Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy is defined as "the science of rock strata." OK, so that doesn't help much. Basically, what that means is that when a geologist is describing what a group of rocks looks like (and no, we're not talking about a bunch of rocks sitting on a table or in your driveway, we're talking about rocks like those found in the Grand Canyon, along cliff walls) he or she is doing stratigraphy.
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For example, this scientist is looking at and making observations about the rocks he sees in front of him. Some of the major questions he is looking to answer are: 1) What type of rocks are here?, 2) Are there any fossils here?, 3) How thick is this rock layer? and, 4) What is the age of these rocks? He will attempt to answer these questions, and then write them all down in a way that other people who haven't seen these rocks in person can understand a bit about the geology of them. |
He will describe them by drawing out what is known as a stratigraphic column
