The theory was first proposed before 1750 , by Abbé Anton Moro who had studied volcanic islands , and was subsequently developed by James Hutton as part of his `` Theory of the Earth '' published in 1788 .
The theory was first proposed by Abbé Anton Moro who had studied volcanic islands . It was subsequently developed by James Hutton as part of his `` Theory of the Earth '' published in 1788 .