The age of the Earth and the invention of geological time

Joe D. Burchfield

doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1998.143.01.12

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.

References

1. Albritton C. C. Jr.
(1980) The Abyss of Time (Farrar & Strauss, New York).
1. Berggren W.,
2. Kent D. V.,
3. Aubry M. P.,
4. Hardenbol J.
, eds (1995) Geochronology, Time Scales and Global Stratigraphic Correlation, Society for Sedimentary Geology Special Publication, Tulsa, OK, 54.
1. Berry W. B. N.
(1968) Growth of a Prehistoric Time Scale (Freeman, San Francisco).
1. Burchfield J. D.
(1974) Darwin and the dilemmas of geological time. Isis 65:300–321.
OpenUrl CrossRef
1. Burchfield J. D.
(1975) Lord Kelvin and the Age of the Earth, Science History Publications, New York.
1. Cowper W.
(1785) in The Poems of William Cowper, The task, eds Baird J. D., Ryskamp C. (Clarendon Press, Oxford), 2.
1. Croll J.
(1864) Philosophical Magazine, On the physical cause of the change of climate during geological epochs, ser. 4, 28, pp 121–137.
OpenUrl
1. Croll J.
(1867) Philosophical Magazine, On the excentricity of the earth’s orbit and its physical relations to the glacial epoch, ser. 4, 33, pp 119–131.
OpenUrl
1. Croll J.
(1868) Philosophical Magazine, On geological time, and the probable date of the glacial and upper Miocene period, ser. 4, & 36, 141-154, 362-386, 35, pp 363–384.
OpenUrl
1. Darwin C.
(1859) On the Origin of Species (Murray, London), 1st edn.
1. Davies G. L.
(1969) The Earth in Decay (Macdonald, London).
1. De la Beche H. C.
(1834) Researches in Theoretical Geology (Charles Knight, London).
1. Geikie A.
(1871) On modern denudation. Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow 3:153–190.
OpenUrl
1. Geikie A.
(1895) Memoir of Sir Andrew Crombie Ramsay (Macmillan, London).
1. Haber F. C.
(1959) The Age of the World: Moses to Darwin (Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore).
1. Hutton J.
(1785) Abstract of a Dissertation Read Before the Royal Society of Edinburgh (Edinburgh University Library, Edinburgh) Reprinted 1997.
1. Huxley T. H.
(1869) Geological reform. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 25:xxxviii–liii.
OpenUrl
1. Kitts D. B.
(1966) Geologic time. Journal of Geology 74:127–146, Reprinted In: Albritton, C.C. (ed.) 1975. The Philosophy of Geohistory. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Stroudsburgh, PA.
OpenUrl Web of Science
1. Kitts D. B.
(1989) Geological time and psychological time. Earth Sciences History 8:190–191.
OpenUrl
1. Lyell C.
(1830–1833) Principles of Geology (Murray, London) 3 vols. 1st edn.
1. Lyell C.
(1838) Elements of Geology (Murray, London), 1st edn.
1. Lyell C.
(1867) Principles of Geology (Murray, London), 10th edn, 1.
1. McPhee J.
(1980) Basin and Range (Farrar Strauss & Giroux, New York).
1. Phillips J.
(1837) A Treatise on Geology (Longman Rees Orme Brown Green & Longman, London), 1.
1. Phillips J.
(1860a) Presidential address. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 16:xxx–lv.
OpenUrl
1. Phillips J.
(1860b) Life on the Earth: Its Origin and Succession (Macmillan, London).
1. Porter R.
(1977) The Making of Geology (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge).
1. Prestwich J.
(1895) Collected Papers on Some Controverted Questions of Geology (Macmillan, London).
1. Ramsay A. C.
(1873–1874) in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London On the comparative value of certain geological ages (or groups of formations) considered as items of geological time 22, pp 145–148.
OpenUrl
1. Reade T. M.
(1878) in Proceedings of the Liverpool Geological Scoiety Geological time 3, pp 211–235.
OpenUrl
1. Rudwick M. J. S.
(1969a) The strategy of Lyell’s Principles of Geology. Isis 61:5–33.
OpenUrl PubMed
1. Rudwick M. J. S.
(1969b) in Toward a History of Geology, Lyell on Etna and the antiquity of the Earth, ed Schneer C. J. (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA), pp 288–304.
1. Rudwick M. J. S.
(1971) in Perspectives in the History of Science, Uniformity and progression, ed Roller D. H. D. (University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK), pp 5–33.
1. Rudwick M. J. S.
(1974) Poulett Scrope on the volcanoes of Auvergne: Lyellian time and political economy. British Journal for the History of Science 7:205–242.
OpenUrl
1. Rudwick M. J. S.
(1978) Charles Lyell’s dream of a statistical palaeontology. Paleaeontology 21(2):225–244.
OpenUrl
1. Rudwick M. J. S.
(1985) The Great Devonian Controversy (University of Chicago Press, Chicago).
1. Rudwick M. J. S.
(1992) Scenes from Deep Time (University of Chicago Press, Chicago).
1. Rudwick M. J. S.
(1996) Curvier and Brongniart, William Smith, and the reconstruction of geohistory. Earth Sciences History 15:25–36.
OpenUrl
1. Secord J. A.
(1986a) Controversy in Victorian Geology: The Cambrian-Silurian Dispute (Princeton University Press, Princton).
1. Secord J. A.
(1986b) The Geological Survey of Great Britain as a research school, 1839–1855. History of Science 24:223–275.
OpenUrl CrossRef
1. Thomson W.
(1862) On the age of the Sun’s heat. Macmillan’s Magazine 5(March):288–293.
OpenUrl
1. Thomson W.
(1863) Philosophical Magazine, On the secular cooling of the earth, ser. 4, 25, pp 1–14.
OpenUrl
1. Thomson W.
(1865) in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh The doctrine of uniformity in geology briefly refuted 5, pp 512–513.
OpenUrl
1. Thomson W.
(1891) Popular Lectures and Addresses (Macmillan, London), 1.
1. Toulmin S.
(1962–1963) in Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society Memoirs and Proceedings The discovery of time 105, pp 100–112, Reprinted in: Albritton, C.C. (ed.) 1975. The Philosophy of Geohistory. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Stroudsburgh, PA.
OpenUrl
1. Wilson L. G.
(1972) Charles Lyell, the Years to 1841: The Revolution in Geology (Yale University Press, New Haven).

