Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen, a mid-European geologist disclosing secrets of Mt. Etna in a posthumous work, edited with Arnold von Lasaulx's contribution

Abstract

Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen, a mid-European geologist disclosing secrets of Mt. Etna in a posthumous work, edited with Arnold von Lasaulx’s contribution With reference to the translation into italian, under preparation, of the work “Der Aetna”, based on manuscripts by Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen, profoundly revised and integrated by Arnold von Lasaulx, some comments are given here on its importance in the frame of the evolution of geological and volcanological knowledge of the Etnean region at its edition time (1880), and on its still present interest. The two volumes represent a “summa” of what was known about Mt. Etna and its neighbouring areas, on the grounds of observations and experimental data, collected over more than 40 years (1835-1876) by Sartorius until his death, with later additions made by v. Lasaulx. Data are interpreted in the light of the most advanced developments of research methods and theories in the fields of physics, chemistry, geology and of the disciplines, among which volcanology, that were blooming from them in the 19th century. The resulting frame is absolutely original, for what relates to the complex structure of the volcanic edifice and to its evolution, to the development in time and space of the single eruptive events, to the features of the various products, based on careful field observations and on laboratory analytical data. The work is still significantly important as a source of data founded on direct observations and on information obtained from now not easily found works.