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Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Leonardo's all-round genius brought him face-to-face with prob­lems of understanding the Earth. He saw the Earth undergoing endless change, largely occasioned by the forces of weather and water (both marine erosion of coasts and river erosion of hills). Solid land was constantly decaying into alluvial plains. The creation by rivers of their own valleys, which they then silted up, fascinated him. Land loss was being compensated for by a steady rise of the continents from the sea (as erosion made them lighter, they were able to rise).

His awareness of the power of water enabled him to recognize fossils as organic remains buried in strata debris, and he pointed to the similarities between fossil and living specimens. He denied that fossils were due to the Flood and privately speculated on the high antiquity of the Earth.