Uniformitarianism vs. Catastrophism

James Hutton, a scientist and philosopher, wrote that Earth's landforms are continuously changing. He guessed that the changes happened because of geologic processes, which include the transport of sediments and the breakdown of rock. This principle is called Uniformitarianism.

Uniformitarianism- a principle that states that the same geologic processes shaping the Earth today have been at work throughout Earth's history.

This is a phrase that summarizes Uniformitarianism the best: "The present is the key to the past."  James Hutton once said.

 An example of Uniformitarianism is the Grand Canyon because it took millions of and years to form.

Most people thought that the Earth hadn't existed long enough to support Hutton's theory, so Uniformitarianism wasn't accepted right away. Instead of believing in this principle, scientists believed in Catastrophism.  

Catastrophism- a principle that states that all geologic change occurs suddenly.

Scientists who supported the principle of Catastrophism said that the Earth's features like mountains, were formed by abrupt events called catastrophes.

 Examples of catastrophic events are a hurricane or a tornado.

I believe that both Uniformitarianism and Catastrophisism were both used to shape the world at present, and are both at work today. For example, the Grand Canyon took years to form. However, the surface of India, and the other places affected by December 2004's tsunami was altered in mere minutes.