Mappa fluxus et Refluxus rationes in Isthmo America; no, in Freto Magellanico, caeteris que Americae Litoribus exhibens.

Kircher’s fascinating c.18th map of the Americas, from his Mundus Subterraneous.

This map was used to illustrate one of his most famous and influential works, a study of the world’s ocean currents, tides, volcanic distribution, and core structure of the planet. This map along with the others from Kircher’s work, illustrates for the first time the world’s ocean currents. The map is remarkably accurate for the period, although the massive crater at the headwaters of the Amazon River is certainly a curious addition to the map. The primary purpose of this map was to illustrate the Ocean’s currents, and in that regard, it was remarkably accurate, surpassing the work of Robert Dudley, who illustrated only the local currents in the regions covered.