"Geology is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time."
The study of rocks, minerals, and the processes that shape the Earth's crust, which is important in determining the geological history of a fossil site and the age of fossils.
Rocks and minerals: Understanding the different types of rocks, their formation, and the minerals that make them up.
Plate tectonics: The study of the movement of the Earth's lithospheric plates and the resulting geological phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain building.
Geological time scales: The division of Earth's history into distinct periods characterized by different geological and biological events.
Stratigraphy: The study of rock layers and their relationships to each other, including fossil assemblages and relative dating methods.
Paleontology: The study of prehistoric life through fossils and other remains.
Sedimentology: The study of sediments and sedimentary rocks, including their formation, composition, and deformation.
Geomorphology: The study of landforms and their formation, including the effects of erosion and other geomorphic processes.
Structural geology: The study of the deformation of rocks and the resulting structures, such as faults and folds.
Petrology: The study of the origin, composition, and evolution of rocks, including igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.
Geochemistry: The study of the chemical composition and processes of Earth's materials, including rocks, minerals, and fluids.
Geophysics: The application of physics and mathematics to study the Earth's structure, processes, and properties, including seismic waves, gravity, and magnetic fields.
Hydrogeology: The study of the distribution and movement of groundwater.
Environmental geology: The study of how Earth processes and structures interact with human activity and natural resources.
Sedimentology: The study of sediments and sedimentary rocks, including how they form, their composition, and their distribution over time.
Mineralogy: The study of minerals and their properties, including crystal structure, chemical composition, and physical properties.
Petrology: The study of rocks and their formation, including the processes that create and change them over time.
Structural geology: The study of the deformation of rocks and the structures that result, including fault zones and folds.
Tectonics: The study of the movement and deformation of the Earth's crust, including the causes and effects of plate tectonics.
Geophysics: The study of the physical properties of the Earth, including seismic waves, gravity, and magnetic fields.
Geochemistry: The study of the chemical composition of the Earth and how its elements interact with each other.
Environmental geology: The study of the Earth's environment and how humans interact with it, including issues such as pollution and natural hazards.
Paleontology: The study of fossils and the history of life on Earth, including the evolution of species and the relationships between different living things.
Stratigraphy: The study of rock layers and their relationships to each other, including their age and the history of how they formed.
"Geology describes the structure of the Earth on and beneath its surface and the processes that have shaped that structure."
"Geologists study the mineralogical composition of rocks in order to get insight into their history of formation."
"Geology determines the relative ages of rocks found at a given location; geochemistry (a branch of geology) determines their absolute ages."
"By combining various petrological, crystallographic, and paleontological tools, geologists are able to chronicle the geological history of the Earth as a whole."
"Geology provides evidence for plate tectonics."
"Geology provides insights into past climate change."
"Geologists use a wide variety of methods to understand the Earth's structure and evolution, including fieldwork, rock description, geophysical techniques, chemical analysis, physical experiments, and numerical modeling."
"In practical terms, geology is important for mineral and hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation, evaluating water resources, understanding natural hazards, remediating environmental problems."
"Geology is central to geological engineering and plays an important role in geotechnical engineering."
"Geology (from Ancient Greek γῆ (gê) 'earth', and λoγία (-logía) 'study of, discourse')"
"Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth sciences, including hydrology. It is integrated with Earth system science and planetary science."
"One aspect is to demonstrate the age of the Earth."
"Geologists study the evolutionary history of life."
"Geology is important for mineral and hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation."
"Geologists use fieldwork, rock description, geophysical techniques, chemical analysis, physical experiments, and numerical modeling to understand the Earth's structure."
"Geology is important for evaluating water resources."
"Geology is important for understanding natural hazards."
"Geology plays a role in remediating environmental problems."
"Geology is integrated with Earth system science and planetary science."