What are Geophysics, Geomorphology and Geology?

Işık Arda Yardımsever
Oct 7
9 min read

Every branch of science draws on other fields, including surveying, GIS applications , and aviation. Some maps go beyond simply showing borders; elevations, climates, and other details of regions are visualized in thematic maps. Geology also plays a significant role in 3D modeling and drone applications . So, what does geology mean and what does it study? If you're looking for information about geology, you've come to the right place.

What is Geology?

What Does Geology Study?

What is a Geological Map?

What is the Use of a Geological Map?

Geological Map of Türkiye

Istanbul Geological Map

What is Geomorphology?

What Does Geomorphology Study?

Branches of Science That Geomorphology Benefits From

Extreme Events of Geological Geomorphology Origin

Difference Between Geology and Geomorphology

What is Geophysics?

What is the Science of Geophysics?

Difference Between Geophysical and Geological

What is Geology?

Geology is the study of the Earth's surface and subsurface, including its structure, composition, and the processes that have shaped it over time. It encompasses the study of rocks, minerals, Earth's layers, and geological history, as well as plate tectonics, natural resources, and environmental changes. General geology studies the Earth's physical materials and their changes over billions of years, helping to understand its history, predict natural disasters, and manage resources.

What Does Geology Study?

Geology examines the Earth's history, from past to present, and its future. It also synthesizes the Earth's natural elements, such as rocks, soil, and water. More specifically:

Mineralogy: The structure, chemical composition, physical properties and uses of minerals.
Petrology: Formation, properties and classification of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
Geochemistry: Distribution of elements in the Earth's crust and chemical processes in rocks and minerals.
Tectonic and Structural Geology: Movement of continents, fault lines, folds, formation of mountains and ocean trenches.
Volcanology: The structure of volcanoes, eruption patterns, lava and gas movements and volcanic risks.
Geophysics: Physical properties of the subsurface through methods such as earthquake waves, magnetic fields and gravity.
Geodesy: The shape, dimensions, surface measurements of the Earth and their changes over time.
Geomorphology: The formation and development of landforms such as mountains, plains and valleys.
Glacial Geology: The movement of glaciers, their melting and their effects on landforms.
Historical Geology: The geological past of the Earth, the evolution of the continents and climate changes.
Stratigraphy: The sequence and age relationships of rock layers in the Earth's crust.
Paleontology: The study of past life forms and evolution through fossils.
Hydrogeology: The formation, movement, storage and quality of ground and surface water.
Natural Resource Geology: Exploration for coal, oil, natural gas, geothermal energy and minerals.
Disaster Geology: Causes, prediction and effects of earthquakes, landslides, floods and volcanic eruptions.
Engineering Geology: Investigation of soil and rock properties in dam, tunnel, road and urbanization projects.
Sedimentology: The analysis of sedimentary rocks, their depositional environments, and past environmental conditions.
Seismology: The propagation of earthquake waves, earthquake sources and seismic risks.
Remote Sensing and Planetary Geology: Studying the structure of the Earth and other planets using satellite data.

What is a Geological Map?

A geological map, or geologic map, is a map that shows the distribution, nature, and age of rock units and geological features on Earth's surface. It uses various colors and symbols to represent different rock types, formations, and structural features such as faults, folds, and contacts between rock layers. The map is usually based on topography and shows what would be seen when the soil is removed, revealing the underlying bedrock.

What is the Use of a Geological Map?

The primary purposes of geological mapping include discovering natural resources (such as minerals, groundwater, and fossil fuels), reconstructing geologic history, identifying natural hazards , predicting soil and rock properties for engineering, and assisting in land-use planning and environmental management. Geologic maps are essential tools for understanding the Earth's structure, planning construction projects , assessing disasters, and managing resources.

Geological Map of Türkiye

The geological map of Turkey clearly reveals the rich geological structure of our country. Neogene and younger sediments are concentrated in Western Anatolia, while granitic masses and metamorphic units are prominent in Central Anatolia. Extensive volcanic fields are found in Eastern Anatolia, while Paleozoic and Mesozoic rock belts extend across Northern Anatolia. This diversity on Turkey's map is a result of Anatolia's location within the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt and its continuous transformation through different geological periods.

Istanbul Geological Map

A geological map of Istanbul reveals that Carboniferous sandstones, shales, and siltstones (the Thrace Formation) cover a large area in the north. In the east and south, Ordovician–Silurian rocks and Triassic–Neogene series are prominent. Permian and Upper Cretaceous granites also crop out around Şile and Gebze, reflecting the region's geological diversity and complex tectonic history.

