The creation of the Comité français d’histoire de la géologie (COFRHIGEO) in 1976 aimed to convene geologists, philosophers and historians interested in contributing to a written history of geology, which was at that time still in its infancy.

Fifty years later, History of Earth Sciences seeks both to present the research that has illuminated the evolution of ideas about the Earth - from Antiquity to the very beginning of the twentieth century - and to offer students, as well as anyone interested in the development of the Earth sciences, a general, focused and precise text designed as both an introduction and an invitation to pursue the study of this history. In this book, the history concludes with Alfred Wegener’s mobilist theory.

Pierre Savaton is an associate professor (HDR) in epistemology and the history of science at the Université de Caen Normandie, France. He is also a member of COFRHIGEO.