Geography and geology are often confused with one another. This perplexity arises because these two fields have some similarities and connections. Both of these fields involve the study of the Earth. While Geography refers to the study of the surface of the earth, Geology refers to the study of it’s structural and substance composition.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY

The earth is a complicated system comprising of several natural phenomena and processes. In order to understand its complexities, scientists gave rise to various scientific disciplines, each with its own distinct focus. However, the two salient fields that delve into the Earth’s composition and structure are geography and geology. They seem to be closely related, but actually differ in context to their approaches, primary areas of focus and scope. Through this research, we aim to shed light on the disparate aspects of geography and geology to understand their novel perspectives.

KEY DIFFERENCES –

GEOGRAPHY

Geography is often referred to as the “mother of all sciences” as its study of new places and cultures led to the emergence of other scientific fields such as biology, chemistry, maths, and others.

Eratosthenes, an ancient Greek scholar coined the word “geography”. The word can be divided into 2 parts- “geo” meaning earth and “graph” suggests writing. Geography is a difficult concept to constrain into a definition of few words, although several attempts have been made. The Oxford dictionary describes it as “The scientific study of the earth’s surface, physical features, divisions, products, population, etc.”

TYPES OF GEOGRAPHY

IT is a vast topic and contains some sub-divisions, each of them with their unique focus and approach. Let’s take a look at them to understand it better.

1. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

Human  refers to the study of humans and their various cultures throughout the world. The numerous aspects of this division include their origin and perspective on the cultures of other places.

Some of these cultural phenomena studied in this division constitute of languages, religion, art, music, food, progressiveness, economic structures, governments and many others. These explain how the people live the way they live, and why. Digitalisation, Globalisation and COVID-19 pandemic are some of the recent significant aspects of human geography.

Human Geography is divided into various types-

• Cognitive 
• Cultural 
• Health
• Economic 
• Development 
• Historical 
• Internet
• Politics and geopolitics
• Population  
• Religion 
• Social 
• Transportation 
• Tourism 
• Urban 

2. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Physical geography contains varied elements such as the study of the earth’s interaction with the sun, seasons, the atmospheric pressure and wind, storms, climatic disturbances, soils, rivers, streams, flora and fauna, weathering, erosion, natural hazards, deserts, glaciers, coastal terrain, ecosystems, geological systems, etc.

The different types of physical geography –

• Biogeography
• Climatology and meteorology
• Coastal geography
• Environmental management
• Geomorphology
• Glaciology
• Hydrology and hydrography
• Landscape ecology
• Oceanography
• Paleogeography
• Quaternary science

3. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY

Environmental  refers to the study of different components of the natural world and interaction of individuals and their societies with these components. It requires an understanding of both human geography and physical geography as environmental geography poses a link between the two in order to critically analyse the impact of human presence on the environment.

4. GEOMATICS

Geomatics is concerned with engineering applied science involving measurement of the earth. It involves the use of satellite imagery, upstanding photography, and others took to produce charts and dissect spatial patterns. It enables a representation of the earth.  

5. CARTOGRAPHY

Cartography has been defined as “the art or process of drawing and making maps”. It helps in conveying geographical information through graphical content. Advancement in technology has now allowed researchers to make accurate maps easily through computers using Geographic Information System (GIS).

6. REGIONAL 

As the name suggests, Regional Geography refers to the study of the world’s regions. The term “Region” is defined as a large area of land, usually without exact limits or borders. The specific characteristics that differentiate an area from others is the main concern of this division of geography. It helps in explaining how natural phenomena occurs in these places and how humans exist in it.

GEOLOGY

From the study of rocks and minerals, to the natural disasters and threats of Global Boiling, Geology is the basis of it all. It is a part of our everyday lives. Geologists study the formation of earth’s layers, the changes it went throughout the years and its structure and composition. These processes take place over hundreds of millions of years, making this a difficult topic of research since humans have been present for only a small amount of time compared to earth’s timeline. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and floods are also part of their research. 

To summarize, Geology can be defined as – “The scientific study of the physical structure of the earth, including the origin and history of the rocks and soil of which the earth is made.”

TYPES OF GEOLOGY

Geology is a vast science and is analysed in various aspects such as time, formation, natural resources, etc.

