Uniformitarianism assumes that
A) Earth is quite young and is shaped by dramatic events.
B) catastrophic episodes have regularly occurred.
C) the same physical processes we see today are a key to understanding the processes that have been operating throughout geologic time.
D) mountains, plains, and canyons formed by catastrophic events.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Uniformitarianism is the idea that the same physical processes we observe today have always been operating throughout Earth's history. This idea assumes that Earth is old and that slow, gradual processes are responsible for shaping the planet's surface features. It is the opposite of the idea that catastrophic events are responsible for the majority of Earth's features (choice B and D).

Uniformitarianism Assumes That