Environmental Geology

This document discusses various topics in environmental geology, including the Superfund program, the choice of sedimentary rocks for sanitary landfills, minerals in sedimentary rocks that emit radon, conflicting attitudes towards drilling in sensitive ecosystems, the Australian doctrine of Terra Nullis, mine waste and acid mine drainage, the environmental legacies of mining and petroleum exploration in Canada, and the selection of a suitable site for Trashmore's landfill.

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY 1
Environmental Geology
Name
Institution Affiliate

ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY 2
Environmental Geology
1 (10) What is the Superfund, what is the legislation behind it, who manages it, and has it
been successful?
Superfund is a government program in the United States government that is meant
to finance the cleanup of these sites. The Superfund is managed by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). All the sites that are managed under this program are known
as the Superfund sites (Brinkmann, 2016). Over 70 per cent of Superfund is generated
from the parties responsible (PRPs). The Superfund has not been fully successful. This is
because the PRPs are sometimes hard to trace and when found fight back through courts
(Brinkmann, 2016).
2 (10) On which type of sedimentary rock would you choose to develop a sanitary landfill
and why?
Groundwater protection is one of the requirements in the process of siting a
landfill. Therefore, landfills are supposed to be sited in areas that geologically have
sedimentary rocks that pose low hydraulic conductivity property. This requirement is for
the purposes of enduring groundwater protection from leachate contamination
(Quevauviller, 2017).
3 (10) What are the minerals and other substances in sedimentary rock that may emit
radon?
Radon is produced when radium-226 mineral decays radioactively. Radium is
found in uranium ores and phosphate-rich sedimentary rocks.

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4 (10) The greatest potential petroleum deposits in North America lie under government-
owned North Slope areas of Alaska and Yukon. Environmental groups generally oppose
any drilling in these areas because of the high potential for damaging sensitive
ecosystems, interference with caribou herds, and the escape of toxic wastes into the
environment from drilling. Similarly, movement of the oil south to market via Pacific
Ocean oil tankers is problematic because of the likelihood of oil spills. The oil industry,
however, wishes to lease, explore, and develop these regions. Is there any way to resolve
these conflicting attitudes? Explain
It is certain that finding substantial oil and gas reserves provides significant
opportunities for socioeconomic development in any country. However, Oil and natural
gas exploitation can lead to substantial risks, causing grave environmental destruction
and compromising health and safety. The divergent attitudes, in this case, can be
alleviated. The government needs to carry out a comprehensive environmental impact
assessment to establish impacts of oil and gas exploitation. If the project—drilling oil
and gas—is likely to yield adverse impacts to the ecosystem, then mitigation measures
have to be in place to address them.
5 What was the Australian doctrine of Terra Nullis (also spelled Nullius) and consequences
of the High Court of Australia’s decision on this matter? (Hint: some basic library or
online researching to properly answer this question.)
Terra nullius was assimilated from Roman law term res nullius, which means
nobody’s thing. According to the Roman law of res nullius, anything or place that is not
owned by anyone can be seized. According to the doctrine, the right to claim land in
Australia for many Europeans around the time the doctrine was heavily used dwelled on

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biblical authority. Claiming control over land was a wholesome Christian. In 1992, the
Australian high court decided that the doctrine of terra nullius ought to not have been
applied in Australia. This verdict—Mabo decision—acknowledged that the Torres Strait
Islander and Aboriginal people have rights to the land they originally occupied. The
Mabo decision has led to the recognition of the rights of people to land ownership.
Additionally, the verdict led to the creation of the Native Title Act (1993).
6 (10) Do all mine waste produce toxic materials to the environment? Explain. Which
kind(s) of ore bodies are of special concern in regard to acid mine drainage?
Mining has the potential for adverse effects on the environment. Some of the
adverse effects of mining on the environment include erosion, surface and groundwater
contamination and loss of biodiversity. Not all mine waste leads to the production of
toxic waste. However, during mining, the soil material that is covering the ore has to be
removed. In most cases, these materials are left lying on the land soon as the process is
done. Lack of proper reclamation of the land can lead to loss of biodiversity. Acid mine
drainage (AMD) in places such as mid-Atlantic region the key contaminant of surface
water (Quevauviller, 2017). AMD happens when water flows through sulfur-bearing rock
material leading to the formation of acidity. Acid Mine Drainage exist mainly in wild
coal mines and where active mining is taking place.
7 (10) Summarize the measures for control and reduction of AMD.
Acid Mine Drainage is a process that takes place naturally, leading to sulfuric acid
production from a solution of rocks under the presence of water and air. Water flowing
through abandoned or active mining sites have high chances of getting polluted by the
material that is being mined. The most effective management practices for acid mine

