James Hutton

James Hutton
James Hutton (1726–1797) was a Scottish geologist, physician, and writer, widely regarded as the founder of modern geology. His most significant work, "Theory of the Earth" (1788), introduced the idea of uniformitarianism, the concept that Earth's processes operate consistently over time, shaping the planet gradually. Hutton's studies of rock formations and deep time challenged the prevailing view of a young Earth, proposing that it was far older than previously believed. His ideas laid the foundation for later developments in geology and greatly influenced scientists like Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin.

Author's Books:


CHAPTER I. THEORY of the EARTH; or an Investigation of the Laws observable in the Composition, Dissolution, and Restoration, of Land upon the Globe. SECTION I. Prospect of the Subject to be treated of. When we trace the parts of which this terrestrial system is composed, and when we view the general connection of those several parts, the whole presents a machine of a peculiar construction by which it... more...

CHAPTER I. Facts in confirmation of the Theory of ElevatingLand above the Surface of the Sea. The first object now to be examined, in confirmation of the theory, is that change of posture and of shape which is so frequently found in mountainous countries, among the strata which had been originally almost plain and horizontal. Here it is also that an opportunity is presented of having sections of those... more...