Introduction

Abstract The few geologists who have read Robert Hooke’s Discourse of Earthquakes have been astonished by his almost clairvoyant postulations concerning the formation of geomorphological features, the origin and usefulness of fossils, biological evolution, and all the dynamic changes that constantly take place on this planet. Hooke’s ideas have been shown to reach beyond those of his contemporary, the Dane Nicholas Steno (1638-1686), who is widely hailed as a founder of geology. There is also evidence that James Hutton (1726-1797), who had some knowledge of Hooke’s hypothesis of the terraqueous globe, incorporated much of what Hooke pronounced into his own theory, a theory that laid the foundation of modern geology. Hooke was therefore important in the history of Earth science, as he was in the development of many other fields of scientific and technological endeavour. The purpose of this volume is not to engage in a search for Hutton’s precursors but to present the ideas of Robert Hooke concerning the Earth and to analyze them in light of the prevailing knowledge in the 17th century, placing the man in historical context and revealing his vital role in the development of the science of geology.