James Hutton (1726 - 1797)
Hutton was a Scottish geologist who believed that the features of the earth could be explained by slow processes over time - gradualism. For example, canyons could be cut by rivers running down their lengths, or sedimentary rocks with marine fossils were made from particles that eroded from land and were carried by rivers into the sea. Hutton was educated as an agriculturalist.
References: [Morris 1989, 161][Cambell 1987, 427]
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http://www.uwmc.uwc.edu/geography/hutton/hutton.htm
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