Environmental Geology - GEL1102
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Environmental Geology - Reading and Lecture Schedule
 

The readings and activities listed below were selected to increase your understanding of environmental geology. You are expected to read these materials, study them, and learn on your own.

The dates, readings and activities listed below are a forecast of our course schedule. Our schedule might change and the owners of the websites might change their content or their URLs. You will be responsible for the for whatever assignments are listed there on the date that we begin a new topic in the classroom. Instead of printing this list during the first week of the course you should consult it a day or two before the first class session for each topic.

To focus your reading, the most important sections of each textbook chapter are listed below. You should feel confident in confining your reading and study to what is listed here. For each item on the reading list you should:   read thoroughly, learn the key terminology, acquire an understanding of the important concepts, and be prepared to demonstrate your knowledge on quizzes and exams. When you visit the websites listed below you are responsible for reading and learning from the page that displays when you click the link and following relevant links on that page for one additional click.

 
TOPIC /
DATE(S)
CHAPTERS
WEBSITES
READINGS AND ACTIVITIES

Introduction to Natural Hazards
January 16

PDE - ESS - I.E.3
PDE - ESS - I.C.3.
PDE - ESS - I.H.1
Chapter 4

* Learning Objectives
* Case History: Nevado Del Ruiz
* 4.1 Hazards, Disasters, and Natural Processes
* 4.2 Evaluating Hazards
* 4.3 The Human Response to Hazards
* 4.5 Population Increase, Landuse Change...

Websites
* Course Syllabus
* Course Website
* Frequently Asked Questions

Slope Processes and Landslides
January 18 - 25

PDE - ESS - I.C.4.
PDE - ESS - I.H.1
Chapter 8
* Learning Objectives
* Case History: Portuguese Bend
* 8.1 Introduction to Landslides
* 8.2 Slope Processes and Types of Landslides
* 8.3 Slope Stability
* 8.4 Human Use and Landslides
* Case History: Vaiont Dam
* 8.5 Minimizing the Landslide Hazard
* 8.8 Perception of the Landslide Hazard
Websites
* Features that may indicate landslides
* National Landslide Overview Map
* What's Wrong With My House?
Subsidence
January 30 - February 1
PDE - ESS - I.H.1
PDE - ESS - I.H.2
Chapter 8
* 8.7 Subsidence
First Exam   -   Tuesday, February 6

Surface
Water

February 8 - 15

PDE - ESS - I.C.1
PDE - ESS - I.F.2.
PDE - ESS - I.F.3.
PDE - ESS - I.H.1
Chapter 11
* 11.1 Water: A Brief Global Perspective
* 11.2 Surface Water
Chapter 7
* Case History: Mississippi River Flooding
* 7.1 Rivers: Historical Use
* 7.2 Streams and Rivers
* 7.4 River Velocity, Discharge, Erosion....
* 7.5 Effects of Land-Use Changes
* 7.6 Channel Patterns and Floodplain Formation
* 7.7 Flooding
* A Closer Look: Magnitude and Frequency
* 7.8 Urbanization and Flooding
* Case History: Flash Floods in Eastern Ohio
* 7.9 The Nature and Extent of Flood Hazards
* 7.10 Adjustments to Flood Hazards
* 7.11 Perception of Flooding
Websites
* Flooding - From the Weather Channel
* Tioga River at Mansfield
* Real-Time Water Data
* What is a Hydrograph?
* What is a Gaging Station?
* National Flood Insurance Program

Ground
Water

February 20 - March 1

PDE - ESS - I.C.1.
PDE - ESS - I.H.1
Chapter 11
* 11.3 Ground Water
* 11.4 Interactions between Surface and....
* Case History: The Edwards Aquifer...
Chapter 12
* 12.1 An Overview of Water Pollution
* 12.2 Selected Water Pollutants
* 12.4 Ground Water Pollution and Treatment
* 12.6 Wastewater Treatment
Websites
* Understanding Ground Water
* Water-Level Changes in the High Plains Aquifer
* A National Look at Nitrate Contamination
* Florida Heat Pump
Second Exam   -   Tuesday, March 6

Plate
Tectonics

March 20 - 29

PDE - ESS - I.C.3.
PDE - ESS - I.E.3
Chapter 2
* Case History: Two Cities on a Plate Boundary
* 2.1 Internal Structure of Earth
* 2.2 How We Know about the Internal...
* 2.3 Plate Tectonics
* 2.4 A Detailed Look at Seafloor Spreading
* 2.7 Plate Tectonics and Environmental Geology
Websites
* Plate Tectonics and People
* Plate Tectonics Map
* Major Tectonic Plates of the World

Earthquakes
April 3 - 10

PDE - ESS - I.C.3.
PDE - ESS - I.H.1

 

Chapter 5
* Case History: Northridge, 1994
* 5.1 Introduction to Earthquakes
* 5.2 Earthquake Magnitude
* 5.3 Earthquake Intensity
* 5.4 Plate Boundary Earthquakes
* 5.5 Intraplate Earthquakes
* 5.6 Earthquake Processes
* 5.7 Earthquake Shaking
* 5.8 Earthquake Cycle
* 5.9 Earthquakes Caused by Human Activity
* 5.10 Effects of Earthquakes
* 5.11 Earthquake Risk and Prediction
* 5.12 Toward Earthquake Prediction
* 5.14 The Response to Earthquake Hazards
Websites
* Three Weeks of Earthquakes
* Pennsylvania Seismicity
 
Third Exam   -   Thursday, April 12
Volcanoes
April 17 - 19


PDE - ESS - I.C.3.
PDE - ESS - I.H.1
Chapter 6
* Case History: Mt. Unzen, 1991
* 6.1 Introduction to Volcanic Hazards
* 6.2 Volcanism and Volcanoes
* 6.3 Volcano Types
* 6.4 Volcano Origins
* 6.4 Volcanic Features
* 6.6 Volcanic Hazards
* 6.7 Two Case Histories
* 6.8 Forecasting Volcanic Activity
* 6.9 Adjustment to and Perception of....
Websites
* Mount St. Helens: A General Slide Set
* Types of Hazards Posed by Volcanoes
Solid Waste
Disposal

April 24 - 26


PDE - ESS - I.H.3
Chapter 16
* 16.3 Solid Waste Disposal
* 16.4 Hazardous Waste Management
* Case History: Love Canal
Websites
* Texas Administrative Code
* Federal Regulations for Landfills
Fuel and
Mineral
Resources

May 1 - 3


PDE - ESS - I.H.2
Chapter 14

* Case History: Worry over Energy Sources....
* 14.1 Energy Supply and Energy Demand
* 14.2 Fossil Fuels
* 14.3 The Future of Oil
* 14.6 Geothermal Energy

Websites
* A Petroleum Prospecting Primer
Chapter 13
* 13.1 Minerals and Human Use
* 13.2 Geology of Mineral Resources
* 13.3 Environmental Impact of Mineral...
* 13.4 Recycling Mineral Resources
* 13.5 Minerals and Sustainability
* A Closer Look: Plate Tectonics and Minerals
Websites
* Diamonds
* Gold
* Mining: The Bedrock of Everyday Life
Final Exam Time: Thursday, May 10th at 8:30 AM