neptunism
Sign in to saveright|200px|thumb|Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817), the founder of neptunism Neptunism is a superseded scientific theory of geology proposed by Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817) in the late 18th century, who proposed that rocks formed from the crystallisation of minerals in the early Earth's oceans.
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Historical development
- The neptunist–plutonist controversy
- Notable neptunists
- Fictional account
- References
- Further reading
right|200px|thumb|Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817), the founder of neptunism Neptunism is a superseded scientific theory of geology proposed by Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817) in the late 18th century, who proposed that rocks formed from the crystallisation of minerals in the early Earth's oceans.
The theory took its name from Neptune, the ancient Roman god of the sea. There was considerable debate between its proponents (neptunists) and those favouring a rival theory known as plutonism which gave a significant role to volcanic origins, and which in modified form replaced neptunism in the early 19th century as the principle of uniformitarianism was shown to fit better with the geological facts as they became better known.