Geology and Earth ScienceMajor Events in the 4 Sciences by Joe Leddy
Events that change a scientific field
What are the major branches of scientific study today? For the purposes of this discussion I will break science as a whole into 4 major branches: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and the Earth Sciences. People can and probably will argue that these classifications are too general, especially Earth Sciences. When you look at it from the perspective of unifying theories, discoveries, and events that bring the branch together, it starts to make sense.
Before we look at the theory/discovery that unifies the Earth Sciences, lets take a look at the other sciences to establish what these events look like.
In the field of Biology, Darwins Theory of Evolution changed the face of biological studies and gives direction to why things happen the way that they do. With evolution a biologist can uncover what mechanisms the species developed that make it suited for its environment. This line of questioning leads to how the species adapted, and ultimately the genetics behind the adaptation.
Chemistry started to take off as a science with the discovery of the atom. Prior to this discovery
chemists were nothing more than alchemists trying to turn lead into gold. With the atom, chemists eventually uncovered the structure behind the atom (protons, neutrons, and electrons) and how this structure allows all elements to interact.
Sir Isaac Newton made the major contribution to physics with his Laws of Motion. It is from these laws that modern physics (a.k.a. Newtonian Physics) came to be. By far this is the most important event in physics.
Now we come to the branch that seems to be the catch all for all other types of science. The Earth Sciences are made up of four distinct sciences in and of themselves. These sciences are geology, astronomy, oceanography, and atmospheric science.
Some might ask why these four are grouped together, after all isn't atmospheric sciences really a combination of physics and chemistry? And couldn't you argue that Oceanography has a large biological component to it? Well the short answer is yes, you can make those arguments, and however if you look at the theory that brings these sciences together you might change your mind.
Plate Tectonics is that theory; it unifies the four into the umbrella of the Earth Sciences. As you know, the theory of Plate Tectonics is concerned with the movement of lithospheric plates along the asthenosphere. These movements occur along divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries.
The real question is how Plate Tectonics ties geology, oceanography, astronomy, and atmospheric sciences together. It is a very clear connection for some and not so clear for others. Lets look at the clear ones first.
Geology is the obvious Earth Science; by definition is the study of the Earth. Plate tectonics explains a large portion of geology, from the development and recycling of older rock all the way to mountain building and earthquakes. Similar to Newton, plate tectonics offers a cornerstone in which geology can be built and grow.
Oceanography is another obvious Earth Science; a large part of it is similar to geology just
underwater. Plate tectonics explains the development of the world ocean and how it changes over time. Which oceans are growing and which are shrinking as well where new oceans may develop. In addition, plate tectonics gives rise to hydrothermal vents and the chemosynthetic organisms that have developed around them.
Atmospheric Science is tied into the Earth Sciences and plate tectonics in a round about way. The weather is a very complex system that is affected by a great many factors, however at its core it deals with the movement of air masses and the amount of moisture within that air mass.
Not seeing a connection between the movement of air and plate tectonics? Lets look at how air moves, parcels of air will either move above or below another parcel or rise and sink based on the air temperature. Air temperature is based on a number of factors, primarily the exchange of the heat from the land/water mass it was developed above. Plate tectonics affects the development of oceans and mountains, oceans and mountains greatly affect how these masses move and their moisture content. So, plate tectonics plays an indirect roll in an areas weather patterns on a geologic scale rather than a small time frame. Finally we come to Astronomy. This connection is not a simple as the others. Plate tectonics has nothing to due with Astronomy on a macro scale; rather it deals with a specific division within Astronomy. The study of planets and the search for live within the universe. Understanding how the Earth behaves gives astronomers a base on which to work with. Whether it is explaining quakes on another planet or looking for life, understanding plate tectonics and how it affects the Earth is a big help in their studies.
For more information on the Earth Sciences please
visit the following web sites:
www.nasa.gov
www.noaa.org
www.weather.com
Or look into classes at Suffolk dealing with these
subjects.
