Stratigraphy EASC 422
The principle of Uniformitarianism and Catastrophism
The idea of uniformitarianism states that processes occurring today are similar to
those that occurred in the past. This means that the same forces that shaped our
current environment were at work in the past. Uniformitarianism is based on the
assumption that the Earth is always changing. So, if something is observed today,
then it was probably present at some point in the past. The changes that have
occurred on Earth are the result of these processes, which have been ongoing for a
very long time. The guiding maxim for understanding Earth's historical evolution,
as proposed by James Hutton, is that " present is the key to the past."
Uniformitarianism is a slow process that produces results after a long period of time.
However, major changes on Earth have occurred suddenly as a result of some
The principle of Uniformitarianism and Catastrophism
The idea of uniformitarianism states that processes occurring today are similar to
those that occurred in the past. This means that the same forces that shaped our
current environment were at work in the past. Uniformitarianism is based on the
assumption that the Earth is always changing. So, if something is observed today,
then it was probably present at some point in the past. The changes that have
occurred on Earth are the result of these processes, which have been ongoing for a
very long time. The guiding maxim for understanding Earth's historical evolution,
as proposed by James Hutton, is that " present is the key to the past."
Uniformitarianism is a slow process that produces results after a long period of time.
However, major changes on Earth have occurred suddenly as a result of some
