ABSTRACT
Each day when we walk outside we are walking on a history book, yet most of us are unaware of its significance. The arrangement, thickness, and composition of the soil and sediment layers just centimeters deep have a profound influence on our lives and all life on Earth. These soil and sediment layers dictate where cities are built, where roads are built, and how buildings are constructed. Perhaps most significantly to our civilization at this juncture in our collective history, these soil and sediment layers are the meeting place between human civilization and the natural world. This contact between human civilization and the natural world is the proving ground and point at which contaminants released into the environment begin their destructive journey and eventually detrimentally impact on all living things on Earth. This is why we must understand our natural world in at least the same scientific detail that we need to understand pollution, because they are interactive with one other.
Up to this point we have defined and examined the many types of pollution and have also learned how pollutants behave in the environment once they are released. However, we have not discussed how the environment reacts to pollutants and how the environment influences pollutants. We shall now look at our natural environment and explore how it influences pollution. We have control over the chemicals we use, and where and how we use them. Control over the geologic environment, however, is beyond our means. Therefore, we must understand the geologic environment where our urban areas are located and develop methods to minimize or eliminate the potential harmful effects of contaminants upon human health and the environment. A logical first step is through an understanding of urban geology, followed by an evaluation of the extent that a given urban area’s geology influences the migration of pollutants.
