GEL 230 Environmental Geology

Lecture: 3 Lab: 2 Clinic: 0 Credits: 4

This course provides insights into geologic forces that cause environmental changes influencing man’s activities. Emphasis is placed on natural hazards and disasters caused by geologic forces. Upon completion, students should be able to relate major hazards and disasters to the geologic forces responsible for their occurrence.

This course has been approved for transfer under the CAA as a general education course in Natural Science.

Pre-requisite(s): C or higher in GEL 111, GEL 120, or PHS 130.
Course is typically offered in Spring (when offered).
Course has transfer restrictions - 20 years

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
At the completion of the course, the students should be able to do the following:

Evaluate geologic hazards - both sporadic and incremental - with understanding of their geology, their risk, and strategies to mitigate against their risk.
Demonstrate real life solutions of the attributes and significance of soil, water, mineral and stone resources along with issues related to their availability and conservation.
Demonstrate real life solutions of the attributes and significance of fossil fuel energy resources, including understanding the geology of their formation, and with particular attention to issues involving their extraction, use, and environmental impact.
Demonstrate real life solutions of the attributes and significance of alternative and renewable energy resources, with particular attention to comparing and contrasting extraction, use and environmental impact issues with those of fossil fuels.
Demonstrate real life solutions of the attributes and significance of human issues related to the global environment including, but not limited to, pollution, waste disposal, global warming and over-population.