Subspecialties of Earth Science

Plate Tectonics- the effects of internal processes on earth’s surface including earthquakes & the creation of mountains from this process.

Meteorology- the branch of earth science that studies air that surrounds the earth. (weather)

Geology- the study of materials that make up Earth and the processes that form and change these materials.

Oceanography- the study of Earth’s oceans.

Geochemistry- the study of Earth’s composition & the process that changes it, (more of a study of the chemistry of the earth)

Ecology- the study of interactions among organisms & between organisms & their environments.

Climatology- the study of long term patterns of climate. (Global Warming is an example of something you would study as a climatologist).

Astronomy- study of objects beyond earth’s atmosphere.

Paleontology- the study of the remains of organisms that once lived on earth; ancient environments.

Hydrology- the study of water flow on and around the earth’s surface, including sources of and solutions to water pollution.