Important geological concepts were established as naturalists began studying the rock formations of the Alps in the 18th century. In the mid-19th century the now defunct theory of geosynclines was used to explain the presence of "folded" mountain chains but by the mid-20th century the theory of plate tectonics became widely accepted.

Answer this question, if possible (if impossible, reply "unanswerable"): When did the studying of rock formations begin in the Alps?
the 18th century