Lyell, Charles

Charles Lyell was a 19th-century geologist best known for his work "Principles of Geology," which laid the foundation for modern geology. He proposed that the Earth's features were shaped by ongoing processes like erosion and sedimentation, rather than by sudden, catastrophic events. This idea, known as uniformitarianism, emphasized that the same natural laws and processes observed today have worked throughout Earth's history. Lyell's theories greatly influenced Charles Darwin and helped shape our understanding of Earth's geological time and processes, reinforcing the concept that gradual changes can lead to significant transformations over long periods.