Environmental Geology
Department of Geosciences
Georgia State University
Spring Semester, 2008
Course Syllabus
Required Texts: Environmental Geology 8th Edition (Edward A. Keller), and Exercises in Environmental Geology (B. Meyer and W. C. Elliott), Exercises in Environmental Geology can be purchased at Bestway Copy Center.Objectives
Environmental Geology is a broad topic that encompasses both the effect of humankind on Earth and the effect of significant geologic processes on life on Earth. This course stresses the application of geologic knowledge and elementary chemical principles to the study of man’s impact on the quality of air, water and soil. The primary objective of this course is to present a body of knowledge useful to the study of the environmental geology drawing on knowledge covered in Chemical Principles-I (Chemistry 1211) and Introductory Geology-I (Geol 1121). Environmental topics to be covered in this course will include the atmosphere, regolith (soil and weathered rock), natural disasters (subsidence, earthquakes and volcanoes), and the movement and contamination of surface-groundwaters.
Mechanism
This is a lecture based course and it is a writing intensive (WI) course. As best as possible, we will follow the schedule shown on the final page of this syllabus. The WI considerations are described on page 3 of the syllabus. The readings are in the primary text (Keller) and in Exercises in Environmental Geology (M&E). Material will be added in lecture so that the course is being conducted at an advanced undergraduate – lower level graduate course. Please read the assigned material before class. Select films, exercises, guest lectures and field trips are included in this course. One field trip is planned (acid mine drainage in western GA). Attendance on the field trip(s) is optional and encouraged.
Homework assignments in M&E are given to reinforce concepts presented in Keller or to apply concepts to GA or to Atlanta area. In Exercises in Environmental Geology (M&E), there are computations in Exercises #1, #2 and #4 can be accomplished in part using Excel ®. Return a printed copy of your spreadsheet attached to the workbook and the virus-free diskette with your name. Clearly identify the file name of your spreadsheet in both the diskette and in the printout.
The course is divided roughly into four areas: Geologic Natural Disasters (i.e. volcanism, earthquakes, subsidence); Groundwater/Surface Waters and Soils; Pollution of soil and water; Atmosphere (Global Warming, Ozone and Smog). No one topic is especially difficult. However, given the breadth of topics and the depth of coverage of these topics presented in this course, it will be especially difficult to play “catch-up”. Therefore, be prepared for lecture and and keep up with the material being presented. There are two prerequisites: Chemical Principles - I (CHEM 1211) and Introductory Geology - I (GEOL 1121). Students without these prerequisites may be admitted to the class by permission of the instructor. Additional chemical and geologic concepts will be developed in this course as needed. Requirements set forth in the current versions of the Georgia State University Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Catalogs are in force for this course.
Grading and Attendance
The final grade earned in this course will be based on scores on two in-class exams (40%), homework assignments (10%), paper (25%), and the final exam (25%). Each one-hour exam is worth 20% of the final grade. The paper is described below under Writing Component and the paper assignment (term paper described in next page) must be completed to pass this course. Graduate students will have an oral exam of their paper. A final grade > 90 will earn an A. You must have a final grade of > 50 to pass the course. The grades of B, C, and D follow generally this scale: 80’s – B, 70’s – C and 50-60’s – D.
There are non-graded in-class assignments which are done for mutual understanding (volcanoes and earthquakes). Missing or incomplete in-class assignments will be factored in deriving final grade. The exam dates are listed below. Concepts presented from the guest lectures will be covered in the tests and the Final Exam. Attendance is required for exams. Attendance will be taken (explicitly or implicitly) during lecture. Repeated unexcused absences (> 3) from lecture will be just cause to lower the final grade one level or to withdraw the student from the course. If an absence is anticipated resulting from participation holidays of the student’s faith, summons to jury, University curricular activity then please see me in advance to reschedule exams; these absences are considered excused absences. Papers are due at the time of class. A 15% penalty will be applied to unexcused late assignments with explicit due dates. The Final Exam is cumulative. One half of the material will be drawn from material covered since Test #2. The remaining half will be drawn from material covered in Tests #1 and #2. The concepts presented in the Homework assignments are fair-game for the exams and the Final Exam.
