Prussian explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769â1859) was one of the most respected scientists of his day influencing the work of Darwin. He is considered the founder of physical geography climatology ecology and oceanography. In 1829 the Russian government invited Humboldt to visit the gold and platinum mines in the Urals. As he studied the mountains' mineral wealth he was the first to predict the presence of diamonds. During six months his epic 10000-mile expedition took him as far as the Altai Mountains and the Chinese frontier. Humboldt's observations on the geography volcanic geology and meteorology of Central Asia being then a largely unexplored territory were acknowledged as pioneering contributions. The results of his journey also provided much of the data used in part of his great work Kosmos. The first volume of this book published in 1831 deals with the mountain chains and volcanoes of Central Asia. Language: French