Portal:Earth sciences
Introduction
Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. It is the branch of science dealing with the physical constitution of the earth and its atmosphere. Earth science is the study of our planet’s physical characteristics, from earthquakes to raindrops, and floods to fossils. Earth science can be considered to be a branch of planetary science, but with a much older history. “Earth science” encompasses four main branches of study, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere, each of which is further broken down into more specialized fields.
There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences. It is also the study of the Earth and its neighbors in space. Some Earth scientists use their knowledge of the Earth to locate and develop energy and mineral resources. Others study the impact of human activity on Earth's environment, and design methods to protect the planet. Some use their knowledge about Earth processes such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes to plan communities that will not expose people to these dangerous events.
The Earth sciences can include the study of geology, the lithosphere, and the large-scale structure of the Earth's interior, as well as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Typically, Earth scientists use tools from geography, chronology, physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics to build a quantitative understanding of how the Earth works and evolves. Earth science affects our everyday lives. For example, meteorologists study the weather and watch for dangerous storms. Hydrologists study water and warn of floods. Seismologists study earthquakes and try to predict where they will strike. Geologists study rocks and help to locate useful minerals. Earth scientists mainly work “in the field”—climbing mountains, exploring the seabed, crawling through caves, or wading in swamps. They measure and collect samples (such as rocks or river water), then they record their findings on charts and maps. Read more...
Selected article
The geography of Indonesia is dominated by volcanoes that are formed due to subduction zones between the Eurasian plate and the Indo-Australian plate.
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Did you know?
- ...that a pit crater (example pictured), unlike an impact crater, is formed by the ground sinking over a void such as an emptied magma chamber or caldera?
- ...that the late Paleozoic environment of the Chaco-Tarija sedimentary basin of Bolivia has been likened to that of present-day Labrador Sea?
- ...that there was intense volcanic activity in Uruguay during the Cretaceous period about 130 million years ago?
- ...that six prehistoric meteorite impacts have created large astroblemes affecting the geology of Saskatchewan?
- ... that the Wairau, Awatere, Clarence and Hope faults, are the main active faults of the Marlborough Fault System, and carry most of the displacement on the Australian-Pacific plate boundary in northern South Island?
- ... that a revolution in burrowing marks the base of the Cambrian period, and is followed by the Cambrian explosion of animal diversity?
Things you can do
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- Geology of Africa
- John H. Roscoe
- G.D. Blodgett
- Cross section (geology)
- Strunzite
- Koscierzyna borehole
- Versoyen unit
- Magnetic chronozone
- Fleischerite
- Mineralogical Association of Canada
- Phosphosiderite
- Menezesite
- Yuanshan Formation
- Berzeliite
- Sartorite
- Sorosite
- Colusite
- Internal Valais
- Cernyite
- David J. Siveter
- Johnbaumite
- Aonia Terra
- Moûtiers unit
- Join one of the WikiProjects listed below.
- Watch its talk page for earth science-related issues on Wikipedia.
- Improve this portal
- Add to the Did you know list.
- Add new Selected articles and Selected pictures to the queues.
- See Contributing to Wikipedia for more ideas.
Selected image
Mount Hood reflected in Mirror Lake, Oregon.
In the news
- 12 November 2018 – Gaza–Israel clashes (November 2018)
- Israel and Hamas exchange missile fire with 300 rockets being launched from Gaza within the span of three hours. (The New York Times)
- A rocket fired from Gaza strikes an apartment building in Ashkelon, killing a man and injuring two others. The victim was a middle aged Palestinian illegal immigrant from Hebron. This is the first person killed on Israeli soil due to Palestinian rocket fire since 2014. (Ynetnews)
- 11 November 2018 – Israel-Palestine confrontation (November 2018)
- Seven Palestinians, including commander Nour Baraka and three other militants, are killed during a raid by the Israel Defense Forces in the southeastern Gaza Strip, that was supported by air attacks. One IDF officer was killed and another was injured. Over a dozen rockets were subsequently fired from Gaza, three of which were shot down. (KUNA) (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- 8 November 2018 – 2018 in science
- A new study from Eötvös Loránd University confirms the existence of two Kordylewski clouds orbiting Earth. Kazimierz Kordylewski first observed the faint clouds of dust around the L4 and L5 Lagrangian points in the 1960s. (India Times) (Inquisitr)
- 4 November 2018 –
- Nearly seven tonnes of C9 aromatic hydrocarbon are leaked into the ocean at a port in Quangang District, Quanzhou, China when a petrochemical company loads the cargo from its terminal into a chemical tanker and the aged hose coupling gasket breaks. Nearby aquaculture farms are contaminated, resulting in huge loss. Many fishermen and residents get sick from the leaked chemical, and 52 of them are hospitalized. Local authorities are accused of playing down the severity of the leakage. Discussion of the accident is suppressed on Weibo after the accident has become a hot topic. (Splash 247)(Singtao Daily)(Shanghaiist)
- 1 November 2018 – Lion Air Flight 610
- Indonesian divers retrieve the flight data recorder from the ocean near Karawang, Indonesia, where the plane had crashed three days prior. (Reuters)
WikiProjects
Quality content
- Climate change (More...)
