The philosophical doctrine or practice that explains natural phenomena, especially geological features, primarily through the action of wind; also, excessive attention to or emphasis on wind action.
From 'aeoli(an)' + '-ism' (doctrine). Emerged in 18th-century geological theory alongside neptunism and plutonism as competing theories of earth formation.
Aeolism was a real geological debate—some scientists genuinely thought wind was the primary shaper of mountains and valleys, before understanding plate tectonics and volcanic processes.
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