The presentation contains basic terms of Physical Geology which is related to Geology. It is a gross presentation including images and animated gif's for better understanding.

1. Introduction to Physical
Geology
Presented by Tahsin Islam

2. Table of Contents
 Introduction
 Scientific Method
 Geology as a science
 Why Geology?
 Practical Aspects of Geology
 Career in Geology
 Branches of Geology
 Physical Geology
 Earth Systems

3. Introduction
Geology uses the scientific method to explain natural aspects of the Earth
such as
 Solar system
 Earth’s Interior
 Volcanism
 Mountain Building
 Weathering
 Transportation
 Erosion
 Plate tectonics
 Earthquake

4. Scientific Method
 Way of finding truth in the
word
 Geology is a science and it
requires-
• Observations
• Measurements
• Interpretations

5. Scientific Method (Cont.)

6. Geology as a science
 Names came from Greek goddess “GAEA”, daughter of
Chaos.
 Geology derives from Greek word “Geo” means Earth and
“Logos” means discourse/study.
 The scientific study of the Earth-
 How earth was formed
 What earth is made of
 How earth changes

7. Why Geology?
 Protecting Environment
 Supply things we need
 Avoiding Geo-hazards

8. Geologic Hazards
Floods
Earthquakes
Volcanoes

9. Practical Aspects of Geology
• Natural Resources
 All manufactured objects depend on Earth’s
resources
 Localized concentrations of useful geological
resources are mined or extracted
 If it can’t be grown, it must be mined
 Most resources are limited in quantity and
non-renewable

10. Career in Geology
 Petroleum geologist
 Mining geologist
 Environmental geologist
 Marine geologist
 Hydrogeologist
 Glaciologist
 Volcanologist
 Sedimentologist
 Geophysicists
 Engineering geologist
 Teaching

11. Branches of Geology
 Physical Geology
 Historical Geology
 Mineralogy
 Petrology
 Geochemistry
 Volcanology
 Stratigraphy
 Sedimentology
 Palaeontology
 Geomorphology
 Hydrogeology
 Structural Geology

12. Physical Geology
Concerned with
Earth materials as well as
The Processes that operate on those materials,
either at or beneath the surface of the Earth.
 Earth materials: elements,
minerals,
rocks,
water

13. Physical Geology Cont.
Processes:
 plate tectonics,
 volcanic eruptions,
 earthquakes,
 mountain building,
 actions of glaciers,
 oceans,
 wind,
 weathering
 erosion.

14. Earth Systems
Planet earth has some components which is termed as
earth systems/spheres
 Atmosphere- gases that envelop Earth
 Hydrosphere- water on or near Earth’s surface
 Biosphere- all living or once-living materials
 Geosphere- rock and other inorganic materials

15. Earth Systems
• Earth’s Heat Engines
- External (energy from the Sun)
• Primary driver of atmospheric (weather)
and hydrospheric (ocean currents)
circulation
• Controls weathering of rocks at Earth’s
surface
- Internal (heat moving from hot interior to
cooler exterior)
• Primary driver of most geospheric
phenomena (volcanism, magmatism,
tectonism)

16. The Solar System

17. Earth’s Interior
• Compositional Layers
– Crust (~3-70 km thick)
-Very thin outer rocky shell of Earth
Continental crust - thicker and less dense
Oceanic crust - thinner and more dense
– Mantle (~2900 km thick)
• Hot solid that flows slowly over time;
• Fe-, Mg-, Si-rich minerals
– Core (~3400 km radius)
• Outer core - metallic liquid; mostly iron
• Inner core - metallic solid; mostly iron

18. Volcanism

19. India
SE Asia
HimalayaTibetan
Plateau
60 million years ago
30 million years ago
Today
Continent-Continent Convergence
Mountain Building

20. Weathering

21. Weathering

22. Erosion

23. Transportation
 Transported by geologic agents like-
 Wind
 Water
 Glacier

24. Wind

25. Water

26. Glacier

27. Earthquakes

28. Plate Tectonics

29. Tectonic Plate Boundaries
• Divergent boundaries
– Plates move apart
– Magma rises, cools and forms new lithosphere
– Typically expressed as mid-oceanic ridges
• Transform boundaries
– Plates slide past one another
– Fault zones, earthquakes mark boundary
– San Andreas fault in California
• Convergent boundaries
– Plates move toward each other
– Mountain belts and volcanoes common
– Oceanic plates may sink into mantle along a subduction
zone, typically marked by a deep ocean trench

30. Tectonic Plate Boundaries
Transform Divergent Convergent boundary
boundary boundary

31. Theory of Plate Tectonics
• Continental Drift Hypothesis
– Originally proposed in early 20th century to
explain the “fit of continents”, matching rock
types and fossils across ocean basins, etc.
• Plate Tectonics Theory
– Originally proposed in the late 1960s
– Included new understanding of the seafloor
and explanation of driving force
– Describes lithosphere as being broken into
plates that are in motion
– Explains origin and distribution of volcanoes,
fault zones and mountain belts

32. Creating Geo Hazard by Plate
Tectonics

37. Geologic Time

38. Thank You All.