Overview of environmental geology

Overview of Environmental
Geology


The Earth System


Environmental Geology
• Geology – the study of the earth, its materials
and their properties, its internal and external
physical, chemical, and biological properties,
and its history


Environmental Geology
• Environment – anything, living or nonliving,
that surrounds and influences living
organisms


Environmental Geology
• Environmental Geology – the application of
geology to environmental concerns


Environmental Geology
• Geologic processes affect every inhabitant of
Earth
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Earthquakes
Floods
Landslides
Volcanoes


Environmental Geology
• Geologic processes operate on multiple time
scales
– Slow geological processes
• Formation of minerals
• Evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere

– Fast geological processes
• Earthquakes
• Landslides


1994 Los Angeles
Earthquake


Environmental Geology
• Humans depend on material resources from
the Earth
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Minerals
Metals
Energy
Soil
Water


Human Population Growth


Environmental Geology
• Concepts in environmental geology
– The Earth System
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The Earth is unique
The Earth is a closed system
Energy flows through the system
Matter cycles through the system
Geologic processes and humans operate on different
time scales

The Earth System


The Earth System


Components of the Earth
System


Environmental Geology
• Concepts in environmental geology
– Hazardous Processes
• Hazardous processes have always existed
• Risk is a characteristic of the human-Earth system
relationship


Environmental Geology
• Concepts in environmental geology
– Earth Resources
• We are fundamentally dependent on Earth’s
resources for the conduct of modern society
• Resources are limited
• Earth’s resources can be managed properly


Types of Resources

Environmental Geology
• Concepts in environmental geology
– Waste
• Human activities generate waste – we do not throw
anything “away”
• Human activities can alter the Earth System
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Dam building
Urbanization
Agriculture
Deforestation
Natural resource extraction


Environmental Geology
• Concepts in environmental geology
– The Human-Earth System Relationship
• Managing the Earth System involves managing
human behavior


Environmental Geology
• The scope of environmental geology
– Earth Materials
• Minerals, rocks

– Internal Processes
• Volcanoes
• Earthquakes


Environmental Geology
• The scope of environmental geology
– External Processes
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Water
Wind
Ice


Environmental Geology
• The scope of environmental geology
– Resources
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Groundwater
Surface water
Metals

Soils
Energy
– Fossil fuels
– Non-fuel minerals


Per Capita Energy Demand


Solar Energy


Natural Gas