Читать книгу Geology For Dummies - Alecia M. Spooner - Страница 11

IN THIS CHAPTER

Discovering the scientific study of Earth

Learning how rocks transform through the rock cycle

Putting together plate tectonics theory

Recognizing surface processes

Exploring Earth’s history

Geology and earth sciences seem to have a reputation for being easy subjects, or at least the least difficult of the science courses offered in high school and college. Perhaps that’s because the items observed and studied in geology —rocks — can be held in your hand and seen without a microscope or telescope, and they can be found all around you, anywhere that you are.

However, exploring geology is not just for folks who want to avoid the heavy calculations of physics or the intense labs of chemistry. Geology is for everyone. Geology is the science of the planet you live on — the world you live in — and that is reason enough to want to know more about it. Geology is the study of the earth, what it’s made of, and how it came to look the way it does. Studying geology means studying all the other sciences, at least a little bit. Aspects of chemistry, physics, and biology (just to name a few) are the foundation for understanding Earth’s geologic system, both the processes and the results.