Overview of environmental geology

Overview of Environmental Geology... The Earth System... Environmental Geology• Geology – the study of the earth, its materials Geology – the study of the earth, its materials and their

Overview of Environmental

Geology

The Earth System

Environmental Geology

• Geology – the study of the earth, its materials 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, Environment – anything, living or nonliving,

that surrounds and influences living

organisms

Environmental Geology

• Environmental Geology – the application of Environmental Geology – the application of

geology to environmental concerns

• Evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere

– Fast geological processes

• Earthquakes

• Landslides

1994 Los Angeles

Earthquake

Human Population Growth

Environmental Geology

• Concepts in environmental geology

– The Earth System

• 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

– The Human-Earth System Relationship

• Managing the Earth System involves managing

human behavior

Per Capita Energy Demand

Solar Energy

Natural Gas

Oil Pumpjack

Aluminum Ore