1. TIME – This branch deals with time.

• STRATIGRAPHY
• PALEONTOLOGYMICROPALEONTOLOGY 
• PALEOMAGNETISM
• GEOMORPHOLOGY
• PALEOSEISMOLOGY
• MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY
• GEOCHRONOLOGY

2. MOVING PLATES UNDER THE EARTH – This branch deals with the moving plates underneath the earth.

• TECTONICS
• VOLCANOLOGY
• SEISMOLOGY
• NEOTECTONICS
• TECTONOPHYSICS
• SEISMOTECTONICS

3. NATURAL RESOURCES – Extraction of natural resources is the main focus of this branch as rock types and landforms are found through or during this activity.

• PETROLOGY
• MINEROLOGY
• GEMOLOGY
• CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
• SOIL SCIENCES
• PEDOLOGY
• EDAPHOLOGY
• AGRONOMY/AGROLOGY
• HYDROGEOLOGY
• POMOLOGY

4. WEATHERING, TRANSPORTATION AND DEPOSITION – The processes of how sediments deposit is the concern of this branch.

• SEDIMENTOLOGY
• SURFICIAL GEOLOGY
• GLACIOLOGY
• GEOPHYSICS
• BEDROCK GEOLOGY
• LITHOLOGY

5. LAND FORMS AND THEIR PROCESSES – This branch focusses on the distribution of physical features on distinct landscapes

• OROGRAPHY
• TOPOGRAPHY
• HYPSOMETRY

6. OUTSIDE THE EARTH – The study of the structure, composition, and history of other planets in the solar system is undertaken in this aspect of geology.

• ASTROGEOLOGY
• AREOLOGY
• SELENOGRAPHY
• EXOGEOLOGY

PRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY

1. Principles of Catastrophism: Cuvier

Catastrophism was a geological concept coined by Georges Curvier. It explains the formation of earth’s crust and shape as a result of abrupt and violent events that caused the change in its landscape and even mass extinction.

According to Cuvier, the various groups of fossil organisms became extinct as a result of geological catastrophes. Due to this, the fossilized organisms were destroyed and the depositions solidified into rocks that surround the fossils.

2. Law of Uniformitarianism: James Hutton

The term ‘Uniformitarianism’ was first coined by William Whewell, however, the concept was developed by James Hutton. The concept states that although not visible to the human eye, the geologic forces operate with the same intensity today as they did in the past and are highly impactful. Meaning, the present can be analysed through the past events.

3. Law of Faunal Succession: William Smith

This principle that was first recognised by William Smith, states by definition that different strata each contain particular assemblages of fossils by which the rocks may be identified and correlated over long distances.

It helps in establishing a time scale and a chronological clarity is obtained through the application of this theory. Fossils found in younger rocks are similar to modern organisms, while the same cannot be said for older rocks.

4. Law of Inclusion: James Hutton 

Another principle proposed by James Hutton is the Law of inclusion which explains through logic withholdings of other rocks or formations must be older than its container.

5. Law of Lateral Continuity: Neils Stenson

This principle given by Neils Stenson coins the idea that all the rock layers that are now displaced were originally laterally continuous and broke up due to future natural events. Hence, rocks that are now seen to be separated due to a valley for instance, can be assumed to be from the same source, or in other words, laterally continuous.

6. Law of Superposition: Nicolaus Steno

The law of superposition proposes the logic that the sequence of an undisturbed piece of land will comprise of layers that are older than the ones above it and younger than the ones below it. This principle was introduced by Nicolaus Steno.

7. Law of Original Horizontality: Nicolaus Steno

Another significant theory given by Nicolaus Steno is the law of original horizontality. It states that due to gravity, the rock layers are originally laid down horizontally. This inference suggests that any tilted rock must have undergone an event of disturbance.

8. Walther’s Law of Facies Succession

Named after Johannes Walther, this principle suggests that the vertical sequence of facies lying adjacent to each other must have been due to regressions or a series of depositional environments.

CONCLUSION

Both the fields of study shed light on our planet Earth. The importance of each varies vastly depending on the problem or aspect we discuss.
To summarize, Geology focuses on the Earth’s history and evolution. On the other hand, Geography encompasses aspects such as the relations of human with nature and the cultures that develops on these lands. 

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