2 Comments:
I picked this article to comment on because it puts in big perspective the four major sciences. It also goes to explain each one and briefly explain how each one started. Before reading this article if someone would have asked me to name the four sciences I would have probably mentioned more than four. Now I can safely say the four major sciences are Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and the Earth Sciences. But what’s neat about this article is that it goes to explain how there are four other sciences grouped under one of the major sciences. When I read that the Earth Sciences is made up of four distinct sciences and that they were geology, astronomy, oceanography, and atmospheric science, I was a bit surprised. I was always under the impression that these four “sub sciences” were their own individual sciences. After giving it some thought I could clearly make a connection where geology and oceanography tied into Earth Sciences. I was skeptical about the atmospheric science but I could buy it. But I would have never thought that astronomy science was also part of it. I had always thought of astronomy as a completely separate science. I guess mostly because it never occurred to me that earth studies would be essential to study the stars, universe and other planets. Once the article explained why an astronomer would want to know about our own earth so that they could in turn try to understand and look for life in other planets, it became pretty obvious. So for example if I somebody was interested in astronomy I now would be able to tell them what class they would defenitely have to take if they were to pursue a degree in astronomy. I also liked how the article went to explain how Plate Tectonics ties geology, oceanography, astronomy, and atmospheric sciences together into Earth Sciences. I never realized that Plate Tectonics affected so many things in our planet to the point of connceting four sub sciences together. I think this article is very good for somebody who likes science but doesn’t know enough to know were were they would like to branch out.
It is incredible how much information we as a race of people on this planet are gaining. Even more incredible is the rate at which we are doing this, even though there is evidence of scientific records and medical equipment found as far back as sumerian times, it still seems amazing that we seem to be bursting with scientific advancements today. So much that if a devastating event of apocalyptic proportion were to happen, there would most likely be a great deal of physical evidence to educate any future race of our present scientific world. This article got me thinking to how advanced past cultures really were. From the Greeks mysterious weapon of fire water, able to ignite very large bodies of water into flames, the surgical knowledge that ancient Egyptians possessed or the very recent uncovering of the worlds oldest record of organizations grouping in order to learn, this becoming the worlds first school system, found on ancient sumerian tablets. Other questions that baffle me on a daily basis as I learn more and more about the past is how the ancients constructed most of their elaborate and precisely laid out temples, pyramids and sculptures, not to mention the intricate design and artwork engulfing the interior and exterior of these monuments of the past. The most famous of these landmarks that remain today would most likely be the pyramids of Giza, Egypt, but what I speak of could also be considered the elaborate groundwork of the nazca lines in Peru, the astrological knowledge of the Dogon tribe of Africa or the number of heads on Easter Island. This idea of an advanced race of the past is applicable to many areas. For the pyramids, the amazing correlation they have geometrically with the sirius star system located in the constellation of Orion (the three stars known as his belt) is astonishing. The fact that each brick weighed more than 2.5 metric tons and had to have been dragged for miles, then hoisted up into such a precisely accurate manner caused leading scholars and mathematicians of today a great deal of confusion, so it seems most that are interested settle for legend like tales or feats that seem possible when in fact, they are possible if one is able and willing to rationalize all he or she sees. Anything is possible, but likely probable? When water erosion was found at the base of the sphinx, you tend to question everything. So if in fact these Egyptians built these pyramids with their bare hands and a lot of strong rope, then why can't one admit there are 2 sides to this coin and there remains a possibility of an advanced race creating some of these megaliths of our past with technologies we are unaware of, leaning more on a pillar of evidence than any other current trend, or "fact" would. Science is always changing, so why rest and settle on something begging to move? Why has that been such a hard topic to wrap around the heads of the masses? Is it because of the media, or the x-files? Is it Hollywood's glitzy representation of sci-fi epics, or the simple fact that no hard evidence of advanced beings inhabiting this earth is in existence? Well there is, and plenty of it. People abandon the idea simply due to the sky being empty. A plethora of research is branched out across the globe in all these areas of science mentioned in this article attempting to solve the mysteries of the past and hoping for a glimpse into the ultimate grail of questions. Who are we? Where are we from? What is reality and where are we going? Major leaps in quantum physics and unified field theory are paving the way of radical thinking turned to entirely plausible reality and the theory that no solid matter exists rips the seams of our known reality and actually makes pro-active steps in actually uncovering what physically constitutes reality, or even a thought. Archeologists are diving into parts of the oceans not yet touched by man in effort to piece together puzzles. A type of progression through unlearning seems vital to our evolution. The gods from heaven indeed left their footprint in our culture and to this day we sing to the giant mud-cracks the imprint left behind. These creators still receive praise and worship, a blind eye or not, nothing has changed, but what we have in terms of scientific evidence to keep that boat floating is made of very little, if any evidence at all. This is another argument entirely to large for this blog, but one deserving a mentioning. If faith alone plays out such a large role in the unraveling of the universes mysteries and people settle for these assorted colored tales of our creation, (usually depending on kinship and global location alone) and science seems to be threatening to certain establishments bent on omnipotent gods that exist, no doubt, in a world somewhere in our reality... then where is the merger? The world of science is not the cannon ball eager to hit the boat, it is the wind in the sail, only it is pushing the boat in directions the captains do not wish to go. This is to bad for them, because science won't die.
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