James Hutton

James Hutton (1726-1797) was a Scottish geologist, physician, chemical manufacturer, naturalist, and experimental agriculturalist. He is considered the father of modern geology and is known for his theory of uniformitarianism, which explains the fatures of the Earth's crust by means of natural processes over geologic time. Hutton's work laid the foundation for the science of geology and significantly influenced Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin.