the.com/uniformitarianism
the present is the key to the past, because rocks don't lie and neither does gravity.
means the geological principle that the same natural processes acting today, at the same gradual rates, shaped the earth's entire history.
from coined in opposition to catastrophism, sharpened by james hutton's 1788 observation of scottish rock layers, and popularized as a slogan by charles lyell in principles of geology, 1830.
hutton's abysshe saw no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end
darwin's debtlyell's book rode with darwin on the beagle
not absolutemodern geology allows occasional catastrophes, like impacts
deep timeforced humanity to accept an earth millions, then billions, of years old
for instance
siccar point — hutton's 1788 scottish outcrop proving vast unseen time
grand canyon strata — layers read as slow deposition over millions of years
lyell's principles of geology — three volumes, 1830 to 1833, that converted darwin