The 30 branches of geology (and their characteristics)

These are the different branches of geology, explained and summarized.

Geologists estimate that our planet Earth must be about 4.5 billion years old. During this long time the planet has not remained static, but has been changing in virtually all aspects that make it up.

Geology is the science that mainly studies the Earth but, being such a multifaceted planet, it is not possible to approach its study from a single perspective and, for this reason, geology has a lot of different branches.

In the following we are going to see what are the main branches of geology and we will discover which are its main objects of study.

The branches of Geology, summarized and explained.

Geology is, taking its definition in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, the science that studies the history of our planet, as well as the nature, formation, evolution and current disposition of its materials, the science that studies the history of our planet, as well as the nature, formation, evolution and present disposition of the materials that compose it.. This definition is not entirely accurate, since geology also has branches that focus on other planets, asteroids, natural satellites and other celestial bodies, but as an introduction to what geological science is, it is quite definitive.

Earth is a very multifaceted planet. It is not simply a mass of rock that travels aimlessly through the universe, but an important mixture of all kinds of minerals, fluids and physical phenomena that condition its appearance, how it interacts with the living beings that inhabit it and, also, how it manifests itself violently in the form of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and creating geographic accidents of all kinds.

Because of this, it is impossible to approach the Earth from a single geological perspective.. Virtually any aspect of the blue planet that one wishes to study requires a specific study, a branch of geology that uses a different method to obtain the maximum amount of information. For this reason, geology is subdivided into many branches, almost infinite. The following are the most important ones.

1. Geophysics

Geophysics is the branch of geology that studies the internal and external structure of the Earth from a physical perspective.. It focuses on the physical processes that modify or condition our planet, such as gravity, electromagnetic fields and radioactive phenomena.

Geochemistry

Geochemistry is the branch that studies the chemical composition of our planet. studies the chemical composition of our planet to explain the mechanisms behind the main geological systems of the earth's crust and oceans.. It is particularly interested in how chemical elements and substances are distributed throughout the earth's layers and how this influences the properties of the earth's layers.

3. Paleontology

Paleontology could be considered an independent branch in its own rightalthough it is also included within the vast field of geology. This science aims to study the Earth's past through the study of fossil remains, interpreting how extinct life forms must have lived.

4. Hydrogeology

Hydrogeology is the branch of applied geology that studies the processes of groundwater formation and how they relate to those of the surface.

5. Meteorology

Meteorology is a branch of geology that studies and predicts studies and predicts atmospheric phenomena.. It uses different methods and data to study phenomena such as wind, temperature, pressure and humidity, among others. It is also its object of study to determine changes in the structure and composition of the surface layers of the earth's crust.

6. Speleology

Speleology deals with morphological, structural and evolutionary study of the natural caves and cavities of our planet.. Within this discipline is also the task of mapping the interiors of caves, their tunnels and corridors, as well as specifying what material they are made of.

7. Petrology

Also called petroleum geology, petrology is the branch that is dedicated to investigating where to obtain petroleum. is dedicated to investigate where to obtain this fossil fuel.. Its existence is totally conditioned to the high value that has been given to petroleum in the last hundred years, being basically as black gold. The objective of petrology is to estimate where large subway oil deposits are found and, in case of having luck finding it, to design the best way to extract it based on the conditions of the terrain.

8. Economic geology

Economic geology is closely related to petroleum geology in that both are concerned with finding geological deposits where valuable materials are present. In the case of economic geology is interested in minerals and metals, such as diamonds, rubies, silver, gold and platinum, as well as substances of high economic value, including oil and natural gas.including oil and natural gas.

9. Crystallography

Crystallography, as its name suggests, is the branch of geology that studies crystals. These types of minerals are very interesting from a geological and physical perspective.Although they are solids, their molecular structure resembles that of a liquid, although they do not flow at room temperature because they have a high degree of organization.

10. External geology

External geology is the branch of geology that studies only the processes that take place on the surface of the planet, i.e., the earth's crust.. This branch is not isolated from the other geological disciplines, since it is based on knowledge from seismology, plate tectonics, geomorphology, sedimentology, volcanology...

11. Internal geology

Internal geology studies exclusively the physical and chemical processes that occur beneath the earth's crust.. As with external geology, it is based on many other geological disciplines and its main objective is to analyze the nature of the Earth's inner layers, both the mantle and the Earth's core.

12. Stratigraphy

Stratigraphy is in charge of studying the processes of formation of the stratum, which is each of the layers that make up the Earth's surface.. These strata are different levels of sediments that have been laid down during the geological history of our planet, where magmatic, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks can be found.

13. Plate tectonics

Plate tectonics studies the processes behind the formation and movement of tectonic plates.. These plates are large pieces of the earth's crust that fit together like a puzzle and, when they rub against each other, cause earthquakes and tsunamis. Through plate tectonics it is possible to know the movements of the continents, predict earthquakes and know how these plates will change over the years.

