English Reference

Word

geophysics

Phoneticsgeo·physics

UK/dʒˌiːəʊfˈɪzɪks/

Definition

n. the study of the physical processes and properties of the Earth and its surrounding space. Scientists in this field look at things like earthquakes, the Earth's magnetic field, and how the planet moves.

n. the branch of geology concerned with the physical properties and processes of the Earth and its surrounding space. It encompasses the study of seismic activity, gravity, magnetism, and the Earth's internal structure.

Examples

“She decided to study geophysics to understand how earthquakes happen.”

“The university's geophysics department uses advanced sensors to monitor seismic activity deep beneath the ocean floor.”

“By analyzing the propagation of seismic waves through the Earth's mantle, geophysics provides critical data for understanding the planet's internal heat flow and tectonic plate movements.”

Examples

simple

“She decided to study geophysics to understand how earthquakes happen.”

contextual

“The university's geophysics department uses advanced sensors to monitor seismic activity deep beneath the ocean floor.”

complex

“By analyzing the propagation of seismic waves through the Earth's mantle, geophysics provides critical data for understanding the planet's internal heat flow and tectonic plate movements.”

Real-World Examples

“It is 83% ice and 17% loose rock," said Cvijanovich, lead author of one of the two studies overseen by geophysics professor Michael Thorne and glaciology professor Leif Anderson.”
ScienceDaily · 28 Aug 2026
“The magnitude 7.7 quake struck the island of Flores shortly before 05:00 (22:00 GMT on Friday) and had a depth of 15km, Indonesia's meteorology and geophysics agency stated.”
BBC News · 15 Aug 2026

Etymology

From geo- + physics.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Collocations

geophysics agency

Domains

GeologyPhysics

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/geophysics

English Reference