GEOL 170Environmental Geology

Catalog

Environmental Geology is designed to introduce fundamental principles that are important to interactions between humans and the Earth systems of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere. The course examines the role of human activities as an agent of geologic change as well as the impacts of Earth systems and geologic processes on humans. Large scale environmental changes are discussed in the context of what we understand about past alterations to Earth systems by studying the geologic record. Emphasis is placed on 1) past and present controls on the chemical composition of the atmosphere, freshwater, and oceans; 2) the causes and implications of global climate change in modern times and variations in global climate that have occurred in the geologic past; 3) the sustainability of freshwater, fossil fuel, and other natural resources; 4) natural geologic hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and flooding. Simultaneously taught: GEOL 170*/ENVI 170 (*denotes primary course) Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.