Bedrock geology studies the solid rock layers beneath loose surface material. It provides insight into the earth’s history and helps identify safe areas for building. Geologists study the composition, age, and type of rocks to understand the earth’s past and future. Bedrock also determines the path of moving water, and geologists produce maps to identify mineral-rich areas and protect human safety. Critics may view geologists as environmental enemies, but their work provides important data for environmentalism.
Source rock geology is the study of layers of solid rock beneath loose surface material such as sand and earth. By studying the geology of bedrock, scientists can gain a better understanding of the earth’s history beyond human recording capabilities, back to the planet’s ancient days. The study of bedrock can also be used to benefit human endeavors, as it can identify safe and unsafe areas to build or live in.
Long before humans existed, the earth moved and changed its shape. Rather than the great unmoving mass that the planet appears to be, landmasses are constantly shifting and changing, albeit at an excruciatingly slow rate. Studying bedrock geology may be as close as humans get to going back to a time machine in ancient times. By studying the composition, age and type of rocks that make up bedrock, geologists can get a clear picture of what the earth once looked like, how it became what it is today, and what it might look like in the distant future.
The geology of the parent rock is also responsible for the earth’s drainage system. Depending on the type of rock and its susceptibility to forces such as erosion and glaciation, bedrock often determines the path of moving water such as rivers and streams. Understanding the patterns of drainage systems can help civil engineers determine the placement of new buildings and cities. It is undesirable to place a brand new city in the middle of what will likely soon be part of a river, and mistakes like this can often be avoided with careful geological studies.
Bedrock geologists spend much of their time doing field surveys to produce bedrock maps. These maps are useful in a variety of ways, and accuracy is extremely important. Bedrock maps can identify areas of rock containing minerals for excavation, cite potential areas for well and oil drilling, and even protect human safety by showing areas where high levels of metals can harm people. Geologists are often employed by civil engineering companies and large oil companies to point out the best and worst places to do their work.
Because bedrock geology is often viewed as an asset to oil and mining communities, critics may view some geologists as environmental enemies. By opening up new areas for drilling and mining operations, bedrock geologists are undoubtedly contributing to environmental damage and pollution, but critics may ignore the important benefits this area of science brings to environmentalism. By providing humans with data about the planet’s history, geologists are helping to discover how the earth has survived so long and what to expect from it in the future. With this information, environmentally concerned citizens may be able to devise better solutions to the current problems threatening the planet.
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