Professional Documents
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Geology is the study and science of Earth’s land forms. This includes how they were
created, have changed over time and how they will evolve.
There are several branches of geology that have more focus. We divide geology into
the following sub-fields:
GEOLOGY – The study of physical features and the processes that act on their
development.
CHRONOLOGY: Studying layers of rock as it relates to geologic time
TECTONICS: Applying the principles of plate tectonics to geology
NATURAL RESOURCES: Examining rocks, terrain and material as natural
resources
SEDIMENTOLOGY: Understanding erosion, movement and deposition of
sediments
TOPOGRAPHY: Mapping terrain and processes that act on it
ASTROGEOLOGY: Classifying rocks and land forms outside Earth
As tectonics play a key role in volcanoes, volcanology explains how and where
volcanoes and related phenomena (lava and magma) erupt and form (past and
present).
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.
Branches of geology focused on natural resources
Most geology careers involve the extraction of natural resources from the surface.
This is where geologists relate rock types and landforms in a specific environment.
For example, petrology uses mineralogy and rock types to understand geological
formations from drilling. In addition, they study the chemical properties and how
atoms are arranged.
For example, orography focuses on topographic relief and how mountains are
distributed. Without plate tectonics which is a focal point in geology, mountain
building would have not taken place.
Finally, hypsometry measures height and depth of physical features from mean sea
level. Geologists use hypsometry to understand the profile of Earth and landscape
evolution.
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 is very closely related to exogeology. They both focus on how geology
relates to celestial bodies such as moons, asteroids, meteorites and comets.
Lastly, selenography studies the physical features of the moon. For example, it
understands and catalogs features such as lunar maria, craters and mountain ranges on
the moon.