Regional geology
As regional geology and regional geology all of the most important geological features is called a region. The term region stands for a larger state , part of a continent or even an entire continent .
The database for this is usually provided by the national geological services, in Austria the Federal Geological Institute , in Switzerland the Federal Office for Topography swisstopo and in Germany the geological state offices . These carry out the so-called geological land survey (systematic geological mapping ), in which the exact spatial distribution of distinguishable rock units ( formations ) and their stratigraphy and storage conditions as well as the structural construction of the subsoil ( folds , faults ) using outcrops , reading stones , boreholes , etc. is recorded or determined on a local scale (local geology). Further, often special, data result from research by the geoscientific institutes of universities and colleges and from the exploration activities of mining companies.
To display the geology of a larger area, this detailed, locally obtained information is summarized in an overview. With regard to stratigraphy, either lithostratigraphic groups and subgroups (on a smaller scale also formations) or chronostratigraphic stages and epochs are mainly tolerated. With regard to tectonics, only the main structural elements, i.e. H. Main faults as well as large hollows and saddles are taken into account. Furthermore, in such a summary z. B. also include the most important mineral resources and fossil deposits of the considered area. The presentation of the summary is generally in the form of a geological map and a detailed, up to several hundred pages long map description in text form in which the reconstructed from geological data geological development of the region, with a focus on the sedimentation and kinematic Story is dealt with. The regional geological data of all regions of the world can in turn be combined to form global geology.
The exact scale from which one speaks of local geology and when one speaks of regional geology also depends on the geographical scale in which the corresponding region is usually mapped. In Central Europe, a geological map on a scale of 1: 100,000 is considered to be regional geological, while in North America or Russia it is more of a local geological character.
Due to the type of determination, the level of knowledge of the geology of a particular region depends on its level of economic development and its infrastructure. For example, the regional geology of Africa is far less well known than the regional geology of Europe.
See also
literature
- Christiane Martin, Manfred Eiblmaier (Ed.): Lexicon of Geosciences. In six volumes, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg [et al.] 2000–2002.
- DG Roberts, AW Bally: Regional Geology and Tectonics: Principles of Geologic Analysis. Elsevier, Amsterdam 2012, ISBN 978-0-444-53042-4 .