What are the four types of geology?
Four Main Types of Geology
Geology is a broad field that can be divided into various branches based on the focus of study. The four main types of geology are:
- Physical Geology: This branch studies the materials composing Earth and the processes acting upon them, including minerals, rocks, earthquakes, volcanoes, and surface processes like erosion and weathering.
- Historical Geology: This area focuses on Earth's history and development over geological time, including the study of rock layers (stratigraphy), fossils (paleontology), and the timing of geological events.
- Environmental Geology: This applied branch examines the interactions between humans and their geological environment, such as natural hazards (earthquakes, floods), resource management, and environmental protection.
- Structural Geology: This discipline investigates the deformation of Earth's crust and the formation and arrangement of geological structures like faults, folds, and mountain belts.
These core types often overlap, and there are many specialized subfields within geology as well.