Geology L1

• Why study Geology in Civil Engineering Field

  • It provides knowledge about materials used for construction
  • Its knowledge is helpful for constructing Dams
  • Geotechnical Engineers needs knowledge about this subject for excavation
  • Its knowledge is required for foundation faults
  • For design of highway and roads
  • Construction of Tunnels
  • Soil Testing
  • River Control and Shipping Work
• Geology

  The study of earth. It deals with the study of origin, age, interior structure, history of earth
• Geology also

  Tells us the evolution and modification of various surface features like rivers, mountains, and lakes
• Branches of Geology

  • Physical Geology
  • Mineralogy
  • Petrology
  • Structural Geology
  • Historical Geology
  • Paleontology
  • Economic Geology
• Physical Geology

  • Also called as Dynamic Geology or Geomorphology
  • Deals with the different Physical feature of the earth such as Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, Glaciers, and Volcanoes
  • It also deals with different changes occurs on earth surface like marine, formation or disappearance of rivers, spring, and lakes
• Mineralogy

  • Deals with the study of Minerals
  • Also deals with the detailed mode of formation, composition, occurrence, types, association properties used and etc.
• Mineral


  A naturally occurring substance with distinctive chemical and physical properties, composition, and atomic structure
• Rock

  Generally made up of two or more minerals, mixed up through geological processes
• Petrology


  • Deals with the study of Rocks
  • The earth crust which is also called Lithosphere, is made up of different types types of rocks
  • Deals with the formation, structure, texture, composition, occurrence, and types etc.
• Structural Geology

  • Rocks which forms the earth's crust undergoes various deformation, dislocations and disturbances under the influence of tectonic plates forces
  • Study of rock's deformation
• Historical Geology


  • Kind of study of earth's history through sedimentary rocks
  • Sedimentary rocks are one of three main types of rocks, along with igneous and metamorphic. They are formed on or near the Earth's surface from the compression of ocean sediments or other processes
• Paleontology


  • The study of ancient life, from dinosaurs to prehistoric plants, mammals, fish, insects, fungi, and even microbes
  • Fossil evidence reveals how organisms changed over time and what our planet was like long ago
• Economic Geology


  • The scientific study of mineral resources and the application of such knowledge in mineral exploration and mining
• Historical geology


  Discipline that uses the principles and methods of geology to reconstruct the geological history of Earth
• Historical geology


  • Studies the idea of geologic time, the evolution of plant and animal evidence found in the rock record, and the historical development of the rock units that comprise the Earth's crust
  • Includes study of stratigraphy and paleontology
• Our planet was formed from the solar nebula, a cloud of gas and dust
• Determining the age of the Earth

  1. Relative dating methods such as stratigraphy

  2. Radiometric dating using radioactive elements
• Scientists have estimated the age of the Earth to be 4.5 billion years
• Biblical Estimates


  In medieval Europe, the Bible, particularly the book of Genesis, served as the foundation for understanding the Earth's age, with a timeframe of approximately 6,000 years
• Bernard Palissy observed that erosion caused by rain and winds could not have resulted in rapid geological changes, suggesting the Earth was much older than 6,000 years
• James Hutton observed that Hadrian's Wall had not eroded significantly despite being in place for over 1600 years, corresponding with Palissy's views
• Evolution


  The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth
• Darwinism


  The theory of the evolution of species by natural selection advanced by Charles Darwin
• Natural Selection


  A mechanism of evolution that ensures only the traits that help a species survive and reproduce get passed on to future generations
• Nicolas Steno


  • Danish scientist, pioneer in both anatomy and geology, first to observe and propose a number of basic principles of historical geology, including the law of superposition, the principle of original horizontality, and the principle of lateral continuity
• Law of superposition


  Layers of sediments are originally deposited horizontally under the action of gravity
• Principle of original horizontality

  Layers of sediment are initially deposited horizontally
• Principle of lateral continuity

  Layers of sediment initially extend laterally in all directions
• William Smith


  • Father of English Geology, established the first Geological map of England
• James Hutton


  • Scottish geologist, often referred to as the "Father of Modern Geology", proposed the theory of uniformitarianism
• Uniformitarianism


  The Earth was formed by the same natural phenomena that are at work today, the product of slow and continuous geological changes
• Charles Lyell


  • Scottish geologist who expanded upon Hutton's concept of uniformitarianism
• Plate Tectonics


  The scientific theory that Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since about 3.4 billion years ago
• Methods used to tell the sequence of geological events

  • Stratigraphy
  • Structural geology
  • Paleontology
  • Sedimentology
• Stratigraphy


  Branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification), primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks
• Stratigraphy


  • Combines the Latin word Stratum with the Greek word Graphia
  • Deals with the arrangement and succession of strata, as well as the origin, composition and distribution of these geological strata through time and space
• Subfields of Stratigraphy


  • Lithostratigraphy
  • Biostratigraphy
  • Chronostratigraphy
  • Magnetostratigraphy
  • Allostratigraphy
  • Geochronology
  • Seismic Stratigraphy
• Lithostratigraphy


  The study of strata or rock layers based on their physical and petrographic characteristics
• Biostratigraphy


  Focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock strata by using the fossils assemblages contained within them
• Chronostratigraphy


  Studies the ages of rock strata in relation to time, involves comparing which rocks originated globally at the same time