Geology

Geology is the science of Earth’s materials, structure, processes, and history. It investigates how rocks, landforms, and life have changed through time.

Mineral: A naturally occurring solid with a characteristic chemical composition and ordered crystal structure. Minerals are the basic constituents of most rocks studied in geology.
Rock cycle: The set of processes through which rocks form, break down, and transform among major rock types. It connects igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks through recurring processes.
Mineral exploration: The search for economically valuable concentrations of minerals in Earth’s crust. Geological maps and rock histories help identify promising mineral deposits.
James Hutton: A Scottish physician and naturalist whose work helped establish modern geology and deep time. His arguments for gradual change reshaped explanations of Earth’s history.
Earth's inner core: Earth’s solid central layer, composed mainly of iron and nickel. Its structure, growth, and motion remain subjects of active geophysical study.
Rock: A naturally occurring solid aggregate of one or more minerals or mineraloids. Rocks preserve evidence of the processes and conditions that formed them.
Volcanism: The movement of magma and gases into or onto Earth’s crust. Volcanism builds new rock and alters landscapes at plate boundaries and hotspots.
Hydrogeology: The study of groundwater, its movement, and its interactions with rocks and soils. Geological formations control where groundwater is stored and how it flows.
Charles Lyell: A Scottish geologist who argued that geological processes operating today also operated in the past. His work made actualism central to nineteenth-century geological reasoning.
Mantle convection: The slow circulation of solid mantle rock driven by differences in temperature and density. Its patterns and links to plate motion remain difficult to observe directly.

Linked from 18 pages