Geology

Geology and the Environment 61-213 i

Preface

Why Geology and the Environment? The answer lies in the fact that the geologicalprocesses responsible for the evolution of the Earth:

• gave rise to many of the natural resources used by humans;• continue to control the arrangement of materials at the planet's surface, where

humans• carry out their life activities;• are susceptible to change as a result of human interference in ways that are very

commonly harmful to humans.

It follows that we must have a knowledge of these processes and the ways in which theyare interrelated, if we are to:

• efficiently explore for and develop a wide variety of natural resources;• minimize risk to human lives and property from natural hazards;• greatly reduce the impact of human activities on the environment.

Of course, the planning of ways to get the maximum benefit from water, soil, andaccumulations of mineral resources is very much a matter for trained specialists. So tooare the prediction and even control of geological hazards whether natural or induced byindustrial activity.

But it is the "non-specialists" making up the greater part of society who to a large extentcontrol the land-use patterns affecting the environment by investing in private industry,purchasing products in the market place, and electing government policy-makers intooffice. Clearly, it is to the advantage of all of society that such control be exerted in aninformed manner. Thus, we all stand to benefit as more and more people come to knowhow geological processes influence their daily lives.

Geology and the Environment is a semester course, taken for Science credit by thestudents of other faculties than Science at the University of Windsor. It was first offeredin a distance education format during Winter Term of the academic year 1987-88. Thiscourse manual and the accompanying unit handbooks - five in all - were written takinginto account the study needs of both distance students and individuals registered to takethe course in its in-class lecture format.

The core of the course consists of the three main themes addressed in unit handbooks 2,3, and 4: distribution of resources, causes of natural hazards, and unwantedenvironmental effects of industrial activity. The geological processes described in unithandbook 1 provide the conceptual links between those themes. Some perspectives on

ii Course Manual

land-use planning are presented in unit handbook 5.

How you use the handbooks will depend on your previous experience with Geologyand your plans for future studies. Each unit has been organized as a self-containedmodule and a consistent format is followed for easy reference.

Fundamental to Geology and the Environment is the notion that alternative solutions tomany of the major problems in environmental management can be worked out entirelyon the basis of an understanding of the geological processes involved and the types ofnatural response generated by them. With this understanding as a starting point,expertise from other disciplines, in addition to Geology, can be brought to bear on anenvironmental problem. This would provide the opportunity to select a desirablesolution from the range of possible alternatives.

Accordingly, it is my hope that this course will contribute toward eventually expandingthe career horizons of a wide variety of non-geologists and will provide all studentswith insights into new options for harmonious interaction with the forces shaping ourplanet.

One thing is certain. Students, who successfully complete Geology and theEnvironment, will have more than a degree credit. They will have acquired a sound,scientific basis for rational evaluation of the environment-oriented guidelines andlegislation that determines land-use policy.

Geology and the Environment 61-213 iii

Acknowledgements

There would not be a distance version of Geology and the Environment, were it not formuch perseverance on the part of Margaret Landstrom, Assistant Director of the University ofWindsor's Division of Continuing Education. In addition, she and Walter Uegama, Director ofContinuing Education, provided invaluable advice and assistance with regard to the presentationof course materials for the distance-education format.

The course manual and unit handbooks were written during the period of 1988-89, when I was aVisiting Professor of Geology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, while on sabbatical leave fromthe University of Windsor, and subsequently on my return to Canada. Professor I.O. Nyambok,Chairman of the Department of Geology, University of Nairobi, kindly made available thefacilities of his department. The manuscripts were typed by Stacey Lore of the Division ofContinuing Education at Windsor, Carmen Linwood of the Organization of Part-time UniversityStudents, and Elizabeth Chandler of the Department of Geology.

All of the texts in the Geology and the Environment series were edited by Lorraine Krawetz ofthe Division of Continuing Education. Formatting and desk-top publishing were by Lia DelDuca-Howie, also of the Division. Amilcar Carriera, Graphic Artist with Centre Graphics, adivision of the University's Student Administrative Council, is responsible for all cover designs.

The lectures were taped at the Media Centre of the University of Windsor, where technicalexpertise was supplied by Neil Addison. The tapes used by students were dubbed from themasters by Mike Lennox, of the University's Language Laboratory. The audiotapes were first putto practical use by students registered in Winter Term and Intersession of the 1987-88 academicyear; their words of encouragement were and still remain very much appreciated.

