How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay in Geology: Make Difficult Topic Look Easy

How to write an outstanding compare and contrast essay? This kind of question is often raised by students because more and more professors are proposing to write exactly this type of essay. Since this variety has become very popular, we have prepared some helpful tips for how to make this work successful. Take a blank paper along with a pen and write down everything that may come in handy during your composition of the essay.

All About Compare and Contrast Essay in Geology: How to Approach It?

The essay is a literary genre based on associative thinking. It is a kind of mini-writing with a free composition that expresses particular impressions regarding a specific issue. Many colleges emphasize the necessity of writing exactly such types of essays. Because in the future, they can be often offered as a task for a particular activity. For example, when a person enters a university or other institution, as well as when he is employed, such an essay is part of the overall package of documents. So, what this essay is for? It is a work where both comparing and contrasting two or more subjects are aimed to find out the features that let them cross or confront each other. How may it be useful for the Geology discipline?

Geology today is called the complex of sciences that study the structure of our planet, its development, geological processes, structure and composition of the Earth’s crust and mantle. Depending on this fact, a student may feel like a duck to water due to a wide variety of topics. Also, the bonus to choosing a subject for an essay is that all the diversity of information about the structure of the Earth cannot be squeezed into one science. Thus, geology is a science that studies a large area of knowledge. For example, the disciplines that study the Earth’s crust include mineralogy, petrography, structural geology, crystallography, tectonics, volcanology, seismology, and geocryology. So, it is possible to choose any type of geological aspect and write the best essay only thanks to the interest in one research.

Criteria for Choosing Geological Topic

Choosing one topic in Geology may result in a student being lost. He has to pick up the one that will meet all the requirements. So, it should be a topic that has both enough features to compare and simultaneously to contrast. And the first criterion is a balance. It is not correct to choose two subjects that boast mostly some similarities. Take into consideration a topic that will provide an essay with at least 3 points of similarities and 3 points of differences. After that move on to the examples of geological subjects.

Benefits and Challenges of Aerial Survey vs Geological Mapping. Here, a student can speak of the photographic recording of the Earth from plains, remotely piloted aircraft also called a drone, and satellites as if talking about aerial surveys. And if concerning mapping, there should be an explanation of its composition by using different colors. Compare and contrast the pricing of both, the relevance, and results obtained from those methods.

Dating by Radioactivity vs Biostratigraphic Analysis. Or take another method of laboratory researches on mineral deposits. A writer can compare and contrast the methods of determining the age of the minerals or rocks, or how isotopes decay over the lifetime of the samples or determining the age of sedimentary rocks by fossil remains, etc. It is a quite challenging topic but if a student acquires a profession in paleontology, it will be as easy as ABC.

Perspectives of Geophysics Studies vs Tectonic Geology. Besides, it is possible to compare and contrast the next qualifications: geochemist, petrologist, and mineralogist, etc. What are the perspectives of income, occupation, and demand at the moment and shortly? Write about the types of minerals and rocks they study, what methods they use. What studies bring more benefits to the society and exploration of space.

Expensive Minerals Found in America vs China. It is again just an approximate example of countries. While writing an essay a student may take information from popular TV shows that speak of the extraction of precious metals. And, also a writer should deal with the researches on properties of particular metals or rocks. Track the origin of them, tell how the extractions are ongoing nowadays, and what Chinese and American geologists have discovered in the ground within the last years.

Approaches to Safety Measure During Tornado vs Typhoon. Climatologists can show their best in researching this topic. Here, a writer has to touch the latest news in the climate change, compare and contrast the safety measures of countries with fancy technologies vs the ones that struggle with economics. Also, if it is possible to concern innovations in people’s protection during natural disasters.

Besides, a student can always refer to the next possible topics in Geology: deformation of Earth, types of sedimentary rocks, landform types, and crystalline minerals varieties.

How to Write An Essay On Geological Discipline?

Title

First of all, it is essential to start with an eye-catching title. Why it should be nonstandard? Because once a professor sees an essay, the title is the first impression of it. Within a few seconds, he may think of it as a boring topic or an interesting one. Some students believe that composing a title should take place at the end. And it can make sense because, during the writing of an essay, a student may change the title for his work at least 3 times. So, what are the requirements?

