Abich, Wilhelm Hermann

Abich, Wilhelm Hermann 

(or German Virgel’movich Abich, sometimes German Vasil’evich Abich). Born Dec. 11 (23), 1806, in Berlin; died July 1 (13), 1886, in Vienna. Geologist; explorer of the Caucasus.

In 1841, Abich was invited to Russia to assume a professorship at the University of Dorpat (Tartu). Until 1876 he devoted himself to the exploration of the Caucasus and Iran: the geological structure, minerals, earthquakes, glaciers, and so on. He was one of the first to study the chemical problems of petrography and to point out the significance of feldspar for igneous rocks. In 1853 he was elected a full member of the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg. He spent the last ten years of his life at work in Vienna, where he died.

WORKS

Geologische Forschungen in den Kaukasischen Ländern, Tl 1–3. Vienna, 1878–87.
Geologische Beobachtungen auf Reisen in den Gebirgsländern zwischen Kur und Araxes. Tiflis, 1867.
Geologiia Armianskogonagor’ia. Zap. chast’ . . . [Noplace,] 1899.

REFERENCE

Bogachev, V. V. “German-Vil’gel’m (German Vasil’evich) Abikh.” Tr. Geologich. in-ta Azerb. filiala AN SSSR, 1939, vol. 12/63.