Principles of Geology: Being an Attempt to Explain the Former Changes of the Earth's Surface, by Reference to Causes Now in Operation is a book by the Scottish geologist Charles Lyell that was first published in 3 volumes from 1830–1833. Lyell used the theory of uniformitarianism to describe how the Earth's surface was changing over time.[3] This theory was in direct contrast to the geological theory of catastrophism.[3]
The frontispiece showing the Temple of Serapis was "carefully reduced from that given by the Canonico Andrea de Jorio in his Ricerche sul Tempio di Serapide, in Puzzuoli. Napoli, 1820,[1] which was based on a drawing by John Izard Middleton.[2]
Many individuals believed in catastrophism to allow room for religious beliefs. For example, the Genesis flood narrative could be described as a real geological event as catastrophism describes the changing of the Earth surface as one-time, violent events.[3] Lyell challenged the believers of the catastrophic theory by studying Mount Etna in Sicily and describing the changes from one stratum to another and the fossil records within the rocks to prove that slow, gradual changes were the cause of the ever-changing Earth's surface.[3] Lyell used geological proof to determine that the Earth was older than 6,000 years, as had been previously contested. The book shows that the processes that are occurring in the present are the same processes that occurred in the past.[4]
Published in three volumes in 1830–1833 by John Murray, the book established Lyell's credentials as an important geological theorist and popularized the doctrine of uniformitarianism (first suggested by James Hutton in Theory of the Earth published in 1795).[3] The central argument in Principles was that "the present is the key to the past": that geological remains from the distant past could, and should, be explained by reference to geological processes now in operation and thus directly observable.
The book is notable for being one of the first to use the term "evolution" in the context of biological speciation.[5][6]
In Lyell's work, he described the three rules he believes to cause the steady change of the Earth. The first rule is that geologic change comes from slow and continual procedures that have been happening over a long period of time.[7] This rule is the basic ideal of Uniformitarianism and is easy to understand why this was a rule. The second rule is that all the forces that affect the geology of the Earth comes from the Earth.[7] The third rule is that celestial cycles do not impact the patterns of Earth's geologic record.[7] Rule two and rule three go together because Lyell thought that only forces on the Earth cause changes to Earth's geology, and nothing else.
Volume 1 introduces Lyell's theory of uniformitarianism. He develops and argues that the earthly processes that we see in the present were the same processes as in the past and caused the Earth to look like it does today.[8] This volume is what Darwin took with him on his voyage on the Beagle.[9] Volume 2 builds off of the uniformitarianism theory in volume 1, but focuses more on the organic matter rather than the inorganic matter. In the 3rd volume, Lyell identifies four periods of the Tertiary: Newer Pliocene, Older Pliocene, Miocene, and the Eocene. Lyell used deposits and fossils from these periods to argue for uniformity during the Tertiary. This also talks about the grammar or syntax of the processes that occurred in the past in today's language.[10]
A map of isothermal lines across North America from Lyell's Principles of Geology
Influence
Lyell's interpretation of geologic change as the steady accumulation of minute changes over enormously long spans of time,[3] a central theme in the Principles, influenced the 22-year-old Charles Darwin,[3] who was given the first volume of the first edition by Robert FitzRoy, captain of HMS Beagle, just before they set out (December 1831) on the ship's second voyage. On their first stop ashore at St Jago, Darwin found rock formations which—seen "through Lyell's eyes"—gave him a revolutionary insight into the geological history of the island, an insight he applied throughout his travels.
While in South America, Darwin received the second volume, which rejected the idea of organic evolution, proposing "Centres of Creation" to explain diversity and territory of species. Darwin's ideas gradually moved beyond this, but in geology he operated very much as Lyell's disciple and sent home extensive evidence and theorizing supporting Lyell's uniformitarianism, including Darwin's ideas about the formation of atolls.
