Environmental Geology, Introduction

The world’s population continues to increase and as it does greater demand is placed on the finite resources that the earth provides. Geographic areas once judged inadequate or inappropriate for construction, water and wastewater management, or transportation routes are being used for development.

Environmental geology is the discipline which brings together these issues in a holistic approach to land use planning and utilization. This section of the encyclopedia examines some of the problems, techniques, and solutions for managing resources so the balance between development and the environment can be preserved.

Natural disasters have varying impacts depending upon the proximity of the disaster to population centers and the magnitude and extent of the event or hazard. In all cases, the primary purpose of studying these phenomena is to minimize loss of human life and secondarily to minimize loss of infrastructure and impacts on present and future developments.

Each type of hazard...