Earth Science Quiz

Fields of Natural Science Related to Earth

• Earth science includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth.
• It deals with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres: the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere.
• Earth science can be considered a branch of planetary science, but with a much older history.
• Geology is the study of the lithosphere, or Earth's surface, including the crust and rocks.
• The Earth's interior includes plate tectonics, mountain ranges, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
• Atmospheric science initially developed in the late-19th century as a means to forecast the weather through meteorology, the study of weather.
• Hydrology is the study of the hydrosphere and the movement of water on Earth.
• Ecology is the study of the biosphere and how living things interact with the Earth and one another.
• Physical geography is the study of Earth's systems and how they interact with one another.
• Methodologies vary depending on the nature of the subjects being studied, and studies typically fall into one of three categories: observational, experimental, or theoretical.
• Earth science generally recognizes four spheres, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere.
• The following fields of science are generally categorized within the Earth sciences: geology, atmospheric sciences, hydrology, oceanography, soil science, geoinformatics, glaciology, biogeography, and ecology.