GEOLOGY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does geology mean? 

• GEOLOGY (noun)
  The noun GEOLOGY has 1 sense:

1. a science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks

  Familiarity information: GEOLOGY used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GEOLOGY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("geology" is a kind of...):

earth science (any of the sciences that deal with the earth or its parts)

Domain member category:

anaclinal (of valleys and rivers; progressing in a direction opposite to the dip in surrounding rock strata)

shingling ((geology) sediment in which flat pebbles are uniformly tilted in the same direction)

cataclinal (of valleys and rivers; running in the direction of the dip in surrounding rock strata)

anticlinal (sloping downward away from a common crest)

synclinal (sloping downward toward each other to create a trough)

bedded; stratified (deposited or arranged in horizontal layers)

unstratified (not deposited in layers)

archaean; archean (of or relating to the earliest known rocks formed during the Precambrian Eon)

thrust (force (molten rock) into pre-existing rock)

stratify (form layers or strata)

interstratify (arrange rocks in alternating strata)

matrix ((geology) a mass of fine-grained rock in which fossils, crystals, or gems are embedded)

groundmass ((geology) the matrix of fine-grained crystalline material in which larger crystals are embedded)

endogenetic; endogenic (of rocks formed or occurring beneath the surface of the earth)

isostasy ((geology) a general equilibrium of the forces tending to elevate or depress the earth's crust)

hoodoo ((geology) a column of weathered and unusually shaped rock)

archaeozoic; archeozoic (of or belonging to earlier of two divisions of the Precambrian era)

azoic (before the appearance of life)

proterozoic (formed in the later of two divisions of the Precambrian era)

monoclinal (of a geological structure in which all strata are inclined in the same direction)

deflation ((geology) the erosion of soil as a consequence of sand and dust and loose rocks being removed by the wind)

clastic (of or belonging to or being a rock composed of fragments of older rocks (e.g., conglomerates or sandstone))

eruptive; igneous (produced by the action of fire or intense heat)

aqueous; sedimentary (produced by the action of water)

intrusive (of rock material; forced while molten into cracks between layers of other rock)

extrusive (of rock material; forced out while molten through cracks in the earth's surface)

changed (changed in constitution or structure or composition by metamorphism)

incumbent (lying or leaning on something else)

batholithic; batholitic (of or relating to a batholith)

tectonic (pertaining to the structure or movement of the earth's crust)

geomorphologic; geomorphological; morphologic; morphological; structural (pertaining to geological structure)

Moho; Mohorovicic discontinuity (the boundary between the Earth's crust and the underlying mantle)

principle of superposition; superposition; superposition principle ((geology) the principle that in a series of stratified sedimentary rocks the lowest stratum is the oldest)

crustal movement; tectonic movement (movement resulting from or causing deformation of the earth's crust)

heave ((geology) a horizontal dislocation)

upheaval; uplift; upthrow; upthrust ((geology) a rise of land to a higher elevation (as in the process of mountain building))

slide ((geology) the descent of a large mass of earth or rocks or snow etc.)

fault line ((geology) line determined by the intersection of a geological fault and the earth's surface)

bed ((geology) a stratum of rock (especially sedimentary rock))

clast ((geology) a constituent fragment of a clastic rock)

clastic rock ((geology) a rock composed of broken pieces of older rocks)

diapir (a domed rock formation where a core of rock has moved upward and pierced through the more brittle overlying strata)

esker ((geology) a long winding ridge of post glacial gravel and other sediment; deposited by meltwater from glaciers or ice sheets)

break; fault; faulting; fracture; geological fault; shift ((geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other)

formation; geological formation ((geology) the geological features of the earth)

