1 Chapter 1 Introduction to Geology
Introduction
Learning objectives
After carefully reading this chapter, completing the exercises within it, and answering the questions at the end, you should be able to:
- Explain what geology is, how it incorporates the other sciences, and how it is different from the other sciences
- Discuss why we study Earth and what type of work geologists do
- Define some of the properties of a mineral and explain the differences between minerals and rocks
- Describe the nature of Earth’s interior and some of the processes that take place deep beneath our feet
- Explain how those processes are related to plate tectonics and describe a few of the features that are characteristic of plate boundaries
- Use the notation for geological time, gain an appreciation for the vastness of geological time, and describe how very slow geological processes can have enormous impacts over time
