Theory of the Earth

by James Hutton

WE have found, that there is not in this globe (as a planet revolving in the solar system) any power or motion adapted to the purpose now in view; nor, were there such a power, could a mass of simply collected materials have continued any considerable time to resist the waves and currents natural to the sea, but must have been quickly carried away, and again deposited at the bottom of the ocean.

Genres: Science, Geology, History, Philosophy

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1795

About the author

James Hutton FRSE was a Scottish geologist, physician, chemical manufacturer, naturalist, and experimental agriculturalist. He originated the theory of uniformitarianism — a fundamental principle of geology — that explains the features of the Earth's crust by means of natural processes over geologic time. Hutton's work established geology as a science, and as a result he is referred to as the "Father of Modern Geology".

Reviews

[Fernando Barriga · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No hay vestigio de un principio, ni perspectiva de un fin".
Un libro que cualquier amante de la geología debería leer y que fue el trabajo clave que permitió comprender la verdadera edad de la Tierra. Este libro fue la fuente central para el trabajo posterior de Charles Lyell.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago, in college geology classes, Hutton's name was mentioned, and some of the particulars of his observations were cited, but we never read his work. Volume I is available from guttenberg.org, making it a no brainer for the aspiring geologist who is willing to sift through the dense material presented in an antique manner. Hutton did not have benefit of modern methods, so he helped create them. In volume I. he sorts through the means by which he deduces that rock consolidated in the Earth. It is by nothing more than a thorough, gross examination of rock samples that he arrives at a theory of how rock came to be. He freely admits to not understanding the heat sources in the Earth, but is quick to recognize that some materials could only be created by a combination of what he calls subterranean heat and pressure--particularly crystals with water incorporated in spaces within them. He exhausts the possibilities for how various calcareous rock could have been formed (limestones, marbles) and recognizes that fossils incorporated within such rock are clearly evidence of origins in the sea. Many of the terms he uses are still used in geology, though the chemistry terms are obscure at times.

This book is a fascinating journey in the history of geological science. I now understand more clearly why Hutton is so praiseworthy.

[Joe]

Credited with inventing modern geology. And maybe also the idea of a benign nature whose purpose is to perpetuate life cyclically, eternally: "the result, therefore, of this physical inquiry is, that we find no vestige of a beginning,--no prospect of an end."

Read this the same day as these bp Nichol lines: "i've looked across the stars to find your eyes / they aren't there / where do you hide when the sun goes nova?"

F-ing poetry.

[Keriann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yay Hutton! The father of modern Geology, Geography, Paleontology, and Biology. Without him, or this book, none of these sciences would exist today. (Although the same could probably be said for Alexander von Humboldt as well...)

[Bill Groves · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book, if you can put yourself into the Edinburgh Enlightenment, and the belief in a 4000 year old Earth, Hutton slowly dismantles the traditional view and replaces it with 'deep time' based on scientific evidence.