
Explorer of Mountains, Minerals, and Global

Ecosystems: Alexander von Humboldt

Michael T. May, Western Kentucky University, Dept. of Earth, Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences, michael.may@wku.edu

Humboldt and his older brother Wilhelm became fatherless when
they were 9 and 11 years old, respectively. It was their father who
had the deepest emotional tie to his sons, and in contrast, their
mother was somewhat aloof. She did provide them with good educa-
tions. Their tutors were “Enlightenment” thinkers, which aided
development of intellectual prowess in the Humboldt brothers, but
their pathways were somewhat different. Wilhelm (1767–1835) was
to become widely known as the linguistically talented Prussian
minister and philosopher, whereas Alexander gravitated to the
world of natural science in “outdoor laboratories.” Humboldt, in
comparison to his bibliophile brother, was restless and later con-
veyed to Carl Freisleben that tutors doubted “whether even ordinary
powers of intelligence would ever be developed in him” (Bruhns,
1873, v. 1, p. 31; Biermann, 1987, p. 50).
The aristocratic Humboldt family spent winters in Berlin and
summers in their country estate, Schloss Tegel, located about
ten miles (16 km) northwest of central Berlin. The countryside
was a proving ground for Humboldt as he filled his pockets with
Alexander von Humboldt circa 1806.
Photo of a painting by Friedrich Georg insects, shells, and plants. His family did not think anything
Weitsch at the Old National Gallery in would come of this budding naturalist, dubbing him “the little
Berlin, Germany. Public domain.
apothecary.” When Frederick the Great, the Prussian king,
inquired of young Alexander if he was planning on a global con-
In a time of rapid climate change, earth scientists can learn from quest similar to his namesake, Alexander the Great, the youngster
Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) as an immense contributor quipped “Yes, but with my head” (Walls, 2009, p. 15).
to geology and its complex of interacting spheres. His geological Humboldt’s early years focused on nature, but his mother urged
studies spanned decades and included minerals in mines, fossils him to attend a university to become a civil servant. In 1787, he
and trace fossils, and erupting lava. Humboldt produced globally enrolled at the University of Frankfurt, studying finance courses
applicable maps by joining geological, botanical, and meteorologi- in preparation for a political career. After six months, Humboldt
cal data that are invaluable to earth science and ecology. He is moved on to Göttingen University where he studied natural sci-
highly regarded because of his scientific expositions that resulted ence. While at Göttingen University, Humboldt was influenced by
in publications, especially his magnum opus Kosmos (Cosmos, Georg Forster who sojourned with Captain Cook on his second
1845), which incorporated myriad fields of study in his holistic voyage of discovery. Humboldt and Foster traveled throughout
view of nature. Europe, and in 1789 he had an opportunity to gaze upon the first-
Humboldt developed into a discoverer via his extensive excur- ever discovered fossil pterosaur skeleton. By 1790, Humboldt pub-
sions across Europe, into Asia, and to the Americas. For the latter, lished Mineralogical Observations of Some Basalts in the Rhine
from 1799 to 1804, he documented a myriad of ecological zones Basin. His studies at Göttingen sparked further interests in miner-
via elevation and latitude changes, particularly focusing on plants. alogy, so in 1791, Humboldt enrolled at the prestigious Freiberg
He also considered mineral associations, geomagnetism and grav- School of Mines in Saxony. His mentor at Freiberg was Abraham
ity, mountain-building processes, volcanism, erosion of highlands, Gottlob Werner (1749–1817). Under Werner’s tutelage, Humboldt
colonization of landscapes by plants, and defined global iso- focused on minerals and mining. He worked underground in the
therms. Humboldt’s notes and manuscripts, and particularly his mines by morning, took classes in the afternoon, and by evening
Cosmos, serve as an invaluable baseline study for geologically he searched for plants to add to his collection.
instantaneous change brought on by humans. The talented Humboldt prepared to become a scientific explorer
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander, Freiherr (baron) von by studying foreign languages and commerce at Hamburg, geology
Humboldt, son of Alexander Georg von Humboldt and Maria at Freiberg under Werner, anatomy at Jena under J.C. Loder, and
Elizabeth Colomb, was born on 14 September 1769. From an early astronomy and scientific instrumentation with F.X. von Zach and
age he was influenced by his father and was collecting and cata- J.G. Köhler. He encountered several men at Freiberg who were
loging treasures from the natural world. His father was an army important to his later career, including Andrès Manuel del Rio, who
officer who was part of a rich family with Pomeranian roots. became director of the School of Mines established in Mexico and
Humboldt was baptized into the Lutheran faith, and his godfather, the discoverer of what would be called vanadium. Other Freiberg
the Duke of Brunswick, was later to become King of Prussia. colleagues included Christian Leopold von Buch, a geologist who

30 GSA TODAY | November 2022