Geology is the science that deals with the exterior and interior shape of the terrestrial globe; of the nature of the subjects that compose it and their formation; changes or alterations that they have experienced since their origin, and placement that they have in their current state.
The term geology is of Greek origin γῆ /guê/ either geo which means “earth” and -λογία /-loguia/ either logos which expresses “study”. The word geology was first used by Jean-André Deluc in 1778 and, in 1779, it was included as a term by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure.
As a reference to the concept given to the term geology, it can be seen that it is divided into 2 parts:
the external part It is responsible for the study of the materials that create the Earth’s crust and the processes of the atmospheric layer and the biosphere and
the internal part studies the processes that occur in the Earth’s crust and the causes that originate them.
See also Biosphere.
Likewise, geology is subdivided into branches, the main ones being:
Mineralogy: studies the rock-forming minerals that are present in the Earth’s crust.
Paleontology: investigates organic beings whose remains or vestiges are found in a fossil state.
Hydrogeology: consists of examining the origin, formation and properties of groundwater, as well as its interaction with soil and rocks.
Volcanology: studies volcanoes and their formation.
Seismology: science that observes earthquakes and the propagation of seismic waves that form inside and on the earth’s surface.
The most important advance in geology in the 20th century is the theory of tectonic plates and the estimate of the age of the planet.
Tectonic plates are located beneath the Earth’s crust, specifically in the lithosphere. These move at a speed of 2.5 cm/year. This speed does not allow the movements of the tectonic plates to be felt, but when sudden movements occur between them, phenomena such as: earthquakes, earthquakes, tsunamis, among others, occur.
See also:
Historical geology
Historical geology is a science that is responsible for the study of the earth from its origin until today. For this, it uses paleontology and stratigraphy, a discipline that is responsible for the study and interpretation of rocks.
Historical geology is different from geochronology. The objective of Historical geology is ordering geological phenomena in time from the past to the present, On the other hand, geochronology finds out the time of a phenomenon independently.
In reference to the studies carried out by historical geology, the earth according to historical facts is divided into the following periods: Archeozoic, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.
Structural geology
structural geology study the structure and rocks that make up the earth’s crust.
This study records the uplift of foliations, analyzes the deformation of the rocks present and recognizes the tectonic structures in a sector (faults, joints, folds and foliations).
See also Cycle.