SHAPING GENERATIONS; THE IMPACT OF "EVOLUTION OF THE EARTH "ON HISTORICAL GEOLOGY

Literally thousands of students have learned about the dynamic evolution of the earth from Robert H. Dott Jr. through his teaching at the University of Wisconsin and his text “Evolution of the Earth”. Most of them however were not fully aware that he and his colleagues redefined and reinvigorated the study of Historical Geology. In 1971 Dott and Richard Batton published the first edition of the Evolution of the Earth and transformed historical geology texts from a litany of North American stratigraphic names into a dynamic view of the chemical and biological evolution of the planet. This text was also one of the first that synthesized sedimentation patterns into a plate tectonic framework, and provided a rich historical view that introduced students to the evolution of geological thought. The approach, themes, and format introduced in Evolution of the Earth have framed most historical geology texts and many courses for the last 33 years. The eighth edition, co-authored with Donald Prothero, remains a standard on many campuses.

In many ways the synthesis brought together in the Evolution of the Earth also set the stage for waves of new geologists to consider the limits of strict uniformitarianism, the importance of directional change on Earth, and feedback in Earth systems. These themes now reverberate through many of our field’s recent exciting advances in understanding the late Proterozioc - Cambrian transition, the K/T boundary, and paleoclimatic excursions. In addition to a stellar research career in sedimentolgy and the history of geologic thought, Robert H. Dott, Jr. has helped to shape our field of inquiry in understanding the earth’s evolution.