What is Geoscience

Geoscience is the scientific study of the planet Earth and its many different natural geologic systems.  It includes the study and investigation of Earth’s minerals, soil, water and energy resources: how Earth’s natural systems work today, how they operated in the recent and ancient past, and how we expect they may behave in the future. Geoscience is real-world science, relevant to us all, everyday.

Our Earth has been around for more than four billion years so there’s a lot of information to work with. Some geoscientists work in a traditional broad area of Earth science like geology, geophysics, geochemistry and environmental geoscience. Others practice geoscience in one of many specialized areas, such as volcanology (volcanoes), paleontology (fossils) or geochronology (age-dating rocks); or they work in a new emerging discipline such as medical or forensic geology.  What’s important to remember is that there are many different types of geoscientists and different forms of geoscience practice.

If you’re working on a school project or simply want to find out more about geoscience and the work of geoscientists, visit Earth Sciences Canada for some great information.