Module 1 : What is Geology?
biostratigraphy
branch of stratigraphy that uses fossils to establish relative ages of rock and correlates successions of sedimentary rocks within and between depositional basins
geochronology
discipline of geoscience which measures the age of earth materials and provides the temporal framework in which other geoscience data can be interpreted in the context of earth history
deposition
geological process where geological material is added to landform -size & shape of sediment grains -degree of sorting of a deposit -the composition of grains within a deposit -sedimentary structures
geophysics
information related to various techniques including: airborne electromagnetics, gravity, magnetics, and magnetotellurics, radiometrics, rock properties and seismic
spectral geology
measurement and analysis of portions of the electromagnetic spectrum to identify spectrally distinct and physically significant features of different rock types and surface materials, their mineralogy and their alteration signatures
Which type of geologist studies composition and structure of minerals?
mineralogist
planetary geologist
scientists who compare the geology of other planets to Earth
benthic ecology
study of living things on the seafloor and how they interact with their environment
Geology as a science encompasses many aspects. Which of the following would NOT be of interest to a geologist?
the distance and classification of planets
marine geochemistry
the science used ti help develop an understanding of the composition of coastal and marine water and sediments
geology
the study of Earth--its interior and its exterior surface, the rocks and other materials that are around us, the processes that have resulted un the formation of those materials, the water that flows over the surface and lies underground, the changes that have taken place over the vastness of geological time, and the changes that we can anticipate will take place in the near future
geochemistry
the study of chemical processes which form and shape the Earth -study of the cycles of matter and energy which transport the Earth's chemical components and the interaction of these cycles with the hydrosphere and the atmosphere
paleontology
the study of fossils and what they reveal about the history of our planet
sedimentology
the study of sediment grains in marine and other deposits, with a focus in physical properties and the processes which form a deposit
oceanogrpahy
the study of the composition and the motion of the water column and the processes which are responsible for that motion
Geology requires the integration of other sciences as well as which extra dimension?
time
marine geophysiscs
uses quantitative observation of physical properties to understand the seafloor and sub-seafloor geology
Why do people study geology?
-want to study the processes that created and modify landforms -want to learn what drives the surface processes and other features of the planet -want to learn what lies beneath the surface, mantle, and core -want to learn what lies within and beneath the seas