Great Rift Valley (( geology) a depression in southwestern Asia and eastern Africa; extends from the valley of the Jordan River to Mozambique; marked by geological faults)

kettle; kettle hole ((geology) a hollow (typically filled by a lake) that results from the melting of a mass of ice trapped in glacial deposits)

moment magnitude scale (a logarithmic scale of 1 to 10 (a successor to the Richter scale) that enables seismologists to compare the energy released by different earthquakes on the basis of the area of the geological fault that ruptured in the quake)

peneplain; peneplane (a more or less level land surface representing an advanced stage of erosion undisturbed by crustal movements)

scablands ((geology) flat elevated land with poor soil and little vegetation that is scarred by dry channels of glacial origin (especially in eastern Washington))

sill ((geology) a flat (usually horizontal) mass of igneous rock between two layers of older sedimentary rock)

xenolith ((geology) a piece of rock of different origin from the igneous rock in which it is embedded)

geological phenomenon (a natural phenomenon involving the structure or composition of the earth)

accretion ((geology) an increase in land resulting from alluvial deposits or waterborne sediment)

eating away; eroding; erosion; wearing; wearing away ((geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it))

foliation ((geology) the arrangement of leaflike layers in a rock)

geologic process; geological process ((geology) a natural process whereby geological features are modified)

exceedance ((geology) the probability that an earthquake will generate a level of ground motion that exceeds a specified reference level during a given exposure time)

saltation ((geology) the leaping movement of sand or soil particles as they are transported in a fluid medium over an uneven surface)

superposition ((geology) the deposition of one geological stratum on another)

Mercalli scale (a scale formerly used to describe the magnitude of an earthquake; an earthquake detected only by seismographs is a I and an earthquake that destroys all buildings is a XII)

Richter scale (a logarithmic scale of 1 to 10 formerly used to express the magnitude of an earthquake on the basis of the size of seismograph oscillations)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "geology"):

hypsography (the scientific study of the earth's configuration above sea level (emphasizing the measurement of land altitudes relative to sea level))

palaeogeology; paleogeology (the study of geologic features once at the surface of the earth but now buried beneath rocks)

geophysical science; geophysics (geology that uses physical principles to study properties of the earth)

orography; orology (the science of mountains)

stratigraphy (the branch of geology that studies the arrangement and succession of strata)

mineralogy (the branch of geology that studies minerals: their structure and properties and the ways of distinguishing them)

spelaeology; speleology (the scientific study of caves)

economic geology (the branch of geology that deals with economically valuable geological materials)

Derivation:

geologic; geological (of or relating to or based on geology)

geologist (a specialist in geology)

 Context examples 

Cthulhu’s geology exhibits a wide variety of landscapes—from mountainous to smooth, and to heavily cratered and fractured.

(Methane Snow on Pluto’s Peaks, NASA)

We already know that about its geology and exotic hydrocarbon cycle.

(Dust Storms on Titan Spotted for the First Time, NASA)

The first map showing the global geology of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has been completed and fully reveals a dynamic world of dunes, lakes, plains, craters and other terrains.

(The First Global Geologic Map of Titan Completed, NASA)

The books were of the most varied kind—history, geography, politics, political economy, botany, geology, law—all relating to England and English life and customs and manners.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

While we normally think of continents as needing to be above water, researchers say the new continent does meet other requirements to the title, including elevation over the surrounding area, distinct geology, a well-defined area and crust thicker than the ocean floor, the BBC reports.

(Researchers Argue for Eighth Continent: Zealandia, VOA)

The ability to precisely define time scales is a fundamental challenge in geology, and these results are a big step forward in allowing scientists to understand the climate system over very long time scales, says Candace Major, a section head in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences.

(Deep-sea sediments lead to new understanding of solar system, National Science Foundation)

Seemingly dormant fractures lying above the moon's warm, underground sea point to the dynamic character of Enceladus' geology, suggesting the moon might have experienced several episodes of activity, in different places on its surface.

(Cassini Sees Heat Below the Icy Surface of Enceladus, NASA)

The fact that these western lakes are small - just tens of miles across - but very deep also tells scientists something new about their geology: It's the best evidence yet that they likely formed when the surrounding bedrock of ice and solid organics chemically dissolved and collapsed.

(Cassini Reveals Surprises with Titan's Lakes, NASA)

These meteorites are essentially excavated from a depth of about a kilometer below the surface by the initial impact that sent them out into space, so they aren't representative of the more recent geology at the surface of Mars.

(New Evidence for A Water-Rich History on Mars, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Botany variable, geology profound as regards the mud-stains from any region within fifty miles of town, chemistry eccentric, anatomy unsystematic, sensational literature and crime records unique, violin-player, boxer, swordsman, lawyer, and self-poisoner by cocaine and tobacco.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)