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[1] Albritton C. C. Jr.
(1980) The Abyss of Time (Farrar & Strauss, New York).

[2] Albritton C. C. Jr.

[3] Berggren W.,
Kent D. V.,
Aubry M. P.,
Hardenbol J.
, eds (1995) Geochronology, Time Scales and Global Stratigraphic Correlation, Society for Sedimentary Geology Special Publication, Tulsa, OK, 54.

[4] Berggren W.,

[5] Kent D. V.,

[6] Aubry M. P.,

[7] Hardenbol J.

[8] Berry W. B. N.
(1968) Growth of a Prehistoric Time Scale (Freeman, San Francisco).

[9] Berry W. B. N.

[10] Burchfield J. D.
(1974) Darwin and the dilemmas of geological time. Isis 65:300–321.
OpenUrl CrossRef

[11] Burchfield J. D.

[12] Burchfield J. D.
(1975) Lord Kelvin and the Age of the Earth, Science History Publications, New York.

[13] Burchfield J. D.

[14] Cowper W.
(1785) in The Poems of William Cowper, The task, eds Baird J. D., Ryskamp C. (Clarendon Press, Oxford), 2.

[15] Cowper W.

[16] Croll J.
(1864) Philosophical Magazine, On the physical cause of the change of climate during geological epochs, ser. 4, 28, pp 121–137.
OpenUrl

[17] Croll J.

[18] Croll J.
(1867) Philosophical Magazine, On the excentricity of the earth’s orbit and its physical relations to the glacial epoch, ser. 4, 33, pp 119–131.
OpenUrl

[19] Croll J.

[20] Croll J.
(1868) Philosophical Magazine, On geological time, and the probable date of the glacial and upper Miocene period, ser. 4, & 36, 141-154, 362-386, 35, pp 363–384.
OpenUrl

[21] Croll J.

[22] Darwin C.
(1859) On the Origin of Species (Murray, London), 1st edn.

[23] Darwin C.

[24] Davies G. L.
(1969) The Earth in Decay (Macdonald, London).

[25] Davies G. L.

[26] De la Beche H. C.
(1834) Researches in Theoretical Geology (Charles Knight, London).

[27] De la Beche H. C.

[28] Geikie A.
(1871) On modern denudation. Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow 3:153–190.
OpenUrl

[29] Geikie A.

[30] Geikie A.
(1895) Memoir of Sir Andrew Crombie Ramsay (Macmillan, London).

[31] Geikie A.

[32] Haber F. C.
(1959) The Age of the World: Moses to Darwin (Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore).

[33] Haber F. C.

[34] Hutton J.
(1785) Abstract of a Dissertation Read Before the Royal Society of Edinburgh (Edinburgh University Library, Edinburgh) Reprinted 1997.

[35] Hutton J.

[36] Huxley T. H.
(1869) Geological reform. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 25:xxxviii–liii.
OpenUrl

[37] Huxley T. H.

[38] Kitts D. B.
(1966) Geologic time. Journal of Geology 74:127–146, Reprinted In: Albritton, C.C. (ed.) 1975. The Philosophy of Geohistory. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Stroudsburgh, PA.
OpenUrl Web of Science

[39] Kitts D. B.

