4.1: What's Under Our Feet?

What’s Under Our Feet?

Pop culture and Hollywood have journeyed to the center of the Earth several times; however, humans have never actually been there. We are not even able to see directly into the Earth’s interior! Instead, geologists use evidence from drilling Links to an external site., proxies like moon rocks Links to an external site. and meteorites Links to an external site., samples of the Earth’s interior expelled by volcanoes (like diamonds Links to an external site. and peridotite Links to an external site.), seismic activity, and computer modeling to learn more about the composition and structure of Earth’s interior.

Knowledge of the Earth’s interior is the basis for geology and helps us understand the many processes operating inside and at the Earth’s surface, notably plate tectonics Links to an external site.. In this section, we will see how the Earth is structured, what its physical characteristics are, and how the internal structure of the Earth impacts us living on the surface.

Seismologists, geophysicists, volcanologists, and other disciplines may all study the internal Earth. Each branch uniquely investigates Earth’s internal structure and the impacts that structure has on its internal and external workings. Like other geoscientists, interdisciplinary collaboration is common, with a strong influence from both math and technology sectors. Many of these geoscientists are employed by universities where they teach and/or do research, and state and federal agencies, including geological surveys like the California Geological Survey Links to an external site. or United State Geological Survey (USGS) Links to an external site.. Additional career pathways are available in the private sector, including in mining and natural resource extraction. Many of these career options require a college degree and postgraduate work. If you are interested in becoming a deep earth scientist, talk to your geology instructor for advice. We recommend completing as many math and science courses as possible (chemistry is incredibly important for mineralogy). Also, visit National Parks Links to an external site., CA State Parks Links to an external site., museums, gem & mineral shows, or join a local rock and mineral club. Typically, natural history museums will have wonderful displays of rocks, including those from your local region. Here in California, there are a number of large collections, including the San Diego Natural History Museum Links to an external site., Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Links to an external site., Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Links to an external site., and Kimball Natural History Museum Links to an external site.. Many colleges and universities also have their own collections/museums.