GEOLOGIST

James Hutton

1726 - 1797

Photo of James Hutton

Icon of person James Hutton

James Hutton ( ; 3 June O.S. 1726 – 26 March 1797) was a Scottish geologist, agriculturalist, chemical manufacturer, naturalist and physician. Often referred to as the "Father of Modern Geology," he played a key role in establishing geology as a modern science. Hutton advanced the idea that the physical world's remote history can be inferred from evidence in present-day rocks. Through his study of features in the landscape and coastlines of his native Scottish lowlands, such as Salisbury Crags or Siccar Point, he developed the theory that geological features could not be static but underwent continuing transformation over indefinitely long periods of time. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. James Hutton is the 8th most popular geologist (up from 9th in 2019), the 573rd most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 535th in 2019) and the 2nd most popular British Geologist.

James Hutton is most famous for the theory of uniformitarianism. He believed that the Earth was shaped by slow, gradual processes, and that these processes are still happening today.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of James Hutton by language

Loading...

Among GEOLOGISTS

Among geologists, James Hutton ranks 8 out of 90. Before him are Alfred Wegener, Nicolas Steno, Milutin Milanković, Inge Lehmann, Charles Lyell, and Friedrich Mohs. After him are Mary Anning, Eduard Suess, Andrija Mohorovičić, Francis Beaufort, Abraham Gottlob Werner, and Beno Gutenberg.

Most Popular Geologists in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1726, James Hutton ranks 4. Before him are Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, François-André Danican Philidor, and Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia. After him are Louise Henriette de Bourbon, Jacob Frank, Gerard Majella, Prince Henry of Prussia, Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este, Franz Joseph I, Prince of Liechtenstein, Daniel Chodowiecki, and Alexander Ypsilantis. Among people deceased in 1797, James Hutton ranks 7. Before him are Frederick William II of Prussia, Baron Munchausen, Mary Wollstonecraft, Horace Walpole, Edmund Burke, and François-Noël Babeuf. After him are Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, Lazare Hoche, Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg, Vilna Gaon, and Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony.

Others Born in 1726

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1797

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, James Hutton ranks 573 out of 8,785. Before him are John Hicks (1904), Eadweard Muybridge (1830), John Bowlby (1907), Jim Clark (1936), Stanley Matthews (1915), and Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington (1919). After him are Thomas Cromwell (1485), John Knox (1514), Christopher Wren (1632), John Turner (1929), James Bradley (1693), and Domnall mac Ailpín (812).

Others born in United Kingdom

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among GEOLOGISTS In United Kingdom

Among geologists born in United Kingdom, James Hutton ranks 2. Before him are Charles Lyell (1797). After him are Mary Anning (1799), Eduard Suess (1831), Gideon Mantell (1790), William Smith (1769), Adam Sedgwick (1785), William Buckland (1784), Arthur Holmes (1890), William Nicol (1770), John Phillips (1800), and Archibald Geikie (1835).

British born Geologists

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous