James Hutton was a Scottish scientist, born 3 June, 1726, in Edinburgh. He introduced the idea of Deep Time – the understanding that Earth changes over extremely long periods – so long that even millions of years are a small part. This transformed how people understood our planet. He showed that rocks and soil form through natural processes, such as erosion by rivers and volcanic activity. His book, Theory of the Earth (1788), laid the foundations of modern geology. Today, museum collections of rocks, fossils, and minerals, including those in our new displays, are understood through the Deep Time concept Hutton introduced.

Leonie
Science Saturday, ‘Out of the Deep’ Object Handling, and Family Friendly Sunday volunteer

A selection of images from the case