{"id":1395,"date":"2016-04-13T15:42:40","date_gmt":"2016-04-13T15:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/geologyxwaymakerxmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=1395"},"modified":"2019-08-28T22:57:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T22:57:21","slug":"why-it-matters-science-of-geology","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/colorado-wmopen-geology\/chapter\/why-it-matters-science-of-geology\/","title":{"raw":"Why It Matters: Science of Geology","rendered":"Why It Matters: Science of Geology"},"content":{"raw":"

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\r\nAlan Lester with a group of students, Colorado National Monument (near Grand Junction, CO).\r\nGeology faculty and geology students certainly spend a lot of time in classrooms and labs; but quite of bit of learning happens in the outdoors!\r\n

Defining geology as a discipline that utilizes the basic methods of science.<\/h2>\r\n

Introduction<\/h3>\r\nGeology is, of course, the study of the earth, its surface, interior, and processes.\u00a0 The word is derived from the Greek root, ge or geo, meaning earth.\r\nStudy of the earth-- that's a big task.\r\n\r\nGeology does help us answer a lot of very basic questions like:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Where do our energy resources come from\u2014not just the gas in car, but the electricity in our homes, or the the components in cell phones and computers as well?<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Why do places like Japan have so many active volcanoes?<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Why are soils (and crops) different from place to place?<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Where does our water come from?<\/li>\r\n \t
  5. Why is Colorado somewhat immune to big earthquakes?<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nThroughout this course, we'll get answers to these sort of questions and others like them, but more importantly we'll see that\u00a0geology is not just about rocks but is in fact far more encompassing.\r\nMaybe at some point, you'll even agree that (at times) GEOLOGY ROCKS!\r\n

    Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n