The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geophysics: Geophysics – the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and composition; its dynamics and their surface expression in plate tectonics, the generation of magmas, volcanism and rock formation. However, modern geophysics organizations have a broader definition that includes the hydrological cycle including snow and ice; fluid dynamics of the oceans and the atmosphere; electricity and magnetism in the ionosphere and magnetosphere and solar-terrestrial relations; and analogous problems associated with the Moon and other planets.
Nature of geophysics Geophysics can be described as all of the following:
An academic discipline – branch of knowledge that is taught and researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined (in part), and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, and the learned societies and academic departments or faculties to which their practitioners belong. A scientific field (a branch of science) – widely recognized category of specialized expertise within science, and typically embodies its own terminology and nomenclature. Such a field will usually be represented by one or more scientific journals, where peer-reviewed research is published. There are several geophysics-related scientific journals. A natural science – one that seeks to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world using empirical and scientific methods. A physical science – one that studies non-living systems. An earth science – one that studies the planet Earth and its surroundings. A biological science – one that studies the effect of organisms on their physical environment. An interdisciplinary field – one that overlaps atmospheric sciences, geology, glaciology, hydrology, oceanography and physics.
Branches of geophysics Biogeophysics – study of how plants, microbial activity and other organisms alter geologic materials and affect geophysical signatures. Exploration geophysics – the use of surface methods to detect concentrations of ore minerals and hydrocarbons. Geophysical fluid dynamics – study of naturally occurring, large-scale flows on Earth and other planets. Geodesy – measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field. Geodynamics – study of modes of transport deformation within the Earth: rock deformation, mantle convection, heat flow, and lithosphere dynamics. Geomagnetism – study of the Earth's magnetic field, including its origin, telluric currents driven by the magnetic field, the Van Allen belts, and the interaction between the magnetosphere and the solar wind. Mathematical geophysics – development and applications of mathematical methods and techniques for the solution of geophysical problems. Mineral physics – science of materials that compose the interior of planets, particularly the Earth. Near-surface geophysics – the use of geophysical methods to investigate small-scale features in the shallow (tens of meters) subsurface. Paleomagnetism – measurement of the orientation of the Earth's magnetic field over the geologic past. Planetary Science – science of studying planets, celestial bodies, and planetary systems and their properties and processes. Seismology – study of the structure and composition of the Earth through seismic waves, and of surface deformations during earthquakes and seismic hazards. Tectonophysics – study of the physical processes that cause and result from plate tectonics.
History of geophysics History of geophysics
History of geomagnetism Timeline of the development of tectonophysics Vine–Matthews–Morley hypothesis
General geophysics concepts
Gravity Gravity of Earth
Bouguer anomaly Isostatic gravity anomaly Geoid Geopotential Gravity anomaly Undulation of the geoid
Heat flow Geothermal gradient
Internal heating
Electricity
Atmospheric electricity Atmospheric electricity
Lightning Sprite (lightning)
Electricity in Earth Electrical resistivity tomography Induced polarization Seismoelectrical method Spectral induced polarisation Spontaneous potential Telluric current
Electromagnetic waves Alfvén wave Dawn chorus (electromagnetic) Hiss (electromagnetic) Magnetotellurics Seismo-electromagnetics Transient electromagnetics Whistler (radio)
Fluid dynamics Geophysical fluid dynamics
Isostasy Post-glacial rebound Mantle convection Geodynamo
Magnetism
Geomagnetism subfields Environmental magnetism Magnetostratigraphy Paleomagnetism Rock magnetism
Earth's magnetic field
Description Geomagnetic pole Magnetic declination Magnetic inclination North Magnetic Pole South Magnetic Pole
Sources Geodynamo Magnetic anomaly Magnetosphere
Short-term changes Secular variation Geomagnetic secular variation Geomagnetic jerk
Long term behavior Apparent polar wander Geomagnetic excursion Geomagnetic pole Geomagnetic reversal Geomagnetic secular variation Polar wander True polar wander
Magnetostratigraphy Archaeomagnetic dating Polarity chron Magnetostratigraphy Superchron (currently redirected to Geomagnetic reversal#Moyero Reversed Superchron)
Rock magnetism Rock magnetism
Magnetic mineralogy Natural remanent magnetization Saturation isothermal remanence Thermoremanent magnetization Viscous remanent magnetization
Tectonic applications Plate reconstruction
Magnetic survey Aeromagnetic survey Geophysical survey Magnetic survey (archaeology) Magnetometer
Radioactivity Age of the Earth Geochronology Radiometric dating
Mineral physics Mineral physics
Creep Elasticity Melting Rheology Thermal expansion Viscosity
Vibration Seismology
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