Prof. Dr. Alfred Bögli

1. April 1912 - 11. February 1998

Prof. Dr. Alfred Bögli was one of the leading personalities in speleology during the second half of the 20th century. Alfred Bögli was born in Bern 1912 and died in 1998 in Hitzkirch/Kanton Luzern. He studied at the universities Bern and Fribourg and gained his Ph. D. in 1939.

From 1951 Alfred Bögli led the scientific research in the Hölloch. In August 1952 he was trapped in this cave with three companions by a flood. They had to wait for 10 days until the water level sank and they were able to pass the siphon. At the end of their imprisonment they were some kilo lighter but famous. Radio and the newspapers published all details of several rescue operations. Alfred Bögli wrote a very interesting book about this ten days inside the Hölloch (Im Banne der großen Höhle, see bibliography above).

He worked on details of limestone dissolution depending on climate and vegetation. In this context, he discovered the Mischungskorrosion (Mixture Corrosion) in 1964. This is an important principle in the formation of caves in karst areas.

In 1965 he recieved a lectureship for Karst- and Karsthydrographie at the Institut für Physische Geographie, J. W. Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

1970 he made his Habilitation at the University of Zürich, Switzerland.

He wrote many papers and books, but the book Karsthydrographie und physische Speläologie, which was also translated into English, gives a complete overview of his work. In the German speaking caving society, he was very famous for his numerous popular-scientific publications.

Publications

Important publications of Alfred Bögli in chronological order.

Probleme der Karrenbildung, in: Geographica Helvetica 6, 1951, S. 191-204
Karsthydrographische Untersuchungen im Muotatal, in: Regio Basiliensis 1, 1959/60, S. 68-79
Der Chemismus des Lösungsprozesses und der Einfluß der Gesteinsbeschaffenheit auf die Entwicklung des Karstes, I.G.U.-Report, Comm. Karst Phenomena, New York 1956, S. 7-17
Die Phasen der Kalklösung, in: Geographica Helvetica 12, 1957, S. 244-245
Kalklösung und Karrenbildung, in: Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, Suppl.- Bd. 2, 1960, S. 4-21
Karrentische, ein Beitrag zur Karstmorphologie, in: Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, Neue Folge 5, 1961, S. 185-193
Un exemple de complexe glacio-karstique: Le "Schichtrippenkarst", in: Revue Belge Geographique, No. spec., Karst et climat froid, Brüssel 1964
Mischungskorrosion, ein Beitrag zum Verkarstungsproblem, in: Erdkunde 18, 1964, S. 83-92
Leuchtende Finsternis, Bern 1965 (together with H. W. Franke)
Im Banne der großen Höhle, Spectrum Verlag Stuttgart, 1965, 154pp.
Karstwasserfläche und unterirdische Karstwasserniveaus, in: Erdkunde 20, 1966, S. 11-19
Präglazial und Präglaziale Verkarstung im hinteren Muotatal, in: Regio Basiliensis 9, 1968, S. 135-153
Neue Anschauungen über die Rolle von Schichtfugen und Klüften in der karsthydrographischen Entwicklung, in: Geologische Rundschau 58, 1969, S. 395-408
Das Hölloch und sein Karst, in: Stalactite, Suppl. 4a, Neuchâtel 1970
Kalkabtrag in den nördlichen Kalkalpen, in: Actes du 4 Congrès national de spéléologie, Neuchâtel 1970, und Stalactite, Suppl. 6a, Neuchâtel 1971
Karsthydrographie und physische Speläologie, Berlin 1978 (Springer).
Karst Hydrology and Physical Speleology