Environmental Geology

Reviewed by Taryn Oakley, Faculty, Environmental Studies and Resources, Portland Community College on 1/8/26

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This is a nice text that covers a lot of different topics, but it is definitely not a beginner level text. I think that the climate change chapter could be more robust as it is such a crucial topic today. I love that the activities included within each chapter have an answer key so that students can check themselves. There are lots of good images and diagrams and tables, which are not always present in OER science texts. I am not sure if this is the best place to comment on accessibility, but the text was definitely lacking there. The images do not have alt text. The text also does not have correct headings, so it does not work with a screen reader. This would not work as-is with the current accessibility guidelines that are coming this April.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

It seems accurate based off my read through. There are LOTS of numbers throughout that I am just assuming are correct. Some of these are technically out of date at this point, however, that is the trouble with environmental science- things change before you can publish!

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Some of the info is already out of date, but that is the nature of environmental issues. There is really no way to stay current unless you continuously update. That said, this book is probably due for an update in several section, especially climate change.

Clarity rating: 3

Overall this book had decent clarity, however, a few small; changes could make this text useful to a much larger audience. There are lots of technical words that are used and not defined, but then defined in a subsequent section (example- author mention the C horizon, but it isn't until a later section that the term "horizon" is defined). Presenting the definition the first time the words is used would be really helpful for entry level students. I think that adding more lists (of impacts, for example) before explaining them could be nice. There is lots of good content that I can see students getting lost in because it isn’t broken up. Several long paragraphs together are more difficult than lists with example or explanations Bolding vocab words (and maybe have a list of definitions) could be really helpful!

Consistency rating: 5

Predictable structure and tone.

Modularity rating: 5

This text is broken up into chapters and sections based on content. These sections all make sense, but some are a bit long. Creating a few more subsections might make sense.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The review at the end of each chapter is nice. I like the activities at the end of most sections and appreciate that students can access the correct answers. As mentioned previously, sometimes terms/ideas are used in context and then defined in a later chapter. Having the definitions first would be great.

Interface rating: 5

Easy to navigate. This book is divided into chapters and then divided further into sections. All can be easily accessed using the expandable menu on the left side. You can also move forward/backward one page at a time using the navigation at the bottom of each page. I wish links opened in a new window.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

A few teeny mistakes, but mostly great.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

"Field trips” and things to notice at the end of most sections are a fun idea to relate content to student’s lives. The intro page of each chapter does a nice job at hooking in students with a story of other interesting fact. The big piece missing here is accessibility issues including no alt text and no headings.

This book is a great comprehensive text on environmental geology for someone who already has a background in geology (which the author clearly states at the beginning, as well as links to other texts that could be useful for background information). Some sections get pretty deep into details, including chemical reactions, mineral composition, etc., while other sections are more big-picture based.

Reviewed by Megan Faust, Adjunct Faculty, Portland Community College on 12/31/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Overall, this text is comprehensive. There is a thorough presentation of Earth system science in the first chapter. There are more details and relevant examples about Earth systems than many other contemporary texts. The second chapter is an overview of physical geology, and while it is a brief overview there are several good resources given for further reading. This helps to narrow the focus of this text to environmental geology specifically and gives the reader quality resources for adjacent topics. The book covers a broad range of topics within the field of environmental geology. The clickable contents are easy to navigate as they guide you through the concepts in the text. The text does not include a separate index or glossary, but it does include appendices with example answers to the exercise questions from throughout the text-this is a very nice feature.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content presented in this text is accurate. There is accurate information about chemistry (atoms, chemical bonds, crystal lattice structure) in the section on minerals. There is a detailed and approachable description of weathering including images of rocks as well as chemical formulas written out for the weathering process- this goes beyond what is often included in an introductory environmental geology text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

It is clear that recent research was taken into account when writing the text. For example, the brief section on mantle plumes is more detailed and includes more recent information compared to how it is presented in other introductory level texts. The section on climate action briefly mentions using Twitter as a platform to share information about climate change – specific social media platforms may very likely become obsolete during the longevity of this text. In general, the ideas communicated in this text will be relevant into the future.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is written using clear and easily understandable language. Terminology is explained well within the text, although this could be done more intentionally. I suggest using bold to highlight important new terminology and giving a more detailed definition for each new term. Including a glossary would be a nice addition to this text. This text is appropriate for an introductory college level student.

Consistency rating: 5

The material is internally consistent within chapters. Each chapter contains a complete description and explanation of the target themes. Information is well balanced in each chapter between written explanations of new content, case studies, graphs, images, exercises, etc.

Modularity rating: 5

There is a clear structure of chapters and sections within each chapter outlined in the content. There is an introduction to each chapter that includes a list of learning objectives. Each chapter concludes with a summary of the content and a set of review questions. The format within each section is consistent and includes images and short exercises. Each chapter is relatively self-contained-you could assign individual chapters for reading and/or read the chapters in a different order than presented and the material would still be coherent with little disruption to the reader.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The material is presented with a logical flow. The overarching themes that are relevant throughout the entirety of the text are presented in early chapters. The main body of the text is made up of thematic chapters that are well organized. The last chapter discusses some aspirational themes for the reader to continue thinking about beyond the duration of their reading.

Interface rating: 5

I have not found any issues with the interface. Everything is easy to access in a web browser. Content can be accessed by clicking on specific topics from the table of contents, and you can also continue easily forwards or backwards through the content in chronological order as you are reading.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text has no obvious grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The material in this text is not culturally insensitive or offensive. There are numerous case study examples of a variety of topics shown throughout the text highlighting locations across the globe but include examples from western North America at a higher prevalence. The people depicted in images throughout the text could be more intentionally chosen to show a higher variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds.

I am excited to use this book. I think it will be a good resource for my introductory level college students.