GEOL 001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Historical Geology, Geologic Time Scale, Hydrosphere
19 Dec 2020
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Document Summary
Geology is the science that pursues an understanding of planet earth. Physical geology: examines earth materials and seeks to understand the many processes that operate on our planet. Historical geology: seeks an understanding of the origin of earth and its development through time. Many important relationships exist between people and the natural environment. Problems and issues addressed by geology include: Natural hazards, resources, world population growth, and environmental issues. Involves vast times- millions or billions of years. An appreciation for the magnitude of geologic time is important because many processes are very gradual. The nature of earth has been a focus of study for centuries. The earth doesn"t change unless a huge catastrophe occurs. Uniformitarianism: the physical, chemical, and biological laws that operate today have operated throughout the geological past. The rocks at the bottom of the grand canyon are 1. 7-2. 0 billion years ago. The most recent layer of sediment is about 250 million years old.
