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Geological Society, London, Special Publications

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The age of the Earth and the invention of geological time

Joe D. Burchfield
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 143, 137-143, 1 January 1998, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.1998.143.01.12
Joe D. Burchfield
Department of History, Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
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Abstract

During Charles Lyell’s lifetime the concept of geological time was gradually rendered meaningful through the construction of a heuristic geological timescale, the development of quantitative methods to calculate the duration of that scale, and the acceptance of a quantitatively determinable limit to the age of the Earth. This paper describes a few episodes in the process of ‘inventing’ the concept of geological time, episodes chosen primarily for their relevance to the work of Lyell.

  • © The Geological Society 1998

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Geological Society, London, Special Publications: 143 (1)
Geological Society, London, Special Publications
Volume 143
1998
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The age of the Earth and the invention of geological time

Joe D. Burchfield
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 143, 137-143, 1 January 1998, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.1998.143.01.12
Joe D. Burchfield
Department of History, Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
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The age of the Earth and the invention of geological time

Joe D. Burchfield
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 143, 137-143, 1 January 1998, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.1998.143.01.12
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