James hutton theory
- •
Biography of James Hutton, Founder of Modern Geology
James Hutton (June 3, 1726–March 26, 1797) was a Scottish doctor and geologist who had ideas about the formation of the Earth that became known as Uniformitarianism. Although not an accredited geologist, he spent much time hypothesizing that the Earth's processes and formation had been going on for eons and were continuing to the present. Charles Darwin was well-acquainted with Hutton’s ideas, which provided a framework for his work in biological evolution and natural selection.
Fast Facts: James Hutton
- Known For: Founder of modern geology
- Born: June 3, 1726 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Parents: William Hutton, Sarah Balfour
- Died: March 26, 1797 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Education: University of Edinburgh, University of Paris, University of Leiden
- Published Works: Theory of the Earth
- Children: James Smeaton Hutton
Early Life
James Hutton was born on June 3, 1726, in Edinburgh, Scotland, one of five children born to William Hutton and Sarah Balfour. His father, who was a merchant and treas
- •
Quick Info
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland
Biography
James Hutton was a chemist but is best known as a geologist. Why then include him in this archive? There are two reasons. First his remarkable theory of the age of the Earth was inspired by Newton's world view as presented in the teaching of Colin Maclaurin, and second that one of his main collaborators in his geological research was John Playfair.James Hutton's mother was Sarah Balfour and his father was William Hutton. James was born into a wealthy family for his father William was a merchant who held the office of Edinburgh city treasurer. William owned a 140 acre farm at Slighhouses and a nearby hill farm of 590 acres named Nether Monynut. Slighhouses is west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, about 7 km north of Duns and Chirnside. William Hutton died when James was about two years old and Sarah Hutton was left to
- •
James Hutton
Scottish geologist (1726–1797)
For other people named James Hutton, see James Hutton (disambiguation).
James HuttonFRSE (; 3 June O.S.[1] 1726 – 26 March 1797) was a Scottish geologist, agriculturalist, chemical manufacturer, naturalist and physician.[2] Often referred to as the "Father of Modern Geology,"[3][4] he played a key role in establishing geology as a modern science.
Hutton advanced the idea that the physical world's remote history can be inferred from evidence in present-day rocks. Through his study of features in the landscape and coastlines of his native Scottish lowlands, such as Salisbury Crags or Siccar Point, he developed the theory that geological features could not be static but underwent continuing transformation over indefinitely long periods of time. From this he argued, in agreement with many other early geologists, that the Earth could not be young. He was one of the earliest proponents of what in the 1830s became known as uniformitarianism, the science which explains features of the Earth's crus
Copyright ©cakestot.pages.dev 2025