James Hutton (; 3 June 1726
OS (14 June 1726 NS) – 26 March 1797) was a Scottish geologist,
physician, chemical manufacturer,
naturalist, and experimental
agriculturalist. He originated the theory of
uniformitarianism—a fundamental principle of geology—which explains the features of the
Earth's crust by means of natural processes over
geologic time. Hutton's work established geology as a proper science, and thus he is often referred to as the "Father of Modern Geology".