Did you know that Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that protects us from solar winds? This is just one of the many unique characteristics that makes our planet particularly suitable to sustain life. The study of geology and geophysics is centered around exploring all of Earth’s unique qualities—increasing our understanding of the composition, structure, history and processes. Such knowledge is vital to addressing societal needs and problems such as locating and characterizing energy, mineral and groundwater resources, assessing seismic and other geologic hazards and evaluating and remediating environmental contamination. Students pursuing this field of study will learn the foundations of chemistry, biology, physics and math with a specialization in plate tectonics, Earth materials, seismology and hydrology.
