Charles Lyell

Charles Lyell (1797-1875) was a famed geologist credited with having popularized uniformitarianism as well as having been one of the most vocal scientists in his belief that science and religion should be kept seperate.

Charles Lyell was born in Scotland on November 14, 1797. His father was a little known botanist who exposed Lyell to nature at a very early age.

In 1816, at the age of nineteen, Lyell attended Oxford University where he developed an interest in geology thanks in part to the lectures of Dr. William Buckland. His interest in geology was accompanied with a passion for a number of other fields of study including: mathematics, the legal system and the classics. Subsequently, Lyell would pursue a legal career upon recieving his B.A. from Oxford in 1816. Shortly thereafter, Lyell began to gravitate towards the sciences. His failing eyesight due to a "chronic weakness of the eyes" is said to have been a factor in his ultimate decision to pursue the geological sciences. - This article is currently being developed as part of a student project involving an Anthropology course at University of Colorado at Boulder. If you are not involved with this project, please refrain from further developing this article until otherwise noted. Thank you.