Geology is the study of the Earth, the materials of which it
is made, the structure of those materials, and the processes acting upon them.
It includes the study of organisms that have inhabited our planet. An important
part of geology is the study of how Earth’s materials, structures, processes
and organisms have changed over time.
Geology is also the study of the Earth, its processes, its
materials, its history, and its effect on humans and life in general.
Rocks, crystals, mountains, earthquakes, volcanoes, rivers, glaciers,
landslides, floods, and many other subjects fall into this broad field of
research. Geologists perform a wide range of important services for our
civilization: they determine the stability of building sites, find abundant supplies
of clean water, search for valuable deposits of natural resources such as iron,
coal, and oil, and they also try to minimize the threat to communities at risk
from
geologic hazards.
geologic hazards.
Fields of Geology
There are many different fields of Geology
Some specific areas include:
Hydrogeology - The branch of
geology that deals with the occurrence, distribution, and effect of ground
water.
Geophysics - The
physics of the earth and its environment, including the physics of the fields
such as meteorology, oceanography, and seismology.
Geochemistry - The chemistry of the composition and
alterations of the solid matter of the earth or a celestial body. The
study of the chemical composition of, and of actual or possible chemical
changes in, the crust of the earth.
Oceanography -
The exploration and scientific study of the ocean and its phenomena.
Paleontology -
The study of the forms of life existing in prehistoric or geologic times, as
represented by the fossils of plants, animals, and other organisms.
Specific study can entail vertebrate paleontology or invertebrate paleontology.
Petrology - The
branch of geology that deals with the origin, composition, structure, and
alteration of rocks. Mainly concerned with the mineralogical and chemical
composition of rocks, and with their classification: lithology.
Petroleum
Geology- The branch of economic geology that deals with the occurrence and
exploitation of oil and gas fields.
Sedimentary
Geology - The branch of geology relating to rocks formed by the deposition
of sediment.
Structural
Geology- The branch of geology relating to the structure of rocks and other
aspects of the earth's crust.
