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What differences are there between geology, petrology, and lithology?

If I were to get into any of those fields, what exactly would I be studying?

Also, are petrology and lithology just branches of geology?

Azzie Rogers
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1 Answers1

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The basic differences are:

Geology

  1. study of rocks and minerals: the study of the structure of the Earth or another planet, especially its rocks, soil, and minerals, and its history and origins
  2. structure of area: the rocks, minerals, and physical structure of a specific area

Petrology

  1. study of rocks: the study of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks with respect to their occurrence, structure, origin, history, and mineral content

Lithology

  1. description of the physical characteristics of a rock unit or rock formation, and actually not a scientific discipline as the two above
Gimelist
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Ben A. Noone
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    Lithology refers to a type of rock or a rock unit (I never heard that it is a scientific branch). – tobias47n9e Apr 17 '14 at 14:13
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    Yes, Lithology is a scientific study, and considered as a separate branch of geology. – Ben A. Noone Apr 17 '14 at 14:22
  • My English is once again worse than I thought: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lithology – tobias47n9e Apr 17 '14 at 14:24
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    @Spießbürger - It's not your english. I've never heard "lithology" referred to as a branch of geology. Someone who studies the details of lithology calls themselves a "petrologist", not a "lithologist". – Joe Kington Apr 17 '14 at 14:39
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    @Joe Kington It might be a really old definition, because OED also has it: http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/109165?redirectedFrom=lithology#eid – tobias47n9e Apr 17 '14 at 14:45
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    I'm with Joe — I've never heard "lithology" used that way. I suggest editing the answer. – Matt Hall Apr 18 '14 at 01:28
  • edited for preference of more recent definitions. – Ben A. Noone Apr 18 '14 at 02:49
  • I'd like to add that "petrologists" are usually considered to be scientists dealing with igneous and metamorphic rocks. If they are "sedimentary petrologists" there are usually just "sedimentologists". – Gimelist Aug 05 '14 at 09:04
  • Lithology is not a branch of geology, but a method for descriptive definition of rocks. Using petrology you would assign a rock a lithology description and name. –  Aug 24 '15 at 22:46