Disciplines
Branch of Geology
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The branch of geology that studies rocks: their mineralogy, composition, texture, structure and the conditions under which they form. Its three subdivisions, igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary petrology, divide the work along the same lines as the rock cycle itself; the first two lean heavily on chemistry and phase diagrams, while sedimentary petrology is usually taught with stratigraphy because it deals with the processes that form sedimentary rock.
Facts
Central QuestionHow do rocks form, and what do their mineralogy, composition, texture and structure record about the conditions that made them? 1 ScopePetrology studies the origin, composition, distribution and structure of rocks, classifying them into igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic families. 1 SignificancePetrology reconstructs the pressure, temperature and chemical history that formed a rock, which in turn reveals the tectonic setting it formed in. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Petrology reads the mineralogy of rocks; the two disciplines share their subject at different scales.
Includes
Metamorphic petrology is the study of metamorphism.
Part Of
Sources
1. Petrology (Wikipedia)
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the branch of geology that studies rocks, their mineralogy, composition, texture, structure and the conditions under which they form
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