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Principles of Geology or, The Modern Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as Illustrative of Geology

Name: Principles of Geology or, The Modern Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as Illustrative of Geology
Author: Charles Lyell

Charles Lyell · Public domain text

424,972 words · about 29 h 46 min to read

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The text of Principles of Geology or, The Modern Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as Illustrative of Geology comes from Project Gutenberg e-text #33224. It is in English and public domain in the United States. RedLectern sets the text out for reading on screen; no words of the book are rewritten or summarized. More formats (EPUB, Kindle) · How RedLectern is built

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From Wikipedia

Principles of Geology: Being an Attempt to Explain the Former Changes of the Earth's Surface, by Reference to Causes Now in Operation is a book by the Scottish geologist Charles Lyell that was first published in 3 volumes from 1830 to 1833. Lyell used the theory of uniformitarianism to describe how the Earth's surface was changing over time. This theory was in direct contrast to the geological theory of catastrophism.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article “Principles of Geology” (revision 1377011169), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Not written by RedLectern.

Author: Lyell, Charles, Sir (1797–1875)
Language: English
Subjects: Geology
Length: 424,972 words · about 29 h 46 min
Sections: 64 reader sections · Table of contents
Source: Project Gutenberg #33224

Contents (64)

Opening about 4 min
I. (CHAPTERS I. TO XIII.) under 1 min
I. Geology defined--Its relation to other Sciences Page 1 under 1 min
IV. Werner and Hutton--Modern progress of the science 46 under 1 min
VI. Agreement of the ancient and modern course of nature considered--Changes of climate 73 under 1 min
II. (CHAPTERS XIV. to XXXII.) under 1 min
XVIII. Deltas of the Mississippi, Ganges, and other rivers exposed to tidal action 263 under 1 min
XXII. Observed effects of igneous causes--Regions of active volcanoes 344 under 1 min
XXVIII. Earthquake of 1783 in Calabria 471 under 1 min
III. (CHAPTERS XXXIII to L.) about 1 min
XLVI. Imbedding of the same in alluvial deposits and in caves 730 under 1 min
XLVIII. Imbedding of the remains of man and his works 753 under 1 min
L. Formation of coral reefs 775 under 1 min
Chapter I about 6 min
II. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE PROGRESS OF GEOLOGY about 24 min
III. HISTORY OF THE PROGRESS OF GEOLOGY--continued about 56 min
IV. HISTORY OF THE PROGRESS OF GEOLOGY--continued about 31 min
V. PREJUDICES WHICH HAVE RETARDED THE PROGRESS OF GEOLOGY about 24 min
Chapter VI about 34 min
Chapter VII about 41 min
VIII. ON FORMER CHANGES IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE about 35 min
Chapter IX about 46 min
X. SUPPOSED INTENSITY OF AQUEOUS FORCES AT REMOTE PERIODS about 14 min
XI. ON THE SUPPOSED FORMER INTENSITY OF THE IGNEOUS FORCES about 32 min
XII. DIFFERENCE IN TEXTURE OF THE OLDER AND NEWER ROCKS about 9 min
Chapter XIII about 39 min
II. CHANGES IN THE INORGANIC WORLD under 1 min
Chapter XIV about 40 min
XV. TRANSPORTATION OF SOLID MATTER BY ICE about 27 min
XVI. PHENOMENA OF SPRINGS about 38 min
XVII. REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS OF RIVERS about 26 min
XVIII. REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS OF RIVERS--continued about 56 min
XIX. DESTROYING AND TRANSPORTING EFFECTS OF TIDES AND CURRENTS about 1 h 5 min
XX. ACTION OF TIDES AND CURRENTS--continued about 24 min
XXI. REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS OF TIDES AND CURRENTS about 16 min
XXII. IGNEOUS CAUSES about 31 min
XXIII. VOLCANIC DISTRICT OF NAPLES about 28 min
XXIV. VOLCANIC DISTRICT OF NAPLES--continued about 43 min
XXV. ETNA about 53 min
Chapter XXVI about 51 min
XXVII. EARTHQUAKES AND THEIR EFFECTS about 36 min
XXVIII. EARTHQUAKE IN CALABRIA, 1783 about 38 min
XXIX. EARTHQUAKES--continued about 51 min
XXX. ELEVATION AND SUBSIDENCE OF LAND WITHOUT EARTHQUAKES about 27 min
XXXI. CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES about 24 min
XXXII. CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES--continued about 40 min
XXXIII. CHANGES OF THE ORGANIC WORLD NOW IN PROGRESS about 24 min
XXXIV. TRANSMUTATION OF SPECIES--Continued about 27 min
Chapter XXXV about 20 min
Chapter XXXVI about 24 min
Chapter XXXVII about 35 min
Chapter XXXVIII about 35 min
Chapter XXXIX about 36 min
XL. THEORIES RESPECTING THE ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION OF SPECIES about 27 min
XLI. EXTINCTION OF SPECIES.--CHANGES IN THE STATIONS OF ANIMALS about 23 min
XLII. EXTINCTION OF SPECIES.--INFLUENCE OF INORGANIC CAUSES about 26 min
XLIII. EXTINCTION AND CREATION OF SPECIES about 13 min
Chapter XLIV about 20 min
Chapter XLV about 24 min
XLVI. BURYING OF FOSSILS IN ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS AND IN CAVES about 25 min
XLVII. IMBEDDING OF ORGANIC REMAINS IN SUBAQUEOUS DEPOSITS about 23 min
Chapter XLVIII about 26 min
XLIX. IMBEDDING OF AQUATIC SPECIES IN SUBAQUEOUS STRATA about 17 min
L. FORMATION OF CORAL REEFS about 4 h 9 min

The opening of Chapter I

Geology defined--Compared to History--Its relation to other
Physical Sciences--Not to be confounded with Cosmogony.
Geology is the science which investigates the successive changes that have taken place in the organic and inorganic kingdoms of nature; it inquires into the causes of these changes, and the influence which they have exerted in modifying the surface and external structure of our planet.
By these researches into the state of the earth and its inhabitants at former periods, we acquire a more perfect knowledge of its present condition, and more comprehensive views concerning the laws now governing its animate and inanimate productions. When we study history, we obtain a more profound insight into human nature, by instituting a comparison between the present and former states of society. We trace the long series of events which have gradually led to the actual posture of affairs; and by connecting effects with their causes, we are enabled to classify and retain in the memory a multitude of complicated relations--the various peculiarities of national character--the different degrees of moral and intellectual refinement, and numerous other circumstances, which, without historical associations, would be uninteresting or imperfectly understood.

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