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Environmental Geology

of

Developing Nations

Geology 351

 

    Environmental Geology of Developing Nations (GEOL 351) is a 4-unit General Education course that creates an understanding of the role that the physical environment plays in the health and welfare of developing nations.  The purpose of the course is to help students understand that the quality of planning will determine whether or not developing nations realize the benefits of their natural resources and reduce the impacts of natural disasters.  This course satisfies part of the Upper Division Theme requirement of the General Education Program.   Environmental Geology of Developing Nations is in Theme A: Challenge of Change in the Developing World

 The city of Quito is in the rapidly developing nation of Ecuador.  Ecuador is challenged by its geological hazards and its natural resources.  It has large reserves of natural gas that brings the petroleum industry and a beautiful landscape that is attractive to tourists.  But Quito and other population centers are in earthquake zones and surrounded by active volcanoes.  The future of Ecuador partly depends on wise management of its natural environment.
China is the most rapidly developing nation in the world.  The bicyclists shown in this 1996 photo taken in Chengdu have largely changed to automobiles.  This is placing enormous demands on the natural resources of the entire world.

     This is a lecture-only course.  Students meet for 100-minute class periods twice a week.  Grades are typically determined by 2 to 4 exams, a written or oral presentation, and class participation. The course is taught for General Education students and does not require a background in mathematics or science.  Introductory concepts in geology are provided as each topic is discussed.
 

     Class periods may be used for lectures, group discussions, demonstrations, or visual presentations.  Typically Environmental Geology of Developing Nations is divided into two major topics:  (1) the recognition, mitigation, and prevention of natural disasters in developing nations, and (2) the positive and negative aspects of natural resource extraction.  Students work to understand these topics within the cultural, economic, and historic framework of developing nations. 

 

 Mexico City was fairly far removed from the epicenter of the 1985 earthquake.  In spite of this, the damage was very severe because of the soft, weak sediment that the city has been constructed upon.  Poor construction increased the death toll.
 

The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami took over 200,000 lives.  Proper planning and a tsunami warning system could have saved thousands of lives.

     The subject of this course has enduring and great importance for humanity.  It addresses the physical environment of the largest portion of the world population.  It is this environment and the human response to it that will determine many aspects of the future quality of life for all people on Earth.  For example, wars are often fought for valuable resources including energy, minerals, and fertile soils.  An understanding of the physical environment and its impact on human welfare is one step to a better and more peaceful future.  Environmental ethics are part of the equation that students come to appreciate.

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     The course opens with a study of population growth and dynamics and how it impacts developing nations.   The population of developing nations will soon exceed 5 billion people and could reach 8 billion by the year 2025.  You will come to recognize that population growth is deeply involved with the consequences of natural disasters and the development, use, and loss of natural resources. Understanding these impacts will provide you with a better understanding of the future of the largest portion of the world population.

            Starvation is far too common for many of the poorest people around the world. 

 
Over 80,000 lives were lost in the Pakistan earthquake.  Poor construction is often a result of poverty but the consequence during an earthquake may be total loss of homes and lives.  The remoteness of mountain villages and the harsh weather made this earthquake far worse. 

     This is followed by a focus on geological hazards.  The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2005 Pakistan earthquake demonstrate the horrific impact of earthquakes in developing regions.  Students learn how earthquakes cause destruction and why the damage that they cause is often so much more severe in developing nations.  Measures to reduce the consequences of earthquakes and barriers to implementation of these improvements in developing nations are explored. 

     United Nations studies show that the economic impact of landslides and land subsidence is astounding. Landslides take thousands of lives each year and do untold millions of dollars of damage around the world and yet no developing nation takes significant measures to reduce this cause of suffering.   

     The Cathedral de Guadalupe of  Mexico City has been gradually sinking into the soft sediment beneath the building.
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Subsidence is most serious in areas close to sealevel.  Bangladesh is almost entirely at or very close to sealevel.  Sandbaggers are working here to hold back the ever rising ocean.

    Land subsidence is a slow and insidious process that is often worsened by human activity.  Locations near sea level, such as Bangladesh, suffer the worst consequences of subsidence.  These areas face either the great cost of levees to hold back the ocean or loss of valuable land.
 

    Soil erosion poses enormous threats to developing nations especially those with rapidly growing populations.  Soil erosion is caused by wasteful farming practices, overgrazing by cattle and sheep, and road construction or housing developments.  Soil erosion reduces agricultural production and threatens the sustainability of the population in many areas.  Ways to lessen this threat to developing nations are discussed.

Terracing in Indonesia enables farmers to raise rice crops without severe soil erosion.
 
Chile has over 600 volcanoes.  Volcanoes create dangers but they have also fertilized the rich soils of Chile's central valley.  Volcan Calbuco near Puerto Mont can be seen in the distance in this photo.

