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the world which we inhabit is posed of the materials； not of the earth whichwas the immediate predecessor of the present； but of the earth which； in ascendingfrom the present； we consider as the third； and which had preceded the land thatwas above the surface of the sea； while our present land was yet beneath the waterof the ocean。
yet almost singlehandedly； and quite brilliantly； he created the science of geology andtransformed our understanding of the earth。 hutton was born in 1726 into a prosperousscottish family； and enjoyed the sort of material fort that allowed him to pass much of hislife in a genially expansive round of light work and intellectual betterment。 he studiedmedicine； but found it not to his liking and turned instead to farming； which he followed in arelaxed and scientific way on the family estate in berwickshire。 tiring of field and flock； in1768 he moved to edinburgh； where he founded a successful business producing salammoniac from coal soot； and busied himself with various scientific pursuits。 edinburgh atthat time was a center of intellectual vigor； and hutton luxuriated in its enriching possibilities。
he became a leading member of a society called the oyster club； where he passed hisevenings in the pany of men such as the economist adam smith； the chemist josephblack； and the philosopher david hume； as well as such occasional visiting sparks asbenjamin franklin and james watt。
in the tradition of the day； hutton took an interest in nearly everything； from mineralogy tometaphysics。 he conducted experiments with chemicals； investigated methods of coal miningand canal building； toured salt mines； speculated on the mechanisms of heredity； collectedfossils； and propounded theories on rain； the position of air； and the laws of motion；among much else。 but his particular interest was geology。
among the questions that attracted interest in that fanatically inquisitive age was one thathad puzzled people for a very long time—namely； why ancient clamshells and other marinefossils were so often found on mountaintops。 how on earth did they get there？ those whothought they had a solution fell into two opposing camps。 one group； known as theneptunists； was convinced that everything on earth； including seashells in improbably lofty places； could be explained by rising and falling sea levels。 they believed that mountains；hills； and other features were as old as the earth itself； and were changed only when watersloshed over them during periods of global flooding。
opposing them were the plutonists； who noted that volcanoes and earthquakes； amongother enlivening agents； continually changed the face of the planet but clearly owed nothing towayward seas。 the plutonists also raised awkward questions about where all the water wentwhen it wasn’t in flood。 if there was enough of it at times to cover the alps； then where； pray；was it during times of tranquility； such as now？ their belief was that the earth was subject toprofound internal forces as well as surface ones。 however； they couldn’t convincingly explainhow all those clamshells got up there。
it was while puzzling over these matters that hutton had a series of exceptional insights。
from looking at his own farmland； he could see that soil was created by the erosion of rocksand that particles of this soil were continually washed away and carried off by streams andrivers and redeposited elsewhere。 he realized that if such a process were carried to its naturalconclusion then earth would eventually be worn quite smooth。 yet everywhere around himthere were hills。 clearly there had to be some additional process； some form of renewal anduplift； that created new hills and mountains to keep the cycle going。 the marine fossils onmountaintops； he decided； had not been deposited during floods； but had risen along with themountains themselves。 he also deduced that it was heat within the earth that created newrocks and continents and thrust up mountain chains。 it is not too much to say that geologistswouldn’t grasp the full implications of this thought for two hundred years； when finally theyadopted plate tectonics。 above all； what hutton’s theories suggested was that earth processesrequired huge amounts of time； far more than anyone had ever dreamed。 there were enoughinsights here to transform utterly our understanding of the earth。
in 1785； hutton worked his ideas up into a long paper； which was read at consecutivemeetings of the royal society of edinburgh。 it attracted almost no notice at all。 it’s not hardto see why。 here； in part； is how he presented it to his audience：
in the one case； the forming cause is in the body which is separated； for； after thebody has been actuated by heat； it is by the reaction of the proper matter of thebody； that the chasm which constitutes the vein is formed。 in the other case； again；the cause is extrinsic in relation to the body in which the chasm is formed。 therehas been the most violent fracture and divulsion； but the cause is still to seek； andit appears not in the vein； for it is not every fracture and dislocation of the solidbody of our earth； in which minerals； or the proper substances of mineral veins；are found。
needless to say； almost no one in the audience had the faintest idea what he was talkingabout。 encouraged by his friends to expand his theory； in the touching hope that he mightsomehow stumble onto clarity in a more expansive format； hutton spent the next ten yearspreparing his magnum opus； which was published in two volumes in 1795。
together the two books ran to nearly a thousand pages and were； remarkably； worse thaneven his most pessimistic friends had feared。 apart from anything else； nearly half the pleted work now consisted of quotations from french sources； still in the original french。
a third volume was so unenticing that it wasn’t published until 1899； more than a centuryafter hutton’s death； and the fourth and concluding volume was never published at all。
hutton’s theory of the earth is a strong candidate for the least read important book in science（or at least would be if there weren’t so many others）。 even charles lyell； the greatestgeologist of the following century and a m