Criticism
Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology was met with a lot of criticism when it was first published. The main argument against Lyell is that he took an a priori approach in his work.[11] This means that Lyell was pulling from a theoretical idea instead of pulling from empirical evidence to explain what was occurring in the geological world. One opponent of Principles of Geology that agreed with this point was Adam Sedgwick. This opposition from Sedgwick comes from his thinking that evidence is all that is needed to support an idea, and that the evidence of geologic events points to a catastrophic event. The criticism of Lyell and his work continued into the 20th century. These arguments agreed with the a priori argument, but continued on to say that Lyell combined the empirical evidence with the scientific explanation of geology that was accepted at the time.[12]
The a priori argument is not the only argument that Lyell faced for his work. In 1812, Baron Georges Cuvier argued against uniformitarianism with the results of his study of the Paris Basin.[7] Cuvier and his colleagues found long periods of consistent change with intermittent patterns of sudden fossil disappearance in the geologic record for the area, which is now known as mass extinction.[7] Cuvier explained these sudden changes in the geologic record with catastrophic forces. Lyell responded to this argument, stating that the geologic record was "grossly imperfect" and that observations cannot be trusted if they go against "the plan of Nature".[7]
In recent years, geologists have begun to question the laws of uniformitarianism Lyell laid out. There is now clear evidence of catastrophic change caused by volcanic eruptions, large earthquakes, and asteroid impacts.[7] Moreover, there is evidence that certain cataclysmic occurrences that left marks in the geological and fossil records may correspond to the periodicity of the Solar System's 26-million-year cycle of movement around the galactic core of the Milky Way. Even if catastrophes are rare, their magnitude may affect geology more than has been appreciated under Lyell's version of uniformitarianism.[7]
Bibliography
1st edition, London: John Murray. Vol 1, Jan. 1830[13] - Vol 2, Jan. 1832 - Vol 3, May 1833
^Lyell 1830, pp. ii, xiv harvnb error: no target: CITEREFLyell1830 (help)
^Rudwick, M. J. S. (2010). Worlds before Adam : the reconstruction of geohistory in the age of reform. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 106–113, 117. ISBN978-0-226-73129-2.
^ abcdefgBowler, Peter J.; Morus, Iwan Rhys (2005). Making Modern Science: A Historical Survey. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 104. ISBN9780226068619.
^Lyell, Charles. The Principles of Ecology, London: 1833.
^Richards, R. J. (1992). Evolution. In Evelyn Fox Keller, Elisabeth Lloyd. Keywords in Evolutionary Biology. Cambridge, Massachusetts. pp. 95-105. ISBN978-0674503137
^ abcdefghRampino, Michael (August 2017). "Reexamining Lyell's Laws". American Scientist. 105 (4): 224–231. doi:10.1511/2017.105.4.224.
^Lyell, Charles (1990). Rudwick, Martin (ed.). Principles of Geology. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN9780226497945.
^Lyell, Charles (1991). Rudwick, Martin (ed.). Principles of Geology. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN9780226497976.
^Lyell, Charles (1992). Rudwick, Martin (ed.). Principles of Geology. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN9780226497990.
^Di Fate, V.J. (2011). "Arguing for Uniformity: Rethinking Lyell's Principles of Geology". Perspectives on Science. 19 (2): 136–137. doi:10.1162/POSC_a_00034.
^Di Fate, V.J. (2011). "Arguing for Uniformity: Rethinking Lyell's Principles of Geology". Perspectives on Science. 19 (2): 140.
^"Review of Principles of Geology by Charles Lyell". The Quarterly Review. 43: 411–469. October 1830.
