What is Earth science?
[[Image:Volcano q.jpg|thumb|250px|A [[volcano]] eruption is the release of stored energy from below the surface of Earth. The heat comes mostly from [[radioactive decay]], and [[convection]], in the Earth's [[Planetary core|core]] and [[Mantle (geology)|mantle]].<ref>''Encyclopedia of Volcanoes''. Academic Press, London, 2000.</ref>]] '''Earth science''' is an all-embracing term for the [[science]]s related to the planet [[Earth (planet)|Earth]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=earth%20science |title=Wordnet Search: Earth science |access-date=2010-10-09 |archive-date=2020-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410063158/https://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=earth%20science |url-status=dead }}</ref> Earth science may also be called '''geoscience'''. Geoscience is the study of the [[architecture]] of the Earth. It is a broader term than [[geology]] because it includes aspects of [[planetary science]], which is part of [[astronomy]]. The Earth sciences include the study of the [[atmosphere]], [[ocean]]s and [[biosphere]], as well as the solid earth. Typically Earth scientists use ideas from [[physics]], [[chemistry]], [[biology]], [[chronology]] and [[mathematics]] to understand the Earth, and how it evolved to its current state. If there is one fact which underlies all Earth science it is this: the Earth is an [[ancient]] [[planet]] which has been changing the whole time since its [[Age of the Earth|formation]]. The extent of the changes is much greater than people used to think.<ref>Van Andel, Tjeerd 1994. ''New views on an old planet: a history of global change''. 2nd ed, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK.</ref> ==Fields of study== [[File:Ordovicium-Silurian.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Ordovician]]–[[Silurian]] boundary, an example of [[Ocean|marine]] transgression as exposed on the Southern tip of the Hovedøya island, [[Norway]]. Due to the folding of the [[Caledonian]] mountain range, the layers have been inverted, leaving Ordovician granular [[limestone]] on