Historical Geology
Historical geology is the branch of geology that focuses on Earth’s long and dramatic story, from the planet’s origins over 4.5 billion years ago to the diversity of life and landscapes we see today. It uses clues like rock layers, fossils, radiometric dating, and plate tectonics to piece together the sequence of events that shaped Earth’s surface.
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy is the study of rock layers and the layering of rocks. Stratigraphy is an important field because it helps us understand the Earth's...
Age of the Earth and Earth’s Oldest Rock
How old is the Earth?Thanks to meteorites from space, rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts from the Moon, and sundry other...
Plate Tectonics: How Earth’s Moving Plates Shape Continents, Mountains, and Oceans
The theory of plate tectonics is the unifying framework of modern geology.It explains how the Earth’s rigid outer shell — the lithosphere — is...
Structure of Earth
Our planet may look peaceful from space, but beneath its surface lies a restless interior filled with heat, motion, and complexity. The structure of...
