Geology, or geoscience, is the study of the Earth. The following are some of the major themes that underlie geologic thinking:
- Geology is a synthesis of many sciences.
- The Earth has an internal structure.
- The outer layer of the Earth consists of moving plates.
- We can picture Earth as a complex system.
- The Earth is a planet.
- Internal and external processes drive geologic phenomena.
- The Earth is very old.
- The geologic time scale divides the Earth’s history into intervals.
- Geologic phenomena affect society.
- Physical aspects of the Earth System interact with life processes.
- The Earth has changed dramatically in many ways over geologic time and continues to change.
- Most of the resources that we use come from geologic materials.
- Science comes from observation, and people make scientific discoveries.
—July 2020
—January 2021
—March 2023
Lance Jones 