Geological Sciences

The geological sciences deal with the resources, processes and risks of planet Earth. Their methods are strictly scientific, but through their connection to the history of life and the Earth, they also have a historical component that is unique among the natural sciences.

Analysis and prediction of geological processes require the reconstruction of past events through the (global or local) study of rocks, minerals and fossils, which is usually done in an interdisciplinary manner in the geological sciences using various methods. Therefore, there are various disciplines in the geological sciences: In geophysics, the structure of the earth's interior and changes are investigated using physical methods. Mineralogists, hydrogeologists and geochemists deal with the properties and frequencies of the solid (mineral), liquid and gaseous components of the planet, structural geologists and sedimentologists interpret terrain changes such as mountain formation, plate tectonics and sedimentary basin formation, and paleontology studies interactions between life on earth and the earth's surface.

The importance of the geological sciences arises from the dependence of our civilization on resources such as water, energy and metal raw materials and building materials. Today in particular, the search for deposits of materials that are important in sustainable and climate-friendly energy use (e.g. for the production of solar cells and batteries) is playing an increasingly important role compared to the exploration of conventional energy sources such as oil, coal, gas and uranium. Another focus of teaching and research in the geological sciences at the Free University of Berlin is the quantitative assessment of long- and short-term natural risks such as climate change, earthquake hazards, slope instability, volcanism, ecosystem resilience and economic risks, including their effective communication to the public, e.g. in the form of specifications for environmental protection and land use. To research and interpret geological processes today and in the history of the earth, geoscientists develop computer-based or experimental models that are compared with a large number of observational data. The combination of models with observational data enables a better understanding of the earth in all its complexity. Students can learn both the skills of creating such models (e.g. numerical modeling) and a variety of methods for obtaining observational data (e.g. analytical laboratory methods, remote sensing, mapping and field surveys). The strength of the training in the Geological Sciences degree program lies in the diverse range of methods and employment opportunities on the labor market.