The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Earth science:
Diagram of the structure of the Earth including its atmosphere
Earth science– all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planetEarth.[1] It is also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earthquake sciences, and is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet.
Ecosphere[2][3]– there are many subsystems that make up the natural environment (the planetary ecosystem or "ecosphere") of the Earth. Many of the subsystems are characterized as "spheres", coinciding with the shape of the planet. The four spheres (for which most of the other spheres are a subtype of) are the atmosphere, the biosphere, the hydrosphere and the geosphere. Earth's ecosphere lies it self within the heliosphere (the Sun's astrosphere).[4] Listed roughly from outermost to innermost the named spheres of the Earth are:
Magnetosphere– The region around an astronomical object in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field
Atmosphere, the gases that surround the Earth (its air)
Hydrosphere– The combined mass of water found on, under, and above the surface of a planet, minor planet or natural satellite
Cryosphere– Those portions of Earth's surface where water is in solid form
Geosphere/Solid Earth– (Also sometimes a collective name for the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, and the atmosphere) The union of all solid parts of Earth and the Inner of Earth.
Pedosphere– The outermost layer of the Earth that is composed of soil and subject to soil formation processes
Outer layers
By composition
Crust (geology)– The outermost solid shell of a rocky planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite.
Earth's core– The inner part of the planet, formed by differential buoyancy of the component materials causing the denser materials to accumulate nearer to the centre.
Outer core– A fluid layer composed of mostly iron and nickel between Earth's solid inner core and its mantle.
Petrology– The branch of geology that studies the origin, composition, distribution and structure of rocks
Physical geodesy– The study of the physical properties of the Earth's gravity field
Sedimentology– The study of natural sediments and of the processes by which they are formed
Seismology– The scientific study of earthquakes and propagation of elastic waves through a planet
Paleoseismology– The study of earthquakes that happened in the past
Stratigraphy– The study of rock layers and their formation
Volcanology– The study of volcanoes, lava, magma and associated phenomena
Geography
Geography– The science that studies the terrestrial surface, the societies that inhabit it and the territories, landscapes, places or regions that form it.
Physical geography– The branch of natural science which deals with the study of processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere, as opposed to the cultural or built environment, the domain of human geography
Human geography– The study of cultures, communities and activities of peoples of the world
Geostatistics– A branch of statistics focusing on spatial data sets
Environmental chemistry – The scientific study of the chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places
Environmental soil science – The study of the interaction of humans with the pedosphere as well as critical aspects of the biosphere, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere.
Planetary geology – study of the geology of astronomical objects apparently in orbit around stellar objects
Selenography – study of the surface and physical features of the Moon
Theoretical planetology – the theoretical study of the internal structure of planets by making assumptions about their chemical composition and the state of their materials, then calculating the radial distribution of various properties such as temperature, pressure, or density of material across the planet's internals.
History of Earth science – history of the all-embracing sciences related to Earth. Earth science and all of its branches are branches of physical science.
History of atmospheric sciences – history of the umbrella study of the atmosphere, its processes, the effects other systems have on the atmosphere, and the effects of the atmosphere on these other systems.
History of biogeography – history of the study of the distribution of species (biology), organisms, and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time.
History of climatology – history of the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time
History of coastal geography – history of the study of the dynamic interface between the ocean and the land, incorporating both the physical geography (i.e. coastal geomorphology, geology, and oceanography) and the human geography (sociology and history) of the coast.
History of environmental science – history of an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems.
History of ecology – history of the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how they are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment.
History of Freshwater biology – history of the scientific biological study of freshwater ecosystems and is a branch of limnology
History of marine biology – history of the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water
History of parasitology – The history of parasitology studies parasites, their hosts, and their relationships.
History of population dynamics – history of population dynamics is the branch of life sciences that studies short-term and long-term changes in the size and age composition of populations and the biological and environmental processes influencing those changes.
History of environmental chemistry – The history of environmental chemistry is the scientific study of the chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places.
History of environmental soil science – The history of environmental soil science is the study of the interaction of humans with the pedosphere as well as critical aspects of the biosphere, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere.
History of environmental geology – The history of environmental geology, like hydrogeology, is an applied science concerned with the practical application of the principles of geology in solving environmental problems.
History of toxicology – history of the branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms.
History of geodesy – history of the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space
History of geography – history of the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth
History of geoinformatics – the history of the science and the technology used to develop and use information science infrastructure to address the problems of geography, geosciences, and related branches of engineering.
History of geology – history of studying Earth, with the general exclusion of present-day life, flow within the ocean, and the atmosphere.
History of planetary geology – the history of the planetary science discipline concerned with the geology of the celestial bodies, such as the planets and their moons, asteroids, comets, and meteorites.
History of geomorphology – history of the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them
History of geostatistics – history of the branch of statistics focusing on spatial or spatiotemporal datasets
History of geophysics – history of the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods.
History of glaciology – history of the study of glaciers, or more generally, ice, and natural phenomena that involve ice.
History of hydrology – history of studying water movement, distribution, and quality on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability.
History of hydrogeology – history of the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust (commonly in aquifers).
History of mineralogy – history of the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals.
History of meteorology – history of the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere, which explains and forecasts weather events.
History of seismology – history of the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or other planet-like bodies
History of soil science – history of the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth, including soil formation, classification, and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties concerning the use and management of soils.
History of topography – history of the study of surface shape and features of the Earth and other observable astronomical objects, including planets, moons, and asteroids.
History of volcanology – history of studying volcanoes, lava, magma, and related geological, geophysical and geochemical phenomena.
