1.  The science dealing with soils as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth.  http://soils.usda.gov/education/facts/careers.html http://soils.usda.gov/education/facts/careers.html

2.  The branch of anthropology that studies prehistoric people and their cultures  http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=archeo logy http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=archeo logy

3.  The scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere  http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Astronomy http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Astronomy

4.  Study of the chemical composition of the natural atmosphere, the way gases, liquids, and solids in the atmosphere interact with each other and with the earth's surface and associated biota, and how human activities may be changing the chemical and physical characteristics of the atmosphere.  http://www.mpch-mainz.mpg.de/~sander/chem-intro.html http://www.mpch-mainz.mpg.de/~sander/chem-intro.html

5.  The scientific study of climate. Part of meteorology which studies processes of climate formation, distribution of climates over the globe, analysis of the causes of differences of climate(physical climatology), and the application of climatic data to the solution of specific design or operational problems (applied climatology).  http://nsidc.org/arcticmet/glossary/climatology.html http://nsidc.org/arcticmet/glossary/climatology.html

6.  Soil Science deals with soils as an environmental resource. It includes soil characterization, classification, and mapping, and the physical, chemical, hydrologic, mineralogical, biological, and microbiological analysis of soil.  http://becomeasoilscientist.blogspot.com/p/definition-of-soil-science.html http://becomeasoilscientist.blogspot.com/p/definition-of-soil-science.html

7.  Gemology, the study and science of gems, can be as much an anthropological study as it is a mineralogical one. Gemstones, because of their remarkable beauty, durability and rarity, have been granted a significance that helps us understand the history of mankind.  http://gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Introduction_to_Gemology http://gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Introduction_to_Gemology

8.  Aging of artifacts based on the age of the geological formations in which they are located.

9.  Study of the interactions of (micro)organisms and materials in their environments.  http://www.groundwaterscience.com/free-article-library/well-performance-maintenance-and- rehabilitation/geomicrobiology/menu-id-134.html http://www.groundwaterscience.com/free-article-library/well-performance-maintenance-and- rehabilitation/geomicrobiology/menu-id-134.html

10.  Study of ice in the environment. Important components are seasonal snow, sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets and frozen ground. The extent of these types of ice reflects the present and past climate.  http://www.ess.washington.edu/surface/Glaciology/what.html http://www.ess.washington.edu/surface/Glaciology/what.html

11.  Science that encompasses the occurrence, distribution, movement and properties of the waters of the earth and their relationship with the environment within each phase of the hydrologic cycle.  http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hydrology.html http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hydrology.html

12.  The study of the occurrence, movement, and changes in the state of water in the atmosphere. The term is also used in a more restricted sense, especially by hydrologists, to mean the study of the exchange of water between the atmosphere and continental surfaces. This includes the processes of precipitation and direct condensation, and of evaporation and transpiration from natural surfaces. Considerable emphasis is placed on the statistics of precipitation as a function of area and time for given locations or geographic regions  http://www.ecomii.com/science/encyclopedia/hydrometeorology http://www.ecomii.com/science/encyclopedia/hydrometeorology

13.  Study of inland waters – lakes (both freshwater and saline), reservoirs, rivers, streams, wetlands, and groundwater – as ecological systems interacting with their drainage basins and the atmosphere.  http://www.aslo.org/limnology.html http://www.aslo.org/limnology.html

14.  Study of life in the oceans and other saltwater environments such as estuaries and wetlands. All plant and animal life forms are included from the microscopic picoplankton all the way to the majestic blue whale, the largest creature in the sea—and for that matter in the world.  http://marinebio.org/oceans/marine-biology.asp http://marinebio.org/oceans/marine-biology.asp

15.  Study of the changes in temperature, air pressure, moisture, and wind direction in the troposphere.  http://www.wxdude.com/page1.html http://www.wxdude.com/page1.html

16.  Mineralogy is a branch of the earth sciences that is concerned with studying minerals and their physical and chemical properties. Within mineralogy there are also those who study how minerals are formed, where they are geographically located, as well as their potential uses.  http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mineralogy.htm http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mineralogy.htm

17.  The study of the deep sea and shallow coastal oceans: biology, chemistry, geology and physics together.  http://www.eos.ubc.ca/academic/careers/oceanography.html http://www.eos.ubc.ca/academic/careers/oceanography.html

18.  Study of climate prior to the widespread availability of records of temperature, precipitation and other instrumental data. NOAA is particularly interested in the last few thousand years because this is the best dated, best sampled part of the past climatic record and can help us establish the range of natural climatic variability in a period prior to global- scale human influence.  http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/primer.html http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/primer.html

19.  Study of ancient or prehistoric life on earth. Its main goal is to investigate the evolution of plant and animal species as well as the earth's ancient ecosystems and climate as a whole. Although concerned with life, paleontology is actually a branch of geology; the study of physical nature.  http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-paleontology.htm http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-paleontology.htm

20.  Petrology is the scientific study of rocks. A petrologist is a scientist who examines rocks to determine their origin, composition, and geologic history. By studying rocks, one can learn about past climates and geography, the past and present composition of the Earth, and conditions within the interior of the Earth.  http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/metals-other-materials/what- petrology-what-does-petrologist-do http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/metals-other-materials/what- petrology-what-does-petrologist-do

21.  Seismology is the study of earthquakes and seismic waves that move through and around the earth. A seismologist is a scientist who studies earthquakes and seismic waves.  http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/waves.html http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/waves.html

22.  Speleology is a scientific discipline that is concerned with all aspects of caves, cave systems and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time.  http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061024222712AAdcV27 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061024222712AAdcV27

23.  A branch of geology that deals with volcanism (the study of volcanoes).  http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/what-volcanology.html http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/what-volcanology.html