GEOLOGY’S ROLE IN THE MAJOR
ISSUE FACING SOCIETY
Land development
-is the process in which you make
improvements to a piece of land.
-a complex process that involves the
evaluation, planning, engineering, and
construction of improvements on a piece of
land based on codes and regulations set by
the municipality and regulatory agencies.
● Geology is closely related to land
development because of regional
planning and the management of
subsurface resources.
● Soil fertility depends primarily on
geological and climatic factors.
The wide variety of soil
substrates in the world shows the
extent to which soil fertility varies,
even within the same climate.
● Geology provides methods for
discovering new aquifers, learning
how they function, determining the
age of the water, their rate of
renewal, and their vulnerability.
● Geology will discover new oil and
natural gas deposits. It develops
new extraction technologies that
have become more common since
the sharp rise in crude oil prices
began in 2004: heavy oil to be
extracted by solvents, oil
condensates from some gas
deposits, bituminous shales, in-situ
volatilization of coal.
● In terms of non-carbon energy,
geology will be useful in determining
the potential of radioactive ores.
● A new source of stress is developing
in the area of food production:
biofuels. Large quantities of
hydrocarbons may remain trapped in
source rocks. In reality, production
from these unconventional
hydrocarbon deposits is bumping up
against an increasingly strong desire
to stop consuming geologic
carbon–coal because of climate
change.
Natural resources
-are raw materials from the Earth
that can be grown, mined, extracted, or
collected.
Natural resources are not man made.
Natural resource examples:
● Air
● Water
● Soil
● Plants
● Animals
● Petroleum/Oil
● Natural Gas
● Minerals
Where did it all come from?
Natural resources that come from
organic materials are considered biotic
resources.
Biotic resources examples are plants,
animals, and fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels; such as coal, natural gas, and
oil are classified as biotic resources
because they formed from the decay of
organic matter over millions of years.
Fossil fuels
Coal formed from carbon rich plants
to form peat. Which then fossilised into the
layers of the Earth.
Oil and natural gas formed from
ancient ocean plants and small organisms
that became fossilised and compressed in
layers of sediment.
Where did it all come from?
Abiotic resources come from
inorganic materials.

Air, sunlight, and water are abiotic

resources.

Minerals make up rocks and ore such as

gold, copper, and iron which are considered
abiotic.
Problems associated with natural
resources

Too little natural resources:

In many regions of the world have limited

Uneven distribution resources, overpopulation in the region, and
environmental degradation. This has lead to
Some areas of the Earth have access to
extreme poverty and income inequality.
many varied resources while others have
Resulting in rebellions and war situations in
few or none.
society.
The distribution of many natural resources
Problems associated with natural
depends on the geological history and the
resources
geological processes the land has been
through. Too much natural resources:

Geological Processes In regions with excess natural resources

Natural resources are unevenly distributed
due to geological processes:
● Tectonic plates
● Volcanic activity
● Changing ocean levels
● Formation of rocks and minerals
● Water Cycles
● Climate/Weather
● Ancient plant and animal life in a
region
Geological History
The geological processes occur and
compound over time creating new materials
and natural resources. Plants and animals
can develop and repopulate in a short
period of time. Many of these processes
take hundreds of millions of years to
produce natural resources.
leading to cooperate and government greed,
corruption, and conflict. Conflict does not
occur solely in local communities. Outside
nations have extreme interest in the wealth
of natural resource rich countries. This often
leads to tensions between countries, and
can foster or engage conflicts.
REFERENCE:
https://www.navenewell.com/what-is-land
-development-and-how-do-i-get-started/#:
~:text=Real%20world%20definition%20%
3D%20Land%20development,the%20mun
icipality%20and%20regulatory%20agenci
es.
https://slideplayer.com/slide/16158735/
Geology’s Role in the Major Issues
Facing SocietyByAurèle Parriaux

Renewable and Non-renewable