petrology
Sign in to savethumb|A thin section of a volcanic sand grain seen under the [[microscope, with plane-polarized light in the upper picture, and cross-polarized light in the lower picture. Scale box is 0.25 mm.]]
AI overview
Petrology is the scientific study of rocks, including their composition, structure, and how they form. It matters because understanding rocks helps us learn about Earth's history, locate valuable resources like metals and oil, and better predict geological hazards.
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Article
8 sectionsContents
- Background
- Methodology
- Branches
- See also
- References
- Citations
- Sources
- External links
thumb|A thin section of a volcanic sand grain seen under the [[microscope, with plane-polarized light in the upper picture, and cross-polarized light in the lower picture. Scale box is 0.25 mm.]]
Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rocks, their mineralogy, composition, texture, structure and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous and metamorphic petrology are commonly taught together because both make heavy use of chemistry, chemical methods, and phase diagrams. Sedimentary petrology is commonly taught together with stratigraphy because it deals with the processes that form sedimentary rock. Modern sedimentary petrology is making increasing use of chemistry.