--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the aggregate amount of solid matter…" description: "\"When the aggregate amount of solid matter transported by rivers in a given number of centuries from a large continent, shall be reduced to arithmetical..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/charles-lyell-17452_accounts_when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matte_1540331.png" --- # When the aggregate amount of solid matter transported by… ![“When the aggregate amount of solid matter transported by rivers in a given number of centuries from a large continent, shall be reduced to arithmetical computation, the result will appear most astonishing to those...not in the habit of reflecting how many of the mightiest of operations in nature…” quote by Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/charles-lyell-17452_accounts_when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matte_1540331.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/charles-lyell-17452_accounts_when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matte_1540331.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/charles-lyell-17452_accounts_when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matte_1540331.png) > “When the aggregate amount of solid matter transported by rivers in a given number of centuries from a large continent, shall be reduced to arithmetical computation, the result will appear most astonishing to those...not in the habit of reflecting how many of the mightiest of operations in nature are effected insensibly, without noise or disorder.” [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The slow, massive movement of sediment by rivers over centuries is mathematically huge, yet it happens quietly without apparent chaos. **In simple terms:** Rivers move huge amounts of sediment silently over long time. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of gradual, unseen processes. Themes nature geology time processes Mood reflective inquisitive Type scientific educational When to use this quote - river basin management - environmental planning - geological research - climate change studies - infrastructure design Key Concepts sediment transport erosion scale continuity Questions to Reflect On - How do we measure slow natural processes? - What modern tools help quantify geological change? A Different Perspective The quote may overstate the simplicity of calculating such vast quantities without accounting for complex variables. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Amount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/) [Arithmetical Computation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arithmetical-computation-5735307/) [Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Computation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computation/) [Continents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continents/) [Disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disorder/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matter Transported](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-transported-2882273/) [Noise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noise/) [Number Centuries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/number-centuries-5735306/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Operations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operations/) [Reflecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflecting/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Te Amo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/te-amo/) [Transported Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transported-rivers-5735305/) ## Related quotes > [“Matter and energy are equivalent, according to the equation E=mc2, where E stand for energy, m for mass and c for the speed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcha-a-fox/matter-and-energy-are-equivalent-according-to-the-equation-e-mc2/) [Marcha A. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcha-a-fox/) > [“Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms: it is about understanding”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mathematics-is-not-about-numbers-equations-computations-or-algorithms/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Whew, this might be getting a bit confusing. I hope you are following me so far. This is the point in every Theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-mitchell/whew-this-might-be-getting-a-bit-confusing-i-hope-you-are-following/) [Melanie Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-mitchell/) > [The Old Testament contains over 300 references to the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Computations using the science of probability on just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-ridenour/the-old-testament-contains-over-300-references-to-the-messiah-that/) [Fritz Ridenour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-ridenour/) > [I have tried to avoid long numerical computations, thereby following Riemann's postulate that proofs should be given through ideas and not voluminous computations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/i-have-tried-to-avoid-long-numerical-computations-thereby-following/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [To me quantum computation is a new and deeper and better way to understand the laws of physics, and hence understanding physical reality as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deutsch/to-me-quantum-computation-is-a-new-and-deeper-and-better-way-to/) [David Deutsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deutsch/) > [There is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/there-is-something-going-on-in-time-and-space-and-beyond-time-and/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Some things, like the orbits of the planets, can be calculated far into the future. But that's atypical. In most contexts, there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/some-things-like-the-orbits-of-the-planets-can-be-calculated-far-into/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The term, information at your fingertips, is to remind people what a broad role the personal computer will be playing. It's not a computation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-term-information-at-your-fingertips-is-to-remind-people-what-a/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If we suppose that many natural phenomena are in effect computations, the study of computer science can tell us about the kinds of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/if-we-suppose-that-many-natural-phenomena-are-in-effect-computations/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [If you roll dice, you know that the odds are one in six that the dice will come up on a particular side. