Question

The scientist who was the first to recognize the principle of superposition was:

Select one:


a. Charles Darwin

b. James Hutton

c. Georges Cuvier

d. Georges Buffon

e. Charles Lyell

Answer 1

The correct answer is option b. James Hutton was the first to propose the principle of superposition, advocating for gradual geological processes over long periods, which influenced later scientific thoughts including uniformitarianism.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scientist who is recognized as the first to understand and advocate the principle of superposition was James Hutton. Hutton was a Scottish geologist and naturalist who, in the late 18th century, proposed that Earth's geological features could be explained by gradual processes still operating over long periods, rather than by catastrophic events.

This idea later influenced other scientists such as Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin and led to the development of the principle of uniformitarianism.