14. Structural geology

Structural geology studies the earth's crust.. It is related to plate tectonics and seismology, but in this particular case it is responsible for analyzing the earth's surface from a more global perspective, also studying sediments, rocks and orogeny in general.

15. Seismology

Closely related to plate tectonics, seismology is the branch that is in charge of studying and, especially, predicting study and, in particular, predict earthquakes and tsunamis.. These phenomena are caused by friction between tectonic plates which, if studied, allow us to know how they will rub together and in which regions of the continents there is a greater risk of an earthquake occurring.

16. Historical geology

Historical geology focuses on all the processes of change and transformation that the planet Earth has undergone since it was formed, some 4,5000 million years ago, until now. This science allows us to learn about the evolution of our planet, the change in its tectonic plates, the creation and disappearance of continents and how this is observable through the sediments of the earth's crust and the current forms of the land masses.

17. Geochronology

Geochronology is the branch that applies different physical and chemical applies different physical and chemical methods to estimate the age of rocks.. This discipline is closely related to historical geology and is, in fact, the one that allows you to determine more or less how old are both the current major land masses and our planet as a whole.

18. Volcanology

Volcanology deals with the study of volcanoes. It includes both the analysis of their formation and the prediction of their eruptions and behavior. It is also the object of study of this discipline to analyze the behavior and properties of magma and how this substance shapes the earth's surface.

19. Gemology

Gemology deals with the study of study of gemstones and is closely related to economic geology.. However, within this branch there is more interest in studying the formation processes and physical characteristics of diamonds, rubies, sapphires or other minerals than in their location and economic valuation.

20. Astrogeology

Astrogeology is basically geology applied to the study of bodies other than the Earth.. It deals with the study of the formation and physical properties of other planets and celestial bodies of a rocky nature such as asteroids, natural satellites, meteorites...

21. Sedimentology

Sedimentology is the branch that aims to study the solid particles, such as rocks, metals and different types of soil, which are transported along the Earth's surface. are transported along the earth's surface by natural phenomena such as wind and currents of rivers and seas.. Sediments are deposited in various regions, forming different sedimentary strata and rocks.

22. Regional geology

Regional geology is a branch of geology, specifically structure geology, which, although it studies the earth's crust like many other branches of general geology, it focuses on the particularities of specific regions. It studies how is the composition, properties and origin of a land mass such as a continent, an island, a peninsula...

23. Geomorphology

Geomorphology studies the terrestrial reliefIt is closely related to plate tectonics since it studies what these large pieces of the earth's crust are like and how they have influenced the formation of the landscape, creating mountains, valleys and other geographic features that make the surface rough, not flat. Geomorphology not only focuses on land masses, but also studies submarine geographic features, such as the Mariana Trench.

Mineralogy

Mineralogy studies the composition, diversity and formation of the minerals that make up the earth's surface.

25. Climatology

Climatology is a branch of geology that allows us to determine how the climates of our planet form and evolve. This discipline especially analyzes the impact of the physical, chemical and geological properties of the region in which each of the terrestrial climates is found.

26. Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy studies the thermal properties of the minerals that make up our planet, as well as the processes that occur beneath the earth's crust, such as the magma fluid. such as magma flow. This science has a special interest in the Earth's internal temperature and its application is to harness that heat for domestic and industrial purposes.

27. Soil science

Edaphology is a bridging branch between geology and biology, which studies the properties studies the properties, formation and impact of the terrestrial soil on the maintenance of ecosystems.

In addition to studying how living beings interact with the geology of our planet, it studies how both influence each other, as is the case of the roots of plants that change the rocks turning them into soil or how substances such as sulfur hinder the existence of certain animal species.

Geomagnetism

Geomagnetism is the branch that studies the earth's magnetic field.. It tries to understand how it arose and how it has been maintained, what phenomena are conditioned by it (p. e.g., aurora borealis), how the magnetic pole shift occurs and what factors can destabilize it.

29. Geodynamics

Geodynamics studies how different physical phenomena, such as the movement of tectonic plates, gravity, electromagnetism, volcanic eruptions, wind or rainfall, modify the structure and composition of the Earth's crust, modify the structure and composition of the earth's crust over time..

30. Gravimetry

Gravimetry studies what the mineral composition of the Earth is like, both external and internal, has influenced its gravity.

Bibliographical references:

• Royal Spanish Academy and Association of Spanish Language Academies (2014). "geología". Dictionary of the Spanish language (23rd edition). Madrid: Espasa. ISBN 978-84-670-4189-7.
• Hazen, Roberto (2015). La Historia de la Tierra: Los primeros 4500 millones de años del polvo estelar al planeta viviente. Editorial Oceano. ISBN 9786077353294.
• Martínez Frías, J. et al. (2008). "La Geología en la Exploración Planetaria". Geotemas, 10: 1621-1624. ISSN 1567-5173.
• Veizer, J., Mackenzie, F.T. (2014) “Evolution of Sedimentary Rocks”. Elsevier.
• Balasubramanian, A. (2017) “150 Branches of Geology (Earth Sciences)”. University of Mysore.