When you think about some of the most exciting professions that you have heard of, chances are pretty good that geology never made your Top Ten List. Now of course this comes as no surprise to most as spending 40-plus hours a week looking at rocks probably doesn't sound too appealing. But while geology may not get the adrenaline pumping like being a NASCAR driver or skydive instructor, the fact remains that the field remains challenging and essential to our understanding of the planet on which we live.

While many believe that geology is merely the study of rocks, the truth is that it is far more complicated than that. In truth, geologists seek to uncover hidden passages in one of the greatest stories ever?the history of our planet. And yes, geology does make use of rocks and their formation as a means of interpreting the history of our planet?but it is the story itself that is actually being pursued. The rocks, in that sense, become mere tools in the quest to interpret our planet's history?not the actual point of geology itself. However, the rocks are important too!

A rock is basically any naturally occurring concentration of minerals or mineraloids. Rocks can be classified in three basic manners: Classification via the mineral/chemical composition; Classifying based upon the texture of the rock and its constituent parts; Or, classification based upon the physical processes that helped form the rock.

There are three basic rock types for anyone in geology to identify: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed by volcanic activity. Those that were formed from lava after a volcano erupted are called volcanic while rocks formed inside the earth due to magma are known as intrusive igneous rock. Sedimentary rocks are any that were formed by sediment. Metamorphic rocks are formed by extreme heat or pressure changes within the earth.

Again, while it may seem like geology only concerns itself with rocks, the point is that the rocks tell a story about how our planet came to be the way it is today. Mass extinction events can be tied to volcanic activity as a result of geological studies. The very composition of the atmosphere can also be determined through geological analysis. All of these and many more questions can be answered through geology?and the more we know about our past, the better prepared we are for the future.