geologiens

Geology is the science that studies the Earth's materials, structure, processes, and history. It seeks to understand how rocks form, how landscapes evolve, and how the planet's interior and surface interact over time. Geology covers the composition of minerals and rocks as well as the dynamic processes—volcanism, plate tectonics, erosion, sedimentation, and climate change—that shape the Earth.

Geology has a long intellectual history. Early natural philosophers practiced field observations, while the 17th and 18th centuries advanced stratigraphy and the idea of deep time. James Hutton and Charles Lyell promoted uniformitarianism, and the 20th century brought plate tectonics, supported by geophysics and paleomagnetism, which unified many geological phenomena under a global framework.

Geologists use a range of subfields and methods. Subfields include mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geomorphology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, paleontology, and geochronology. Field mapping and rock sampling are complemented by laboratory techniques such as radiometric dating, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy, as well as remote sensing, seismic surveys, and computer modeling to reconstruct Earth processes.

Geology informs resource exploration and management, groundwater and mineral prospecting, and natural-hazard assessment and mitigation. It provides insights into climate history, environmental change, and landscape evolution, supporting planning, engineering, and policy decisions. As a global science, geology relies on international collaboration and data sharing to understand the Earth across time and space.