Between 1830 and 1833 the Scottish geologist Charles Lyell published the three volumes of Principles of Geology. Developing the ideas of James Hutton, he argued for uniformitarianism: that the Earth's features were formed by the slow action of the same processes that we see today, such as erosion, sediment deposition, earthquakes and volcanoes, working over immense periods of time. His account contradicted the idea of sudden catastrophes and a young Earth. Charles Darwin took the first volume with him on the Beagle in 1831 and said that he saw the world through Lyell's eyes; the book gave him the vast timescales that evolution required.
Before and after
- c. 1830sNullification Crisis
- from 1830 to 1838Mir Muhammed Rebellion
- from 1830 to 1900Rise of literary realism
- 1830Rise of Carlism
- 1830Charles Lyell publishes Principles of Geology
- from 12 January 1830 to 10 September 1895Great Game
- 16 May 1830Death of Joseph Fourier
- 10 July 1830Birth of Camille Pissarro
- from 26 July 1830 to 29 July 1830July Revolution
More in Science & technology
- 1771Discovery of oxygen
- 1772Discovery of nitrogen
- 1789Discovery of carbon
- 1817Discovery of lithium
- 1825Discovery of aluminium
- 18 August 1868Discovery of helium
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.