Never before was I involved in a project which flowed so easily from one stage to the next. Partlythis was due to the nature of the subject matter making up Geology and the Environment andthe urgent need that it be more widely known. But it was also because of the help given by theindividuals mentioned above, who turned every chore into pleasure. To each of them, I offer mysincere thanks.

Frank SimpsonUniversity of Windsor,September, 1989

iv Course Manual

Contents

Introduction .............................................................................................. 1

Course Description ................................................................................... 1

Course Objectives ...................................................................................... 4

Course Outline ........................................................................................... 5

Links Between Course Units .................................................................... 8

Course Materials ...................................................................................... 11

What to Expect From Distance Education ........................................... 13

How to Use the Course Materials ......................................................... 13

Timetable .................................................................................................. 15

Selected References ................................................................................. 16

About the Author ..................................................................................... 17

Geology and the Environment 61-213 1

Introduction

Welcome to the distance education version of the University of Windsor's 03-61-213course, entitled Geology and the Environment. This manual is your guide to thecourse. Its purpose is twofold:

• to present a general overview of course content;• to give details about course materials and procedures.

You are advised to read the entire manual - including the preface - before starting workon the subject matter of the course. Once you understand the logic behind the breakdown of the subject matter of the course into five main themes, you will find thatlearning the details is a fairly straight-forward matter.

Please pay particular attention to the course outline and timetable so as to budget yourtime available for study in the best possible manner. You should also consult this coursemanual from time to time while the course is in progress to ensure that you achieve thecourse objectives in the order given below.

Course Description

Geology and the Environment is a Science option for students majoring in fields otherthan those of Science and Engineering. It serves the additional important purpose offostering public awareness of how knowledge of the basic principles of Geology isessential for effective environmental management.

The course places emphasis on conditions of potential hazard to humans, arising ascommon responses to the natural processes, which affect Earth materials in surface andrelatively shallow, subsurface locations. Some of these hazardous conditions haveoriginated from changes to natural systems brought about by industrial operations. Thiscourse lends support to the view that many such hazards to human life and propertymay be minimized and even to a large extent eliminated through adoption of land-usestrategies based on an understanding of these natural process-response systems.

2 Course Manual

Your course textbook (purchased from the university bookstore) is: Montgomery, C.W.2005. Environmental Geology (Seventh Edition). New York, McGraw-Hill. The courseunits in this course guide (Table 1) correspond to major themes, under which topics aregrouped approximately in the same manner as in sections making up the textbook. Minor differences exist between the course and the textbook with regard to the groupingof topics and the order in which major themes are considered. For example, this courseplaces major importance on recognition of the continuity between surface andunderground waters and on both chemical and physical interaction between naturalwaters and earth materials. Accordingly, it was considered most appropriate to dealwith the hydrologic cycle at a very early stage in the course.

Geology and the Environment is relevant to the quality of your life with all theimmediacy of tomorrow's newspaper headlines! This is no exaggeration. While thecourse is in progress during a typical thirteen-week term, the very hazards underconsideration in it will take their toll in human lives, numbered by the hundreds ofthousands, and in damage to property, valued at millions of dollars! The release ofindustrial pollutants into water and air over a comparable time period and the resultingall-pervasive spread of toxic substances is much harder to evaluate in terms of its futureimpact on humans.

If this course has one single message, it is that knowledge of geological processes andresponses in the hands of national and international policy-makers can enable all of usto live in harmony with our environment and gain the maximum benefit from ourworld. With this thought in mind, do enjoy the course and contact your instructor if youhave any questions.


Table 1Units and corresponding topics of Geology and the Environment

as they relate to parts of the course textbook

4 Course Manual

Course Objectives

Many of the environmental issues considered in this course are at least to someextent known to you from coverage of current events by the popular media. The coursepresents these environmental concerns - as well as possible solutions to them - within anintegrated, logical framework of natural processes and responses.

Geology and the Environment will enable you to appreciate more fully the worldaround you through a broader understanding of Earth processes. It places emphasis onhow these processes affect and are themselves influenced by human activities.

As you progress systematically through the course materials, you should be able to:

• explain the relationship between the quality of human life, the environment, andvarious geological factors in both industrialized and developing countries;


• understand how the exploitation and use of particular natural resources tends toadversely affect the environment and also the development of other resources;

• describe ways of minimizing the risk to human lives and property fromhazardous conditions arising out of natural processes;

• describe ways of minimizing the risk to human lives and property fromhazardous conditions arising out of industry-induced modifications of naturalprocesses; and

• explain how economic development and environmental management can beintegrated by means of a systematic approach to the planning of land use.

