Which scientist is known as the Father of Geology?

The title of "Father of Geology" is attributed to James Hutton due to his pioneering work in establishing the principles of modern geology in the late 18th century. Hutton is best known for introducing the concept of deep time, which suggests that the Earth is much older than the few thousand years that were commonly accepted in his time. His observations of rock formations and the processes of erosion led him to the understanding that the Earth’s features are shaped over vast periods through natural processes such as sedimentation, erosion, and volcanic activity.

Hutton's seminal work, "Theory of the Earth," proposed that the geological processes we observe today have been occurring in the same manner throughout Earth's history. This notion laid the foundation for the principles of uniformitarianism, which posits that the geological processes operating in the present are the same as those that operated in the past. This fundamental idea is crucial to the field of geology, as it enables scientists to interpret the geological history of the Earth and understand the processes that have shaped its surface.