Charles Lyell and Geologic Time

Needless to say it has been over a month since my last post. Quite an eventful month and a half it has been. Nonetheless, keeping this blog alive is one of the goals I set out to pursue from the beginning.  Regarding my topic for today, I would say it is deeply connected with the theory of evolution. In fact, the scientist I am about to mention inspired Darwin to develop his theory. In the following, I will tackle Charles Lyell's Theory of Uniformitarianism and his contribution to Darwin's Evolutionary Theory.

Charles Lyell was born to a wealthy family in Scotland in 1797. They moved to England two years later. Charles was interested in nature from an early age. His father who was a botanist, would take him to the woods to collect bugs and butterflies. Lyell grew up to become and geologist. Earning his degree from Exeter College in Oxford at age 22. Additionally, he pursued and acquired a Master's degree in law in 1821. Be that as it may, he resumed his initial career path after a few years. By this time, Charles had already published some minor works which would later serve as a foundation for his more prominent ones. Case in point, his dissertation paper: "On a recent formation of Freshwater Limestone in Forfarshire".

 

During the 1800s, it was accepted as fact that everything  in heaven and Earth had been created by the Judeo-Christian god. Thus, the old testament was taken literally. Notwithstanding, Lyell debunked this assertion. He believed that the Earth was much older than only 6000 years old. Consequently, concluding it had taken millions of years to form.  Charles was able to corroborate his hypothesis while in Europe. Conducting research and collecting fossils. His theory of uniformitarianism posits that the Earth has been shaped by forces such as erosion and sedimentation. Which happened progressively throughout long periods of time. As opposed to Noah's ark flood and other isolated biblical events. What is more, Darwin himself applied the principles of uniformitarianism while studying volcanic rocks on The Canary Islands. Further cementing the validity of Lyell's work.

 

Lastly, even though most people regard Darwin as probably the greatest scientific mind of the 19th century, it is crucial to know who influenced his discoveries and conclusions. Had he not befriended Charles Lyell, he would have not read "The Principles of Geology". Hence, he would have probably never been inclined to discover a wide variety of fossils and patterns from different animals. Which ultimately lead to the development of his theory.

Sources:
- Famous Scientists: Charles Lyell.
- Famous Scientists: Charles Darwin.
- UC Berkeley: Understanding Evolution: Uniformitarianism: Charles Lyell.
- Dr. Mary Dowd article.