Portal:Earth sciences
Introduction
The major disciplines of Earth sciences use physics, mathematics, and chemistry to build a quantitative understanding of the principal areas or spheres of the Earth system. As in many sciences, the Earth can be studied both experimentally and theoretically. Also, there are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth Science.
Although mining and precious stones have been in human interests throughout the history of civilization, their development into the sciences of economic geology and mineralogy did not occur until the 18th century. The study of the earth, particularly palaeontology, blossomed in the 19th century and the growth of other disciplines like geophysics in the 20th century led to the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the 1960s, which has had a similar impact on the Earth sciences as the theory of evolution had on biology. Earth sciences today are closely linked to climate research and the petroleum and mineral exploration industries.
Applications of Earth sciences include the exploration and exploitation of mineral and hydrocarbon resources, cartography, weather forecasting patterns, and warning of volcanic eruptions. Earth sciences are related to the environmental sciences as well as the other subfields of planetary astronomy.
Selected article
Selected picture
Hurricane Katrina was the third most powerful storm of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane just north of Miami, Florida on August 25, 2005, then again on August 29 along the Central Gulf Coast near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana as a Category 4 storm. This photograph of the eye of the hurricane was taken from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft on August 28, 2005.
Did you know?
- ... that plate reconstructions (example pictured) that use magnetic stripe patterns can only go back to the Jurassic period, as there is no older oceanic crust?
- ...that during hot greenhouse periods in Earth's history, the tropics appeared to be cooler than they are today?
- ...that the 2002 Sumatra earthquake is considered to be a foreshock of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake?
- ...that the geology of the Grand Canyon area includes more than 40 identified rock layers?
- ...that Bristol Diamonds were popular souvenirs for visitors to the spa at Hotwells, Bristol in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?
- ...that hoodoos are tall skinny spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands?
Things you can do
- Edit an Earth sciences article
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- Watch its talk page for earth science-related issues on Wikipedia.
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- Add to the Did you know list.
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- Revive Earth sciences news.
- Review articles
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- If you see a problem you can't fix yourself, add a cleanup tag.
- Advanced Editing
- Expand a stub.
- Fix a tagged cleanup issue and remove the tag.
- Create a requested article.
WikiProjects
Quality content
- Climate change (More...)
Global warming · Rachel Carson · Retreat of glaciers since 1850
- Earthquakes (More...)
1949 Ambato earthquake · 1968 Illinois earthquake · 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens · 1997 Qayen earthquake · 2002 Bou'in-Zahra earthquake · 2005 Qeshm earthquake · 2007–2008 Nazko earthquakes
- Volcanoes (More...)
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens · 2007–2008 Nazko earthquakes · Amchitka · Armero tragedy · Calabozos · Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) · Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve · David A. Johnston · Geology of the Lassen volcanic area · Loihi Seamount · Mauna Kea · Mauna Loa · Metacomet Ridge · Mono–Inyo Craters · Mount Cayley volcanic field · Mount St. Helens · Mount Tambora · Nevado del Ruiz · Surtsey · The Volcano (British Columbia) · Upper and Lower Table Rock · Volcano (South Park) · Yellowstone National Park
- Other geology (More...)
Mary Anning · Archaea · Archaeopteryx · Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) · Bryce Canyon National Park · Calabozos · Chicxulub crater · Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event · Charles Darwin · Earth · Ediacara biota · Geology of the Bryce Canyon area · Geology of the Capitol Reef area · Geology of the Death Valley area · Geology of the Grand Canyon area · Geology of the Lassen volcanic area · Geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area · Global warming · Iridium · Oil shale · The Volcano (British Columbia) · Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory · Volcanology of Io · Yellowstone National Park
- Geography (More...)
Antarctica · Australia · Bryce Canyon National Park · Carlsbad Caverns National Park · Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve · Death Valley National Park · Geography of India · Geography of Ireland · National parks of England and Wales · Niagara Falls · Rondane National Park · Shoshone National Forest · Yellowstone National Park · Yosemite National Park · Zion National Park
1941 Atlantic hurricane season · 1991 Atlantic hurricane season · 1995 Pacific hurricane season · 1998 Pacific hurricane season · 2002 Atlantic hurricane season · 2003 Atlantic hurricane season · Category 5 Pacific hurricanes · Hurricane Isabel · Lists of Florida hurricanes · Lists of North Carolina hurricanes
· Retired Pacific hurricanes
Baja California Peninsula hurricanes · California hurricanes · Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes · Category 5 Pacific hurricanes · Delaware hurricanes · Florida hurricanes · Florida hurricanes (pre-1900) · Florida hurricanes (1900–1949) · Florida hurricanes (1950–1974) · Florida hurricanes (1975–1999) · Florida hurricanes (2000–present) · Largest volcanic eruptions · New Jersey hurricanes · New York hurricanes · North Carolina hurricanes · North Carolina hurricanes (pre-1900) · North Carolina hurricanes (1900–1949) · North Carolina hurricanes (1950–1979) · North Carolina hurricanes (1980–present) · Retired Pacific hurricane names · Retired Pacific typhoon names (JMA) · Sites of special scientific interest in Cornwall · Snow events in Florida · South America tropical cyclones · Storms in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season · Storms in the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season · Timeline of the far future · United States hurricanes · volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain · Volcanoes in Indonesia · Wettest tropical cyclones in the United States
Related topics
For a more comprehensive treatment of topics, see Outline of earth science and Index of earth science articles
| Atmosphere | Hydrosphere | Lithosphere |
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| Biosphere | Systems | Others |
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