As you work through the course, you will discover that the course objectives arepresented above in a logical sequence so that mastery of the early concepts pr ovidesthe key to an understanding of those that follow. It is therefore of considerableimportance that you study the course units 1 through 5 in that order, after you finishreading this manual.

Course Outline

The subject matter of Geology and the Environment comprises twenty-fivelecture topics (Table 1), arranged into five main themes, which are the titles of thecourse units:

• Unit 1 - Environmental Quality Related to Earth Processes (2 lecture topics);• Unit 2 - Resources: Renewable, Non-Renewable and Cyclical (7 lecture topics);• Unit 3 - Environment-Dominant Geological Hazards (7 lecture topics);

• Unit 4 - Industry-Dominant Geological Hazards (6 lecture topics); and• Unit 5 - Engineering the Environment (3 lecture topics).Unit 1 begins with a review of the ways in which Geology is related toenvironmental quality. It goes on to view the Earth as a dynamic system, constantlyundergoing changes in response to processes operating on different scales within theinterior of the planet and at the surface. This course is largely concerned with whathappens when humans interfere with those processes. Consequently, it is importantthat you consider the subject matter of the other course units in the context of thefundamental concepts covered in unit 1.

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Upon completion of this unit you should be able to:

• understand how Geology addresses basic human needs related to the quality oflife and discuss the significance of environmental management to these needs;and,

• explain the interrelated nature of the processes which give rise to the main rocktypes and control their distribution on the continents and the floors of themodern oceans.

Unit 2 deals with the origin, mode of occurrence, and distribution of water, soil, andthe main mineral resources. It includes comments on the most widely adoptedapproaches to development of these diverse resources, thus setting the scene formore detailed consideration of possible environmental impact in later units. Theunit concludes with considerations of unconventional (including renewable) energysources and energy storage by means of gas compression in a subsurface setting.


• understand the distribution of water on the planet with reference to thehydrologic cycle;

• explain how surface waters and ground water are exploited for human needs;• understand the processes of soil formation and how different soil types are

related to patterns of land-use by humans;• explain the origin and distribution of the main mineral resources in the context of

the rock-forming processes considered previously

• describe the most commonly adopted approaches to development, extraction,and use of the main mineral resources;

• explain how energy is obtained from conventional sources (petroleum, coal,radioactive materials); and

• explain how unconventional energy sources (synthetic gaseous hydrocarbons,geothermal energy, solar energy, tides) might be exploited in the future;

Unit 3 has to do with hazardous conditions arising from the movement of water androck waste at the Earth's surface in circuits of the hydrologic cycle. Potential hazards tohumans are to be found where rock waste (including soils) undergoes accelerated


erosion or deposition. This unit ends with consideration of the surface effects of deep-seated processes within the Earth's interior - namely igneous activity (volcanism) andearthquakes.


• understand how to minimize the potential hazard to human life and propertyassociated with the action of wind, water, and ice, as well as the mass movementof materials down-slope; and,

• understand how to minimize the potential hazard to human life and propertyassociated with earthquakes and volcanic activity;

Unit 4 presents a geologist's perspective on ways to minimize the harmful effects ofindustrial activity on the environment. Special attention is paid to the unwantedconsequences of exploration for and development of different types of mineral resource;major construction projects in diverse geological settings; and contrasting approaches todisposal of a wide variety of wastes. Industry-induced acceleration and localization ofprocesses considered in unit 3 are important here, as is the migration of contaminants insurface and subsurface waters.


• explain the different types of environmental impact which can result from theexploitation of mineral resources;

• describe how society can benefit from land use after mining;• describe some of the unwanted environmental effects resulting from faulty site

selection for different types of major construction projects;• describe the types and sources of the common contaminants in water and air, the

adverse effects of pollution, and the main approaches to pollution control; and,• understand the scientific reasoning in support of alternative strategies for the

safe disposal of different waste types.

Unit 5 is concerned with evaluation of alternative approaches to land use at a particularlocation on the basis of probable environmental impact. The need for this isunderscored by considerations of trace elements in the environment, which point to apossible connection between some noninfectious diseases and geological setting. This

8 Course Manual

unit brings the course to an end by emphasizing the need for increased public awarenessof the geological factors affecting the quality of life worldwide. Perhaps the key to suchawareness is to be found through a wider recognition of the links between humanismand the teaching of Science.


