THE STONEHEART

Army wives are considered as they are the main force behind their success as they support them through thick and thin. Armymen who lay their lives for the country are said to be true sons of the soil. But I call myself a Stoneheartas my better half is as concerned with earth materials that can be used for economic and/or industrial purposes.part of the soil, he lives for the soil, of the soil and by the soil for only. You may have guessed it by now he is a Geologist who studies the earth, including the materials that it is made of, the physical and chemical changes that occur on its surface and in its interior, and the history of the planet and its life forms. I play second fiddle in his life as his first love is ROCKS. As he DATES ROCKS he remains evergreen and young. He never loses his LUSTER. I am now a LIVING FOSSIL. His life is all about ROCKS and BEDROCKS. A Geologist can never be perfect as he has too many FAULTS. He has only one hobby of ROCK CLIMBING. My life is centred around ROCKS. There is too much FRICTION between us but he says it is not my FAULT. He says I may have many FAULTS but they're all normal. He feels  Geologists are GNEISS people. But I feel Geologists are corny as they only like FAULT finding and VOLCANO poking. Being a Geologist's spouse I kind of get irritated and talk in his language, I tell him sometimes I feel you take me for GRANITE and he answers I'm getting real tired of your SCHIST. You might be fed up reading this gibberish but let me give you a sneak peek into a Geologist's life.

Hold your horses, fasten your seatbelts, sit still to experience the adventure and thrill while I take you on a virtual Geological tour. There is never a dull moment in a Geologist's life. Geology has several branches like Engineering Geology, Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Sedimentology, Mineralogy, Crystallography, Optical Mineralogy, Petrology, HydroGeology, Paleontology and Economic Geology.Engineering Geology: is all about protecting life and property from damage caused by different Geological conditions

Physical Geology- they study the Earth's seasons, climate, atmosphere, soil, streams, landforms, and oceans. The main divisions which are studied are geomorphology, glaciology, pedology, hydrology, climatology, biogeography, and oceanography.

Historical Geology- involves the study of changes found in the Earth and its life forms over a period of time. The main divisions of study are  Paleoclimatology, Paleontology and Paleoseismology.

Hydrogeology- they study how water interacts with the natural environment of rocks and soils.  By studying the movement of underground water, the hydrogeologists can predict the hazards of pollution and ways to protect these resources.

Sedimentology- they study the physical and chemical properties of sedimentary rocks and the processes involved in their formation. This study is important for Geologists to study modern processes to interpret geologic history through observations of sedimentary rocks and sedimentary structures.

Mineralogy- the study of the composition of the earth's crust which gives Geologists an idea of how our Earth was formed. The discovery of new minerals in the Earth helps to provide useful materials for industry. The study of the chemical properties of minerals has led to the discovery of new uses of the Earth's mineral resources.

Crystallography- the minerals found in the earth are in the form of crystals, it becomes important to study the arrangement of these minerals to put them to proper use

Optical Mineralogy-  is studied to identify the mineralogical composition of geological materials in order to help reveal their origin and evolution.

Petrology- it is studied to help in ascertaining the physical and chemical composition of rocks and the different conditions that influence their formation. 

Palaeontology- is the study of fossils which are the physical evidence of preexisting organisms, that is either plant or animal. Fossils of any kind are useful in deciphering the history of the earth.  They can help us determine the geologic age and environment in which they were deposited.

Economic Geology- is studied to locate earth materials that can be used for economic and/or industrial purposes.

Geologists can be called nomads as they keep wandering months together locating minerals, rocks, fossils, petroleum etc. They cannot stick to one place.

They spend most of their life backpacking and living in camps. Today they may leave for the Himalayan sojourn where they are busing locating precious minerals like gold, diamonds etc. The Bollywood song' Mere desh kee dharatee, sonaa ugale, ugale hire motee

Mere desh kee dharatee' holds good for them.

 From the Himalayas they might be suddenly be sent to Antarctica. Where they would have to study Identification of a number of new species of bacteria from the cold habitats of Antarctica-Identification of new genes from the bacteria as genes required for the survival of bacteria at low temperature. Sometimes they get to see polar bears or even shake hands with majestic Penguins in the freezing temperature.

Sleeping in Igloos and eating tinned food is an adventure in itself. The next moment you will find them rushing to places where some seismic activity has taken place. They can help study the intensity of earthquakes on the Richter scale. Even warn people of aftershocks, tsunamis after a quake.

Before one can say Jack Robinson they would be called for Marine investigation. They would be cruising near coastal regions and offshore waters to locate different species of marine fauna from seabeds to find out their Geological time period. They are called as ' Earth Detectives'

They use clues to help people move away from places having natural hazards which make it unsafe for people to live. They help to protect Groundwater Aquifers. They help in protecting the environment.

A major part of their life is spent in tents braving different weather conditions, having snakes and scorpions for company, cooking on stoves amidst dense jungles far away from habitation. There is the fear of stray leopards entering their tents or a grizzly coming in for breakfast. Leeches sucking your blood while sleeping. It is a life full of adventure and fear but a Geologist will never change his career. He is all for a thrill in life.

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Dr Preeti Talwar