Research Article| March 01, 2010 The neglected early history of geology: The Copernican Revolution as a major advance in understanding the Earth Walter Alvarez; Walter Alvarez 1Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-4767 USA, and Osservatorio Geologico di Coldigioco, 62021 Apiro, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Henrique Leitão Henrique Leitão 2Centro de História das Ciências, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício C4 - Piso 3, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Walter Alvarez 1Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-4767 USA, and Osservatorio Geologico di Coldigioco, 62021 Apiro, Italy Henrique Leitão 2Centro de História das Ciências, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício C4 - Piso 3, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 06 Aug 2009 Revision Received: 02 Oct 2009 Accepted: 08 Oct 2009 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2010 Geological Society of America Geology (2010) 38 (3): 231–234. https://doi.org/10.1130/G30602.1 Article history Received: 06 Aug 2009 Revision Received: 02 Oct 2009 Accepted: 08 Oct 2009 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Walter Alvarez, Henrique Leitão; The neglected early history of geology: The Copernican Revolution as a major advance in understanding the Earth. Geology 2010;; 38 (3): 231–234. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G30602.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Many geologists think of geology as a young science that originated about 1800, two centuries after the Copernican Revolution in astronomy and physics gave rise to modern science. We suggest that this view ignores the early history of what is now geology, and we argue that the Copernican Revolution represented not only a revolution in astronomy and physics, but also a radical change in understanding the Earth. Prior to the Copernican Revolution the concepts of “Earth” and “planet” had nothing whatsoever to do with each other, but after that revolution scientists recognized that Earth itself is one of the planets, and they rejected the Aristotelian view that Earth is made of fundamentally different material than are the Sun, stars, and planets. This was an essential step in the development of a valid science of geology, and the Copernican Revolution should therefore be considered not only an episode in the history of astronomy and physics, but as a central part of the history of geology as well. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.