Geology Quiz on Branches and Concepts

The study of the Earth's materials, like minerals and rocks, and the processes happening inside and on the planet's surface.

The study of the history of Earth: how it evolved, life on Earth, and past events including the formation of continents and oceans.

A branch of geology that studies how to find and utilize Earth's resources for economic benefit.

The study of minerals and their properties.

The study of rocks, their formation, composition, and classification.

The study of ancient life on Earth through fossils.

The study of the structure of the Earth's crust and how it deforms, focusing on features like folds and faults.

The study of the Earth's interior, including its composition, structure, and processes like earthquakes and volcanoes.

Fossils that are the actual preserved remains of organisms like bones, shells, or teeth.

Fossils that are indirect evidence of organisms, like tracks, burrows, or fossilized footprints.

The study of the development of life on Earth over time, examining how species have evolved and changed.

The preserved chemical traces of ancient organisms, which can help us understand the evolution of life.

The study of how natural processes affect human-made structures and vice versa, and how to mitigate associated risks.

Geotectonics focuses on the Earth's history and global phenomena.

This field utilizes geological principles to understand and reconstruct past geological events.

Changes in the Earth's surface caused by tectonic activity are studied.

Areas of the Earth's crust under stress can fold and create mountains.

Over time, mountains erode and their material is deposited in lower areas.

The process of wearing down or breaking down rocks and soil by the force of water.

The abrasive force of sediments carried by a river that rubs against and wears down rocks and the riverbed.

The dissolving of rocks and minerals by the water in a river.

The grinding and wearing down of sediments carried by a river as they collide with each other.

The force of fast-flowing river water that can dislodge materials from the riverbanks and bed.

The movement of eroded materials downstream by a river.

The process of eroded materials being deposited by a river when the water's velocity slows down.

The materials deposited by a river, typically composed of sand, silt, and clay.

Landforms created by tectonic forces, either directly through offsetting (like faults) or indirectly through erosion of differently resistant rocks.

The process of weathering and erosion that carves out the Earth's surface, shaped by the underlying geologic structure.

The study of how water and its interaction with the Earth's surface affects the environment.

The study of how landforms are shaped by the interaction of biological and geological processes, particularly erosion.

Using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology to repeatedly scan an area over time, allowing scientists to track changes in the Earth’s surface.

The process of analyzing LiDAR data to identify and quantify changes in terrain, vegetation, and other features.

The ability of LiDAR to measure the Earth's surface with incredible detail, capturing the precise shape of terrain and vegetation.

The breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces or soil, but with the same composition.

Weathered materials can be transported by wind or water, creating new landscapes.

The layer of weathered rock and soil that sits on top of solid bedrock.

Weathering occurs through various processes, including physical, chemical, and biological.

The concept that a river system, from its source to its mouth, is a dynamic and interconnected system.

Rivers act as agents of transportation, distributing weathered material across the earth's surface.

The beginning of a river is called the 'head' and the end is called the 'mouth'.

The slope of a river decreases from its head to its mouth, resulting in a concave curve.