• explain the different stages of the land-use planning process, proceduresinvolved in site selection and evaluation prior to initiation of a major land-useproject, and how to prepare an environmental-impact statement;

• explain the relationship between human health and the intake of chemicalelements and discuss the possible connection between the trace elements ofparticular rock associations and the increased incidence of certain noninfectiousdiseases; and

• outline some of the essential components of a generalized strategy to pr omoteincreased awareness of the urgent need for protection of the global environmentand explain the importance of geological perspectives in an effort of this kind.

Links Between Course Units

Decision makers evaluating alternative land-use strategies need to view the relevantnatural processes and responses in terms of sets of linked concepts, which cross overfrom one of the above major themes to another. A striking example of such connectionsbetween major themes is provided by river action and related human activities:

• An important component of the surface circuit of the hydrologic cycle is riveraction, which typically involves the movement of water and rock waste. Erosionproducts are transported mechanically and in solution in a channel from areas ofhigh elevation to areas of low elevation within a drainage basin (units 1 and 2). Tectonic uplift of the continental landmass and climatic controls of water supplyinfluence initiation of a river system to a major extent.

• Rivers and associated lakes and wetlands are of great ecological importance to


many species of animals and plants; their waters are put to a variety of uses byhumans who very commonly locate their settlements close to the larger watercourses (unit 2). Some of these uses involve taking water out of the river (e.g. fordrinking, industrial cooling purposes, irrigation), whereas others do not (e.g.dilution and dispersal of wastes, navigation).

• The rock waste ultimately deposited from modern river waters - both within thechannel and outside of it - may acquire considerable economic importance (units2 and 3). Channel sands and gravels are used in the construction industry; riversands may include placer gold deposits and accumulations of other heavyminerals concentrated by currents. Mud, laid down over wide areas around thechannel in times of flood, is the mineral basis for new soil.

• The sands and gravels of ancient rivers are now seen as extensive deposits ofsedimentary rocks, which frequently exhibit the three-dimensional geometry ofinterconnected systems of sediment-filled channels. In the subsurface, thesechannel deposits may constitute important aquifers containing potable groundwater and, in deeper settings, reservoirs for crude oil and natural gas andreceiving strata for injected wastes (units 2 and 4).

• Flow in a river system may be regulated and the potential for catastrophic floodslargely eliminated by impounding the waters in a reservoir on the upstream sideof a dam. Hydroelectric power is produced through the controlled release ofwater from the reservoir to downstream locations (units 2 and 3). But rivervalleys frequently coincide with belts of crustal weakness and many of the biggerdams are associated with high earthquake risk (unit 4).

• Because waters of the surface and subsurface circuits of the hydrologic cycle aregenerally in close continuity, changes in amount and quality of the water in onecircuit may lead to corresponding changes in the other (unit 2). This carriesserious implications for extraction of both surface water and ground water andfor the safe disposal of practically all types of waste (units 2 and 4).

• River dissection of a land surface contributes to the scenic diversification of aregion and thus according to popular opinion enhances the aesthetic value. As acontinental region is worn down by river erosion, trace elements areincorporated into surface waters and soils from crustal materials. Some of thesetrace elements are eventually ingested by humans and may cause increasedincidence of certain noninfectious diseases (unit 5).

You will extract the maximum benefit from Geology and the Environment, if you take

10 Course Manual

the time to explore the conceptual links between the major environmental themes of thecourse. Pay particular attention to the main geological processes controlling thedistribution of materials at the Earth's surface, and the related responses or products oftheir action. For example, river action considered above, is commonly assigned inintroductory texts to the so-called processes of external origin, which include the workdone by wind, ice, and marine waters, as well as mass movement of Earth materials. Earthquakes and volcanism are surface manifestations of processes of internal origin,which should also be taken into account.

As you review each process, you should:

• determine the possible relationship to natural resource occurrence;• list all possible associated hazards of natural origin;• list the main types of industrial activity which might induce hazardous

conditions or accelerate hazards of natural origin;• comment on the possible special significance to land-use planning.

You should also be mindful of the fact that at certain locations two or more processesinteract to produce distinctive responses. For example, at the mouth of a river along amarine shoreline, waves and tides commonly interact with river processes to produce adelta -- a partly emergent lobe of sand built seaward from the river mouth.

Note in addition that processes of external and internal origins may interact to producesurface responses of major significance to human activities. The importance of tectonicuplift of a land surface to the initiation of a river system has already been noted. Earthquakes may exert a profound influence on both surface and subsurface circuits ofthe hydrologic cycle, resulting in changes to existing patterns of drainage.