External links
Principles of Geology (7th edition, 1847) - full digital facsimile from Linda Hall Library
Principles of Geology, Volume 1 Description
Principles of Geology, Volume 2 Description
Principles of Geology, Volume 3 Description
Principles of Geology public domain audiobook at LibriVox
January 26, 2023
principles, geology, this, article, about, 1830s, book, charles, lyell, overview, field, geology, outline, geology, being, attempt, explain, former, changes, earth, surface, reference, causes, operation, book, scottish, geologist, charles, lyell, that, first, . This article is about the 1830s book by Charles Lyell For an overview of the field of Geology see Outline of geology Principles of Geology Being an Attempt to Explain the Former Changes of the Earth s Surface by Reference to Causes Now in Operation is a book by the Scottish geologist Charles Lyell that was first published in 3 volumes from 1830 1833 Lyell used the theory of uniformitarianism to describe how the Earth s surface was changing over time 3 This theory was in direct contrast to the geological theory of catastrophism 3 The frontispiece showing the Temple of Serapis was carefully reduced from that given by the Canonico Andrea de Jorio in his Ricerche sul Tempio di Serapide in Puzzuoli Napoli 1820 1 which was based on a drawing by John Izard Middleton 2 Many individuals believed in catastrophism to allow room for religious beliefs For example the Genesis flood narrative could be described as a real geological event as catastrophism describes the changing of the Earth surface as one time violent events 3 Lyell challenged the believers of the catastrophic theory by studying Mount Etna in Sicily and describing the changes from one stratum to another and the fossil records within the rocks to prove that slow gradual changes were the cause of the ever changing Earth s surface 3 Lyell used geological proof to determine that the Earth was older than 6 000 years as had been previously contested The book shows that the processes that are occurring in the present are the same processes that occurred in the past 4 Contents 1 Book 2 Influence 3 Criticism 4 Bibliography 5 References 6 External linksBook EditPublished in three volumes in 1830 1833 by John Murray the book established Lyell s credentials as an important geological theorist and popularized the doctrine of uniformitarianism first suggested by James Hutton in Theory of the Earth published in 1795 3 The central argument in Principles was that the present is the key to the past that geological remains from the distant past could and should be explained by reference to geological processes now in operation and thus directly observable The book is notable for being one of the first to use the term evolution in the context of biological speciation 5 6 In Lyell s work he described the three rules he believes to cause the steady change of the Earth The first rule is that geologic change comes from slow and continual procedures that have been happening over a long period of time 7 This rule is the basic ideal of Uniformitarianism and is easy to understand why this was a rule The second rule is that all the forces that affect the geology of the Earth comes from the Earth 7 The third rule is that celestial cycles do not impact the patterns of Earth s geologic record 7 Rule two and rule three go together because Lyell thought that only forces on the Earth cause changes to Earth s geology and nothing else Volume 1 introduces Lyell s theory of uniformitarianism He develops and argues that the earthly processes that we see in the present were the same processes as in the past and caused the Earth to look like it does today 8 This volume is what Darwin took with him on his voyage on the Beagle 9 Volume 2 builds off of the uniformitarianism theory in volume 1 but focuses more on the organic matter rather than the inorganic matter In the 3rd volume Lyell identifies four periods of the Tertiary Newer Pliocene Older Pliocene Miocene and the Eocene Lyell used deposits and fossils from these periods to argue for uniformity during the Tertiary This also talks about the grammar or syntax of the processes that occurred in the past in today s language 10 A map of isothermal lines across North America from Lyell s Principles of GeologyInfluence EditLyell s interpretation of geologic change as the steady accumulation of minute changes over enormously long spans of time 3 a central theme in the Principles influenced the 22 year old Charles Darwin 3 who was given the first volume of the first edition by Robert FitzRoy captain of HMS Beagle just before they set out December 1831 on the ship s second voyage On their first stop ashore at St Jago Darwin found rock formations which seen through Lyell s eyes gave him a revolutionary insight into the geological history of the island an insight he applied throughout his travels While in South America Darwin received the second volume which rejected the idea of organic evolution proposing Centres