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James Hutton: The Founder of Modern Geology
Thoroughly revised and expanded from the 2012 edition (twice the length, almost double the number of pictures) this book pays tribute to one of the world's first environmentalists, a man ahead of his time. James Hutton (1726-1797) developed a grand theory of the Earth in which he tried to make sense of a lifetime of observation and deduction about the way in which our planet functions. For example, he connected temperature with latitude. His measurements, with rudimentary thermometers, of temperature changes between the base and summit of Arthur's Seat, were remarkably accurate and he studied climate data from other parts of the world. A leading figure in the eighteenth-century Scottish Enlightenment, he was also an innovative farmer, successful entrepreneur and a man with endless intellectual curiosity. The year 2026 will be the tercentenary of his birth. There will be many special events leading up to and in that year organised by The James Hutton Institute, Scotland's premier environmental and agricultural research organisation.
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 8, 2025
James Hutton is not as well known as he should be.
In fact, if it weren't for a paper called Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth authored by his friend John Playfair and published in 1802, the possibility exists that Hutton's insights and deductions about how our planet The Earth works may have been lost forever.
Although a sparkling conversationist, his ability to write down his ideas in a form that people would easily understand, was lacking. He was highly regarded by his contemporaries in the Scottish Enlightenment, people such as James Watt, Adam Smith, and David Hume.
When Hutton was born, most people thought the Earth was just over 6,000 years old, but by using empirical evidence gleaned later in life, Hutton became convinced that the Earth was a lot older. His most famous visit was to Siccar Point on the Berwickshire coast in the East of Scotland. Here he gazed into deep time, the 'abyss of time' as he called it, where 400-million-year-old Devonian horizontal sandstone sediments lay on the top of 450-million-year-old vertical Silurian rocks.
The surface between the two, called an unconformity, is a visible 50-million years of time where no events are recorded. Hutton found unconformities elsewhere in Scotland and he found instances where granite had intruded into other rocks and this could only have happened if the granite had been liquid or molten. This showed that granite wasn't the oldest rock of The Earth. Hutton realised the heat could only have come from within the planet and he wasn't too far away from working out how continental drift and hence plate tectonics works.
He was also a keen chemist and a innovative farmer concerning crop rotation and land managment.
Also, in one of his tomes called "Elements of Agriculture", he wrote the following:
"....those organised bodies, which most approach to the best constitution for the present circumstances, will be best adapted to continue, in preserving themelves and multiplying the individuals of their race."
words that wouldn't look out of place in a famous publication of 65 years later.
In fact, if it weren't for a paper called Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth authored by his friend John Playfair and published in 1802, the possibility exists that Hutton's insights and deductions about how our planet The Earth works may have been lost forever.
Although a sparkling conversationist, his ability to write down his ideas in a form that people would easily understand, was lacking. He was highly regarded by his contemporaries in the Scottish Enlightenment, people such as James Watt, Adam Smith, and David Hume.
When Hutton was born, most people thought the Earth was just over 6,000 years old, but by using empirical evidence gleaned later in life, Hutton became convinced that the Earth was a lot older. His most famous visit was to Siccar Point on the Berwickshire coast in the East of Scotland. Here he gazed into deep time, the 'abyss of time' as he called it, where 400-million-year-old Devonian horizontal sandstone sediments lay on the top of 450-million-year-old vertical Silurian rocks.
The surface between the two, called an unconformity, is a visible 50-million years of time where no events are recorded. Hutton found unconformities elsewhere in Scotland and he found instances where granite had intruded into other rocks and this could only have happened if the granite had been liquid or molten. This showed that granite wasn't the oldest rock of The Earth. Hutton realised the heat could only have come from within the planet and he wasn't too far away from working out how continental drift and hence plate tectonics works.
He was also a keen chemist and a innovative farmer concerning crop rotation and land managment.
Also, in one of his tomes called "Elements of Agriculture", he wrote the following:
"....those organised bodies, which most approach to the best constitution for the present circumstances, will be best adapted to continue, in preserving themelves and multiplying the individuals of their race."
words that wouldn't look out of place in a famous publication of 65 years later.
May 4, 2023
An interesting read on a subject new to me (a welcome birthday present).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews