As opposed to uniformitarianism, the approach known as catastrophism explains that Earth's geological features are a result of sudden, cataclysmic, and large-scale geological events. processes that were slow and gradual, but vastly different from what is currently observable. the same geological processes currently observable, which operate over very long periods of time in a slow and gradual manner. a combination of unknown processes, possibly as a result of supernatural forces, and known forces that have been measured and quantified.