Environmental Geology - the application of geological research to the problems of land use, resource development and the impact of human activities on the physical environment.
Environmental geology can be defined as the application of geological science to practical issues relating to human activity. The central characteristic that distinguishes environmental geologists is their strongly interdisciplinary approach, drawing on such areas as chemistry, physics, biology and, increasingly, economics, urban planning, and the law.
On a global scale, the combined forces of urbanization and a rapidly expanding chemical industry have been responsible for great improvements in the quality of life over the last 150 years. Ironically, these same forces now threaten the global environment. Urban areas are widely characterized by intense and often unregulated industrial activity, rapid and poorly planned growth, the fragmentation of natural habitats, and the degradation of surface and ground waters by a wide range of chemical contaminants.
Environmental Geology
Environmental Geology relies on all branches of the GeoSciences, including hydrogeology, soil science, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology and geographic information technology. In fields such as the study of groundwater dependant ecosystems, there are strong ties between Environmental Geology and Ecology.
For more information about Environmental Geology services provided by Oakridge, click on any of the links at the top of the page.
Subsurface explorations
Land development
