Karl Caesar von Leonhard (1779–1862), and the beginnings of loess research in the Rhine valley

Two critical books in the history of loess investigation: ‘Charakteristik der Felsarten’ by Karl Caesar von Leonhard and ‘Principles of Geology’ by Charles Lyell

“…Von Leonhard was 43 years old in 1823 ( Figure 1 He was one of the editors of Neues Jahrbuch fur Mineralogie.. He ran a successful business supplying geological and mineralogical specimens [3,4]. He was a well established professor in a famous university.…”

“…CdF has at least two OCLC numbers (840601865 and 781233529). But confusion does readily arise; Jovanovic et al [4] has five entries in WorldCat -each one supplied by a different database.…”

Charles Lyell and the loess deposits of the Rhine valley

“…There was also the happy coincidence of Charles Lyell arriving in Heidelberg on his honeymoon-and finding Bronn and Von Leonhard in residence there. It is no surprise that loess investigation begins in the Rhine region(see Jovanovic et al, 2014).…”

“…In 1834, for the 4th edition, the list expanded slightly to include Noeggerath and Von Meyer. These constituted 'Lyell's Loess Legion', discussed by Jovanovic et al (2014). In 1837, for the 5th edition, Horner was appended.…”

“…Lyell recorded conversations about loess but shows no real appreciation of the material until the fateful trip to Heidelberg in 1832. The place of Hibbert in loess investigation has been considered by Jovanovic et al (2014) and they also provide much background about the role of Karl Caesar von Leonhard.…”