Justus Perthes: Rotomahana od.der Warme See mit seienen heissen Quellen
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Cartographer:
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Justus Perthes
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Title:
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Rotomahana od.der Warme See mit seienen heissen Quellen
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Date:
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1862
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Published:
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Gotha
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Width:
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8 inches / 21 cm
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Height:
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10 inches / 26 cm
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Map ref:
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AUNZ2845
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Description:
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Fascinating map of Lake Rotomahana as it appeared prior to the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera. The pink and white terraces surrounding the lake were destroyed in the eruption, but had previously been New Zealand's greatest tourist attraction and a natural wonder of the world. This map is compiled from the surveys of Dr. Ferdinand von Hochstetter, who, in 1859, was given the task of producing the first geological survey of New Zealand. Hochstetter's survey of Rotomahana, the only scientific survey conducted prior to the 1886 eruption, is now a unique source of information about where the terraces used to be and have been used as recently as 2017 by geologists attempting to locate remnants of the terraces.
The Geographische Mitteilungen, in which this map was originally published, is the oldest German language geographical journal - its first issue was in 1855 and it finally closed its doors in 2004. The magazine was conceived and edited by August Heinrich Petermann and published by the venerable firm of Justus Perthes in Gotha, Germany.
Its first article reported on an expedition into North Africa and the Sahara by Heinrich Barth and Adolf Overweg. This report was enough to secure a circulation of 4000 for the fledgling magazine and, more importantly, encouraged other important scientist-explorers of the day who were attracted by the magazine’s heavy scientific emphasis to send in their own reports. These included Hans Meyer, the first man to ascend the Kibo crater on Mount Kilimanjaro, Sven Hedin, the Swedish explorer of Central Asia and the Himalayas, and Alfred Wegener, the geoscientist who pioneered the theory of continental shift which led to the modern theory of plate tectonics.
In comparison to its contemporaries, such as the Geographical Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, the Mitteilungen had a far greater interest in ethnography and the physical and natural sciences, leading to the inclusion of many fascinating, but sometimes obscure, maps on the most recent theories related to climatology, meteorology, botany, and zoology.
Printed colour. [AUNZ2845] |