     Volcanism and its attendant mudflows is an especially severe problem in Central and South America and Southeast Asia.  Towns, villages, and even large cities are built in the immediate path of volcanic devastation.  Case studies such as the 1985 destruction of Armero in Colombia and the loss of 23,000 lives will be presented.  Students learn that it is important to plan for natural disasters rather than simply react to them.
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     The final part of the course investigates renewable and nonrenewable resources of developing nations.  The water cycle and human interference with it will be investigated.  Case studies of water pollution, loss of groundwater resources, and interruption and redirection of surface flow will be presented. 

     These Indonesians do their laundry, bathe, and often drink unsanitary water.  United Nations studies show that the life in developing nations is often greatly improved by cleaning up polluted water.
 
This photo was taken in an iron ore mine in South Africa.  South Africa is extraordinarily rich in mineral resources and supplies many of the important metals that we need for our modern life.

     One of the worst problems for developing nations is the loss of their quick assets - fossil fuels and metallic and nonmetallic resources.  Quick assets are those that are quickly removed from the ground and sold for cash.  The natural occurrence and consequences of the utilization of these resources will be studied.  Wise use of these assets may greatly improve the fortune of the resource supplying nations.  Foolish use will result in resentment.  It is important that leaders understand the concepts of sustained yield, multiple land use, and good planning for future generations.
 

     Knowledge of the natural environment of developing nations will give you a clearer understanding of world events as they unfold during your lifetime.  Furthermore, you will develop a sense of community and awareness of the global interdependence of the human experience.  It will be impossible for you to consider nature and its relationship to developing nations without also probing the ethical responsibilities that humans have to each other.  This will be a course that has lasting value to you as you experience the complex web of human activities during your lifetime. 

    
These 15-year old Masai boys in Tanzania represent a culture that has taken great pride in its ability to preserve its traditional way of life.  Look closely at what the boy in the center is holding in his left hand.  It appears that even the Masai will change their way of life and place large demands on Earth's natural resources
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Environmental Geology of Developing Nations
Photo Gallery
 

Nevada del Ruiz in Colombia erupted in 1985.  Glacial ice at the summit of the volcano melted and a mudflow descended into the valley below killing 23,000 people in the village of Armero.  Photo courtesy of the USGS.

  Armero was entirely buried beneath the mudflow deposit that you see in this photo.  Warnings were provided but ignored.  A better warning system, education of the people regarding the dangers, and a good evacuation plan could save lives.  Avoiding the dangers of volcanoes is the only guarantee of public safety.  Photo courtesy of the USGS.
 

Damage to the Intercontinental Hotel during Mexico City's 1985 earthquake was severe even though the building was relatively new.

 

   It is easy for modern people to undervalue the accomplishments of ancient people.  Development in Mexico began thousands of years ago.  The Mayans were wise enough to build cultural centers such as Chichen Itza far from the coast to avoid hurricane damage.  Unfortunately, it appears that overuse of their resources eventually lead to their collapse. 

 

Kenya's East African Rift Zone demonstrates that even scenery is a valuable resource for developing nations. 

   Preservation of scenery may result in preservation of habitat for wildlife.  Such preservation in Kenya's national parks has attracted many tourists and greatly stimulated their economy.
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Preservation of coastal resources will attract tourists to developing nations and help the local economy.  Isla Mujueres in Mexico is an example. 

   Petroleum development and waste disposal on the shore of the Caspian Sea has destroyed the coast and left an environment that is totally unsatisfactory for natural life.

 
 

This Tibetan painting has been done on rocks that once formed horizontal layers on the seafloor.  These layers are now vertical and over 12,000 feet above sealevel.  The massive earthquakes that challenge the development of Asia result from the collision of India with the Asian continent.

   This Tibetan woman is collecting yak dung to use  for cooking fuel.  Her family struggles with this barren land as they try to find their place in the developing world.
 
Contact us for more information about Geology 351 Environmental Geology of
                                                                                               Developing Nations
Geology Office Physical Sciences Room 216
Telephone (323) 343-2400
 

  •                      General Education Courses in Geology
    B2 Block Courses in Geology
                  Geology 150 Earth Revealed       Geology 155 Oceanography       
    B3 Block Courses in Geology       
                  Geology 158 Natural Disasters
    Under Division Theme Courses in Geology
            Theme A: The Challenge of Change in the Developing World

                  Geology 312 Global Climate Change and the Developing World
                  Geology 351 Environmental Geology of Developing Nations
            Theme D: Urban Life and Environment
                  Geology 357 Urban Geology 
     

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          Thank you for visiting this webpage. Please go to the University Homepage and look in the University Catalog to learn more about the General Education Program and the Upper Division Theme requirements.  The additional courses required in the Challenge of Change in the Developing World Theme may be found there. 
     
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