INTRODUCTION TO ADVANCED LEVEL GEOLOGY (PART 2)

Relationship between geology and other science subjects

 

Figure 1:  The relationship between geology and other sciences

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 Importance of geology to man

            Geology is important because virtually all the natural materials our society
needs such as oil, gas, metals, building materials, and so forth are found by geologists.
Geologic engineers evaluate roads, buildings and dams for geologic stability and hazard
potential.  The entire human race depends directly or indirectly on geology for its livelihood and survival, for example; the cloths you wear, the radio you listen to, the food you eat and even the pencil you use at school exist because of geologic discoveries.

Let us elaborate on the geology surrounding the pencil;

            Pencil eraser    ® petroleum

            Pencil brass     ® from copper or zinc

            Wood              ® shaped by machines made of iron

            Colour             ® paint pigment from various minerals

            Pencil lead       ® from lead, graphite and clays

            In summary, knowledge about geology helps in:

-          Supplying our daily needs by helping us in locating energy resources and raw materials required for survival, comfort and pleasure.

-          It helps us to lessen or prevent damage to the environment especially during the exploitation of natural resources.

-          Some geologic methods and principles are used to predict and prevent some geologic hazards and also protect human lives from such hazards.

Areas of specialisation in geology

Geology is a broad collection of disciplines.  When someone decides to become a geologist, he or she is selecting one of those disciplines.  The choice is very large and some are more financially lucrative than others which in turn might be more satisfying.  Below are a few areas of specialisation for geologists;

-          Crystallography: study of the chemistry and atomic arrangement of atoms in minerals

-          Earth System Science: study of the interaction of oceans, atmosphere, and the solid earth for the purpose of understanding past, present, and future environmental conditions

-       Economic Geology: genesis, location, and other aspects of economic materials; including metallic, non-metallic (industrial rocks and minerals), and groundwater supplies (location and occurrence of subsurface water).

-          Environmental Geology:  geological study of our natural environment; primarily concerned with depletion of natural resources, preservation of environmental quality, pollution problems, and natural hazards.

-          Field Geology: collection, interpretation, and synthesis of geological data in the field (outside, in nature); generally consists, at least in part, of making geologic maps

-          Forensic Geology: interpretation of geological evidence at crime scenes

-          Geoarcheology: geological interpretation of archaeological sites.

-          Geochemistry: study of chemical processes within, upon and above the earth.

-          Geochronology: study of the timing of geologic events; usually involves absolute age determinations.

-          Geoinformatics: utilization of computers and data retrieval storage equipment for simulation, analysis and synthesis of geological data.

-          Geomorphology: origin and description of land forms

-          Geomorphometry: the measurement of various rates of landscape-forming processes

-          Geophysics: "the study of the physics of the earth" - includes Seismology (study of earthquakes) and other studies of physical properties

-          Hydrogeology: the study of subsurface waters (groundwater) and the related geologic aspects of surface waters.

-          Hydrology: study of the movement of water in and on the earth; flood hazard is a primary concern.

-          Marine Geology: study of various aspects of the geology of the oceans and coastal areas.

-          Mineralogy: study of crystal structure and chemistry, identification, classification and genesis of minerals.

-          Optical Mineralogy: study of mineral properties through means of light transmitted through minerals; uses a petrographic microscope.

-          Palaeontology: the study of ancient life (fossils) - includes, palaeobotany (plants); vertebrate palaeontology (animals with backbones); invertebrate palaeontology (animals without backbones); micropaleontology (microscopic-sized fossils); and palynology (spores and pollen).

-          Petrography: description of mineralogy, texture and structure of rocks

-          Petrology: study of rocks, including information on chemistry; classification; mineralogy, occurrence, shape and structure of rock masses (petrography), and rock origins (Petrogenesis).

-          Planetology: study of the planets, including the origin of their rocks and development of planetary structures, includes Lunar Geology, the geology of the moon

-          Photogeology: utilization of aerial photographs (and other indirect or remote sensing techniques) to determine various aspects of geology. Term now largely replaced by Remote Sensing.

-          Sedimentology: study of the environmental factors controlling the origin of sediments and sedimentary rocks; development of depositional models.

-          Stratigraphy: the study of layered (sedimentary) rocks, with emphasis on their relationships to each other with respect to time and origin.

-          Structural Geology: the origin of geological features produced by stresses within theearth's crust (such as folds and faults).

-          Tectonics: large-scale or world-wide aspects of structural geology; generally involves origin of mountain ranges, ocean basins, continents, etc.

Although not listed above, teaching is also an equally important field in which geologists work.  Some teach at the college levels while others lecture in the university.  Demand is increasing for geologists to teach in secondary and high schools as more and more schools are adding the subject into their curriculum.