Died 15 September 1869 | ||
Gottfried Ludwig Theobald (21 December 1810 in Allendorf – 15 September 1869 in Chur) was a German-Swiss geologist and cartographer.
He studied theology at the universities of Marburg and Halle, then served as a curate in Hanau. Being dissatisfied with this line of work, he focused his attention towards natural sciences and eventually worked as a tutor in Montpellier. From 1843 he taught classes at a secondary school in Hanau, and in 1852 relocated to Geneva as a teacher in a private school. From 1854 up until his death, he taught classes in sciences at the cantonal school in Chur.
His geological research was largely centered on the mountains of the canton of Graubünden, of which he produced highly detailed geological maps. He also provided geological descriptions of Swiss mineral springs; such as those at Tarasp, St. Moritz, Alvaneu, Rothenbrunnen and Passugg, as well as descriptions of the springs at Bormio in Italy. He was the author of over 100 writings, many of them containing detailed geological descriptions and maps. These were published in various magazines, most notably in the annual reports of the Swiss Alpine Club (1866–70) and the proceedings of the Swiss Society for Natural Sciences.
His natural history collections formed a foundation for the Rätisches Museum in Chur. The moss species Didymodon theobaldii (Pfeff., 1867) commemorates his name.