Background
Keilhau was born in Gjøvik to parish priest Johan David Bertram Keilhau and Johanne Marie Bodom.
Keilhau was born in Gjøvik to parish priest Johan David Bertram Keilhau and Johanne Marie Bodom.
University of Oslo.
He graduated from the Christiania Cathedral School in 1816. In 1921 he graduated in mining, the first one at the University in Christiania, and received further industrial practice in Kongsberg. He subsequently studied mineralogy in Berlin, and geology in Saxony.
Keilhau made the first ascent of Falketind in 1820 along with two other climbers.
He has later been labeled the "discoverer" of the mountain range of Jotunheimen. The mountain of Keilhaus topp is named after him.
The 1820 journey, which he made along with fellow student Christian Boeck, was thoroughly documented in the article "Nogle efterretninger om et hidtil ubekendt stykke af det söndenfjeldske Norge". He lectured at the Royal Frederick University in Christiania from 1826.
In 1927 he joined an expedition to Bjørnøya and Svalbard.
At Svalbard, the mountain of Keilhaufjellet and the glacier of Mathiasbreen are named after him. He was appointed professor from 1834. Among his publications is the three-voulume Gaea Norvegica (1838–1850).
The first volume from 1838 describes the Oslo Geological Region, the second volume from 1844 covers Northern Norway, and the third volume from 1850 covers Southern Norway.
This work is the first complete overview of the Geology of Norway.
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.