Balthazar Mathias Keilhau (2 November 1797 – 1 January 1858) was a Norwegian geologist and mountain pioneer. He is regarded as the founder of the discipline of

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

in Norway, and has also been credited for the discovery of the

Jotunheimen Jotunheimen (; "the home of the Jötunn") is a mountainous area of roughly in southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all located in the Jotunheimen mountains, in ...

mountain range.

Personal life

Keilhau was born in

Gjøvik is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen. The ...

to parish priest Johan David Bertram Keilhau and Johanne Marie Bodom. In 1830 he married Christine Kemp. His wife had been engaged to mathematician

Nils Henrik Abel Niels Henrik Abel ( , ; 5 August 1802 – 6 April 1829) was a Norwegian mathematician who made pioneering contributions in a variety of fields. His most famous single result is the first complete proof demonstrating the impossibility of solvin ...

, a friend of Keilhau. When Abel died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

in 1829, Keilhau was worried about his fiancé, and offered to marry her, although they had never met, and she accepted. Keilhau died in Christiania in 1858.

Career

Keilhau is regarded as the founder of geology in Norway. He graduated from the Christiania Cathedral School in 1816. In 1821 he graduated in

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

, the first one at the University in Christiania, and received further industrial practice in

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud, Viken county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production ...

. He subsequently studied

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, and geology in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

. Keilhau made the first ascent of

Falketind Falketind is a mountain in Årdal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the Jotunheimen mountain range inside the Utladalen Landscape Protection Area. The mountain is east of the old mountain farm, Vettismorki, and northwes ...

in 1820 along with two other climbers. He has later been labeled the "discoverer" of the mountain range of

. The mountain of

Keilhaus topp Keilhaus topp is a mountain in Lom Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is one of Norway's highest mountains, but is not always included in rankings due to its topographic prominence of only . The tall mountain is located in the Jotunhe ...

is named after him. The 1820 journey, which he made along with fellow student Christian Boeck, was thoroughly documented in the article "Nogle efterretninger om et hidtil ubekendt stykke af det söndenfjeldske Norge". He lectured at the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

in Christiania from 1826. In 1827 he joined an expedition to Bjørnøya and

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

. At Svalbard, the mountain of

Keilhaufjellet Keilhaufjellet is a mountain in Sørkapp Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It has a height of 660 m.a.s.l. The mountain is named after Norwegian geologist Baltazar Mathias Keilhau Balthazar Mathias Keilhau (2 November 1797 – 1 January 1858 ...

and the glacier of

Mathiasbreen Mathiasbreen is a glacier in Sørkapp Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It has a length of about five kilometers, and is located between the mountains Keilhaufjellet and Kistefjellet. The glacier is named after Norwegian geologist Baltazar Mathias Kei ...

are named after him. He was appointed professor from 1834. Among his publications is the three-volume ''Gaea Norvegica'' (1838–1850). The first volume from 1838 describes the Oslo Geological Region, the second volume from 1844 covers Northern Norway, and the third volume from 1850 covers Southern Norway. This work is the first complete overview of the Geology of Norway. He was decorated Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...

, Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of the ...

, and Knight of the Order of St. Olav.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keilhau, Baltazar Mathias 1797 births 1858 deaths People from Gjøvik 19th-century Norwegian geologists University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo Norwegian mountain climbers Knights of the Order of Vasa Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Jotunheimen Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters