The Rock Cycle

There are three major groups of rocks: igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks

•  Igneous rocks, formed from the cooling and crystallization of magma that occurred in and / out of the earth.
•  Sedimentary rocks are the rocks were deposited on the surface of the earth consisting of mineral and rock fragments before, the grain yield of biological processes or results of the crystallization of water.
• Metamorphic rocks is a rock group resulting from the change processes earlier rock into a new rock caused by changes in temperature, pressure and fluid.

The rock cycle (Figure 1) describes the process of interaction and transformation of the three groups of rocks rocks. This process is controlled by the such as internal and external tectonic namely air and water water.

Figure 1. The rock cycle

What is Geology ?

Geology is the study of a broad aspect of the earth, including the physical properties and chemical processes that occur and everything wich have relationship with it and the history of its life. Basically, geology consists three aspects: process, space, and time. In addition, the geology has a relationship with some other basic sciences like Chemistry, Biology, and Physics as shown in Figure 1 below

Figure 1. Relationship of geology and other basic sciences

Various aspects of process and aspects require a basic knowledge of geology. For example, natural resources and energy (especially oil and gas), development, environment and natural disasters.

New applications in Geological Sciences Modern :

- Mineralogy and Medicine (Pollution of the environment such as asbestos, mercury and peptisida).

- Geology ancient environment (Geoarchaeologi)

- Earthquakes and Volcanoes disaster

The concept of modern geology

Uniformitarianism is the basic concept of modern geology. It states that the laws of physics, chemistry and biology of the present day also took place in the past. The forces and processes that shape the Earth's surface as we observe today has been going on since the formation of Earth. This concept is better known as The present is the key to the past.

Since then people realize that the earth is always changing. Thus it is clear that geology is closely related to time.

Knowledges relating to geology:
- Sedimentology

- Petrology,

- Petrography,

- Structural geology,

- Geomorphology,

- Palaeontology,

- Etc.