Skip to main content.

Principles of Geology

Principles of Geology: being an attempt to explain the former changes of the Earth's surface, by reference to causes now in operation is a book by the Scottish geologist Charles Lyell, first published in 3 volumes in 1830–1833. Lyell used geology throughout as a basis to strengthen his argument for Uniformitarianism. He used geological proof to determine that the Earth was older than 6,000 years, as had been previously contested. The book shows that the processes that are occurring in the present are the same processes that occurred in the past. (46 hr 1 min)

Chapters

Preface to the Ninth Edition

Chapter I

Chapter II, part 1

Chapter II, part 2

Chapter III, part 1

Chapter III, part 2

Chapter III, part 3

Chapter III, part 4

Chapter III, part 5

Chapter IV, part 1

Chapter IV, part 2

Chapter V, part 1

Chapter V, part 2

Chapter VI, part 1

Chapter VI, part 2

Chapter VII, part 1

Chapter VII, part 2

Chapter VIII, part 1

Chapter VIII, part 2

Chapter IX, part 1

Chapter IX, part 2

Chapter IX, part 3

Chapter X

Chapter XI, part 1

Chapter XI, part 2

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII, part 1

Chapter XIII, part 2

Chapter XIII, part 3

Chapter XIV, part 1

Chapter XIV, part 2

Chapter XIV, part 3

Chapter XV, part 1

Chapter XV, part 2

Chapter XVI, part 1

Chapter XVI, part 2

Chapter XVI, part 3

Chapter XVII, part 1

Chapter XVII, part 2

Chapter XVIII, part 1

Chapter XVIII, part 2

Chapter XVIII, part 3

Chapter XVIII, part 4

Chapter XIX, part 1

Chapter XIX, part 2

Chapter XIX, part 3

Chapter XIX, part 4

Chapter XIX, part 5

Chapter XX

Chapter XXI

Chapter XXII, part 1

Chapter XXII, part 2

Chapter XXIII, part 1

Chapter XXIII, part 2

Chapter XXIV, part 1

Chapter XXIV, part 2

Chapter XXIV, part 3

Chapter XXV, part 1

Chapter XXV, part 2

Chapter XXV, part 3

Chapter XXV, part 4

Chapter XXVI, part 1

Chapter XXVI, part 2

Chapter XXVI, part 3

Chapter XXVI, part 4

Chapter XXVI, part 5

Chapter XXVII, part 1

Chapter XXVII, part 2

Chapter XXVIII, part 1

Chapter XXVIII, part 2

Chapter XXIX, part 1

Chapter XXIX, part 2

Chapter XXIX, part 3

Chapter XXX, part 1

Chapter XXX, part 2

Chapter XXXI

Chapter XXXII, part 1

Chapter XXXII, part 2

Chapter XXXII, part 3

Chapter XXXIII

Chapter XXXIV, part 1

Chapter XXXIV, part 2

Chapter XXXV

Chapter XXXVI

Chapter XXXVII, part 1

Chapter XXXVII, part 2

Chapter XXXVIII, part 1

Chapter XXXVIII, part 2

Chapter XXXIX, part 1

Chapter XXXIX, part 2

Chapter XL, part 1

Chapter XL, part 2

Chapter XLI

Chapter XLII, part 1

Chapter XLII, part 2

Chapter XLIII

Chapter XLIV

Chapter XLV

Chapter XLVI

Chapter XLVII

Chapter XLVIII, part 1

Chapter XLVIII, part 2

Chapter XLIX

Chapter L, part 1

Chapter L, part 2

Chapter L, part 3

Concluding Remarks