History of Geology

Although geology is a relatively young science, humans have long been interested in the Earth. Prehistoric people utilized stones as tools and weapons, formed clay into pottery, and sought shelter in rocky caves. But their knowledge of the Earth was restricted to the ground beneath their feet or the limited areas that they could explore on foot.

Ancient Greek and Roman Beliefs.

As early as the 4th century BC, Aristotle taught that the Earth was a sphere. He also believed that streams originated from springs and that minerals were formed from "exhalations" of the Earth. He said that earthquakes were caused when ""pentup" winds burst to the surface after being trapped in subterranean channels.

Other ancient pondered the origin of fossils, in the 5th century BC, Anaximander of Miletus noted fossil fish  well above the sea level and concluded that fish had been the ancestors of all living things, including humans. Xenophanes of Colophon (5th century BC) found fossil of marine organisms far inland and correctly inferred that they represented the remains of sea dwelling animals.

There were few attempts to solve the Earth's mysteries during the Middle ages. No distinction was made between rocks, minerals, and fossils as the terms are now understood. Early in the 11th century, however, Avicenna, a Persian physician and Islamic scholar, perceived basic geologic processes that were not to be understood for centuries. He recognized water and wind as erosional agents, flooding of the land by prehistoric seas, the development of solid rock from soft, water deposited sediment, the formation of soils, and fossil as the remains of ancient animals.

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