Help us celebrate James Hutton’s Tercentenary in 2026

Our Hutton Tercentenary Crowdfunder aims raise vital funds to build a new Deep Time Trail at Siccar Point. This globally significant site is where James Hutton verified his Theory of the Earth by predicting an unconformity. The trail will guide visitors to a viewpoint over Siccar Point and explain the significance of the site and of Hutton’s work, giving all visitors a sense of Deep Time.

James Hutton and Siccar Point

2026 will mark the 300th anniversary since James Hutton’s birth. As we prepare for a number of activities and events across the country, we embark on a project to help secure his story and discovery of deep time at Siccar Point on the Scottish Borders coast. Hutton was many things – a farmer, a polymath, a hero of the Scottish Enlightenment and founder of modern geology. He helped advance modern agriculture, and was a chemical manufacturer, naturalist and physician.

Siccar Point is one of the most significant locations in the history of geological sciences, as it was here that Hutton predicted, and then found, an unconformity – a geological feature that represents a significant gap in the geological record and illustrates how the Earth’s surface is continually recycled and regenerated by natural processes. This ultimately led to the concept of Deep Time and our understanding that the world is circa 4.5 billion years old, not the 6,000 years old widely accepted in the late 18th century.

The world will celebrate the 300th anniversary of James Hutton’s birth in June 2026, along with a number of other tercentenaries associated with the Scottish enlightenment. The Scottish Geology Trust, Edinburgh Geological Society and James Hutton Institute will mark this celebration with the development of a Deep Time Trail at Siccar Point.

Partners

The Scottish Geology Trust is a charity with a mission to inspire people everywhere to understand, love and care for Scotland’s geological heritage.

The Edinburgh Geological Society is one of the UK’s foremost geological societies. They organise a full and varied programme of excursions and lectures that bring together everyone from complete beginners to professional geologists interested in exploring the geology of Scotland and beyond.

The James Hutton Institute is a world-leading independent scientific research organisation based in Scotland but working in collaboration across the globe.