Theodor Kjerulf (30 March 182525 October 1888) was a Norwegian

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, alt ...

and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

at the

University of Oslo 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 univers ...

. He also served as director of the Norwegian Geological Survey.

Biography

He was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Peder Kjerulf (1781–1841) and Elisabet Maria Lasson (1791–1873). He was the brother of composer

Halfdan Kjerulf Halfdan Kjerulf (17 September 181511 August 1868) was a Norwegian composer. Biography Kjerulf was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of a high government official. His early education was at Christiania University, for a le ...

. He was educated in the Royal Frederick University (now University of Oslo) and subsequently studied in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, working with Karl Georg Bischof in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

and Robert Wilhelm Bunsen in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

. In 1858, he was hired as a lecturer at the Royal Frederick University. In 1866 he was promoted to professor of geology. His contributions to the

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 Ea ...

of Norway were numerous. From 1858 to 1888, he served as the first director of the Norwegian Geological Survey (''Norges geologiske undersøkelse''), which he had been instrumental in establishing. He also contributed to the systematic and detailed mapping of Norway's bedrock. His principal works were ''Das Christiania Silurbecken'' (1855) and ''Udsigt over det sydlige Norges Geologi'' (1879). From 1856 to 1857 he was the chairman of the Norwegian Polytechnic Society. Kjerulf was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from 1869.

Personal life

In 1856, he married Marie Agnes Christiane Anker (1826–1915), daughter of Erik Theodor Christian Bernhardus Anker (1785–1858) and Betzy Sneedorff (1790–1875). She was the sister of Betsy Juliane Charlotte Anker (1830–1912) who married the noted painter Hans Gude. Theodor Kjerulf published three collections of poetry; in 1848, 1854 and 1866. In 1855, he was awarded the Crown Prince's Gold Metal (''Kronprinsens gullmedalje'') by the University of Oslo. He became a knight of

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

in 1866. He died at Kristiania in 1888 and was buried at Vår Frelsers gravlund.

Selected works

*''Das Christiania Silurbecken'', 1855 *''Stenriket og Fjeldlæren'', 1865 *''Udsigt over det sydlige Norges geologi'', 1879 *''Digte og Skizzer'', 1890

Legacy

Kjerulf Fjord Kjerulf Fjord is a fjord in King Christian X Land, eastern Greenland. The Kjerulf Fjord is part of the Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjord system.''Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute'', p. 120 Administratively it lies in the area ...

in Northeast

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is ...

Kjerulfbreen Kjerulfbreen (Kjerulf Glacier) is a glacier in Oscar II Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It has a length of about 7.5 kilometers, and is debouching into the Trygghamna bay at the northern side of Isfjorden. The glacier is named after Norwegian geol ...

and

Kjerulføya Kjerulføya is an island north of Nordaustlandet in 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 coa ...

in Svalbard, Kjerulf Glacier in

Jan Mayen Jan Mayen () is a Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is long (southwest-northeast) and in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of around the Beerenberg volcano). It has two parts: larger ...

, and Kjerulf Glacier in

South Georgia South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east ...

, are named after him.''Kjerulfbreen'' - Stadnamn i norske polarområde, Norsk polarinstitutt.

References

Other sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kjerulf, Theodore 1825 births 1888 deaths Scientists from Oslo University of Oslo alumni University of Oslo faculty 19th-century Norwegian geologists Directors of government agencies of Norway 19th-century Norwegian poets Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour