HPSC20002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Georges Cuvier, James Hutton, Ocean Acidification
24 May 2018
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Department
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Professor
DAY 5: MEASURING THE WORLD
SCIENCE MOVING INTO NATURAL HISTORY
• Natural history has 3 sub-disciplines:
o Zoology
o Botany
o Mineralogy: different utilitarian background in mining, discussion in this context unrelated to natural history
▪ Rise of mining academies in 18th C.
• Life and earth sciences: new concept just before 1800
• Geology and mineralogy related to theological issue: religion v science
o Science dated the beginnings of Earth as older than bible
o 2 ways people believed rocks were formed:
▪ Neptunism: most rocks sedimentation of primordial waters
▪ Volcanism: rocks result of volcanic fire acting on matter
• Originally, measurements and conclusions not precise, based solely on observation
History of the Earth
Catastrophism
Uniformitarianism
• Repeated catastrophic cataclysms explain
extinct animals & different geologic eras
• Each revolution introduced a new set of species
(divine intervention)
• James Hutton and George Cuvier
• Cuvier – after studying bones of similar organisms
came up with the idea
• Not accepted by naturalists as too closely
related to the biblical idea of ‘the flood’ –
wanted to separate religion from natural
history/philosophy
• Earth shaped in long lasting, gradual processes
• Geological forces the same today as those
occurring in the past – they act gradually and
uniformly
• Volcanism, erosion etc. formed the surface of
the Earth over long periods of time
• Rejection of Catastrophism (and acceptance
of Uniformitarianism) lasted until the 20th C.
• Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin
Ice Age Floods
• Geological community debate of floods in America
• Led to acceptance of the flood, ended the reign of strict uniformitarianism in the geologic society
• Catastrophes may leave a visible and large mark on the planet
Neo-Catastrophism
• K/T Boundary event: believe that asteroid was leading cause of extinction
• Recognisable strata layer a time of the boundary, with extremely high levels of Iridium
• Crater found in Mexico, matches those predicted by scientists
• Further evidence: tektites and shocked quartz – geological markers of severe impact
• Other hypothesis: lava flows from volcanism (atmospheric disruption from volcanic gases & ocean acidification)
RISE OF PRECISION MEASUREMENT
• Science in explorations included navigation, surveying, cartography and astronomy – a
consequence of exploration
• Explorations used to make further precise observations – used to understand planetary orbits,
ethnic data and biogeography – done by invention of precision instruments
• Drive towards precision ends impressionistic natural history & understanding of importance of
local conditions
• Science now performed in situ and in the laboratory (which had more refined methods of
experimental inquiry)
• Emergence of meteorology: traditional weather observations, led to standardised observation
for comparison
DISCIPLINE OF MOUNTAINEERING
• Local mountains (beginning in Geneva) climbed to measure heights, then later also gas levels, atmospheric pressures,
colour of the sky and other measurements
• Led to rise of new precision instrument: barometer
• Led to idea that human cultures adapt to climate, and that climate is the source of human variability (Herder, 1785)
• Humboldt: searched for a way to relate all measurements
o Believed nature has a ‘face’ (physiognomy) which could be explored through measurements and lines
o One attempt was graphs that showed lines between places which had the same value for certain
measurements
▪ These isoline maps had widespread use: science, epidemiology, pop. studies, biogeography
END OF NATURAL HISTORY
Expeditions of James Cook
• 3 voyages around the
world between 1768-1779,
beginning with the
precision of natural history
• Co-operation between the
Royal Society & Royal
Navy: military, political and
scientific interest combined
Document Summary
Natural history has 3 sub-disciplines: zoology, botany, mineralogy: different utilitarian background in mining, discussion in this context unrelated to natural history. Life and earth sciences: new concept just before 1800: geology and mineralogy related to theological issue: religion v science, science dated the beginnings of earth as older than bible, 2 ways people believed rocks were formed: Volcanism: rocks result of volcanic fire acting on matter: originally, measurements and conclusions not precise, based solely on observation. Repeated catastrophic cataclysms explain extinct animals & different geologic eras. Each revolution introduced a new set of species (divine intervention) Earth shaped in long lasting, gradual processes: geological forces the same today as those occurring in the past they act gradually and uniformly, volcanism, erosion etc. formed the surface of the earth over long periods of time. Rejection of catastrophism (and acceptance of uniformitarianism) lasted until the 20th c: charles lyell and charles darwin.