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drainage is through direct treatment of AMD. Another practice is neutralizing to reduce
the solution acidity at the point of production. The site can be reclaimed by filling the
mines that have been abandoned with materials that prevent AMD formation. This is
attained by methods such as flooding the mines with water to do away with oxygen that is
necessary for the formation of AMD. The waste that has high chances of production of
AMD can be relocated. Water flowing to the mine can be diverted to prevent it from
running through AMD forming soil materials.
8 (10) Without any question, mining and petroleum exploration during the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries were responsible for broadening the industrial base of Canada, for
causing the nation’s economic expansion, and contributed to its emergence as a world
leader. The results were an increase in the nation’s wealth and development of the west
and north. What were the major environmental legacies that are left from these mining
and petroleum efforts in Canada?
The Canadian mining industry has grown dramatically in the past two centuries to
be among the biggest exporters of mineral and crude oil products around the globe.
However, one of the biggest issues that are facing the industry is the problem of mine
waste. According to Quevauviller (2017), land fields are devastated by mining operations
in Canada is a problem particularly in the 19th century. In Canada, the sites where mineral
mining and drilling activities are or took place have been barely reclaimed back to their
original use. The places are characterized by deep valley in which water has collected.
Additionally, whenever the mineral ores are washed by rain or ice, the water finds its way
into streams and rivers. This contaminates the streams thus making the water from them
unfit for human use, and inhabitable to aquatic life. These are some of the legacies the

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industry has been linked with in the past. The industry is therefore supposed to focus on
drafting regulations to prevent environmental degradation.
9 (25) Trashmore is a city of 50,000 located in central Canada. As the newly hired
environmental geologist for the municipality, you have been asked to determine the most
suitable plan for disposal of the city’s solid waste for the next few years. Since
Trashmore is not a wealthy urban area, you plan to look into the possibilities for sanitary
landfill rather than incineration or other more costly techniques. After looking at the
geologic map and cross section (Figures A1, and A2), you conclude that for
environmental reasons, one of the potential sites is much better than the other two.
a. Which of the following sites did you select and why?: Cheryl’s Aggregate Co.;
Kitty Litter Clay Co.; Nancy’s Limestone, Inc.
I selected Kitty Litter Clay Co. This is because Kitty Litter Clay Co is
occupied by shale. One of the most paramount requirement for siting a landfill is
the protection of groundwater resources. This is accomplished by siting the
sanitary landfill find a place that has rocks with low hydraulic conductivity.
Economically speaking, the site for setting up a landfill is supposed to be
economically viable. A good buffer distance of any source of surface water is
vital to prevent surface water contamination (Brinkmann, 2016). Kitty Litter Clay
Co is strategically located far from firey river thus creating the best option for
setting up Trashmore town landfill.
b. Summarize the major hazards that might be at the other sites
Nancy’s Limestone, Inc is occupied by limestone. Chemically, limestone
easily dissolves in water and acidic liquids. According to the criteria for siting

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landfills manual, places with soluble rocks should be avoided or modified to
prevent groundwater contamination (Brinkmann, 2016). Economically, such areas
should be avoided as they increase the cost of setting up a sanitary landfill.in
addition, Nancy’s Limestone, Inc is located near Firey River thus making it
unsuitable site. On the other hand, Cheryl’s Aggregate Co is located in an area
that is characterized by alluvial sediment of sand. Sand is highly permeable thus
making the site unsuitable. Cheryl’s Aggregate Co is also very close to Firey
River posing danger of surface water contamination.
c. Some of the members of the city council of Trashmore have suggested that the
landfill should be located close to a river so that the liquid wastes can be diluted
and dispersed. In Figure A3, draw in the water table and add several arrows to
show the likely direction of the groundwater flow and the path of the rainwater
that falls on the surface of the landfill.
Figure 3
d. Comment on the suitability of this type of site.

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The place where the landfill is located is unsuitable. Chemically,
limestone easily dissolves in water and acidic liquids. According to the criteria for
siting landfills manual, places with soluble rocks should be avoided or modified
to prevent groundwater contamination. In addition to that, the place is also very
close to Firey River posing danger of surface water contamination. The cost of
diverting and preventing the surface water from entry, accumulation and or
eroding the landfill cover will also be high if the site is selected. Hence, the site is
unsuitable.
e. You have now selected a site for Trashmore’s landfill. You must convince the
members of the city council to change the name of the site from “dump” to
“landfill.” What are some of the major differences between a sanitary landfill and
a dump?
A dump site is defined as an excavated land that is used for the storage of
solid waste materials. It is not covered hence, waste materials are exposed to rain
and wind. In most cases, dump sites are infested by birds. Additionally, they are
characterised by bad odour. Dump sites do not have leachate collection and
treatment systems. On the other hand, a landfill is an excavated land for the
purposes of waste storage. Landfills are usually covered and constructed with
environmental protection measures in place. Landfill sites are characterized by
waste recycling and renewable energy generation (Brinkmann, 2016).

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References
Brinkmann, R. (2016). Introduction to Sustainability. Chinchester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Quevauviller, P. (2017). Groundwater monitoring. Chichester, U.K: J. Wiley.