Many people are attracted to geology and other earth sciences because they enjoy the outdoors. These people wanted to know how the magnificent rock formations they saw were formed. They want to study the processes that create and change landscapes.
But earth science is more than what we see with our naked eyes – lava, icy peaks, steep canyons, and towering waterfalls. Some people want to gain a deeper understanding of what drives the Earth's surface processes and other features;For example, why does the Earth have a magnetic field?These people are interested in learning about the layers of matter beneath the surface, mantle, and core. Since more than 70% of the Earth is covered by oceans, it's no surprise that many people want to know what the ocean floor is and what it is.
Some people look up at the sky and wonder what really is beyond the sky. These are people who are interested in applying what we know about the Earth to more distant environments. They want to learn about our immediate neighbors, the planets and moons of our solar system, and distant celestial bodies.
In the broadest sense, geology is the study of the earth – the inner and outer surfaces of the earth, the rocks and other materials that surround us, the processes that lead to the formation of these materials, the water that flows through the surface and exists. Underground, the changes that have taken place over a long geological period, and the changes that we can foresee will occur in the near future. Geology is a science: we use deductive reasoning and the scientific method to understand geological problems.
Geology is arguably the most comprehensive of all sciences, since it involves the understanding and application of all other sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, astronomy, etc. But unlike most other sciences, geology has an additional dimension, which is time – billions of years. Geologists study the evidence they see around them, but for the most part, they are looking at the results of processes that took place over the past thousands, millions, or even billions of years. These processes occur at an extremely slow rate – a few millimeters to centimeters per year – but due to the limited time available, they produce a large number of results.
The display of mountain geology is on a grand scale, and perhaps nothing better than the Canadian Rockies. The peak on the right is Rearguard Mountain, located a few kilometers northeast of Mount Robson (3,954 m), the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. The big glacier in the middle is Robson Glacier. The river flowing from Robson Glacier flows into Lake Berg in the lower right corner.
The sedimentary rocks of these mountains were formed in seawater more than 500 million years ago. After hundreds of millions of years, these formations were pushed tens to hundreds of kilometers eastward and thousands of meters higher in elevation due to the convergence of tectonic plates. Over the past two million years, this area – like much of the rest of Canada – has suffered repeatedly from glaciation, and the erosion of these glaciations is evident. Robson Glacier is now only a small part of the size of the Xiaoice period of the XV-XVIII centuries, as shown by the distinctive lines on the left slope. Like almost every other glacier in the world, it is now receding at a faster rate due to human-caused climate change.
Geology is also concerned with understanding the evolution of life on Earth. About the discovery of resources such as metals and energy;Recognize and minimize the environmental impact of our use of these resources;and learning how to Xi the hazards associated with **, volcanic eruptions, and slope collapses.