Many topics are part of Earth Science. Ranging from the farthest parts of outer space to the highest part of the atmosphere, to the mountains, to the depths of the oceans, and to the center of the Earth’s core. If it is about the land, the oceans, the air, or space, it is in Earth Science.

Click on the link for the Prezi presentation on Notes: Branches of Earth Science.  

Branches presentation

Welcome to My Earth Science.

Earth science is divided into four main parts, each of which can be studied separately, but all parts are connected to the others. 

Geology is the study of the land and the different processes that create, change, and destroy the land. From the inner core deep in the center of the Earth to the highest mountaintop. Continental crust has been crashing into each other for four and a half billion years, crashing and building mountains, then moving apart and eroding down into sediments, only to crash into each other again, make new mountains, to repeat the process. 

Oceanography is the study of the physical ocean, including the topography (shape) of the seafloor, salinity, currents, and waves. Sealife is discussed in oceanography, but the study of sea life itself is called Marine Biology and not directly a part of Earth science.

Meteorology is the study of the atmosphere, the sky, climate, weather, and all the processes that create the climate and weather. Don’t confuse “Meteor”-ology with the study of meteors from space. Meteor comes from a Greek word and was used in the Middle Ages and meant “up in the sky” or “things up high” and was used for things like “aqueous meteors” (water balls = rain), “aerial meteors” (air balls = wind), “luminous meteors” (light balls = rainbows, auroras). “Igneous meteors” (fireballs)  referred to lightning and to shooting stars.  Later, when shooting stars were discovered to be falling space rocks, the name Meteor was given to them. 

Astronomy is the study of everything beyond or outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. The universe, galaxies, solar system, stars, our sun, planets, and moons. 

They are all connected. You can study our moon, as it creates the tides, which are studied in Oceanography. The tides contribute to erosion, which is studied in Geology. Erosion makes… and so on…  Earth science topics are all connected like a spider web.