Bergketten und Vulcane von Inner Asien

Humboldt’s foundational geological breakthrough for the entire continent of Asia.

This fascinating topographic map, titled Mountain Ranges and Volcanoes of Inner Asia by [Way of a] First Draft, outlines the groundbreaking research of Alexander von Humboldt. Humboldt theorized that these physical phenomena were part of an interconnected system—a vital early conceptual precursor to modern plate tectonics. The image largely omits political boundaries, focusing instead on the major chains of mountain ranges that run horizontally across the continent in four parallel belts. Volcanoes are marked with a distinct small symbol, and prominent geographic features, important cities, and various regions are carefully labeled.

The map was engraved by Franz Wilhelm Kliewer, a prominent Berlin-based craftsman best known for his association with Kiepert’s landmark Hand-Atlas. Published in Potsdam in 1830 as part of Vol. 18, Pt. 3 of Annalen der Physik und Chemie, this sheet stands as one of the first publicly available cartographic records incorporating the immediate data from von Humboldt’s historic 1829 expedition across Siberia.