Welcome to Geology at Auburn University!

Geology (from Greek: γη, ge, "earth"; and λόγος, logos, "speech") is the study of the Earth, including its materials, processes, and history. Basic materials studied are rocks, minerals, and fossils. Also included are resources such as metals, gemstones, fossil fuels, and goundwater. Processes are those found deep within the Earth where temperatures and pressures are high, as well as those that take place under low-temperature, low-pressure conditions at the Earth's surface, where organic as well as inorganic processes are found. The history of the planet is recorded in rock and mineral products and in the record of life as preserved by fossils.

Because of the wide range of materials and processes studied, geology is very interdisciplinary. For example, those geologists interested in chemical processes and products are known as geochemists, researchers who apply physics to answer geological problems are geophyisists, paleobiologists employ a more biologic background to study the fossil record, etc. Furthermore, the Earth is currently viewed as a system made up, not only rocks and fossils, but the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere as well. Today, geologists are applying the results of research on planet Earth to other heavenly bodies. This is the area known as planetary geology or astrogeology.

In spite of its interdisciplinary nature, geology is not simply a combination of other disciplines. It has its own unique concepts and fundamental paradigms. Two of the most important of these are "geologic time" and plate tectonics. These concepts have withstood the test of decades of research and permeate the many subdisciplines of geology.

Througout the history of geology, research findings have been applied to the economic needs of our society. Geology graduates find employment in the oil and gas industry, in mining, in Earth-surface and subsurface water (hydrology), and in environmental concerns such as pollution and remediation of environmental hazards. Currently, with the high price of oil and economically important metals (e.g, gold and copper), jobs in geology are plentiful and financially rewarding. This boom in demand for geology graduates is good for students who choose to go into academia or government positions as well.

The geology program at Auburn is well balanced, including a nearly equal number of faculty members in "hard rock" (igneous and metamorphic rocks) and "soft rock" geology (sedimentary rocks and fossils). Investigate the rest of this web site for details about our program.