Main Entry: ca·tas·tro·phism

Pronunciation: \kə-ˈtas-trə-ˌfi-zəm\

Function: noun

Date: 1869

: a geological doctrine that changes in the earth's crust have in the past been brought about suddenly by physical forces operating in ways that cannot be observed today — compare uniformitarianism

— ca·tas·tro·phist \-fist\ noun