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Letters in the Earth Sciences: Their Historic Value and Present-Day Scientific Relevance View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Earth-prints Repository ANNALS OF GEOPHYSICS, VOL. 45, N. 5, October 2002 Letters in the Earth Sciences: their historic value and present-day scientific relevance Graziano Ferrari SGA Storia Geofisica Ambiente, Bologna, Italy 1. Introduction Among the hundreds of the world’s seis- mological observatories that have recorded Scientific letters, of great importance in the earthquakes ever since the early 1890s (Ferrari, history of science and scientific instrumentation, 2000), unfortunately not all of them have kept have a particular importance for those sectors of their recordings archives intact. In many cases earth sciences in which structured observation these were partly or totally destroyed for a great networks are distributed across the territory, such variety of causes: human (state of abandonment, as seismology, meteorology, geomagnetism and deliberate destruction or wars) and natural (fires, astronomy. It may come as a surprise to know earthquakes, floods, etc.). At times the recordings that in the historical scientific letter collections of the most important earthquakes have been there can be information having a certain scien- lost, with serious damage done to research. The tific novelty. The current scientific relevance for reproductions of their seismograms and/or related seismology of the content of some historical information that can be gleaned from several letters is one of the aspects that most of all letters, appropriately re-evaluated according to motivate an investment into this kind of research, the current methods of analysis, can still provide more by the seismologists than by the historians important elements and return part of the in- of science. The experiences conducted up until formation lost. now within the TROMOS project (INGV-SGA) Within the framework of a broad international framework have led us to identify the following collaboration in the projects IASPEI Sub- types of information: description on the effects Committee Historical Instruments and Docu- of seismic events; scientific comments to theo- ments in Seismology and the ESC Working Group ries, to publications, etc.; graphs; reproductions History of Seismometry (Ferrari, 2000), realised of seismograms; news of loans of recordings; on the experience of the TROMOS project, the information and drawings of instruments, their idea of starting up a specific research strand and location and orientation within the observatories. collaboration into the scientific correspondence The first three information types do not in the earth sciences was born. It is true that the require particular comments, while the others are experience hitherto performed mainly refers to very important for seismological research and it the seismological field and at most to the is worth deepening several aspects. meteorological field, but is should nevertheless be observed that the disciplinary distinction is rather recent and that in any case in Italy the Mailing address: Dr. Graziano Ferrari, SGA Storia meteorological and seismic observation has Geofisica Ambiente, Via Bellombra 24/2, 40136 Bologna, often been conducted in long-established Italy; e-mail: [email protected] astronomical observatories. Thus the materials, 703 Graziano Ferrari the observations and history of distinct disci- the Internet, the most diverse information plines mingle together. The astronomical ob- forms and thus make it possible to realise what servatories of Brera at Milan, Turin, Piacenza, only a few years ago was unthinkable: a single the Collegio Romano in Rome, Capodimonte letters archive concerning the scholars of earth in Naples and Palermo, to mention just a few, sciences. are some examples of how a historical Italian The project, enlarged to embrace a broader astronomical observatories have constituted the community of scholars, aims to promote and natural home that hosted meteorological foster the identification, cataloguing, and elec- observation first, followed by seismological tronic scanning of the letters, thus making a- observation (Ferrari, 2002). vailable the files to of interest for the study of Numerous and largely identified files of his- the history of earth sciences and astronomy. torical correspondence of interest for meteorology Parallel to the project we also aim to enhance and astronomy lie idle, uncatalogued, and even the recovery in electronic format of everything risking dispersion. The problem of cataloguing hitherto published: catalogues of letters, registers, the files and above all managing them it with as integral letter transcriptions; this phase should view to consultation for study purposes has often also be flanked by a digital scanning of the letters been a disincentive that has prevented the pre- themselves. servation bodies from ever getting off the ground. Cataloguing, scans and online availability are Within the scope of the TROMOS project, performed respecting the rights established by we are digitally scanning the files of scientific the law and by the specific agreements stipulated correspondence of some of the most important with the public or private bodies that preserve Italian seismological observatories. The cata- the files subjected to the study. logues and scans are conducted in collabora- In order to discuss the methodological aspects tion with the conservatories of documentation, of the study of the scientific correspondence and both public and private, and is made for their their scientific relevance, a seminar has been benefit. organised for 10th May 2002, promoted by the The letters of the files of Timoteo Bertelli author in collaboration with the Istituto Nazionale (1826-1905), Pietro Tacchini (1838-1905) and di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and the part of that of Giulio Grablovitz (1846-1928) Ufficio Centrale di Ecologia Agraria (UCEA), have already been submitted to electronic at the congress hall of the UCEA, historic head- scanning, respectively held at the Centro Studi quarters of meteorology and seismology in Italy. Storici Barnabiti of Rome (transferred there from At the seminar, apart from the scholars most its original site of production and preservation, committed to studies of this kind over the past the «alla Querce» Boarding School of Florence), few years, the descendants of the most illustrious the Ufficio Centrale di Ecologia Agraria in Rome Italian scholars of the earth sciences have also been and at the home of the descendants of Grablovitz invited: Mario Baratta (1868-1935), Pietro Caloi (temporarily kept at SGA). It is no coincidence (1907-1978), Michele Stefano de Rossi (1834- that the first systematic digital scan was perfor- 1898), Giulio Grablovitz (1846-1928) and Quintino med on the Tacchini file: he was an astronomer, Sella (1827-1884), besides a prestigious repre- ‘meteorologist’ and ‘seismologist’, at least from sentation of the public, private and ecclesiastic the institutional point of view. Italian archives, of interest to this sector. The digital archive hitherto produced has brought together over 7000 letters, for a total of over 11000 pictures, received by Tacchini, Ber- 2. The seminar telli and Grablovitz from over 800 correspon- dents, all surveyed in the TROMOS database and The seminar was held under the splendid documented by all the biographical information Renaissance ceilings of the UCEA, furbished to available. host congresses and exhibitions. Modern computer technologies allow us In order to represent the various situations to store and distribute, via DVD-ROM and existing in this particular study sector and the 704 Letters in the Earth Sciences: their historic value and present-day scientific relevance multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary charac- example, its crucial role in the reconstruction of teristics of the various approaches, the day of the history of international scientific institutions study developed along five strands: 1) scientific such as the International Astronomical Union, letters: study traditions and prospects; 2) frag- established and developed thanks to those schol- ments of the European context; 3) case studies ars whose collaboration went far beyond the offi- in Italy; 4) places of observation; 5) places of cial availability granted by the various States. preservation. Graziano Ferrari (SGA Storia Geofisica Am- Domenico Vento (Director of the UCEA, biente, Bologna) with his talk on Correspondence Rome) opened the session with a welcoming in Seismology, historical value and present-day message that traced back the stages from the scientific relevance outlines the role and the birth and the transformations of the Office he importance of the letters between scholars of is directing. Vento briefly discussed the great seismology, developing and exemplifying some historic and scientific value of the documentary of the aspects alluded to in the introductory part and instrumental assets of the UCEA, generally of this text. He also mentioned the cataloguing acknowledged for some time. He also recalled project, the electronic reproduction and the dis- the long and well-established tradition, within semination of the scientific correspondence in the TROMOS project, between the UCEA on the the earth sciences, started up within the TROMOS one hand and INGV and SGA on the other, and project, inviting those in attendance to join in he expressed his hope that the renewed cultural as well. understanding between these bodies could achieve new and important objectives. 2.2. Fragments
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