An introduction to

Geology
What is geology?

• Geology – the study of the solid Earth, the

rocks which comprises it, and the processes

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Why study geology?
• Supplying things we need

Carlson et al., 2014

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Energy resources Raw materials

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Why study geology?
• Protecting the environment

mps.earth.miami.edu practicaladultinsights.com

Assessment on environmental impacts

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Why study geology?
• Avoiding geologic hazards

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Why study geology?
• Understanding our surroundings

Batanes

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Appreciate what you see around you

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Why study geology?
• Understanding our surroundings

Animasola Island, Masbate

El Nido, Palawan

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Appreciate what you see around you

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Earth systems

• Atmosphere
• Hydrosphere
• Biosphere
• Geosphere

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Important concepts in physical geology
• Earth as a giant machine driven by two heat engines:

Carlson et al., 2014 Carlson et al., 2014

Internal heat engine External heat engine

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Earth’s internal processes: Layers

• Earth’s interior:
• Crust (oceanic, continental)
• Mantle
• Core (inner, outer)

• Lithosphere – rigid
• Asthenosphere – weak

Tarbuck et al., 2016

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Earth’s internal processes: Plate tectonics

• The lithosphere is
broken into plates
that are in motion

earthhow.com

Duarte and Schellart, 2016

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Earth’s external processes

Carlson et al., 2014

Worn down by surficial processes (agents of erosion)

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Geologic time

Earth – 4.6 billion years

old

• Radiometric dating

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Geology as a discipline
• The Earth is our laboratory!
Macroscopic Mesoscopic Microscopic

EGU blogs

Soberano et al., 2023

• Scale of rock features

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Geology as a discipline
• Timing is also
important in geology

Tapponnier et al., 1982

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Main branches of Geology

Physical Geology – composition, processes beneath

and on the surface

Historical Geology– origin and development through

time

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Main branches of Geology
Physical Geology
• Volcanology • Mineralogy
• Seismology • Petrology
• Environmental Geology • Geochemistry
• Engineering Geology • Geophysics
• Economic Geology • Geomorphology

Historical Geology
• Paleontology
• Stratigraphy
• Geochronology

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Physical Geology
Volcanology - monitoring, volcanic processes, hazards

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Physical Geology
Seismology - earthquake and seismic waves, hazards

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Physical Geology

Environmental
geology
- interaction
between
humans and
geologic
environment

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Physical Geology
Engineering Geology
- application of geologic information

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Physical Geology
Economic geology
- metalliferous and non-metalliferous

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Physical Geology
Mineralogy – minerals
Petrology – rocks

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Physical Geology
Geochemistry – chemical composition

Soberano et al., 2023

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Physical Geology
Geophysics – physical properties of rocks

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Physical Geology
Geomorphology – landforms and landform evolution

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Historical Geology

Paleontology – ancient life (fossils)

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Historical Geology
Stratigraphy – succession of strata (layers)

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Historical Geology

Geochronology
– age of earth
materials to provide
a temporal
framework

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Geosciences subdisciplines

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On the origin of the Earth

Catastrophism
• Earth’s landscapes shaped by sudden
and often worldwide great
catastrophes (Earth is young)
• unknown causes that no longer
operate
• proposed by Baron Georges Cuvier

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On the origin of the Earth
Uniformitarianism
▪ Physical, chemical and biological laws
that operate today also operated in the
geologic past

▪ Force + time = Force

▪ To understand the past, we look at the
present and relate the two.
▪ James Hutton

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Reference

Carlson, D.H., Plummer, C.C., Hammersley, L. (2009). Physical

geology: Earth revealed 9th ed.

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