Torell, Otto Martin

Otto Martin Torell ( Swede. Otto Martin Torell ; 1828-1900) - Swedish geologist, zoologist and polar explorer.

Otto Martin Torell
Swede. Otto martin torell
Otto Martin Torell (1828-1900)
Date of Birth	June 5, 1828 ( 1828-06-05 )
Place of Birth	Warberg
Date of death	September 11, 1900 ( 1900-09-11 ) (72 years old)
A place of death
A country	Sweden
Scientific field	Quaternary Geology
Place of work
Alma mater	Lund University
Academic degree
Awards and prizes	[d] ( 1898 )

Born June 5, 1828 in Varberg . In 1844 he entered studies at Lund University and in 1853 received a Ph.D. In 1860, Torell became an associate of zoology, and in 1866 - a freelance professor of zoology and geology at Lund University.

In 1856, he traveled to Switzerland to study glaciers , and in 1857 he visited Iceland for the same purpose. The following year, he, together with A.E. Nurdenscjöld and A. Quennerstedt, made his first expedition to Svalbard , and in 1859 spent a study trip to Greenland .

Thanks to these trips, a plan emerged to organize a series of polar expeditions, and Torell personally led the first of them, completed on Svalbard in 1861. This expedition largely served as the basis for the subsequent scientific study of the polar regions. In addition to important observations in the fields of geography, geology, zoology and botany, preliminary observations of temperature were carried out during the expedition.

No less important were soil samples taken from a depth of 2500 m and containing a large number of life forms. Before that, samples taken from such depths contained only foraminifera . This discovery aroused great interest and gave impetus to subsequent studies in which many states participated.

Torell was the first Swedish researcher to adopt the glacial theory , according to which Scandinavia was covered with mainland ice during the ice age . He even went further, claiming that continental glaciation from Scandinavia spread to all regions east and south of the Baltic Sea , where erratic boulders are found.

In 1865, the Royal Dutch Society for Technical and Human Sciences nominated a prize for deciding on the origin of the alien rocks that are found in separate blocks in northern Holland near Hondsrug . Torell in 1866-1867 presented his answer in two parts, for which society awarded him a gold medal and 150 guilders . In his work, he analyzed in detail the erratic phenomenon in Northern Europe and proved that it was associated with the continental glaciation, which affected the region under consideration.

In 1875, Torell presented his views to the German Geological Society, but they were coolly received by German geologists who continued to adhere to the drift theory of Lyell , which recognized icebergs, sea, river, and lake seasonal ice as the main factor in the separation of boulders. However, after several years, German scientists were still forced to recognize and accept the glacial theory.

In 1871, while teaching at Lund University, Torell founded a new geological institution - the Swedish Geological Survey ("Geological Bureau"). As its head, he strongly contributed to its transformation into a significant scientific institution.

Torell was a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences (1870), the Academy of Agriculture (1872), and also a member of many other Swedish and foreign learned societies.

He died on September 11, 1900.