n. (used with a sing. verb)
The physics of the earth and its environment, including the physics of fields such as meteorology, oceanography, and seismology.
geophysical ge'o·phys'i·cal adj.
geophysically ge'o·phys'i·cal·ly adv.
geophysicist ge'o·phys'i·cist (-ĭ-sĭst) n.
geophysics
Dictionary:
ge·o·phys·ics (jē'ō-fĭz'ĭks)  |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: geophysics |
For more information on geophysics, visit Britannica.com.
| Sci-Tech Encyclopedia: Geophysics |
Those branches of earth sciences in which the principles and practices of physics are used to study the Earth. Geophysics is considered by some to be a branch of geology, by others to be of equal rank. It is distinguished from the other earth sciences largely by its use of instruments to make direct or indirect measurements of the parts of the Earth being studied, in contrast to the more direct observations which are typical of geology. See also Geology.
Geophysics consists of several principal fields plus parallel and subsidiary divisions. These are commonly considered to include plutology, with geodesy, geothermometry, seismology, and tectonophysics as subdivisions; hydrospheric studies, hydrology (groundwater studies), oceanography, and glaciology; atmospheric studies, meteorology, and aeronomy; and several fields of geophysics which overlap one another, including geomagnetism and geoelectricity, geochronology, geocosmogony, and geophysical exploration and prospecting. Planetary sciences, the study of the planets and satellites aside from the Earth, are usually considered a branch of geophysics because the techniques used have been, until the first landings on each, entirely instrumental rather than directly observational. See also Geochronometry; Geodesy; Geoelectricity; Geomagnetism; Glaciology; Hydrology; Meteorology; Oceanography; Seismology.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: geophysics |
geophysics, study of the structure, composition, and dynamic changes of the earth, its atmosphere, hydrosphere and magnetosphere, based on the principles of physics. The term was probably first used in Germany, where it appeared in scientific writings of the mid-19th cent. Geophysics, which embraces the concepts, data, and methods of various other sciences, is very broad in scope. For example, geology, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, and seismology all enter into geophysical studies, with many of them overlapping (e.g., meteorology and oceanography in the study of possible global warming). Most techniques for locating subsurface petroleum, mineral deposits, and water supplies are reliant upon applied geophysics, including the use of seismic and electrical measurements at shallow depths and gravimetric, magnetic, and radiometric surveys at ground stations and in airplanes. Information is then correlated with visible surface features, subsurface conditions are inferred, and boreholes are drilled to determine the extent and richness of promising areas. Geophysics also is used to understand the interactions of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, including how certain anomalies in the ocean's circulation affect the atmosphere. Magnetosphere studies in geophysics concentrate on the magnetic field around the earth. Other geophysical studies are more specific, i.e. selenophysics, or the physics of the moon. Recent flyby spacecraft have accumulated extensive physical data, allowing geophysicists to theorize, by analogy to geophysical earth studies, about the underlying structures, atmospheres, and magnetospheres of other planets and satellites in the solar system.
| Science Dictionary: geophysics |
The science devoted to the study of the physical properties and processes of geological phenomena, including fields such as meteorology, oceanography, and seismology.
| Wikipedia: Geophysics |
Geophysics, a major discipline of the Earth sciences and a subdiscipline of physics, is the study of the whole Earth by the quantitative observation of its physical properties. Geophysical data are used in academics to observe tectonic plate motions, study the internal structure of the Earth, supplement data provided by geologic maps, and to nondestructively observe shallow deposits. Geophysical survey data are used to analyze potential petroleum reservoirs and mineral deposits, to locate groundwater, to locate archaeological finds, to find the thicknesses of glaciers and soils, and for environmental remediation. The theories and techniques of geophysics are employed extensively in the planetary sciences in general.
