JOLINA ABANA

BSCE-2B

Branches of Geology
Categories by sub-fields

CHRONOLOGY: Studying layers of rock as it relates to geologic time

 STRATIGRAPHY – How layering of rocks and strata are analyzed to measure geologic time.
 PALEONTOLOGY – How organisms evolve and their interactions in their environment by studying
fossil records often found in rocks.
 MICROPALEONTOLOGY – How microfossils are characterized.
 PALEOMAGNETISM – How to reconstruct previous magnetic fields in rocks including the
direction and intensity to explore pole reversals in different time periods (past and future).
 GEOMORPHOLOGY – How landforms, physical features and geological structures on Earth were
created and evolved.
 PALEOSEISMOLOGY – How geologic sediments and rocks are used to infer past earthquakes.
 MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY – How sedimentary and volcanic sequences are dated by
geophysically correlating samples of strata deposited with the Earth’s magnetic field polarity.
 GEOCHRONOLOGY – How old rocks and geological events are dated using signatures inherent in
rocks.

TECTONICS: Applying the principles of plate tectonics to geology

 TECTONICS – How Earth’s crust evolves through time contributing to mountain building, old core
continents (cratons) and earthquakes/volcanoes.
 VOLCANOLOGY – How volcanoes erupt, the anatomy of a volcano and related phenomena (lava,
magma) erupt and form (past and present).
 SEISMOLOGY – How seismic waves travel through and around the Earth from earthquakes.
 NEOTECTONICS – How Earth’s crust deforms and has moved in recent and current time.
 TECTONOPHYSICS – How Earth’s crust and mantle deforms specific to its physical processes.
 SEISMOTECTONICS – How earthquakes, active tectonics and individual faults are related to
seismic activity.
 NATURAL RESOURCES: Examining rocks, terrain and material as natural resources
 PETROLOGY – How types of rocks (igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology) form in
their specific environment.
 MINERALOGY – How chemical and crystalline structures in minerals are composed.
 GEMOLOGY – How natural and artificial gems are identified and evaluated.
 CRYSTALLOGRAPHY – How atoms are arranged and bonded in crystalline solids.
 SOIL SCIENCES – How soils relate as a natural resource including their formation factors,
classification, physical, chemical and fertility properties.
 PEDOLOGY – How soils are classified based on their biological, physical and chemical properties.
 EDAPHOLOGY – How soils influence plant growth and living things.
 AGRONOMY/AGROLOGY – How the field of agriculture involves science such as crop production,
biotechnology and soil science.
JOLINA ABANA
BSCE-2B

 HYDROGEOLOGY – How groundwater is transported and is distributed in the soil, rock and
Earth’s crust.
 POMOLOGY – How fruits grow and are cultivated.

SEDIMENTOLOGY: Understanding erosion, movement and deposition of sediments

 SURFICIAL GEOLOGY – How surface sediment (till, gravel, sand, clay, etc) overlying bedrock was
formed such as during glacial retreat or in lakes associated in these periods.
 GLACIOLOGY – How ice and glacial deposits have reconstructed landforms as well as how
existing (polar) glaciers behave and are distributed.
 GEOPHYSICS – How physical processes and properties relate to Earth and its surrounding space.
 BEDROCK GEOLOGY – How the intact, solid rock beneath surficial sediments formed including
age (stratigraphic sequences), morphology and rock properties (folds, faults, fractures).
 LITHOLOGY – How rocks are classified based on their physical and chemical properties.

TOPOGRAPHY: Mapping terrain and processes that act on it

 OROGRAPHY – How topographic relief in mountains are distributed in nature.

 TOPOGRAPHY – How physical features (natural and artificial) are arranged on the landscape.
 HYPSOMETRY – How height and depth of physical features are measured land from mean sea
level.

ASTROGEOLOGY: Classifying rocks and land forms outside Earth

 ASTROGEOLOGY – How geology relates to celestial bodies like

moons, asteroids, meteorites and comets.
 AREOLOGY – How geology is composed on Mars.
 SELENOGRAPHY – How physical features on the moon formed such as lunar maria, craters and
mountain ranges.
 EXOGEOLOGY – How geology relates to celestial bodies like moons, asteroids, meteorites and
comets.