Geology Museums of Türkiye

The most popular geology museums in our country include the Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Geology Museum, the Kütahya Geology Museum, the METU Geology Museum, and the Şehit Cuma Dağ Natural History Museum. We highly recommend visiting them for anyone interested in earth science.

Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Geology Museum

Located in Istanbul, it is Türkiye's first geology museum. Its collection dates back to 1915 and contains over 8,000 fossil, mineral, and rock specimens. It includes examples from various fields of geology, including fossils, minerals, igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, and educational posters. The museum focuses primarily on paleontology, mineralogy, and petrography.

Kütahya Geology Museum

Located in the historic Şengül Hamam in Kütahya, the museum opened in 2008. Kütahya's rich underground resources, particularly boron, lignite, ceramic raw materials, and magnesite, are showcased in the museum. Thermal and geothermal resources are also prominent. The museum focuses on the region's mineralogy, mining geology, and industrial minerals.

METU Geology Museum

Founded in 1995 within the Department of Geological Engineering at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, the museum displays rock, mineral, and fossil specimens from various regions of Türkiye. The museum is used for educational and research purposes in mineralogy, petrography, paleontology, and general geology. Geological maps, laboratory materials, and scientific studies are also displayed.

Martyr Cuma Mountain Natural History Museum

Founded on February 7, 1968, it is Türkiye's first and largest natural history museum. Located in Ankara, the museum moved to its new three-story building in 2003. Its collections include over 5,000 fossils, minerals, rocks, and ore specimens from various regions of Turkey and the world. The museum focuses on various areas of geology, including paleontology, mineralogy, and petrography, as well as scientific exhibits on space and the solar system.

What is Geomorphology?

Geomorphology is the scientific study of Earth's landforms, their formation and development, and the various factors that influence them over time. It investigates how natural processes such as erosion, tectonic activity, and climate change, as well as human influences, have altered the Earth's surface. Geomorphologists analyze the history and dynamics of landforms and seek to understand why the Earth appears the way it does, often using field observations, experiments, and advanced technologies such as aerial mapping and satellite imagery.

What Does Geomorphology Study?

General geomorphology focuses on understanding how landforms and landscapes are shaped and transformed over time. Landforms such as mountains, valleys, dunes, plateaus, river valleys, floodplains, and volcanic features are studied. The natural processes that create and change these landforms, such as erosion, sedimentation, weathering, tectonic movements, and sediment transport, are studied. Human activities and their impacts on natural landform processes are also a focus of geomorphology studies.

Branches of Science That Geomorphology Benefits From

Of course, a detailed examination of landform change and formation requires extensive interdisciplinary teamwork. Geomorphology's subsidiary disciplines include geology, geophysics, chemistry, physics, geography, climatology, geochemistry, pedology, oceanography, and statistics. These disciplines contribute to geomorphology as follows:

Geology: Explains the origin of geomorphological shapes by examining the rock structure and geological processes of the Earth's crust.
Geophysics: Helps to understand the dynamics of geomorphological formations by revealing the underground structure and fault lines.
Chemistry: Explains the processes of weathering and dissolution by examining the chemical composition of rocks and soils.
Physics: Provides an understanding of gravity, fluid mechanics, and energy processes, as well as erosion, stream movements, and mass movements.
Geography: Evaluates geomorphological processes from a spatial perspective by considering landforms in the context of human and environmental relations.
Climatology: Examines climate conditions and reveals the effects of wind, precipitation and temperature changes on landforms.
Geochemistry: Explains the processes of rock weathering and soil formation by examining element cycles in minerals.
Pedology: Shows the surface reflections of geomorphological processes by investigating soil formation and properties.
Oceanography: Contributes to the understanding of coastal geomorphology by examining seabed and coastal processes.
Statistics: Helps to derive reliable conclusions from geomorphological measurements by analyzing and modeling data.

What is a Geomorphology Map?

A geomorphological map is a specialized map that depicts landforms, focusing on landforms and features. It synthesizes information about the shape, material composition, and processes that create landforms. These maps depict features such as mountains, valleys, rivers, and other topographic features and often depict elevations, contours, and geomorphological boundaries.

Why Are Geomorphological Maps Used?

