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Solidified lava flow in Hawaii Sedimentary layers in Badlands National Park, South Dakota Metamorphic rock, Nunavut, Canada. Geology (from Ancient Greek γῆ (gê) 'earth' and λoγία () 'study of, discourse') [1] [2] is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. [3]
Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories. The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation ( strain ) in the rocks, and ultimately, to understand the stress ...
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geology: . Geology – one of the Earth sciences – is the study of the Earth, with the general exclusion of present-day life, flow within the ocean, and the atmosphere.
[1]: 1 The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the entire Solar System, [2] and has made important contributions to the understanding of a number of processes including mantle convection, the formation of planets and the origins of granite and basalt. [1]: 1 It is an integrated field of chemistry and geology.
In 1741 the best-known institution in the field of natural history, the National Museum of Natural History in France, created the first teaching position designated specifically for geology. [19] This was an important step in further promoting knowledge of geology as a science and in recognizing the value of widely disseminating such knowledge.
Petroleum geology: the study of sedimentary basins applied to the search for hydrocarbons (oil exploration). Planetary geology: the study of geosciences as it relates to other celestial bodies, namely planets and their moons. This includes the subdisciplines of lunar geology, selenology, and martian geology, areology.
Structural geology is an important complement to geodynamics because it provides the most direct source of data about the movements of the Earth. Different modes of deformation result in distinct geological structures, e.g. brittle fracture in rocks or ductile folding.
Why this theory is so significant is the interaction between the tectonic plates explains many geological formations. [8] In regards to marine geology, the movement of the plates explains seafloor spreading and mid-ocean ridge systems, subduction zones and trenches, volcanism and hydrothermal vents, and more.