of Creation to explain diversity and territory of species Darwin s ideas gradually moved beyond this but in geology he operated very much as Lyell s disciple and sent home extensive evidence and theorizing supporting Lyell s uniformitarianism including Darwin s ideas about the formation of atolls Criticism EditCharles Lyell s Principles of Geology was met with a lot of criticism when it was first published The main argument against Lyell is that he took an a priori approach in his work 11 This means that Lyell was pulling from a theoretical idea instead of pulling from empirical evidence to explain what was occurring in the geological world One opponent of Principles of Geology that agreed with this point was Adam Sedgwick This opposition from Sedgwick comes from his thinking that evidence is all that is needed to support an idea and that the evidence of geologic events points to a catastrophic event The criticism of Lyell and his work continued into the 20th century These arguments agreed with the a priori argument but continued on to say that Lyell combined the empirical evidence with the scientific explanation of geology that was accepted at the time 12 The a priori argument is not the only argument that Lyell faced for his work In 1812 Baron Georges Cuvier argued against uniformitarianism with the results of his study of the Paris Basin 7 Cuvier and his colleagues found long periods of consistent change with intermittent patterns of sudden fossil disappearance in the geologic record for the area which is now known as mass extinction 7 Cuvier explained these sudden changes in the geologic record with catastrophic forces Lyell responded to this argument stating that the geologic record was grossly imperfect and that observations cannot be trusted if they go against the plan of Nature 7 In recent years geologists have begun to question the laws of uniformitarianism Lyell laid out There is now clear evidence of catastrophic change caused by volcanic eruptions large earthquakes and asteroid impacts 7 Moreover there is evidence that certain cataclysmic occurrences that left marks in the geological and fossil records may correspond to the periodicity of the Solar System s 26 million year cycle of movement around the galactic core of the Milky Way Even if catastrophes are rare their magnitude may affect geology more than has been appreciated under Lyell s version of uniformitarianism 7 Bibliography Edit1st edition London John Murray Vol 1 Jan 1830 13 Vol 2 Jan 1832 Vol 3 May 1833 2nd edition London John Murray Vol 1 1832 Vol 2 Jan 1833 3rd edition 4 vols London John Murray May 1834 4th edition 3 vols London John Murray 1835 Vol 1 Vol 2 Vol 3 5th edition 4 vols London John Murray 1837 Vol 1 Vol 2 Vol 3 Vol 4 6th edition 3 vols June 1840 7th edition 1 vol Feb 1847 8th edition 1 vol May 1850 9th edition 1 vol 1853 10th edition 2 vols 1866 68 11th edition 2 vols 1872 12th edition 2 vols 1875 Vol 1 Vol 2 published posthumously References Edit Lyell 1830 pp ii xivharvnb error no target CITEREFLyell1830 help Rudwick M J S 2010 Worlds before Adam the reconstruction of geohistory in the age of reform Chicago University of Chicago Press pp 106 113 117 ISBN 978 0 226 73129 2 a b c d e f g Bowler Peter J Morus Iwan Rhys 2005 Making Modern Science A Historical Survey Chicago University of Chicago Press p 104 ISBN 9780226068619 Lyell Charles The Principles of Ecology London 1833 Bower Peter J 1975 The Changing Meaning of Evolution Journal of the History of Ideas 36 95 114 Richards R J 1992 Evolution In Evelyn Fox Keller Elisabeth Lloyd Keywords in Evolutionary Biology Cambridge Massachusetts pp 95 105 ISBN 978 0674503137 a b c d e f g h Rampino Michael August 2017 Reexamining Lyell s Laws American Scientist 105 4 224 231 doi 10 1511 2017 105 4 224 Lyell Charles 1990 Rudwick Martin ed Principles of Geology Chicago The University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226497945 Lyell Charles 1991 Rudwick Martin ed Principles of Geology Chicago The University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226497976 Lyell Charles 1992 Rudwick Martin ed Principles of Geology Chicago The University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226497990 Di Fate V J 2011 Arguing for Uniformity Rethinking Lyell s Principles of Geology Perspectives on Science 19 2 136 137 doi 10 1162 POSC a 00034 Di Fate V J 2011 Arguing for Uniformity Rethinking Lyell s Principles of Geology Perspectives on Science 19 2 140 Review of Principles of Geology by Charles Lyell The Quarterly Review 43 411 469 October 1830 External links EditPrinciples of Geology 7th edition 1847 full digital facsimile from Linda Hall Library Principles of Geology Volume 1 Description Principles of Geology Volume 2 Description Principles of Geology Volume 3 Description Principles of Geology public domain audiobook at LibriVox Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Principles of Geology amp oldid 1085164274, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
