Born in Zurich, Escher von der Linth studied geology in Geneva, Berlin and Halle. In addition, he made extensive study trips through Germany, Austria and Upper Italy. From 1834 to 1852 he was a private lecturer in mineralogy and geology and from 1856 professor of geology at the Zurich Polytechnic and director of the Geological Collections. He devoted his research mainly to the geology of the Swiss Alps and the adjacent areas and was the first to recognize their fold structure. Escher wrote numerous expert reports for civil engineering projects (Gotthard Tunnel), advocated torrent control and warned of natural disasters.

[1] This article bases on Mair, Toni. Grieder, Susanne. Das Landschaftsrelief – Symbiose von Wissenschaft und Kunsthandwerk. Mit Schweizer Reliefkatalog. Verlag hier+jetzt. Baden, Schweiz. 2006. S.157.

See also:

• Arnold Escher von der Linth (Wikipedia).
• Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz. Arnold Escher von der Linth. 2015.