What is Geology?

•The science of how the Earth works.

TLT, 12th, Figure 1.10, Page 14 1 TLT, 12th, Figure 2.17, Page 51
 It is on the Megascale

TLT, 12th, EoE 2.2, page 55 2 Grand Teton National Park

 It is on the Microscale

Ma, 5th, Figure 5.5, page 117 3 Ma, 5th, Figure E.6, page 424
 It is Current Events: 8/3

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/
eventpage/us1000g3ub#shakemap https://news.sky.com/story/lombok-
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/05/ earthquake-number-killed-on-indonesia-
world/asia/indonesia-earthquake.html 4 tourist-island-rises-to-319-11466728
 It is Current Events: 8/3

https://www.bbc.com/news/
world-us-canada-45054961
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lynchburg-
virginia-college-lake-dam-flooding-imminent- http://www.weathernationtv.com/news/evacuations-
failure-breach-va-2018-08-03/ 5 underway-area-lynchburg-va-dam-threatens-fail/
 It is Current Events: 8/11

http://www.wbng.com/story/38874310/heavy-rains- https://twitter.com/news10nbc/status/
cause-flooding-prompt-water-rescues-in-pennsylvania 1029516268976648193/video/1
https://www.cnyhiking.com/ https://www.carscoops.com/2018/08/flood-pushes-
MontourFallsHistoricLoopTrail.htm 6 cars-off-dealership-lot-straight-bridge/
 It is Ancient Events

Meteor Crater, AZ 7 Gate City, VA

 It is Beyond Earth

GJPS, 5th, Figure 9.25, page 209.

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/
20060927b/site_B76_264_navcam_CYL_L-B952R1_br2.jpg 8 GJPS, 5th, Figure 9.28, page 211.
It Means Understanding Hazards

Yakima, WA 9 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36904688/from/ET/?
beginSlide=20
It Means Understanding Resources

T&L, 10th, Figure 1.4, Page 5 10 GJPS, 5th, Figure 3.27, Page 69
 It Means Understanding Life

TLT, 12th, Figure 22.23, page 687 11 TLT, 12th, GiST, page 700
 It Means Going into the Field

Yellowstone National Park 12 El Malpais, NM

 It Means Working in the Lab

T&L, 10th, Figure 1.9, Page 12 13 TLT, 12th, Figure 1.2, Page 5
 What is Geology?
•It is all other sciences,
applied to the Earth.

TLT, 12th, Figure 1.10, Page 14 14

With Just One More
Thing...

TLT, 12th, Figure 1.6, Page 9 15

 What is Science?
•It is not a thing.

•It is not a “requirement”.

•It is not a list of facts.

•It is a process to help us understand the Universe around us.

–In essence, a process for understanding natural processes.

http://ugglybabee.blogspot.com/2012/03/magnus-
pyke-all-about-old-guy-from-she.html 16
 Requirements?
•Two: Observations & ideas.
–Observations are the evidence collected: Facts.
–Ideas are explanations: Speculations, hypotheses
and theories.

•In geosciences, the facts are about the Earth and Earth processes.
–Processes we can observe occurring now.
–Evidence remaining from processes in the past.

17
 An Example
•At noon on the summer solstice, Eratosthenes of Alexandria saw:
–No shadows in Syene (Sun directly overhead).
–North shadows in Alexandria (Sun 7° south of overhead).

GJPS, 5th, Figure 1.2, page 3 18

 Necessary Consequences
•If the Sun is directly over Syene on the solstice...
...and the Earth is a sphere...
...shadows south of Syene should point south.

•They did.

•If the distance between Syene and Alexandria is measured...

...the circumference of the spherical Earth can be
calculated geometrically - in 240 BC.

•It was - 39,690 km (modern value 40,075 km).

19
 Minimal Assumptions
•The Universe is understandable via our senses.
–May be extended by instruments.

•Basic rules apply everywhere & everywhen.

–Referred to as Uniformitarianism.

•Same assumptions in everyday life!

20
 The Process
•Observe something.

•Prepare an hypothesis that explains the observation.

–The hypothesis may have been modified from an
earlier version.
•If the hypothesis is valid (not necessarily correct), there will
be some necessary consequences that can be tested for.

•Perform experiment or make additional observations.

•This is the scientific method.

21
 Enter a Darkened Room...
Initial
...flip a light switch... ...and nothing happens.
Observation
Necessary
Hypothesis Test New Observation
Consequence
A short in Intermittent Flip switch
No light.
the switch. contact. on & off.
Burned out Different light Try different
No light.
bulb. would work. light.
Tripped Different circuit Try different
No light.
breaker. would work. circuit.
Power Neighbor’s
Check neighbor. No light.
off. lights out.
22
 Note the Lack of Restrictions
•Any type of explanation can be proposed.
–Just as long as there are necessary consequences
you can test for.

•For example: Electricity has ceased to work in our Universe.

–What are the necessary consequences and how do
we test for them?

•Invisible Elvis-shaped aliens are stealing the electricity from

your light alone.

23
 Are All Ideas Testable? (1)
•Mt. St. Helens pyroclastic flow.

•Is it made of a rock

called andesite?

•Are similar flows on

nearby volcanoes?

•Do they occur late

in the eruptive
sequence?

T&L, 7th, Slide AACGZYZ0.jpg 24

 Are All Ideas Testable? (2)
•Boston Pops concert.

•Is this more fun than

the Philharmonic?

•Does Simon & Garfunkel translate well to orchestra?

•Is John Williams is the greatest living composer?

www.angio.net/~reagan/boston.html 25
 Falsifiability is the Key to Testing
•Can some test be conceived to prove it false?
–Outside of pure mathematics, you can never prove
something to be true.
–All you can do is fail to prove it false.

•The more that an idea is tested and has not been falsified,
the better it is.

26
 What Are Scientific Ideas?
•Speculation: Explanatory idea that may be correct and testable.
–No data collected and maybe none can be collected.

•Hypothesis: Explanatory idea that may be correct but can be tested.

–No data collected, but a way to collect it exists.

•Theory: Explanatory idea that may be correct but has been

extensively tested.
–Much data collected and idea is yet to fail.

•Over time science moves towards theories, not away from them.
–This scientific usage differs from the popular usage.

27
 Can Theories be Overturned? (1)
•Sort of...
–But not like this.

28
 Can Theories be Overturned? (2)
•Since old theories still work....
–They get assimilated into improved theories.

29
 Misconception #1
Historical sciences aren’t “real sciences” because no
one was there to see things happen.

•Drawn from the idea that science is based upon reproducing

experiments in a laboratory.

•Science is based on observations.

–Experiments are simply one way to generate observations.

30
 Misconception #2
Scientific ideas (speculations, hypotheses, theories) “grow up”
to become scientific laws.

•Scientific laws are simple relationships between

measured quantities.
–If you do X, then you get Y.
–Ohm’s Law: V (voltage) = I (current) * R (resistance).

•Laws don’t explain why.

31
 Misconception #3
Fact, law and theory all use unique terms.

•Q: Is gravity a fact, a law or a theory?

•A: It’s all three!

–The fact of gravity is that masses attract each other.

–The law of gravity is the mathematical relationship:

m1m2
F=G 2
r
–The theory of gravity is the explanation why.

32