Have you ever taken a look at an example of Geology? If not you may be in for a surprise. A trip to any local museum would show you a wide variety of examples of Geology and you would be astounded. The first thing that comes to mind is, “Wow!” What a breathtaking sight if you were to look at a real life (not an over dramatic make believe) geologic formation.
For example, did you know that each and every one of the millions of earthquakes in the world’s history have occurred deep within the Earth’s crust, on faults that are hundreds or even thousands of kilometers deep. This means that what we think of as tectonic earthquakes are actually minor. And they happen very quickly. How can this be the case? Well, let’s take a look at geology and the various processes that cause faults to form (at least I hope we can understand them all, even though I’m sure there are plenty of exceptions).
You see, geology can be seen as the study of the Earth’s geological history from the point of view of the earth’s surface. In other words, geologists are considered to be the “basement science” of the natural history of the planet because they study the surface of the planet using a variety of techniques and observations to learn about past climate, about the types of minerals and other matter that compose the planet, how the surface evolved, how it is formed today, and so on. They then use these findings to understand how the planet is formed today, how it is changing, and how it may well sit in the future. Basically, they help us better understand our own natural history and the rest of the natural world.
An example of Geology that many people seem to not be familiar with is Marsupials fossils. Now granted, we all know that there are many dinosaur species out there, and some of them look pretty convincing. But some scientists have argued that these kinds of fossils are not really marsupials at all. Rather, they are cetaceans or hoards that have been classified as a separate class of mammal, a sub-class of reptile, and even a sub-class of birds. And while this debate has raged for quite some time, there is no consensus on whether or not these fossils belong to any marsupial.
An example of geology in the city can also be found in the form of the Precambrian rock layers which lie about half a mile beneath the surface of what used to be the Precambrian ecosystem. These layers in fact provide some of the most important examples of paleontology and geology in the city of New York. They are very old and thus they provide scientists with a means of learning about the history and evolution of this area of the Earth since its formation 4 billion years ago. Many of the folds and ridges which are characteristic of Precambrian rocks can be found in the urban areas which are found under the streets of Manhattan and the surrounding areas of Queens and Brooklyn.
The example of geology in the city of New York is nothing new. The formation of the island of Manhattan off the coast of Maine is another good example. Although Maine is much older than Manhattan it is still a part of the New England super continent, and in fact the city is part of the same geological material as the island and a good part of the same progeny.
