Earth Resources: Origin, Use, and Environmental Impact

The global economy world politics, and many aspects of our environment are dependent on the extraction and use of materials taken directly from the Earth. Unfortunately, within our lifetimes, we will be faced with significant shortages of many of these resources. In this seminar we will focus on how resources such as oil, coal, aluminum, and even gem minerals are generated by geological processes, how they are extracted and processed, and how these activities impact the Earth's environment. Numerous field trips during the laboratory portion of the seminar will allow us to view first hand the impacts of resource extraction, processing, and use. 3 hrs. sem.