The document describes the four major branches of Earth science: geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy. It provides examples of what each branch studies, such as volcanologists and seismologists in geology, and physical, biological, geological, and chemical oceanographers. It also lists some related interdisciplinary fields that rely on Earth science, such as environmental science, ecology, geochemistry, and cartography.

1. Branches of Earth Science
Imagine that you are an earth scientist and can travel wherever
you want to on earth.
• Name and describe the aspects or features of earth you
would like to study.
• Where you would go and what you would do?

2. Objectives
 Describe the four major branches of Earth science.
 Identify four examples of Earth science that are
linked to other areas of science.

3. Four Major Branches of Earth Science
 Geology
 Oceanography
 Meteorology
 Astronomy

4. Geology
 The study of the origin, history, and structure of the
Earth and the processes that shape the Earth.
 Most geologists specialize in a particular aspect of
the Earth.
 Volcanologist
 Seismologist
 Paleontologist

5. Oceanography
 Scientific study of the sea
 Physical oceanographers
 Biological oceanographers
 Geological oceanographers
 Chemical oceanographers
 Oceanographers use miniature research submarines
to travel far below the surface of the oceans

6. Meteorology
 Scientific study of the Earth’s atmosphere, especially
in relation to weather and climate.
 Meteorologists warn people about severe weather
such as hurricanes and tornadoes
 Some meteorologists chase tornadoes and fly
through hurricanes to study how they behave

7. Warmup
 Without looking back try to name the 3 branches of
Earth Science we talked about yesterday and list
something specific that they study.
 For example…
 Biology: frogs
 Chemistry: hydrogen atoms

8. Astronomy
 Study of the universe
 Astronomers use optical telescopes to see distant
objects
 Radio telescopes use radio waves to study objects
that are too far away to be seen or that do not give off
light

9. Astronomy
 Astronomers spend much of their time studying
stars.
 Astronomers estimate that there are over 100 billion
stars in the universe.
 The star that has been studied the most is the one
that is closest to Earth––the sun!

10. Special Branches of Earth Science
 Other branches of Earth Science rely heavily on other
areas of science
 Environmental Science - Study of how humans
interact with the environment
 These scientists use geology, life science, chemistry, and
physics.

11. Ecology
 Study of communities of organisms and their
nonliving environment
 Ecologists work in fields such as wildlife
management, agriculture, forestry, and conservation.

12. Geochemistry
 Study of the chemistry of rocks, minerals, and soil
 Geochemists judge the economic value of materials
from the earth, determine what the environment was
like when rocks formed, and study the distribution of
chemicals.

13. Cartography
 People who make maps of the surface features of the
Earth
 Cities are often located by geographic features, such
as rivers, that are used for transportation.