The topic, “environmental geology” covers application of geologic principles to the “real world” problems. The topic also covers other related areas such as natural hazards that include landslide hazards, volcanic hazards, seismic hazards, and flood hazards (Erickson, 2009). The second related topic is the land use and planning management which involves soil management and soil erosion, logging, and agricultural management. Third, environmental geology deals with earth materials and various energy resources such as fossil fuels and the extraction of raw materials. Finally, environmental geology entails the study of hydrologic resources such as the quality and quantity of water. The critical concept involving environmental geology is the interaction of the biosphere that includes human beings with various geologic process as well as landscape systems.
Alternatively, according to Keller (2011), environmental geology is a general education course that deals with the investigation of the relationship between the geologic environment and the society. The major three areas of study or areas of concern involve environmental geology is the geologic hazards that include landslides, floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes. The second area of study involves geologic resources such as stone, fossil fuels, metals, and water and the third area of study involves the study of various environmental challenges that include the disposal of wastes and the contamination of ground water.
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Environmental geology is an important area of study because human need to understand the relationship with their planet. Since the population and rapidly increasing and the demands for more resources is increasing, the world population is placing much stress in the ability of the environment to provide necessary products and also absorb the waste materials. Erickson (2009), argues that environmental geology approaches these problems by taking into consideration the materials of landscapes on the earth, their chemical and physical processes as well as the nature of controls they exert on the hydrologic, biological, and atmospheric processes.
Environmental geology is regarded as a field which is very diverse. It is concerned with natural hazards such as landslides, floods, earthquakes, and the volcanic eruptions; process that take place in coastal regions such shoreline erosion and the effects of rise in sea level; roads and buildings; engineering features of the earth making up the earth and the problems that are involved in the creation of structures such as dams; management of ground and surface water resources; and the safe disposal of liquid and solid wastes materials and their effects on the environment (Montgomery, 2013).
The environment is the total range of circumstances that surround a community or an individual. The set of circumstances includes the physical conditions such as water, air, gases, and landforms; the social and cultural conditions that include economics, ethics, and esthetics. Environmental geology entails the aspect of how human beings perceive and also provide a response to their natural environment which is better known as environmental awareness (Keller, 2009). The study of environmental geology involves the study of environmental ethics which covers the study of land ethic which assumes that human beings are the citizens of the land and also the protectors of the land but not its conquerors. Environmental ethics involves understanding the responsibility that human beings have on the total environment and the moral practice of using the resources on the land. The human beings are all the brief tenants of the earth and its resources and also the integral part of the earth’s environment. Environmental ethics defines that it is the moral obligation of human beings to preserve the earth community and provide protection to its environment in present and in the future.
The fundamental concepts of environmental geology provides a description that humans are the agents of change, the earth is system which is closed, and the earth is unique. In addition, energy and materials appear to cycle from one reservoir to another. The human lives are affected in various different ways by the chemical and physical composition of the Earth. Human beings and geologic processes operate in diverse time scales within the earth (Bell, 1998). The human planet relationship is commonly characterized by various forms of risks because humans are basically dependent on the resources of the Earth for the functioning of the contemporary society. The Earth provides that are limited and sometimes scarce especially because of the high population on the Earth or change in climate or competition from animals. The management of the environment requires a proper management of the human behavior and proper management of Earth resources in a suitable fashion. Similarly, the human planet relationship is characterized by the preservation and restoration of the environment and other resources on the earth.
The environmental geology concern of population growth is the leading environmental problem. Excessive growth in human population is the ultimate cause of all the other environmental problems. Human population is increasing at an exponential rate every year, and population rises at a constant rate of the current population (Lundgren, 1999). Another environmental geology concern is sustainability of the environmental resources. Environmental geology covers on the importance of ensuring the human environment is of good quality, as process on the earth will finally cleanse the natural environment through geologic processes. The last concern involving environmental geology is understanding the earth’s systems as well as the changes because they are important in solving the problems with the environment. Environmental geology provides an understanding of the earth system such as biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere.
