ESCI 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Buckminster Fuller, Continental Drift, Geochemistry
Document Summary
Geology- (from greek words for earth and knowledge ) coined by scientific philosophers more than 200 years ago to describe the study of rock formation and the puzzling evidence from fossils. Geologists developed theories of biological evolution, continental drift, and plate tectonics. Geology identifies the branch of earth science that studies all aspects of the planet. Fields of earth science closely related to geology include meteorology, the study of the atmosphere; which concerns the abundance and distribution of life. Geophysics, geochemistry, and geobiology are subfields of geology that apply the methods of physics, chemistry, and biology to geologic problems. Spacecraft launched in the 1960"s changed traditional views of earth. After first images of earth appeared, geologists saw earth as a space- ship, stocked with limited provisions and furnished with life-support systems. This was the first time scientists seriously considered the possibility that modern civilization might eventually deplete of resources.
