Environment

The environment is the sum of the all the features and conditions surrounding an organism that may influence it. An individual's physical environment encompasses rocks and soil, air and water, such factors as light and temperature and other organisms present. One's social environment might include a network of family and friends, a particular political system and a set of social customs that affect one's behavior.

Geology is the study of the earth. Because the earth provides the basic physical environment in which we live all of geology might in one sense be regarded as environmental geology. However, the term environmental geology is usually restricted to refer particularly to geology as it relates directly to human activities, and that is the focus of this book. Environmental geology is geology applied to living. We will examine how geologic processes and hazards influence human activities (and sometimes the reverse) the geologic aspects of pollution and waste – disposal problems, and several other topics.

Why environmental geology? One reason for studying environmental geology might simply be curiosity about the way the earth works, about the how and why of natural phenomena. Another reason is that we are in creasingly faced with environmental problems to be solved and decisions to be made , and in many cases an understanding of on or more geologic processes is essential to finding an appropriate solution.

Of course, many environmental problems cannot be fully assessed and solved using geologic data alone. The problems vary widely in size and in complexity. In a specific instance, data from other branches of science (such as biology, chemistry or ecology) as well as economics, politics social priorities, and so on may have to be taken into account. Because a variety of considerations may influence the choice of a solution, there is frequently disagreement about which solution is "best". Our personal choices will often depend strongly on our beliefs about which considerations are most important.

An introductory text cannot explore all aspects of environmental concerns. Here the emphasis is on the physical constraints imposed on human activities by the geologic processes that have shaped and are still shaping our natural environment. In a real sense, these are the most basic, inescapable constraints; we cannot, for instance, use a resource that is not there or build a secure home or a safe dam on land that is fundamentally unstable. Geology then is a logical place to start in developing an understanding of many environmental issues.

Environment contains :