Geology for Civil Engineers

Geodetic Engineering Department

1. DEFINITION
Overview
When you ask the question “What is geology?” most people will initially respond that it is the study
of rocks. This is true, but geology is also so much more than that. What if I told you geology is an
intricate part of your everyday life? You may have to stop and think for a minute about that
statement. This section will introduce you to the science of geology. You will not only learn what
geology is but you will also learn the various fields and concentrations of geology. We will see that
geology is not just rocks but is far more encompassing than that. However, I can’t let this
introduction go by without saying GEOLOGY ROCKS!

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Define geology.
2. Identify the main principles of geology
3. Identify the branches of geology
4. Describe the importance and benefits of geology in our lives.

TOPIC OUTLINE
A. Definition of geology
B. Branches of geology

A. Definition of Geology
In its broadest sense, geology is the study of Earth—its interior and its exterior surface, the rocks
and other materials that are around us, the processes that have resulted in the formation of those
materials, the water that flows over the surface and lies underground, the changes that have taken
place over the vastness of geologic time, and the changes that we can anticipate will take place in
the near future.

Engr. Denrazir M. Atara

Faculty, Geodetic Engineering Department
 Geology for Civil Engineers
Geodetic Engineering Department

B. Branches of Geology
Different branches of geology study one particular part of earth. Since all of the branches are
connected, specialists work together to answer complicated questions. Let’s look at some other
important branches of geology.

Geochemistry

Geochemistry is the study of the chemical processes which form and shape the Earth. It includes
the study of the cycles of matter and energy which transport the Earth’s chemical components and
the interaction of these cycles with the hydrosphere and the atmosphere.

It is a subfield of inorganic chemistry, which is concerned with the properties of all the elements in
the periodic table and their compounds. Inorganic chemistry investigates the characteristics of
substances that are not organic, such as nonliving matter and minerals found in the Earth’s crust.

Oceanography

Oceanography is the study of the composition and motion of the water column and the processes
which are responsible for that motion. The principal oceanographic processes influencing
continental shelf waters include waves and tides as well as wind-driven and other oceanic currents.
Understanding the oceanography of shelf waters and the influence this has on seabed dynamics,
contributes to a wide range of activities such as the following:

● assessment of offshore petroleum production infrastructure

● seabed mapping and characterisation for environmental management
● marine biodiversity surrogacy research
● assessment of renewable energy potential

Paleontology

Paleontologists are interested in fossils and how ancient organisms lived. Paleontology is the study
of fossils and what they reveal about the history of our planet. In marine environments, microfossils
collected within layers of sediment cores provide a rich source of information about the
environmental history of an area.

Sedimentology

Sedimentology is the study of sediment grains in marine and other deposits, with a focus on
physical properties and the processes which form a deposit. Deposition is a geological process
where geological material is added to a landform. Key physical properties of interest include:

Engr. Denrazir M. Atara

Faculty, Geodetic Engineering Department
 Geology for Civil Engineers
Geodetic Engineering Department

● the size and shape of sediment grains

● the degree of sorting of a deposit
● the composition of grains within a deposit
● sedimentary structures.

These properties together provide a record of the mechanisms active during sediment
transportation and deposition which allows the interpretation of the environmental conditions that
produced a sediment deposit, either in modern settings or in the geological record.

Additional Branches

Benthic Ecology. Benthic ecology is the study of living things on the seafloor and how they interact
with their environment.

Biostratigraphy. Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy that uses fossils to establish relative
ages of rock and correlate successions of sedimentary rocks within and between depositional
basins.

Geochronology. Geochronology is a discipline of geoscience which measures the age of earth

materials and provides the temporal framework in which other geoscience data can be interpreted
in the context of Earth history.

Geophysics. Information relating to various techniques including: airborne electromagnetics,

gravity, magnetics, magnetotellurics, radiometrics, rock properties and seismic.

Marine Geochemistry. Marine geochemistry is the science used to help develop an understanding
of the composition of coastal and marine water and sediments.

Marine Geophysics. Marine geophysics is a scientific discipline which uses the quantitative
observation of physical properties to understand the seafloor and sub-seafloor geology.

Marine Surveying. The survey environment varies from oceanographic studies in the water column
to investigating sediment and geochemical processes on the seafloor and imaging the
sub-seafloor rocks. Surveys are carried over Australia’s entire marine jurisdiction, from coastal
estuaries and bays, across the continental shelf and slope, to the deep abyssal plains.

Spectral Geology. Spectral geology is the measurement and analysis of portions of the
electromagnetic spectrum to identify spectrally distinct and physically significant features of
different rock types and surface materials, their mineralogy and their alteration signatures.

Engr. Denrazir M. Atara

Faculty, Geodetic Engineering Department
 Geology for Civil Engineers
Geodetic Engineering Department

Explore!!!
● Look for the etymology of the word geology
● Look and find out more about other branches of geology
○ Stratigraphy
○ Physical geology
○ Mineralogy
○ Structural geology, etc.

References:

What is Geology? (n.d.). Geological Survey Ireland. Retrieved December 23, 2021, from
https://www.gsi.ie/en-ie/education/what-is-geology/Pages/default.aspx

Lesson: What Is Geology? (n.d.). Nagwa. Retrieved December 23, 2021, from
https://www.nagwa.com/en/lessons/257134309897/

Rufino, A. C., Jamon, B., & Hutton, J. (n.d.). 31310325 Geology 11 Lecture Notes 1 - Dear
Class, These are the lecture notes as I have promised. StuDocu. Retrieved December 23, 2021,
from
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-the-philippines-system/bs-civil-engineering/
31310325-geology-11-lecture-notes-1/4436867

Schulte, K. (n.d.). Why It Matters: Science of Geology | Geology. Lumen Learning. Retrieved
December 23, 2021, from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-geology/chapter/why-it-matters-science-of-geology/

Engr. Denrazir M. Atara

Faculty, Geodetic Engineering Department