GEO 112 - Environmental Geology

Course Units: 1.0

The increasing interplay between the environment and human activity has profound effects on our landscape and society. This course focuses on anthropogenic issues such as climate change, soil and groundwater contamination, traditional petroleum resource extraction and dependence, mineral and water resources, and alterative sources of energy. To understand how humans have perturbed the natural environment, it is critical to understand geologic principles and processes. The course also explores natural disasters including earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, landslides, floods, and coastal erosion and their effects on different segments of society, as the impacts of natural disasters are affected by various socio-economic factors. Prerequisite(s): Preference given to first and second year students. Corequisite(s): GEO 112L CC: SCLB, GNPS ISP: ENS, STS