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Geology studies Earth's physical composition, structure, history, and the processes that shape it.
Geology is a branch of natural science that studies Earth, other rocky astronomical bodies, their materials, structures, and the processes that change them over time. It overlaps with other Earth sciences, such as hydrology, geochemistry, geophysics, and planetary science. Geologists investigate minerals, rocks, superficial deposits, fossils, and geological structures to reconstruct Earth's history, determine the ages of rocks, and understand the development of its surface and interior. As an Earth science, geology explains major phenomena including the rock cycle, plate tectonics, mountain building, volcanism, earthquakes, climate change, and the evolution of life. It uses fieldwork, laboratory analysis, geophysical measurements, experimentation, and numerical modeling. Geology is also practically important for locating minerals and hydrocarbons, managing water resources, assessing natural hazards, addressing environmental problems, and supporting geological and geotechnical engineering.
Geology studies Earth's physical composition, structure, history, and the processes that shape it.
It examines minerals, rocks, fossils, superficial deposits, and extraterrestrial materials using field, laboratory, and computational methods.
The three major rock types are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, and their transformations are represented by the rock cycle.
Plate tectonics explains the movement of Earth's lithospheric plates and many features such as mountain ranges, volcanoes, earthquakes, and ocean ridges.
Geologists use relative dating principles and radiometric methods to establish the timing of geological events.
Geology contributes to natural-resource exploration, groundwater evaluation, hazard assessment, environmental remediation, and climate-history research.
The scientific study of Earth, its materials and structures, and the processes that have changed it through time.
A naturally occurring substance with a generally definite chemical composition and an ordered atomic structure.
A naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloids.
The set of processes through which igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks form and transform into one another.
The theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into moving plates that interact over the underlying asthenosphere.
The determination of the order in which geological events or rock layers occurred without assigning exact numerical ages.
The determination of numerical ages for rocks or geological events, commonly using radioactive isotope systems.
A chronological framework that organizes Earth's history into eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages.
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