Course Materials

Geology and the Environment employs the following course materials:


• a set of CDs, featuring recorded lectures• the course manual• the unit handbooks• the course textbook, Montgomery, C.W., 2005. Environmental Geology (Seventh

Edition). New York, McGraw-Hill. 540 pp.

The CD set features a course outline and twenty-five lectures, recorded on twelve CDs. These lectures are similar to the format of the course for in class presentation.

Each main theme corresponds to a different unit of the course. An appreciation of theunderlying rationale for the breakdown of course content into main themes and topics isessential for the fullest understanding and enjoyment of this course. If the logic of thisrationale in any sense eludes you, contact your instructor for discussion.

As you will have noted, this course manual provides general information on coursecontent. It also presents details about the course materials and how to use them tomaximum advantage.

Each unit handbook deals with a main theme of course content. There are five unithandbooks. I wrote this course with the intent that a student should be able to completeGeology and the Environment in one semester, or about thirteen weeks. You shouldspend about a week to a week and a half studying the subject matter of each of units 1and 5. Units 2 and 3 should each take you three and a half weeks and unit 4, threeweeks.

The unit handbooks outline the main objectives associated with the main themes of thecourse and provide added commentary to link related concepts discussed under diversetopic headings. In each unit handbook, the topics making up the theme underconsideration are listed in a logical sequence, along with the corresponding parts of thecourse textbook. Each lecture topic is divided into a series of subtopics and each ofthese in turn is broken down further into its component key concepts. These conceptspertain to natural processes and responses and industry-induced modifications of them.

You are reminded that some differences exist between this course and the coursetextbook with regard to the grouping of topics into major themes and the order ofpresentation of these themes. You are encouraged to use the course textbook as a source

12 Course Manual

of information on examples and case histories of the natural and industrial phenomenaconsidered. Clearly, the material provided for this course does not cover the subjectmatter or all of the issues in Geology. If you would like to study any areas further,selected references are located at the end of this manual and each unit handbook. Youare not required to review this additional material.

If you have never taken a Geology course before, you should pay particular attention tothe fundamental concepts covered in lecture 2 and the corresponding parts of the coursetextbook. You would probably benefit from reading more comprehensive accounts ofthese concepts from introductory textbooks on Geology listed at the end of this manual. These recommended books do not necessarily have an environmental focus.

What to Expect from Distance Education

Probably you have elected to use the distance education format for this course, becauseregularly scheduled lectures on campus are not appropriate to your needs. The coursematerials were put together in order to:

• facilitate independent study on your part, while at the same time eliminating allpossibility that you might suffer any academic disadvantage, by comparisonwith students taking the in-class lecture course;

• help you arrive at a constructively critical approach to evaluation of land-usepolicy on the basis of a sound knowledge of geological processes and responses.

Although you will be studying this material largely on your own, contact yourinstructor, when you require clarification on subject matter. You should contact your instructor, if:

• you do not understand some of the subject matter of the course; • you have questions arising out of the grading system.

The course manual and unit handbooks are intended to augment the subject matter,covered in both the recorded series of lectures and the course textbook. They provideinsights into the rationale underlying the presentation of each major theme, as well asthe concepts that link them.


How to Use the Course Materials

What follows is a recommended strategy for working systematically through thecourse using all of the course materials in an integrated manner. It begins with anoverview of course content and ends with preparation for the final examination.

• Finish reading the course manual. You should already have a good general ideaof the content and objectives of the course. The remainder mostly consists ofsuggestions on how to plan your study time most effectively.

• Review the course objectives from time to time as you work systematicallythrough the course units. These objectives are phrased in fairly generalizedterms. They indicate what you should be able to do after working with thecourse materials.

• Turn to unit handbook 1. Each of the handbooks is intended to help you get themaximum benefit from the CD lectures making up the unit and thecorresponding parts of the course textbook.

• Read the introduction to the unit as well as the overview and objectives for eachtopic. You will find that the topic objectives are closely tied to the content of thecorresponding lectures.

• Note that the handbook lecture notes and the CD lectures differ, to a minorextent, in scope and emphasis. Combined, they express the interconnectednature of the course material.

• Read the corresponding lecture outline, before listening to each CD lecture. Eachlecture topic has been broken down into a number of subtopics and a series ofkey concepts is listed for each of these. This can be used as a guide whenlistening to the respective CD lecture.

