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    Theory of Catastrophism

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    Leeanne Roco Garcia
    Catastrophism was a geological theory that proposed the Earth's features were shaped by sudden, violent, catastrophic events, rather than the slow, gradual processes proposed by uniformitarianism. Examples of catastrophism included meteorite impacts, ice ages, and ocean acidification, which were thought to be capable of causing mass extinction events. While early scientists advocated catastrophism to explain geological and biological changes, the current scientific view is that both catastrophic events and slow, uniform processes have occurred over Earth's history.

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    Theory of Catastrophism

    Uploaded by

    Leeanne Roco Garcia
    35 views13 pages
    Catastrophism was a geological theory that proposed the Earth's features were shaped by sudden, violent, catastrophic events, rather than the slow, gradual processes proposed by uniformitarianism. Examples of catastrophism included meteorite impacts, ice ages, and ocean acidification, which were thought to be capable of causing mass extinction events. While early scientists advocated catastrophism to explain geological and biological changes, the current scientific view is that both catastrophic events and slow, uniform processes have occurred over Earth's history.

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    Catastrophism was a geological theory that proposed the Earth's features were shaped by sudden, violent, catastrophic events, rather than the slow, gradual processes proposed by uniformitarianism. Examples of catastrophism included meteorite impacts, ice ages, and ocean acidification, which were thought to be capable of causing mass extinction events. While early scientists advocated catastrophism to explain geological and biological changes, the current scientific view is that both catastrophic events and slow, uniform processes have occurred over Earth's history.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    35 views13 pages

    Theory of Catastrophism

    Uploaded by

    Leeanne Roco Garcia
    Catastrophism was a geological theory that proposed the Earth's features were shaped by sudden, violent, catastrophic events, rather than the slow, gradual processes proposed by uniformitarianism. Examples of catastrophism included meteorite impacts, ice ages, and ocean acidification, which were thought to be capable of causing mass extinction events. While early scientists advocated catastrophism to explain geological and biological changes, the current scientific view is that both catastrophic events and slow, uniform processes have occurred over Earth's history.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 13

    Theory of

    Catastrophism
    What is Catastrophism?

    Catastrophism was the theory that the Earth had largely been shaped by sudden,
    short-lived, violent events, possibly worldwide in scope. This was in contrast to
    uniformitarianism (sometimes described as gradualism), in which slow
    incremental changes, such as erosion, created all the Earth's geological features.
    Uniformitarianism held that the present was the key to the past, and that all
    geological processes (such as erosion) throughout the past were like those that can
    be observed now. Since the early disputes, a more inclusive and integrated view of
    geologic events has developed, in which the scientific consensus accepts that there
    were some catastrophic events in the geologic past, but these were explicable as
    extreme examples of natural processes which can occur.
    catastrophism requires understanding the origins of the term. Early scientists like
    Cuvier, who were working within the boundaries of Ussher's calculations of the
    Earth's age, needed a logical explanation for the sudden disappearance or extinction
    of species. Cuvier suggested a series of catastrophic events, including the Biblical
    flood. That early introduction of the term "catastrophism" led to a modification of
    James Ussher's catastrophism that stated that geologic and biologic changes result
    from events that would not be seen in the modern world. In addition, those events
    might or might not have resulted from natural causes. In that vein, Merriam-
    Webster's catastrophism definition states: "a geological doctrine that changes in the
    earth's crust have in the past been brought about suddenly by physical forces
    operating in ways that cannot be observed today."
    Some Examples of Catastrophism:

    This mass extinction is an example of catastrophism.


    Meteorite impacts, ice ages, and ocean acidification are all catastrophic
    phenomena that can cause mass extinction events. In fact, it's pretty
    likely that all five major mass extinctions are the result of catastrophism.
    METEORITE IMPACTS- Meteorite impacts happen when rocks from space crash into
    Earth's surface. The rocks, called meteorites, can vary greatly in size. ... A meteorite
    impact can leave behind a crater, a large hollow area in the ground, that can still be seen
    thousands, or sometimes millions, of years later.
    ICE AGES- An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface
    and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets
    and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and greenhouse periods,
    during which there are no glaciers on the planet. An ice age is a period of colder global
    temperatures and recurring glacial expansion capable of lasting hundreds of millions of
    years.
    During an ice age, colder global temperatures lead to recurring glacial expansion across
    the Earth's surface.
    SOME EXAMPLE OF ICE AGES
    OCEAN ACIDIFICATION- is the ongoing decrease in the pH value of the Earth's oceans,
    caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The main cause of ocean
    acidification is the burning of fossil fuels. Ocean acidification is one of several effects of
    climate change on oceans. Ocean acidification is mainly caused by carbon dioxide gas in the
    atmosphere dissolving into the ocean.
    This leads to a lowering of the water's pH, making the ocean more acidic.
    Currently, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas for human industry is one of
    the major causes.
    Is there evidence for catastrophism?
        
    Catastrophism states that natural history has been punctuated by
    catastrophic events that altered that way life developed and rocks
    were deposited. ... Therefore, Werner used catastrophism as evidence
    to prove that the earth had experienced mass floods throughout
    geologic history.
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