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-roll-dice-you-know-that-the-odds-are-one-in-six-that-the-dice/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Can you make fancy patterns of water that actually have some computation power? I'm betting that fluids are complex enough to do this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/can-you-make-fancy-patterns-of-water-that-actually-have-some/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [ALGEBRA is a general Method of Computation by certain Signs and Symbols which have been contrived for this Purpose, and found convenient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-maclaurin/algebra-is-a-general-method-of-computation-by-certain-signs-and/) [Colin Maclaurin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-maclaurin/) > [Calculators can only calculate - they cannot do mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-van-de-walle/calculators-can-only-calculate-they-cannot-do-mathematics/) [John A. Van de Walle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-van-de-walle/) > [Fantastic truths perish slower... Sappho's moon will survive the moon of Armstrong. Different computations are necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odysseas-elytis/fantastic-truths-perish-slower-sappho-s-moon-will-survive-the-moon-of/) [Odysseas Elytis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odysseas-elytis/) ## More by Charles Lyell > [It was a profound saying of Wilhelm Humboldt, that 'Man is man only by means of speech, but in order to invent speech he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/it-was-a-profound-saying-of-wilhelm-humboldt-that-man-is-man-only-by/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [In reply, I can only plead that a discovery which seems to contradict the general tenor of previous investigations is naturally received with much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/in-reply-i-can-only-plead-that-a-discovery-which-seems-to-contradict/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [Such discoveries have led me, and other geologists, to reconsider the evidence previously derived from caves brought forward in proof of the high antiquity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/such-discoveries-have-led-me-and-other-geologists-to-reconsider-the/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [Man, whose organization is regarded as the highest, departs from the vertebrate archetype; and it is because the study of anatomy is usually commenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/man-whose-organization-is-regarded-as-the-highest-departs-from-the/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [Probably there was a beginning-it is a metaphysical question, worthy a theologian-species have begun and ended-but the analogy is faint and distant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/probably-there-was-a-beginning-it-is-a-metaphysical-question-worthy-a/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [I may conclude this chapter by quoting a saying of Professor Agassiz, that whenever a new and startling fact is brought to light in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/i-may-conclude-this-chapter-by-quoting-a-saying-of-professor-agassiz/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [Amidst the vicissitudes of the earth's surface, species cannot be immortal, but must perish, one after another, like the individuals which compose them. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/amidst-the-vicissitudes-of-the-earth-s-surface-species-cannot-be/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [It must have appeared almost as improbable to the earlier geologists, that the laws of earthquakes should one day throw light on the origin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/it-must-have-appeared-almost-as-improbable-to-the-earlier-geologists/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [Millions of our race are now supported by lands situated where deep seas once prevailed in earlier ages. In many districts not yet occupied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/millions-of-our-race-are-now-supported-by-lands-situated-where-deep/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [So far, therefore, as we can draw safe conclusions from a single specimen, there has been no marked change of race in the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/so-far-therefore-as-we-can-draw-safe-conclusions-from-a-single/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [There is no foundation in geological facts, for the popular theory of the successive development of the animal and vegetable world, from the simplest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/there-is-no-foundation-in-geological-facts-for-the-popular-theory-of/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [That ere long, now that curiosity has been so much excited on this subject, some human remains will be detected in the older alluvium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/that-ere-long-now-that-curiosity-has-been-so-much-excited-on-this/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [Hitherto, no rival hypothesis has been proposed as a substitute for the doctrine of transmutation; for 'independent creation,' as it is often termed, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/hitherto-no-rival-hypothesis-has-been-proposed-as-a-substitute-for/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [The present is the key to the past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/the-present-is-the-key-to-the-past/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > ['Time's noblest offspring is the last.' This line of Bishop Berkeley's expresses the real cause of the belief in progress in the animal creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/time-s-noblest-offspring-is-the-last-this-line-of-bishop-berkeley-s/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) [Explore all 37 Charles Lyell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) ## More Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) [Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When the aggregate amount of solid matter transported by rivers in a given number of centuries from a large continent, shall be reduced to arithmetical computation, the result will appear most astonishing to those...not in the habit of reflecting how many of the mightiest of operations in nature are effected insensibly, without noise or disorder.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Lyell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matter-transported-by-rivers-in-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accounts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matter-transported-by-rivers-in-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/charles-lyell-17452_accounts_when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matte_1540331.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/charles-lyell-17452_accounts_when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matte_1540331.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/charles-lyell-17452_accounts_when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matte_1540331.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When the aggregate amount of solid matter transported by rivers in a given number of centuries from a large…” — Charles Lyell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Lyell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When the aggregate amount of solid...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matter-transported-by-rivers-in-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/when-the-aggregate-amount-of-solid-matter-transported-by-rivers-in-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```