Home›Disciplines›GeologyDisciplinesGeologyEarth ScienceCitation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextEarth and Environment Atlas. "Geology." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-earth.interactiveatlas.org/disciplines/geology.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextEarth and Environment Atlas. (n.d.). Geology. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-earth.interactiveatlas.org/disciplines/geologyCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{earthandenvironmentatlas-geology, author = {Earth and Environment Atlas}, title = {Geology}, year = {2026}, url = {https://dev-earth.interactiveatlas.org/disciplines/geology}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXReference and ClassificationDevelopingThe study of the solid Earth, the rocks it is made of and the processes, from the fast shock of an earthquake to the slow drift of a continent, that have shaped it over four and a half billion years. Geology is the spine discipline of this atlas, the one the others (mineralogy, seismology, volcanology, geochronology) branch from.FactsCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsCentral QuestionWell-attestedGeology is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical bodies, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. 1ScopeWell-attestedGeology studies Earth's solid materials, structures and history: rocks, minerals, the layered crust and mantle, and the processes, from plate tectonics to erosion, that have shaped the planet over 4.5 billion years. 1SignificanceWell-attestedGeology underlies the location of energy, water and mineral resources, the assessment of earthquake and landslide hazard, and the dating of Earth's past through the rock record. 1Cross-Tradition ConnectionsAssociated WithEnvironmental Health, Concepts Well-attested Soil contamination and natural hazard exposure connect environmental health to geology.Source Environmental Health (Wikipedia)EncompassesPetrology, Disciplines Well-attested Source Petrology (Wikipedia)Sedimentology, Disciplines Well-attested Source Sedimentology (Wikipedia)Stratigraphy, Disciplines Well-attested Source Stratigraphy (Wikipedia)Has ScientistAlexandre Brongniart, Scientists Well-attested His broader stratigraphic and mineralogical fieldwork sits within geology.Alfred Wegener, Scientists Well-attested Source Alfred Wegener (Wikipedia)Charles Lyell, Scientists Well-attested Source Charles Lyell (Wikipedia)Clarence Dutton, Scientists Well-attested Georges Cuvier, Scientists Well-attested The most influential proponent of catastrophism in geology in the early 19th century.Source Georges Cuvier (Wikipedia)Harry Hess, Scientists Well-attested Source Harry Hess (Wikipedia)James Hutton, Scientists Well-attested Source James Hutton (Wikipedia)John Tuzo Wilson, Scientists Well-attested Source John Tuzo Wilson (Wikipedia)Kevin C. A. Burke, Scientists Well-attested Marie Tharp, Scientists Well-attested Source Marie Tharp (Wikipedia)Nicolas Steno, Scientists Well-attested Source Nicolas Steno (Wikipedia)William Smith, Scientists Well-attested Source William Smith, Geologist (Wikipedia)IncludesAsthenosphere, Concepts Well-attested Source Asthenosphere (Wikipedia)Basalt, Materials Well-attested Source Rock, Geology (Wikipedia)Catastrophism, Concepts Well-attested Source Catastrophism (Wikipedia)Erosion, Processes Well-attested Source Plate Tectonics (Wikipedia)Faulting, Processes Well-attested Source Fault, Geology (Wikipedia)Folding, Processes Well-attested A subject of structural geology.Source Fold, Geology (Wikipedia)Gabbro, Materials Well-attested Source Gabbro (Wikipedia)Gneiss, Materials Well-attested Source Rock, Geology (Wikipedia)Granite, Materials Well-attested Source Rock, Geology (Wikipedia)Law of Superposition, Concepts Well-attested Source Law of Superposition (Wikipedia)Limestone, Materials Well-attested Source Rock, Geology (Wikipedia)Lithosphere, Concepts Well-attested Source Lithosphere (Wikipedia)Mantle Convection, Processes Well-attested Source Plate Tectonics (Wikipedia)Marble, Materials Well-attested Source Rock, Geology (Wikipedia)Obsidian, Materials Well-attested Source Obsidian (Wikipedia)Orogeny, Processes Well-attested Source Orogeny (Wikipedia)Pangaea, Concepts Well-attested Source Pangaea (Wikipedia)Plate Tectonics, Processes Well-attested Source Plate Tectonics (Wikipedia)Post-Glacial Rebound, Processes Well-attested Source Post-Glacial Rebound (Wikipedia)Pumice, Materials Well-attested Source Pumice (Wikipedia)Rifting, Processes Well-attested Source Rift (Wikipedia)Sandstone, Materials Well-attested Source Rock, Geology (Wikipedia)Schist, Materials Well-attested Source Schist (Wikipedia)Seafloor Spreading, Processes Well-attested Source Plate Tectonics (Wikipedia)Sedimentation, Processes Well-attested Source Sedimentation (Wikipedia)Shale, Materials Well-attested Source Shale (Wikipedia)Slate, Materials Well-attested Source Slate (Wikipedia)Subduction, Processes Well-attested Source Plate Tectonics (Wikipedia)The Rock Cycle, Processes Well-attested Source Plate Tectonics (Wikipedia)The Wilson Cycle, Concepts Well-attested Source Wilson Cycle (Wikipedia)Transform Fault, Concepts Well-attested Source Transform Fault (Wikipedia)Uniformitarianism, Concepts Well-attested Source Uniformitarianism (Wikipedia)Weathering, Processes Well-attested Source Plate Tectonics (Wikipedia)Sources1. Geology (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationView the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year