[40] Kitts D. B.
(1989) Geological time and psychological time. Earth Sciences History 8:190–191.
OpenUrl

[41] Kitts D. B.

[42] Lyell C.
(1830–1833) Principles of Geology (Murray, London) 3 vols. 1st edn.

[43] Lyell C.

[44] Lyell C.
(1838) Elements of Geology (Murray, London), 1st edn.

[45] Lyell C.

[46] Lyell C.
(1867) Principles of Geology (Murray, London), 10th edn, 1.

[47] Lyell C.

[48] McPhee J.
(1980) Basin and Range (Farrar Strauss & Giroux, New York).

[49] McPhee J.

[50] Phillips J.
(1837) A Treatise on Geology (Longman Rees Orme Brown Green & Longman, London), 1.

[51] Phillips J.

[52] Phillips J.
(1860a) Presidential address. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 16:xxx–lv.
OpenUrl

[53] Phillips J.

[54] Phillips J.
(1860b) Life on the Earth: Its Origin and Succession (Macmillan, London).

[55] Phillips J.

[56] Porter R.
(1977) The Making of Geology (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge).

[57] Porter R.

[58] Prestwich J.
(1895) Collected Papers on Some Controverted Questions of Geology (Macmillan, London).

[59] Prestwich J.

[60] Ramsay A. C.
(1873–1874) in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London On the comparative value of certain geological ages (or groups of formations) considered as items of geological time 22, pp 145–148.
OpenUrl

[61] Ramsay A. C.

[62] Reade T. M.
(1878) in Proceedings of the Liverpool Geological Scoiety Geological time 3, pp 211–235.
OpenUrl

[63] Reade T. M.

[64] Rudwick M. J. S.
(1969a) The strategy of Lyell’s Principles of Geology. Isis 61:5–33.
OpenUrl PubMed

[65] Rudwick M. J. S.

[66] Rudwick M. J. S.
(1969b) in Toward a History of Geology, Lyell on Etna and the antiquity of the Earth, ed Schneer C. J. (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA), pp 288–304.

[67] Rudwick M. J. S.

[68] Rudwick M. J. S.
(1971) in Perspectives in the History of Science, Uniformity and progression, ed Roller D. H. D. (University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK), pp 5–33.

[69] Rudwick M. J. S.

[70] Rudwick M. J. S.
(1974) Poulett Scrope on the volcanoes of Auvergne: Lyellian time and political economy. British Journal for the History of Science 7:205–242.
OpenUrl

[71] Rudwick M. J. S.

[72] Rudwick M. J. S.
(1978) Charles Lyell’s dream of a statistical palaeontology. Paleaeontology 21(2):225–244.
OpenUrl

[73] Rudwick M. J. S.

[74] Rudwick M. J. S.
(1985) The Great Devonian Controversy (University of Chicago Press, Chicago).

[75] Rudwick M. J. S.

[76] Rudwick M. J. S.
(1992) Scenes from Deep Time (University of Chicago Press, Chicago).

[77] Rudwick M. J. S.

[78] Rudwick M. J. S.
(1996) Curvier and Brongniart, William Smith, and the reconstruction of geohistory. Earth Sciences History 15:25–36.
OpenUrl

[79] Rudwick M. J. S.

[80] Secord J. A.
(1986a) Controversy in Victorian Geology: The Cambrian-Silurian Dispute (Princeton University Press, Princton).

[81] Secord J. A.

[82] Secord J. A.
(1986b) The Geological Survey of Great Britain as a research school, 1839–1855. History of Science 24:223–275.
OpenUrl CrossRef

[83] Secord J. A.

[84] Thomson W.
(1862) On the age of the Sun’s heat. Macmillan’s Magazine 5(March):288–293.
OpenUrl

[85] Thomson W.

[86] Thomson W.
(1863) Philosophical Magazine, On the secular cooling of the earth, ser. 4, 25, pp 1–14.
OpenUrl

[87] Thomson W.

[88] Thomson W.
(1865) in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh The doctrine of uniformity in geology briefly refuted 5, pp 512–513.
OpenUrl

[89] Thomson W.

[90] Thomson W.
(1891) Popular Lectures and Addresses (Macmillan, London), 1.

[91] Thomson W.

[92] Toulmin S.
(1962–1963) in Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society Memoirs and Proceedings The discovery of time 105, pp 100–112, Reprinted in: Albritton, C.C. (ed.) 1975. The Philosophy of Geohistory. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Stroudsburgh, PA.
OpenUrl

[93] Toulmin S.

[94] Wilson L. G.
(1972) Charles Lyell, the Years to 1841: The Revolution in Geology (Yale University Press, New Haven).

[95] Wilson L. G.

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