Environmental Geology

Lecture Schedule - Fall 2000

8/28	Introduction - critical issues in environmental geoscience. The nature of the earth - minerals & rocks.
9/4	Soils & soil erosion and pollution. It's soil, not dirt!
9/11	The slippery slope - landslides, mudslides and where NOT to build.
9/18	Water - the hydrologic cycle; aquifers, not underground rivers; groundwater and where to drill.
9/25	Streams, floods and flood control. Water, water everywhere....
10/2	Water quality and water pollution. Groundwater vs. surface water. Inorganic and organic contaminants. Water safety and the EPA. Eat, drink and be merry.
10/4	FIRST HOUR EXAM
10/9	No class on Monday - Solid waste - garbage dumps to sanitary landfills. Hazardous waste. Recycling. What goes around comes around.
10/16	The ocean and its environs. Currents, tides and tsunamis. Sea level change and coastal erosion. The importance of wetlands and estuaries.
10/23	Earthquakes and plate tectonics. Seismic waves and the earth's interior. Earthquake damage. Forecasting the big one.
10/30	Volcanoes and plate tectonics. Types of volcanoes and eruptions. Forecasting and crying wolf.
11/6	Mineral resources - from metals to diamonds. Economic geology. Mining and smelting - environmental consequences.
11/8	SECOND HOUR EXAM
11/13	Energy and fossil fuels - Oil, coal and natural gas.
11/20	One class this week - Thanksgiving Recess.
11/27	Alternative energy sources, e.g., hydroelectric, tidal, geothermal, solar and nuclear.
12/4	Air quality and sources of pollution. The greenhouse effect, ozone, acid rain and more.
12/12 - 12/15	FINAL EXAM WEEK