geophysics

[ jee-oh-fiz-iks ]

noun

, (used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of geology that deals with the physics physics of the earth and its atmosphere, including oceanography, seismology, volcanology, and geomagnetism.

geophysics

/ ˌdʒiːəʊˈfɪzɪks /

noun

1. functioning as singular the study of the earth's physical properties and of the physical processes acting upon, above, and within the earth. It includes seismology, geomagnetism, meteorology, and oceanography

geophysics

/ jē′ō-fĭz′ĭks /

1. The scientific study of the physical characteristics of the Earth, including its hydrosphere and atmosphere, and of the Earth's relationship to the rest of the universe.

geophysics

1. The science devoted to the study of the physical properties and processes of geological phenomena, including fields such as meteorology , oceanography, and seismology .

Derived Forms

• ˌgeoˈphysicist, noun

Other Words From

• geo·physi·cal adjective
• geo·physi·cal·ly adverb
• geo·physi·cist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of geophysics¹

First recorded in 1885–90; geo- + physics

Example Sentences

I took an introductory geophysics class, just out of curiosity.

From Science News For Students

Wegener, who died in 1930, was an astronomer-turned-meteorologist who dabbled in paleontology and geophysics.

From Science News

By 1969, Science News quoted experts declaring that it was time for “plate tectonics to be accepted as a basic theoretical model in geophysics.”

From Science News

It’s scientifically useful to have a word to describe the cosmic bodies where interesting geophysics, including the conditions that enable life, occur, he says.

From Science News

Another team, led by Amir Khan, a scientist at the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich and at the Physics Institute at the University of Zurich, looked at the Martian mantle, the layer that sits between the crust and the core.

From MIT Technology Review

In other words, I did the geology and petroleum engineering, and he did pure geophysics.

From Project Gutenberg