Question

What two ideas from geology were important to Darwin's thinking

Answer 1

Darwin was influenced by the principle of uniformitarianism and the idea of an ancient Earth, which aligned with his theory of gradual evolution through natural selection over vast timeframes.

Step-by-step explanation:

The two ideas from geology that were important to Charles Darwin's thinking were uniformitarianism and the concept of an ancient Earth. The principle of uniformitarianism, proposed by James Hutton and popularized by Charles Lyell, suggested that the Earth's geological features were the result of continuous and gradual processes rather than sudden, catastrophic events. This idea of gradual change over an extended period aligns with Darwin's concept of evolution through natural selection, where small, cumulative alterations in species can lead to substantial biological changes over long stretches of time. Further, Lyell's assertion that the Earth was much older than previously believed provided the vast timeframes necessary for these evolutionary changes to occur.

Answer 2

the geologists that influenced Darwin's thinking with their work were Lyell and Hutton , together both are saying that the earth is millions of years old whereas people back then used to think that according to the bible earth was just about 6000 years old if you track the generations or the genealogies. of course not every single generation is noted on the bible. also the discovery of fossils suggests evolution,
in addition people used to think that earth hasn't changed neither its life since the moment of creation
in short, the ideas were that earth natural processes operate very slowly, thus the earth must be millions of years old. that made Darwin wonder "if the earth is very old and changing, would life change as well over time? also he realized that life evolvells with such a great amount of time