Karl Alfred von Zittel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karl Alfred Ritter von Zittel
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Zittel around 1890
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| Born | 25 September 1839 Bahlingen
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| Died | 5 January 1904 (aged 64) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Paleontology |
Karl Alfred Ritter von Zittel (born September 25, 1839 – died January 5, 1904) was a famous German palaeontologist. A palaeontologist is a scientist who studies fossils to learn about ancient life. Zittel is best known for his huge book, Handbuch der Palaeontologie. This book was very important for studying ancient life forms.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Karl Alfred von Zittel was born in Bahlingen, a town in Germany. His father was a well-known church leader. Karl studied at several important universities. He went to the University of Heidelberg, the University of Paris, and the University of Vienna.
After his studies, he worked for a short time. He helped with the Geological Survey of Austria. He also worked at the mineral museum in Vienna.
Becoming a Professor
In 1863, Zittel became a teacher. He taught geology and mineralogy in Karlsruhe, Germany. Geology is the study of Earth's physical structure and substances. Mineralogy is the study of minerals.
Three years later, in 1866, he moved to the University of Munich. There, he became a professor of palaeontology. He was also put in charge of the state's collection of fossils.
In 1880, he became a geology professor. Later, he became the director of the natural history museum in Munich.
Important Discoveries and Books
Zittel was very good at studying fossils. He worked on many important projects. One of his early works was about Cretaceous bivalve mollusca. These were ancient shellfish from the Cretaceous period.
In 1873 and 1874, he joined an expedition. This trip went to the Libyan Desert in Africa. He studied the geology of the desert. He published his findings in a book called Über den geologischen Bau der libyschen Wuste.
From 1869 until he died, Zittel was the main editor of Palaeontographica. This was a very important scientific journal. It published new discoveries about fossils.
His Masterpiece: Handbuch der Palaeontologie
In 1876, Zittel started his most famous work. It was a huge book called Handbuch der Palaeontologie. This book was finished in 1893. It had five volumes, which means five separate books. The fifth volume was about ancient plants.
To make his book as accurate as possible, Zittel studied each group of fossils very carefully. For example, he wrote a special book about fossil sponges.
In 1895, he made a shorter version of his big book. It was called Grundzuge der Palaeontologie.
Other Works and Awards
Zittel also wrote other books. These included Aus der Urzeit and Die Sahara. In 1899, he published a huge history book. It was called Geschichte der Geologie und Palaeontologie bis Ende des 19 Jahrhunderts. This book covered the history of geology and palaeontology up to the end of the 1800s.
Zittel received many honors for his work. He was the president of the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences starting in 1899. In 1894, he won the Wollaston medal. This is a very important award from the Geological Society of London. In 1903, he became an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
See also
In Spanish: Karl Alfred von Zittel para niños
