Environmental Geology
Article by: Harvey Blatt, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, Israel.
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The branch of geology that deals with the ways in which
geology affects people. Examples of the effect of geology on
human civilizations include (1) how fertile soils develop from
rocks and how these soils can become polluted by human
activities; (2) how rocks and soils move down-slope to destroy
roads, houses, and other human constructions; (3) how sources
of surface and subsurface water become polluted; (4) why
floods occur where they do and how human activities affect
floods; (5) why earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur
where they do and what dangers they pose (see illustration);
(6) where mineral resources such as copper, oil and gas, and
uranium are located, and how mining these resources can
pollute the environment; (7) how human activities can pollute
the atmosphere and cause global warming, sea-level rise, and
ozone depletion.
Soil
Most environmental concerns center on three materials
essential to human life: soil, water, and air. Soils develop from
chemical reactions between rocks, water, and atmospheric
gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. The most abundant
solid product of these reactions is a variety of clay minerals,
which are major contributors to agricultural fertility. Ions on
clay surfaces and decaying organic matter are the sources of
nutrient elements for growing plants. Clay minerals are also
responsible for destructive events, such as when they absorb
water and cause soil to swell, resulting in foundation cracking
and other structural problems in buildings. Changes in clay
minerals as they lie in the soil are also the cause of many types
of landslides.
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Content
• Soil
• Water
• Pollution
• Floods
• Atmosphere
• Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Key Concepts
• Environmental geology addresses the effects of Earth science on human civilizations,
including issues of soil erosion, water and air pollution, flooding, earthquake and
volcanic activity, mining, and global warming.
• Most environmental concerns center on three materials essential to human life:
soil, water, and air.
• Most soil erosion results from poor farming practices and overzealous logging,
while soil pollution is mostly caused by synthetic pesticides.
• Water depletion is a serious problem in areas where surface water supplies are
inadequate and underground sources of freshwater are withdrawn faster than are
naturally replenished by rain and snowfall.
• Concerns about air quality revolve around increases in the amount of atmospheric
carbon dioxide, decreases in the amount of ozone in the upper atmosphere, and
pollution in the lower atmosphere.
• Natural geologic hazards, such as earthquakes and volcanoes, can cause loss
of life and property.
