is the study of the three dimensional distribution of rock bodies and their planar or folded surfaces, and their internal fabrics.

Structural geology includes features of and overlaps with facets of geomorphology, metamorphism and geotechnical studies. By studying the three dimensional structure of rocks and regions, inferences on tectonic history, past geological environments and deformation events can be made. These can be fixed in time using stratigraphical controls as well as geochronology, to determine when the structural features formed.

More formally stated it is the branch of geology that deals with the geological processes through which the application of a force results in the transformation of a shape, arrangement or internal fabric of the rock into another shape, arrangement or internal fabric. Petroleum structural geologists can interpret prospect or basin scale geology using several techniques. These techniques include the interpretation of surface data, well data, remote sensing data and seismic data. Many structural geologists now use 2D/3D geological modelling software in order to integrate these varied datasets.