Whose theory first explained why some mountain ranges are folded and thrust upward?

James Hutton’s 18th-century geological ideas introduced the concept of deep time and slow Earth processes, which helped later scientists think about mountain formation over millions of years. In the 19th and 20th centuries, geologists studying folded strata in ranges like the Alps developed more detailed explanations for how compression creates mountains. Plate tectonics eventually unified these observations, showing that converging plates can fold, fault, and uplift the crust. The full explanation came from many scientists, but Hutton’s framework was a turning point.