Reference Materials
Given the breadth of material in this course, one textbook does not cover all topics equally. Reference texts are listed below. The texts listed below are good to keep in mind for additional detailed reading in the areas of contaminant chemistry, and engineering approaches to environmental geologic topics. Keller’s text is a good reference text and it is a standard treatment used primarily at the mid undergraduate level. Lundgren’s text is out of print and was the intended text for this course. Baird’s text is very readable text describing the chemistry of many contaminants in air, soil and water but it is very light in the areas of natural disasters and groundwater movement. Henry and Heinke’s text provided a template for many new environmental textbooks. This text begins with a chapter on population growth (our first exercise) as an impetus to study how humankind has affected Earth’s interrelated systems of soil, air and water. It is very quantitative. This text could serve as a proxy for environmental geochemistry for civil engineers. I have these texts in my office. You are welcome to check these texts out for a 24-hour period. These texts have influenced my thinking for this course. Specific data from these texts used in this course will be provided to you as handouts. The Environmental Resource Handbook is a very useful reference book and worth a look sometime in this course. It will be kept in Geology Department small meeting room adjacent to Kell 340 and it stays in that room.
Useful Reference Texts
Rahn, P.H., 1996, Engineering Geology, Prentice Hall, 656p.
C. Baird, 1995, Environmental Chemistry, Freeman, 484 p.
J.G. Henry and G.W. Heinke, G.W., 1989, Environmental Science and Engineering: Prentice Hall, 728 p.
Keller, G., Environmental Geology, Seventh Edition. Prentice Hall, 560 p.
Lundgren, L, 1998, Environmental Geology, Prentice Hall, 2nd Edition, 511 p (out of print).
Environmental Resource Handbook, 2002, 1st Edition, Greyhouse Publishing, 998 p.
Sources: Their Uses and Acknowledgment, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/sources
Writing Component
Environmental Geology is a writing-intensive course for Spring Semester 2008. As such, one term paper is required for completion of this course. The paper counts 25% toward your final grade. The writing assignment will be described early in the semester. The primary purpose of the writing assignments is to provide an opportunity for enhanced learning (i.e., learning more about a particular topic beyond the treatment in this course). Therefore, the topic of your paper must address one topic covered in this course and your paper must go beyond the coverage of this topic in lecture (i.e. enhanced learning).
The paper will be graded on the following criteria: organization, technical accuracy, grammar, proper citation of sources, and whether enhanced learning occurred (learning beyond material covered in lecture). We will follow the Geological Society of America citations; see Geological Society of America Bulletin as an example of proper source citation. Papers will be read and graded by Prof. Elliott. The length of the paper is 7-10 pages (which supercedes information provided in the www page on this course). The student will turn in one hard copy and one copy on diskette, CD or thumbdrive readable on my PC (Dell PC) on The topic will be chosen by the student so that enhanced learning can take place and the topic must be approved by the Instructor. The students are required to meet with the writing consultant or instructor at least one time to discuss choice of topics, paper organization, and other issues pertinent to writing assignments. E-mail discussion with the Writing Consultant satisfies the requirement. Deduction of 10% of the final grade of the paper is assessed for failure to discuss your paper with the writing consultant. Consider your meetings with the writing consultant as confidential peer-review. The writing consultant may help with any aspect of the paper. The paper counts 25% toward final grade. Consult the Handout and Guidelines for Writing Papers in Environmental Geology www.gsu.edu/~geowce/wacguide.htm for details about organization and reference style. A 15% penalty is assessed for handing in late papers. Library resources are summarized at: http://www.library.gsu.edu/research/geol . Plagiarism is cause for reduction of grade of writing assignment to no credit for this assignment and consequently reduction of grade of the final grade in this course and possibly referral to University Administration for disciplinary action. If you are not sure about the definition of plagiarism then consult the Georgia State University catalogs for undergraduate study and graduate study. Former Geology Chair Dr. La Tour wrote a short exercise (www.gsu.edu/~geotel/plagiarism.html) which details examples of plagiarism of various degrees. You may consult the instructor of this course at any time if you have questions about this topic (or any topic covered in this course). Sources, Their Uses and Acknowledgment listed above is another excellent source of information defining plagiarism and its consequences. Ignorance is no excuse. Students enrolled in GEOL 6017 will have an oral examination of their paper with the instructor during the last two weeks of the semester including Final Exam period.