Global warming · Rachel Carson · Retreat of glaciers since 1850
- Earthquakes (More...)
1949 Ambato earthquake · 1968 Illinois earthquake · 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens · 1997 Qayen earthquake · 2002 Bou'in-Zahra earthquake · 2005 Qeshm earthquake · 2007–2008 Nazko earthquakes
- Volcanoes (More...)
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens · 2007–2008 Nazko earthquakes · Amchitka · Armero tragedy · Calabozos · Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) · Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve · David A. Johnston · Geology of the Lassen volcanic area · Loihi Seamount · Mauna Kea · Mauna Loa · Metacomet Ridge · Mono–Inyo Craters · Mount Cayley volcanic field · Mount St. Helens · Mount Tambora · Nevado del Ruiz · Surtsey · The Volcano (British Columbia) · Upper and Lower Table Rock · Volcano (South Park) · Yellowstone National Park
- Other geology (More...)
Mary Anning · Archaea · Archaeopteryx · Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) · Bryce Canyon National Park · Calabozos · Chicxulub crater · Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event · Charles Darwin · Earth · Ediacara biota · Geology of the Bryce Canyon area · Geology of the Capitol Reef area · Geology of the Death Valley area · Geology of the Grand Canyon area · Geology of the Lassen volcanic area · Geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area · Global warming · Iridium · Oil shale · The Volcano (British Columbia) · Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory · Volcanology of Io · Yellowstone National Park
- Geography (More...)
Antarctica · Australia · Bryce Canyon National Park · Carlsbad Caverns National Park · Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve · Death Valley National Park · Geography of India · Geography of Ireland · National parks of England and Wales · Niagara Falls · Rondane National Park · Shoshone National Forest · Yellowstone National Park · Yosemite National Park · Zion National Park
1941 Atlantic hurricane season · 1991 Atlantic hurricane season · 1995 Pacific hurricane season · 1998 Pacific hurricane season · 2002 Atlantic hurricane season · 2003 Atlantic hurricane season · Category 5 Pacific hurricanes · Hurricane Isabel · Lists of Florida hurricanes · Lists of North Carolina hurricanes
· Retired Pacific hurricanesBaja California Peninsula hurricanes · California hurricanes · Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes · Category 5 Pacific hurricanes · Delaware hurricanes · Florida hurricanes · Florida hurricanes (pre-1900) · Florida hurricanes (1900–1949) · Florida hurricanes (1950–1974) · Florida hurricanes (1975–1999) · Florida hurricanes (2000–present) · Largest volcanic eruptions · New Jersey hurricanes · New York hurricanes · North Carolina hurricanes · North Carolina hurricanes (pre-1900) · North Carolina hurricanes (1900–1949) · North Carolina hurricanes (1950–1979) · North Carolina hurricanes (1980–present) · Retired Pacific hurricane names · Retired Pacific typhoon names (JMA) · Sites of special scientific interest in Cornwall · Snow events in Florida · South America tropical cyclones · Storms in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season · Storms in the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season · Timeline of the far future · United States hurricanes · volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain · Volcanoes in Indonesia · Wettest tropical cyclones in the United States
Related topics
For a more comprehensive treatment of topics, see Outline of earth science and Index of earth science articles
| Atmosphere | Hydrosphere | Lithosphere |
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| Biosphere | Systems | Others |
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