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nmdcat.online July 14, 2026

Regarding Charles Lyell’s geological concept of “Uniformitarianism,” how did it influence Darwin’s formulation of the theory of evolution?

A. It convinced Darwin that the Earth is only a few thousand years old, forcing evolution to occur rapidly.
B. It suggested that the same slow, gradual physical forces observed today have shaped the Earth over immense spans of time, implying the Earth is old enough for gradual evolution to occur.
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C. It proved that global catastrophic floods periodically wiped out all living organisms.
D. It proposed that geological formations are entirely static and do not change over time.

📝 Explanation

Lyell's principle of slow, ongoing geological processes made Darwin realize that the Earth is ancient, providing the vast timescales required for gradual biological evolution via natural selection.

📖 Additional Information

  • It convinced Darwin that the Earth is only a few thousand years old, forcing evolution to occur rapidly.
  • It suggested that the same slow, gradual physical forces observed today have shaped the Earth over immense spans of time, implying the Earth is old enough for gradual evolution to occur.
  • It proved that global catastrophic floods periodically wiped out all living organisms.
  • It proposed that geological formations are entirely static and do not change over time.

Lyell's principle of slow, ongoing geological processes made Darwin realize that the Earth is ancient, providing the vast timescales required for gradual biological evolution via natural selection.

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