People of Science: Charles Lyell

Born in Scotland, Lyell studied at Oxford where he attended the lectures of renowned geologist William Buckland FRS (1784-1856).

Although Lyell took up the legal profession after his studies, in the early 1820s he toured England to observe geological phenomena.

He visited for instance the paleontologist and geologist Gideon Mantell (1790-1852) FRS who studied the strata of Sussex.

Lyell also joined the Geological Society in 1819, which he served as Secretary from 1823 then President from 1835 to 1837.

This is his last address as President.

Charles Lyell published his first book, Principles of Geology in three volumes between 1830 and 1833.

The book aimed to demonstrate through observations and references to previous works that the geological shaping of the Earth which can still be observed today, has been a slow process over time.

In the Principles of Geology, Lyell demonstrated the doctrine of uniformity, which proposed that geological processes affected the Earth in the past and continue to apply.

This theory had previously been proposed by James Hutton (1726-1797), the geologist portrayed here. Hutton's Theory of the Earth was published in 1795 and had been presented to the Royal Society of Edinburgh ten years earlier.

Interestingly, Lyell opted to illustrate the cover and frontispiece of Principles of Geology by highlighting how the natural processes can be observed on a man-made edifice: the Temple of Serapis near Naples.

Lyell thereafter set out to find features of the Earth where he could measure the rate of change over a very long time.

Mount Etna provided evidence of volcanic activity which had been reported historically since Roman times.

The geology provided evidence of the cycle of eruptions on Etna, some indication of the age of the volcano and that of the Earth.

Lyell also traveled through Canada and the United States.
In 1841 and 1842 he visited the Niagara falls and explained that the gorge was the result of erosion under the force of the water.

Lyell was particularly attentive to public dissemination of geological knowledge and wrote a more didactic version of his Elements of Geology specifically designed for students and beginners.

Charles Lyell and Michael Faraday FRS (1791-1867), were also commissioned by the coroner to report on the causes of a disastrous mining incident at the Haswell colliery in the North of England which caused the death of 95 men and boys in 1844.

Their report set out to prevent further similar mining explosions, by advocating for better ventilation in the shafts and improving the geological and chemical education of miners.

Principles of Geology gained prompt scientific acclaim and remained a crucial source for geologists throughout the 19th century.

The title was also read by a wide public audience and reedited twelve times in 45 years.

The book became a landmark for evolution and Charles Darwin noted its importance in On the Origin of Species:

"He who can read Sir Charles Lyell's grand work on the Principles of Geology, which the future historian will recognise as having produced a revolution in natural science, yet does not admit how incomprehensibly vast have been the past periods of time, may at once close this volume."

In 1858, Lyell received the Copley medal of the Royal Society, for "his various researches and writings by which he has contributed to the advance of geology".

Lyell certainly left his mark on the study of geology and his contribution is now embedded in the topography by the various mountains, glaciers and rivers named after him.