What is Geology?

Definition

Geology is the study of the earth ("geo"- means "earth", and "ology" means "study of"). That is Geology is the study of the Earth. Geology deals with studying the materials that make up the earth, the features and structures found on Earth as well as the processes that act upon them.

• the study of the history of all life that's ever lived on or is living on the earth now. Studying how life and our planet have changed over time is an important part of geology.
• the study of the structure, evolution and dynamics of the Earth and its natural mineral and energy resources. Geology investigates the processes that have shaped the Earth through its 4.6 billion (approximate!) year history and uses the rock record to unravel that history. It is concerned with the real world beyond the laboratory and has direct relevance to the needs of society.

Two Main Types of Geology

Typically, geology is divided into two categories:

• Physical geology
• historical geology

Physical geology deals with the study of the physical features of the earth and the processes acting on them. This includes volcanoes, earthquakes, rocks, mountains and the oceans; just about any feature of the earth.


Historical geology is the study of the history of the earth. Historical geologists focus on what's happened to Earth since its formation. They also study the changes in life throughout time. In historical geology, you essentially get to travel back in time to the formation of the earth and move forward through time, witnessing the changes in Earth itself and the life on it.

Topics

Geology is a far-reaching field that covers a wide variety of topics. These topics include:


Mining and Petroleum Geology - focuses on the exploration and retrieval of mineral resources and fossil fuels
Environmental Geology - focuses on using geologic principles as they apply to the environment
Geoarchaeology - uses geography, geology, and other Earth sciences to examine topics that inform archaeology
Geochemistry - focuses on the study of the chemistry of the minerals and rocks
Geomorphology - examines the physical features of the earth and how they change
Geophysics - looks at the physics of the earth
Hydrology - deals with the properties of water in, on, and above the earth
Mineralogy - the study of minerals
Oceanography - focuses on studying the oceans
Paleontology - the study of lifeforms that have gone extinct
Plate Tectonics - the study of the tectonic plates and how they move
Seismology - the study of earthquakes
Soil Science - the study of the formation of soil, soil loss, and soil conservation, as well as agriculture
Structural Geology - examines the physical features of the earth by looking into their geologic history
Volcanology - the study of volcanoes

Other names of Geology

1. Earth science
2. Geo-science

{credits:Study.com and google.com}