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.