GEOLOGY 15
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY - SPRING 2005
Required Text : Geology and the Environmental by Pipkin , Trent and Hazlett , 4 th Ed. Available in the bookstore. Other reading will be required and handed out in class.
Course Description : Environmental Geology is the study of how the Earth (Lithosphere, Hydrosphere & Atmosphere) and the Biosphere, mostly from our anthropocentric viewpoint, interact and affect each other. We will look at typical geologic phenomenon as with other courses, but we will be concerned mostly about how these phenomena affect man and his/her constructs. Please see the list on the reverse for specific topics. The course may be broken down into the following general categories: Foundations, Internal Processes, Surface Processes, Resources and Land Use Planning. In order to better understand these topics, basic algebra will be used in lecture on occasion! But its inclusion on exams/quizzes will be empirical only (you only have to understand the concept).
Assessment: Student progress will be based on a 400 point system: Homework/Quizzes = 100 points, Two Midterms = 80 points each (160 total), Map Project = 40 points and Final Exam = 100 points. The Midterms and Final will cover both lecture and other material. Credit / No Credit is an option. The deadline for this decision will be announced in class and the student must turn in a hand written note with such intentions . Fifteen points may be earned and applied to either or both of your midterm scores by completing a community activity. Each activity is worth 15 points and you may earn a maximum of 30 points. That works out to 7.5% of the total points available in the course. Each activity must be completed and a report turned in one week before the last lecture. A community activity may be: attending an outside lecture, or a beach clean-up, monitoring streams, planting native vegetation, etc. A one page report will be turned in detailing the event. The activity must be OK'd by the instructor first. No make-ups will be given on quizzes or exams. It is the students' responsibility to be aware of his/her progress in this course. You are responsible for knowing information in this syllabus.
Attendance : Attendance is required at all class meetings. Please let me know in advance by calling my office (831) 479-6495 if you cannot attend (so you won't lose character points!). If you are absent it is your responsibility to get notes and handouts from your classmates. Please arrive on time to the lectures! If you are consistently late, you will lose character points!
GEOLOGY 15
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY
Contact: Phone - 479-6495 (office), Home - 662 8555 (use discretion); e-mail - geojoeswb@ sbcglobal.net
• Introduction What is Environmental Geology? Formation of Earth, Structure of Earth, Geologic Time, Earth Processes and Systems, Life on Earth and Population.
• Minerals and Rocks Atomic Structure and Minerals, Rocks and the Rock Cycle.
• Plate Tectonics Stress/Strain and Deformation, Organization of Structure (why are ocean basins low and continents high?), Boundaries, Evidence for Plate Movement.
• Earthquakes Theory, Measurement, Hazards and Risk, Prediction, Case Histories of Selected EQ's.
• Volcanoes Magma Sources/Types, Locations, Hazards, Risk, Prediction, Case Histories of Selected Volcanic Events.
• Surface Water Hydrologic Cycle, Streams, Sediments, Flooding, Prediction, Development in Floodplains, Other Hazards, Case Histories of Selected Floods, Water Pollution.
• Mass Movements Types of Mass Wasting, Slope Stability/Slope Failure, Mitigation, Case Histories of Selected Slides.
• Coastal Zones and Processes Active vs. Passive Coastlines, Erosion/Deposition/Transport, Difficult Coastal Environments, Sea Level and Other Long Term Trends.
• Climatic Effects on Geology Astronomical Driving Mechanisms, Climatic Trends, Glaciers/Deserts.
• Groundwater Aquifers, Wells, Uses and Planning, Contamination, Case Histories of Selected Groundwater Problems.
• Soil and Mineral Resources Uses, Types, Conservation, Supply/Demand, Impacts of Usage.
• Energy Resources Fossil Fuels, Formation of FF, Impacts of Uses/Air Pollution, Alternative Energy.
• Waste Disposal Municipal Wastes, Liquid Wastes, Radioactive Wastes, Reduction of Wastes.
• Land Use Planning Background, Clean-ups and Mitigation: Who's Responsible ?, Land Use Planning.
• <You Will Construct Your Own Land Use Maps Throughout the Semester>
* CONTENT AND ORDER SUBJECT TO CHANGE WB.