"Principles of Geology" by Sir Charles Lyell is a three-volume work published between 1830 and 1833. Lyell challenged prevailing beliefs by proposing that Earth's surface changed through slow, gradual processes rather than catastrophic events. Using evidence from Mount Etna and other geological formations, he argued that present-day processes explain the past, suggesting Earth was far older than previously thought. His theory of uniformitarianism revolutionized geology and profoundly influenced Charles Darwin, who carried the first volume aboard the HMS Beagle. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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