Contents |
Fields
- Geodesy,[1] measurement of the Earth: GPS, vertical and horizontal motions of the Earth's surface, navigation, the study of the Earth's gravitational field, and the size and form of the Earth
- The study of large-scale motions of the Earth's surface and interior, including:
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- Tectonophysics, the study of the physical processes that cause and result from plate tectonics
- Geodynamics, the study of modes of transport deformation within the Earth: rock deformation, mantle flow and convection, heat flow, lithosphere dynamics
- Seismology, the study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth
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- Most of our knowledge of the Structure of the Earth is derived from seismology
- Shallow seismology is used in exploration geophysics (to find oil and gas) and for environmental characterization of the subsurface
- Geomagnetism, the 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. This field is associated with paleomagnetism, or the measurement of the orientation of the Earth's magnetic field over the geologic past.
- Mathematical Geophysics, The development and applications of mathematical methods [2] and techniques for the solution of geophysical problems.[3]
- Geophysical surveying:
-
- Exploration and engineering geophysics, using surface methods to detect or infer the presence and position of concentrations of ore minerals and hydrocarbons
- Archaeological geophysics, for archaeological imaging or mapping
- Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, for locating underground storage tanks (UST's) or utilities, delineating landfills, locating voids or potential subsidence, finding depth to, P-wave or S-wave velocity of, or rippability of bedrock, or the pathway of groundwater movement
Related Disciplines
- Volcanology, the study of volcanoes, volcanic features (hot springs, geysers, fumaroles), volcanic rock, and heat flow related to volcanoes
- Atmospheric sciences, which includes:
-
- Atmospheric electricity and the ionosphere
- Aeronomy, the study of the physical structure and chemistry of the atmosphere.
- Meteorology and Climatology, which both involve studies of the weather.
- The study of water on the Earth, hydrology, physical oceanography and glaciology
- Geological and geophysical engineering and Engineering geology, applying geophysics to the engineering design of facilities including roads, tunnels, and mines
- The study of the rocks and minerals, including petrophysics and aspects of mineralogy such as physical mineralogy and crystal structure
History of geophysics
Main article: History of geophysics
The development of geophysics has been motivated by many theoretical and practical issues.
The term of geophysics was probably first used in Germany, where it appeared in scientific writings of the mid-19th century. The word geophysics was first used by Fröbel[4][5] as "geophysik" in 1834.
See also
- American Geophysical Union
- Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society
- European Geosciences Union
- Canadian Geophysical Union
- Royal Astronomical Society
- Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)
- List of geophysicists
- Important publications in geophysics (geology)
- Important publications in geophysics (physics)
- List of free geophysics software
- Fluid dynamics
- Journal of Geophysics and Engineering
References
- ^ Torge W., Geodesy, Walter de Gruyter Co., 3rd Edition, (2001).
- ^ Yang X.S., Introductory Mathematics for Earth Scientists, Dunedin Academic Press, (2009).
- ^ Chemin, J. Y. et al, Mathematical Geophysics, Oxford University Press, (2006).
- ^ Buntebarth, G. (1981) "Zur Entwicklung des Begriffes Geophysik", Abhandlungen der Braunschwiegischen Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft 32, 95-109
- ^ Beck, H. (1961) Alexander von Humboldt, 2 Vols (Wiesbaden: Steiner)
External links
- USGS Geomagnetism Program
- Case studies from TerraDat Geophysics documenting the use in shallow engineering and environmental applications
- Application of Geophysical Methods to Highway Related Problems
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Geophysics |
Français (French)
n. - géophysique
Deutsch (German)
n. - Geophysik, %
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - γεωφυσική
Português (Portuguese)
n. - geofísica (f)
Español (Spanish)
n. - geofísica
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - geofysik
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
地球物理学
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. pl. - 地球物理學
n. - 地球物理學
한국어 (Korean)
n. pl. - 지구 물리학
n. - 지구 물리
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) علم الفيزياء الأرضيه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - הפיסיקה של כדור-הארץ, גיאופיסיקה
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Sci-Tech Encyclopedia. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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| Science Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Read more |
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