Geomorphological maps are used to reveal landform relationships, which helps understand individual landforms and overall landscapes. These can be either traditional field-based maps or computer-aided digital maps, and often form the basis for more advanced thematic or applied geomorphological studies, such as geoconservation or hazard mapping. They are commonly used as:

Bathymetric Maps: Shows underwater terrain such as ocean floors.
Geological Maps: Shows the rock types and structures related to the formation of the landform.
Land Use Maps: Show human activities that affect the landscape.
Thematic Maps: Focus on specific geomorphological themes or data.

Extreme Events of Geological Geomorphology Origin

Extreme events originating in geology and geomorphology stem from dynamic processes occurring within the Earth's crust and the Earth's surface. Earth movements, tectonic forces, volcanic activity, and surface erosion or mass movements are the primary causes of these events. These events, which often lead to sudden and devastating effects, affect the entire environment.

Extreme Events of Geomorphological Origin
- Landslide: The sliding of soil and rock masses down slopes under the influence of gravity.
- Erosion: The wearing away and removal of surface material by streams, wind, or glaciers.
- Avalanche: Rapid movement of snow masses down mountain slopes.
- Coastal erosion and deposition: Rapid changes in coastal formations caused by waves and currents.
- Glacial movements: Sudden surface changes caused by the advance or melting of glaciers.
Extreme Events of Geological Origin
- Earthquake: Sudden release of energy along fault lines in the Earth's crust.
- Volcanic eruptions: Explosions and lava flows that occur when magma reaches the surface.
- Tsunami: Giant waves resulting from earthquakes or volcanic activity on the sea floor.
- Soil liquefaction: During an earthquake, saturated sandy soil loses its solid properties and behaves like a liquid.
- Landslides and sinkholes: Sudden collapses on the surface due to the collapse of underground cavities.

Extreme Events of Geological Geomorphology Origin

Difference Between Geology and Geomorphology

Feature	Geology	Geomorphology
Definition	It studies the structure and composition of the Earth and the processes of change over time.	It is the branch of science that studies the Earth's landforms, formations, development and changes over time.
Area of Study	Rocks, minerals, earth's crust, plate tectonics, natural resources, geological history.	Landforms such as mountains, valleys, riverbeds, plateaus, dunes, and volcanic features.
Focus	The material composition of the Earth and its historical change.	Dynamics of shape and structural processes on the earth's surface.
Processes	Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock formation, plate movements, volcanic and seismic activities.	Erosion, sedimentation, weathering, tectonic movements, transport and human impact.
Aim	Understanding the past, predicting natural disasters, managing resources.	To understand the formation mechanisms of landforms and to examine their change processes.
Area of Use	Analyzing underground structure using geophysical methods, engineering projects, natural resource exploration.	Land planning, environmental assessment, erosion and flood risk analysis.

The distinction between geology and geomorphology becomes clearer with their focal points and areas of study. Furthermore, the distinction between geology and geomorphology can be more easily understood through scientific approaches and intended uses.

What is Geophysics?

Geophysics, in short, is the branch of science that attempts to understand phenomena such as earthquakes, magnetic fields, tides, and climate by applying physical laws . It investigates both the Earth's internal structure and surface processes using data and methods derived from physics. Geophysics also encompasses the study of the oceans, atmosphere, and near-Earth space, including fluid dynamics, electromagnetism, and solar-Earth interactions.

What is the Science of Geophysics?

Geophysics is a natural science discipline that studies the physical processes and properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment by applying the principles and methods of physics. Geophysics encompasses subfields such as seismology (the study of seismic waves), geomagnetism (the study of the Earth's magnetic field), and geodesy (the study of the Earth's gravitational field). It combines mathematics, physics, and geology to understand both surface and interior Earth processes and near-Earth space phenomena.

Difference Between Geophysical and Geological

Feature	Geophysics	Geology
Definition	It is the branch of science that studies the internal structure of the Earth and underground processes using physical methods.	It is the branch of science that studies the structure, composition and change processes of the Earth over time.
Focus	Underground structure, gravity, magnetic field, seismic waves and physical properties.	Rocks, minerals, plate movements, volcanic and seismic processes.
Area of Use	Earthquake risk analysis, natural resource exploration, engineering projects, modeling of underground structures.	Geological history research, natural disaster prediction, resource management, land planning.
Methods	Seismic, gravity, magnetic and electrical measurements, underground scanning.	Field observations, rock and mineral studies, stratigraphy and paleontology.
Aim	Understanding and measuring the physical properties of the subsurface.	Understanding the history and structure of the Earth and interpreting natural processes.

The difference between geophysics and geology lies in their approaches and measurement methods. The distinction between geology and geophysics demonstrates that both disciplines offer different but complementary ways to understand the Earth.