Studying Geology

The study of geology, is the science which deals with the composition, structure, history and the evolution of the inner and outer layers of the earth, and the different processes that shape it. Geology is an important discipline among the sciences of the Earth. Associated with radiometric dating methods and studies of meteorites, it helped determine the age of the Earth, which is currently estimated at 4.55 billion years. It operates in conjunction with applied geophysics in the exploration and / or exploitation of natural resources including oil, coal, minerals, gemstones and semi-precious stones and water. Studies in geology last from three to four university years.

History of Geology

This science of the Earth has its beginnings set in 1660 in the North with the early work of Danish geologist Niels Stensen, known in France under the name of Nicolas Steno, soon followed by England and the UK regions, and then later in France in 1700. In 1750, it is an established science in Western Europe. In its current meaning, the term geology is also used for the first time in French by Diderot in 1751, from the Italian word created in 1603 by Aldrovandi. In the early nineteenth century geological science takes off and is in its foundations, time scale and maps, field observations and petrological analysis.

Some of the most prominent geological interest of humanity for a long time, are earthquakes, volcanoes and erosion. The first trace of such an interest is a mural showing a volcanic eruption in the Neolithic at Çatalhöyük (Turkey) dating from the sixth millennium BC. AD. The concept of layer appears explicitly only briefly during the classical Arabic and more driven in China, but these contributions do not influence either the birth of modern geology.

Picture: Uwe-Jens Kahl  / pixelio.de