What is Earth?

A complex, dynamic
chemical system driven
by physical processes
with an evolutionary
history spanning about
4500 million years.

What is Geology?
The scientific study of the solid Earth and the plethora
of the processes shaping it since The Beginning…
 What makes Geology unique?

1. TIME SCALE

2. SPATIAL SCALE

These two concepts + application of Mathematics, Physics

and Chemistry make Geology a
Quantitative Physical Science.
TIME
Geologists are globetrotters of deep time*…

~ 2 3 5 km
* = 4.56 billion years
Scale
Geologists work on all scales from
 Atomic - arrangements of atoms in crystals/minerals

 Global - natural phenomena that operates on several

thousands of km’s in length & depth: plate tectonics

Learn to think on a
variety of scales,
travel through time,
develop a breadth
of vision.
What is the Ultimate Goal of Geologists’?

Reconstruct the history of the Earth

&
Understand how it works now and how it may
behave in the future.

Jurassic Park in
RSA: our land
and its creatures
some 183 million
years ago
Geology –
a broad & applied Natural Science discipline

HOW? WHY? WHAT? WHEN?

 How did the planet Earth form? When did it
form?
 What was it like then? Were there any
continents and oceans? Was it hot or cold?
 How did the oceans and atmosphere form? How
did they interact with the continents?
 What is the origin of life? How it evolved?
 What is the composition of the other planets?
 How did the Solar system evolve?
 Why is Geology important?

“Civilization exists by geological consent, subject

to change without notice.”
– Will Durant (American historian, 1885-1981)

AP Photo/Hurriyet; NOAA
 Why is Geology important?
The Earth is a complex system: its internal &
external processes drive geological events.
Earth System
a number of interconnected systems (realms) in addition to
and beyond the geosphere, which includes the solid Earth.
 Two sides of Geology
Extract Earth resources
needed for energy and
commodities
Most of our resources
come from geological
materials.

Clean up operations from the

destructive forms of resource
extraction
Geological insights are
critical for environmental
protection
 What does a Geologist study?
 Geology is more than just the study of rocks. It
is the study of Earth systems
 Our data comes from Earth system observation
I am a geologist…

... and, so I have more pictures of rocks than of my family…

 Field Geology
becoming one
with the rocks and the
creatures of the Earth
 Physics
Geophysics
Chemistry
Astronomy Seismology
Geochemistry
Planetary studies
Metallurgy
Meteorites
Mineralogy
Origin of Elements
Petrology
Origin of Earth

Statistics Geology Biology

Nature Conservation
Economics
Palaeontology
Computer Science
Environmental Sci.
Resource evaluation

Palaeo-sciences Engineering
Archaeology Mining and rock
Physical anthropology engineering
Palaeontology Resource studies
Paleo-geography Mining geology
What can I do with a GEO major?
Geology… there’s no life like it !
GEO-OASIS - Geoscience Research: Methods and Process
At the heart of it all is the
Scientific Thinking = Observation & Interpretation
a) Geoscientists use repeatable observations and testable ideas to understand and
explain Earth processes.

b) Geoscientists assess uncertainty in observations and interpretations and use this

to generate new questions and hypotheses to test.

c) The scientific research is a messy, complicated and non-linear process

d) Seeking evidence to support or disprove multiple plausible explanations of a

geological phenomenon is used to develop models of Earth processes

d) Interpretations of geological processes in the rock record are determined through

assessing and relating observations

e) With additional observations, interpretations may be revised (often is and it is the

sign of ‘good’ science!)
Subdisciplines of Geology
 Petrology:
 igneous, metamorphic & sedimentary rocks
 Sedimentology & Stratigraphy
 Structural Geology
 Economic Geology
 Palaeontology
 Geochemistry
 Geophysics
 All dependent on Field Geology
 Petrology
rocks and minerals

Minerals in
love: a thin
section of an
igneous rock

More than 3 billion year

old igneous and
metamorphic rocks,
living together.
Sedimentology
& Stratigraphy
life’s a beach

Rock layers formed in an

ancient desert
Structural Geology
learning to cope
with stress

folded rocks
 Palaeontology
& Palaeobotany
solving the cold cases

~260 million years old

fossil fern, glossopteris leaves & their coevals
 Gibeon meteorite,
Windhoek

Geochemistry
looking inside the
rocks

analytical geochemistry

meteorite impacts & cosmochemistry

100

sample/c hondrite
10

1
La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
 Geophysics
finding your inner
planet

airborne remote-sensing, Namibia

magnetic modelling

magnetic
surveying for
archaeology
 Economic
Geology
not just making
big holes in the ground

scrounging for diamonds, West Coast

drilling for copper, Northern Cape

Explore the world around you:
Geology @UCT

Emese M. Bordy
Department of Geological Sciences
 Summary
1. The Earth is a complex system
2. Human interactions with the Earth
are intricate and the full extent of our
influence on Earth needs
quantification
3. We need Geology to know our PAST,
to understand our PRESENT and
predict our FUTURE