• After you have listened to a CD lecture, check the comments on use of coursematerials presented in the unit handbook. Read the corresponding parts of thecourse textbook and any relevant information sheets.

• In reading the course textbook, pay particular attention to diagrams whichsummarize the main concepts covered in the lectures. You should also look forexamples and case histories that demonstrate the practical significance of theseconcepts.

• After completion of each unit, review the unit objectives and make sure that youare able to achieve them. Read the "Links to Other Course Units" section of the

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unit handbook which deals with concepts linking its main theme to the mainthemes of the other handbooks.

• Proceed from one unit to another through the course along the lines describedabove. You should examine all of the main themes in sequence with respect totheir significance for selected processes and responses.

• After reaching the end of unit 5, you should review the entire course. A goodapproach to studying the subject matter of the course is to use the key conceptsof the lecture outlines as checklists.

When in doubt about anything related to the course content, do not hesitate to contactyour instructor. Your instructor has provided you with information on how to reachhim or her in the Instructor and Assignment Information. Take to heart the Japanesemaxim:

"to ask may be a moment's shame; but not to ask and thus remain ignorant is a lifelongshame."

Timetable

Geology and the Environment is designed to be completed during a thirteen-weeksemester. It is recommended that you spend one week to a week and a half studyingunit 1. If you have no previous experience of Geology, it is likely that you will findlecture 2 somewhat daunting. However, the time spent on learning about the geologicalprocesses and responses described in it is an excellent investment of effort and willenable you to understand the subject matter of the other units without dif ficulty.

You should be able to work through units 2 and 3 at a rate of up to three and a halfweeks per unit. It should take you about three weeks to cover unit 4 and you shouldallow up to a week for unit 5. To allow for unexpected difficulties, you should attemptto keep ahead of schedule, so that you are able to review material for examinations.


Selected References

Dunne, T., and Leopold, L.B., 1978. Water in Environmental Planning. New York, W.H.Freeman and Company.

Foster, R.J. 1988. General Geology. Columbus, Merrill Publishing Company.

Hamblin, W.K., and Christiansen, E.H., 2004. The Earth's Dynamic Systems. Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall Inc.

Judson, S., Kauffman, M.E., and Leet, L.D., 1990. Physical Geology. Englewood Cliffs,Prentice-Hall Inc.

Kump. L.R, Kasting, J.F., and Crane, R.G., 2004. The Earth System. Upper Saddle River,Prentice Hall.

Lundgren, L., 1999. Environmental Geology. Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall Inc.

Lutgens, F.K., and Tarbuck, E.J., 2001. Essentials of Geology. Columbus,Merrill Publishing Company.

Montgomery, C.W., 2005. Environmental Geology. New York, McGraw- Hill.

Press, F., Siever, R., Gotzinger, J., and Jordan, T.H., 2003. Understanding Earth. NewYork, W.H. Freeman and Company.

Skinner, B.J., and Porter, S.C., 1987. Physical Geology. New York, John Wiley & Sons.

Strahler, A.N., 1981. Physical Geology. New York, Harper & Row Publishers.

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About the Author

Frank Simpson received an Honours B. Sc. in Geology atthe University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1965 and a Dr. Nat.Sc. from the Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland, in 1968. He worked as a Research Geologist for the SaskatchewanDepartment of Mineral Resources from 1969 until 1974. Subsequently he joined the Department of Geology at theUniversity of Windsor. He is registered as a ProfessionalEngineer and Professional Geoscientist in the Province ofSaskatchewan.

Dr. Simpson's main research interests lie in the fields of Sedimentology, ReservoirGeology, and Environmental Geology. His doctorate research was done in theCarpathian Mountains of southern Poland. He later worked on a wide range ofproblems in petroleum geology and the deep-well disposal of fluid, industrial wastes. This work was carried out mainly in the Prairie Provinces of Canada and the NorthernGreat Plains region of the United States.

A more recent research emphasis is on the integration of water-resource management,soil conservation and revegetation of degraded dryland areas. His most recent work isin India, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia and Ukraine. He is strongly committed to the idea ofresearch in applied Earth Sciences for the benefit of society, particularly in the field ofinternational development.


About the Course Manual

The manual identifies different types of problem, associated with human interactionwith the environment. It makes a case for minimizing them by means of a systematicapproach to land-use planning, which employs a thorough understanding of Earthprocesses. The closely interrelated nature of these processes is the basis for a study plan,which brings together the subject matter of all units in the Geology and theEnvironment series.

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