ERTH 115 - Environmental Geology and Lab

 

ERTH 115: Environmental Geology
C-ID (GEOL 130.), CSUGE Area B1, IGETC Area 5A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable

Natural disasters and geologic hazards are a reality in every community: from debris flows and landslides to floods, earthquakes, volcanism, fire, air and water pollution, hazardous materials, climate change, droughts and fires. We will also study the risks associated with mining, petroleum, and energy generation. The key to mitigating the risks from these hazards is understanding the geologic processes that contribute to them and learning ways to predict and protect against them. In this class we will focus on understanding the risks so we can plan how to protect against them. We will relate all earth processes back to our local geology in Santa Barbara and in California, where many of these geologic hazards are current events.

Lab - Laboratory approach to topics covered, with emphasis on rock and mineral identification, hazard assessment, geologic resource management, and land use planning. In-lab field trips.