Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko

Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko (Russian Алексей Павлович Федченко; * 7.jul / February 19 1844greg in Irkutsk, .. † 3.jul / September 15 1873greg in Chamonix.. ) Was a Russian scientist and explorer of Central Asia.

Life and Travel

After attending high school in Irkutsk Fedchenko studied until 1864 at Moscow University. During his studies, and in the following years he worked on zoology (mainly Entomology ), botany, anthropology and ethnography, and put this on extensive collections.

1867 Fedchenko traveled to Finland and Sweden, 1868 Austria, and Italy, where he worked under the direction of Rudolf Leuckarts in Naples.

In the years 1868-1871 Fedchenko led several expeditions to Turkestan by: so 1869 in the Serafschantal, 1870 Iskanderkul the lake and the headwaters of the Zeravshan, 1871, the Kyzyl Kum Desert and the first Russian traveler, the Alai valley, which is the Alai Mountains separates from the Trans - Alai chain of the Pamir. He "discovered" the highest peak of the Trans - Alai, which he gave in to the Governor-General of Turkestan, Konstantin Petrovich (from) a merchant named Pik Kaufmann ( 1928 Pik Lenin renamed).

1872 traveled Alexei Fedchenko with the aim of processing the materials brought from Turkestan to Western Europe. He stayed at the universities of Leipzig (again with Rudolf Leuckart ), University of Heidelberg and University of Lucerne, and brought in the Alps studies comparing the local glaciers with those in Turkestan by.

In September 1873 Fedchenko died at the age of only 29 years old when committing a Mont Blanc glacier in Chamonix, when he came with his two companions at the Col du Géant in a storm.

Since 1867 Fedchenko was the botanist Olga Alexandrovna Fedchenko, born Armfeld ( Ольга Александровна Армфельд, 1845-1921 ) married, who accompanied him in a row on his travels and expeditions, and was involved after his death, inter alia, on the publication of his writings.

According to Alexei Fedchenko the Fedtschenkogletscher in the Pamirs, with 77 km the longest other than polar valley glaciers of the earth, and who in 1978 discovered asteroid ( 3195 ) Fedchenko are named.

Works

The revised major works Fedtschenkos were after his death under the title Travel to Turkestan by AP Fedchenko ( Путешествие в Туркестан А П Федченко. . ) In five volumes of communications from the Society of Lovers of Natural History ( Известия общества любителей естествознания, 1872-1877, new edition 1950) edited.