Environmental Geology Lab Manual

This Environmental Geology Lab Manual is intended to be used as a complement to an introductory college-level course in Environmental Geology.  It is designed to help a student acquire the “hands-on” skills in working with geologic materials and data.  The exercises in this Environmental Geology Laboratory Manual will teach a student how to:


Identify rock-forming minerals and resource minerals
Identify igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks
Identify soils
Investigate the hazards and benefits of geologic processes and their impacts on people
Execute geologic data acquisition techniques from online geospatial technology
Interpret geologic data acquired from online geospatial technology



To introduce the student to the process of science, this Environmental Geology Lab Manual requires the student to do some research which will be presented as a scientific poster. 


These chapters of this lab manual will teach the student stand-alone “hands-on” techniques:

Chapter 3: Earth Imagery
Chapter 6: Mineral Identification
Chapter 7: Rock Identification
Chapter 9: Soil Classification
Chapter 10: Drainage Basins and Stream Processes



These chapters of this lab manual will teach the student research techniques for a scientific poster:

Chapter 4: Topographic Maps
Chapter 5: Historical Land Use and LIDAR Interpretation
Chapter 8 Geologic Maps
Chapter 10: Soil Maps and Web Soil Survey
Chapter 12: Site Reconnaissance
Chapter 13: Surface and Groundwater Databases
Chapter 14: Poster Session