Overview of Environmental Geology The Earth System Environmental

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 – 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 – Minerals – Metals – Energy – Soil – Water

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 – Waste • Human activities generate waste – we do not throw anything “away” • Human activities can alter the Earth System – 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 • • • Water Wind Ice

Environmental Geology • The scope of environmental geology – Resources • • • Groundwater Surface water Metals Soils Energy – Fossil fuels – Non-fuel minerals

Per Capita Energy Demand

Solar Energy

Natural Gas

Oil Pumpjack

Aluminum Ore