Geológiája

Geológiája is the science that studies the Earth, including its materials such as minerals and rocks, its internal structure, and the processes that shape its surface and history. It seeks to understand how the planet formed, how it operates today, and how landscapes and environments have changed over geologic time. The discipline covers both the composition of the crust and mantle and the dynamic processes—from plate tectonics to weathering and erosion—that create and modify landforms.

Geológiája comprises several interrelated subfields. Physical geology focuses on rocks, minerals, and geodynamic processes; historical geology reconstructs Earth’s past through stratigraphy and the fossil record; geochronology determines the ages of rocks and events; geomorphology studies landforms and their evolution. Related branches include petrology, mineralogy, sedimentology, stratigraphy, paleontology, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrogeology, and engineering geology. Methods commonly used include field mapping, laboratory petrography and geochemistry, radiometric dating, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS).

Geológiája has a long history, with development from early natural philosophy to modern science. Uniformitarian ideas advanced the understanding of Earth’s long timeline, and the plate tectonics revolution in the mid-20th century provided a unifying framework for continents, oceans, and mountain belts.

Its applications include exploration for minerals and energy resources, assessment and mitigation of natural hazards, management of groundwater and soils, environmental geology, and planning of land use and infrastructure. The field also contributes to climate and environmental reconstructions by studying sediments, fossils, and ancient atmospheres.