• It should be believable. For example, have you ever seen the advertisements online where it is said – EARN MONEY WITHIN A SECOND? Sounds unreal, right? Of course, most times such titles will attract readers’ attention but the stuffing of such an article will only disappoint. The example of a good title: Extraction of Precious Metals vs Minerals Rocks: What Can Benefit the Economics of Country?
• Use Active Voice. There is no need to say much about but the passive voice usually deteriorates the quality of essays and affects their readability.
• It should be brief. Of course, compare and contrast essays already encompasses twice many words than in regular essays but try to make it as short as possible. Otherwise, a professor will be puzzled whether it is a title or already a thesis.
• No mistakes. Try to reread the title even more times than your essay composition. It can be so disappointing to deliver a text that cannot even boast correct spelling in a title.

Thesis

Then, comes a thesis. A qualitative thesis is a clear position at the beginning of the text. It means that the author of that statement can easily prove his further arguments because he is convinced of their truthfulness and correctness aspects. Check the next example:

Extraction of precious metals and minerals rocks are the activities that both connected with risks and challenges, but when it comes to the amount involved, the precious metals attract many more activists who want to feel themselves, miners.

This thesis comprises both similarity and difference that are suitable for this type of essay.

The Main Body

The main part depends on the organization of the essay whether it is block one or point-to-point one.

Block one is:

• Introduction – Object 1 with Point 1 – Object 1 with Point 2 – Paragraph – Object 2 with Point 1- Object 2 with Point 2 – Conclusion. A student compares and contrasts two subjects separately. This organization is good for those students who have lots of information to write about.

Point-to-point

• Introduction – Point 1: Object 1 with Object 2 – Point 2: Object 1 with Object 2 – Conclusion. Here, objects are already compared and contrasted simultaneously.

Keep in mind to write by paragraphs, a text should not look like a “sheet”. It makes the reading of the essay complicated and a reader may lose the line along with the relevance of the sentences.

Conclusion

Conclusion alongside an introduction is a crucial part of the work. In conclusion, the following aspects are outlined:

• conclusions on the theoretical part of the work;
• the results of the comparing and contrasting of two objects of study;
• recommendations for improving the subjects of study (If needed).

It is allowed if the conclusion starts with a small introduction to the topic of work. Conclusions in conclusion should be concise but summarizing the essence of the issue. Copying parts of the text from the input or the body of the work is not allowed.

Also, avoid the next common mistakes found in compare and contrast essays:

Homophones

× Mineral rocks accept crystals are considered to be cheap ones compared to precious metals.
✓ Mineral rocks except crystals are considered to be cheap ones compared to precious metals.

Subject-verb Agreement Mistakes

× Typhoons and Tornadoes is one of those natural disasters that cannot be prevented.
✓ Typhoons and Tornadoes are one of those natural disasters that cannot be prevented.

Misusing “Its” Apostrophe

× Aerial Survey gives it’s researchers the most accurate data on the Earth’s ground.
✓ Aerial Survey gives its researchers the most accurate data on the Earth’s ground.

Now, it is time to move to the last stage of composing your work.

Post-writing Tips on the Essay

There are two main methods to deliver an outstanding essay, editing, and proofreading. If speaking of the editing, it is quite easy. The main idea is to eliminate errors, make sentences clearer and more readable, and of course track the essence of the essay. Check again if there is enough evidence on both similarities and differences of geological subjects. Then, comes the next stage. Proofreading can be divided into a few steps that a student should strictly follow.
Some universities even post their advice on proofreading. To finalize your essay, you should have a clear head. So, let’s start.

• Time for rest. First of all, after finishing the writing, a student should take some rest. Even if he needs to deliver it urgently, it is necessary to relax for a few minutes or if it is possible hours. Once the mind is free of thoughts, the chances to come across a mistake are increasing.
• Remove distractions. Put aside a cell phone and turn down the music. While rereading a text, your concentration should be 100%. Meanwhile, some students claim that classical music helps to read the text and look for mistakes. Try both.
• Read your paper aloud. Do you remember when teachers of Junior School asked you to read the text aloud? It was one of the approaches to memorizing particular information. But, it can also be used to find the mistake. Of course, no need to shout but raise your voice and try to read your essay like this a few times. It can also contribute to your memorization of the subject. Thus, in case you have to deliver a speech, you will not forget a single detail.
• Make a checklist of mistakes. It will be a bonus if you regularly write different types of assignments. The checklist will help to avoid the common mistakes in the next papers.
• Use spell and grammar checkers. Here is the list of the most popular ones: Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, WhiteSmoke, and Reverso.

Once you are confident in your essay and ready to receive the best grade, submit it. Good luck!