Welcome to the Environmental Geology web page, revised on
This page will provide updates on
class activites, links to powerpoint class notes, and to
current news articles.
Links to Powerpoint presentations from class:
Water Use, Water Pollution, and
Wetlands
Biodiversity and
Deforestation
Description
of the Course
Geosciences
285
Environmental Geology
Earth exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.
--Will Durant, historian (1885-1981)
Environmental geology is the study of interactions between humans and the Earth’s air, water, soil, life, and rock. Earth processes affect humans in scores of ways, both constructive and destructive, and the activities of humans affect the Earth as well. Because human population is increasing so rapidly, the effect of people on the spectrum of Earth systems is becoming obvious and worrisome. The purpose of this course is to explore the myriad interactions of humans and their geologic environment. We will examine several environmental geologic issues in depth, including the politics of national and international environmental policy. To do this, some basic knowledge of geology is necessary. If you have not already had an introductory geology course, you will learn this material along the way!
This class meets three days a week, for 50 minutes per meeting. Class meetings will be a mixture of lecture, discussion, and demonstrations. The textbook for the course is Environmental Geology by Edward Keller. The book takes an “Earth system science” approach to the study of environmental geology, meaning that it tries to convey the interconnectedness of all Earth systems, with humans a part of the Earth system. It is the only textbook required for the course. There will be occasional outside readings which we will discuss in class. Please bring to class any news item that bears on the topic of environmental geology! This course is meant to provide you with insights useful in understanding the complexities of current geologic issues, so one of our goals is to keep informed of political environmental issues that arise during the semester.
For you to get the most out of the
course, and the best possible grade, you must do two things: 1) miss no
classes and 2) take great notes.
Class attendance is required in this course. Missing up to two class meetings during the
semester will not result in any drop in your course grade. More class absences than two will result in
a drop in grade per two classes missed.
Exams and Quizzes There will be a quiz every other Wednesday. The quizzes will total 60% of the course grade. In addition, there will be in-class exercises on most days, and occasional take-home exercises. These will be worth 20% of the course grade. The remaining 20% of the course grade will be based on a semester-long research project focusing on a topic in environmental geology.
We are reading Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond as a class project. Occasional essays and in-class exam questions will focus on material from this book.
Instructor: Sheila
Seaman
Office: Morrill 242
Phone: 545-2822; e-mail:
sjs@geo.umass.edu
Office Hours: MWF2-3 p.m. or anytime I’m there
Syllabus for the
Remainder of the Fall, 2006 Semester
Weds,
Nov. 15 Wetlands
Fri,
Nov. 17 Quiz on Volcanoes,
Groundwater; introduction to deforestation
Mon,
Nov. 21 Deforestation and
Biodiversity
Weds,
Nov. 22 Global Climate Change
Mon,
Nov 27 Global Climate Change
Weds,
Nov 29 Fossil Fuels
Fri,
Dec. 1 Fossil Fuels
Mon,
Dec 4 Nuclear Energy
Weds,
Dec 6 Nuclear Energy
Fri,
Dec 8 Solar Energy
Mon,
Dec. 11 Geothermal and Wind
Energy
Weds,
Dec. 13 Energy outlook for the
future