An early hydrographical map of America

Published in the 'Mundi Subterranei', this map concentrates on the rivers and mountains of South America, as well as marking Walter Raleigh's 'Parime Lacus' and an apparent crater lake high in the Andes shown as a source of the Amazon. The ocean currents are also shown: Tooley states that the maps in this work were the earliest to do so. Kircher (1602-1680), a Jesuit scholar, was one of the first compilers of knowledge of the physical features of the world. As well as Geology, he also studied Egyptology & Sinology, and biology: he was one of the first to suggest that the plague was caused by micro-organisms.