Map of Ocean Currents

The map displays the continents as understood in the 17th century, including a hypothetical southern continent labeled 'Terra Australis Incognita.' Lines across the seas indicate the flow of currents, while small icons mark the locations of active volcanoes and 'abysses'—vortices where Kircher believed ocean water was sucked into the Earth's interior. It illustrates a complex subterranean hydrologic system intended to show the Earth functioning like a living organism.

This work is a primary example of 17th-century natural philosophy, merging Jesuit science with the Hermetic concept of the 'Anima Mundi' or World Soul. It reflects the belief that the Earth possesses a circulatory system of fire and water analogous to the veins and arteries of the human body.