Prof. em. Dr. Friedrich Heller

At the time being, Friedrich Heller was working as Research Associate at the Institue of Geophysics ETH Zurich. On January 11, 1979 the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich granted him the venia legendi for "Geophysics". On February 16, 1990 he was given the title of Professor. He was in charge of the "Geomagnetische Messstation Adlisberg" (GMA), belonging to the Institute of Geophysics. He retired end of September 2004.

Friedrich Heller was born in Sonthofen/Allgäu (Germany) on April 17, 1939 and is German citizen. He studied mathematics, physics and geology at the University Erlangen-Nurnberg (Germany). After his diploma examination in geology in 1964 he received a PhD in geophysics at the Institute of Geophysics of ETH Zurich under the supervision of Prof. Dr. A. Gansser. Employed by ETH Zurich since Juni 8, 1965, he spent a one-year postdoctoral research fellowship at the School of Physics at the University Newcastle upon Tyne (England) in order to become familiar with scientific techniques in rock magnetism and paleomagnetism.

One of his main research goals was devoted to the application of rock magnetic methods in geology. The magnetic properties of Quaternary sediments such as loess and ancient soils give evidence of climatic and environmental developments in the geological past. The magnetism of recent soils is a sensitive and faithful recorder of natural and anthropogenically induced soil formation conditions.