Environmental geology

Never before in the history of our planet has any species of organisms affected and shaped the physical world as much as humans do today. Environmental geology studies the way human beings interact with the physical environment and how the physical environment changes. These changes are monitored and predicted by the application of geological principles.

One of the major concerns of environmental geology is the study and possible resolution of environmental conflict and degradation. Some environmental geology issues are the hazards and natural disasters that are occurring with increasing frequency year after year. This area of study aims to find solutions and methods to predict and prevent more damage to the physical environment.

Environmental geology

The field of environmental geology includes the following:

• Management of geological resources such as soil, water, energy resources, minerals, and land.
• Applying the principles of geology to study the problems faced by the physical environment.
• Understanding the causes and mitigating geological hazards.
• Working on methods of disposing of waste in a way that is not harmful to the environment.

Environmental geology was introduced as a subdiscipline of geology in the 1970s. However, evidence suggests that disaster mitigation has been a part of the study of geology since the subject was founded in the 18th century. Some areas of study in environmental geology are common with engineering geology.

Engineering geologists keep geological factors in mind when constructing roads and other structures. They apply geological principles to help mitigate the effects of the environment when designing infrastructure.

This discipline also studies human activities such as mining and land use to help reduce the damage caused by them to the environment. For example, in mining, there is a lot of waste material released into the environment. This field studies ways to help reduce this waste. Land use is another area of study. Environmental geology helps in identifying pieces of land that, when put to use, will not cause detrimental effects on the environment.

Environmental geology and hydrogeology

The study of groundwater found in the crust of the Earth is studied in hydrogeology. Water is found below the surface of the Earth too. This water is known as groundwater and is the source of potable water for large populations of people. Hydrogeology studies the quality of this groundwater.

One of the important areas of environmental geology is studying groundwater contamination and ways to prevent further degradation of this resource. So environmental geology works with hydrogeology to understand the principles that help conserve groundwater. It does so by the following objectives:

• Studying the nature and degree of contamination and the volume of groundwater that is contaminated.
• Deciding on the measures to counter the contamination by studying the means of propagation and hydrological parameters.
• Monitoring the contamination to prevent it from moving into critical areas.
• Monitoring and determining the effectiveness of the countermeasures taken to neutralise the contamination.
• Making records of the findings for evaluation and gleaning information to face future challenges.
• Researching the principles on which the countermeasures are based.

Environmental geology and soil science

As the population of the world increases, the demands on arable land increase exponentially. Soil science works in conjunction with environmental geology to understand and mitigate the effects of pollution and erosion on soil. To achieve this aim, the following factors are monitored:

• Soil’s depth
• Erodibility
• How steep the slope is
• Potential for shrink-swell
• Potential of salinization
• Trials of crop variety
• How frequently rock outcrops form
• The interaction between fertilisers and plants

Conclusion

In summation, environmental geology is the study of geological phenomena that occur at or near the Earth’s surface using principles of geology to understand them and mitigate natural disasters and hazards. There are four main focal points of environmental geology. One point is the identification and management of natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, soil erosion, volcano eruptions, wildfires, etc.

Another area of focus is the judicious use of natural resources such as natural minerals, soil, water. Environmental geology also deals with managing energy resources such as fuel and coal and finding sustainable means of utilising these resources. And the last area of concern is the disposal of waste and radioactive material in a way that is not harmful to the environment.