which in turn influenced Charles Darwin's theories of adaptive evolution. Hutton's great work wasThe Theory of the Earth(2 vol., 1795; MS fragment for Vol. III ed. by Archibald Geikie, 1899); it was simplified by John Playfair asIllustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth(1802)....
Paleontological research of the fossil record since the Cambrian Period has contributed much to the theory of evolution of life on Earth. Several disciplines of the geologic sciences have practical benefits for society. The geologist is responsible for the discovery of minerals (such as lead, ...
Two of these papers were published in 1788 in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh under the title “Theory of the Earth; or an Investigation of the Laws Observable in the Composition, Dissolution, and Restoration of Land Upon the Globe.” Hutton’s view as stated in these ...