Sustaining Geology in a Complex Earth System

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Sustaining Geology in a Complex Earth System
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Resources

• Plenary lectures at IMA 2002
• NSERC reallocation report
• Breaking New Ground
• MMC
• Dynamics of Complex Systems

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Terms and Concepts

• Geology Study of the Earth, processes, history,
  materials, life.
• Complexity quantitative term, amount of
  information needed to describe a system, measured
  in the level of detail needed to describe the
  system
• Emergence parts interact in the context of the
  whole system properties cannot be studied by
  physically taking components apart.

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Earth

• Lithosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and
  hydrosphere,
• Different length and time scales.
• Feedback between component parts as energy and
  mass are exchanged, transferred and redistributed
• Geological context the feedback might occur on a
  global scale sedimentation in basins affects
  ocean chemistry. On a smaller scale we see
  micron-scale zones in minerals record changes in
  lake chemistry.

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Geological context includes time
Time, minutes
Time, thousands of years
Time, years
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Humans
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Human Perspective I

• Population 1999 six billion
• The last billion took 12 years
• Rate of growth declining 2.2 in 1963 to 1
  today
• 9 billion by 2050
• 1.1billion entering the age range of reproduction

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Human Perspective II

• Fire on demand 1.5 m to 500,000 years
• Mineral striker 40-50,000 years
• Au and Cu use 15,000 years
• Cu Sn to make bronze
• By the 16th century Agricola when ores are
  washed, the water which has been used poisons
  the brooks and streams and either destroys the
  fish or drives them away

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Humans

• Humans have become a major force in the Earth
  system intervention in many of the exchanges.
• Global warming
• Another measure 42.5 G tonnes of material moved
  by humans, 42.5 G tonnes of material moved by
  streams, rivers mass wasting etc.
• Science now referring to our times as the
  Anthropozoic era or Anthropocene.
• ?G is an extensive variable

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Complex Systems
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Solid and Environmental Earth Sciences

• Earth Science
• Earth System Science
• Interdisciplinary Science
• Complex Earth System
• Earth System Processes
• Complex Dynamical System

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A Complex or Emergent system has interdependent
parts

• Dictionary definition of complex uses
  interconnected or interwoven which have quite
  different meanings
• Interdependent variables help define dynamic
  systems coupled differential equations
• Strong interactions do not imply interdependence.

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Complex system calcite
Normalized H concentration at the face of a
growing crystal
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Complex Earth System Entropy and Information

• Entropy of a physical system is largest when it
  is in equilibrium
• Most complex system is one at equilibrium
• Equilibrium systems have no spatial structure and
  do not change with time
• Complex systems have substantial internal
  structure and such structures change with time.
• Sensitivity to initial conditions butterfly
  effect

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Complex Earth System Entropy and Information

• Manitoba
• Lithology
• Geochemistry
• Hydrology
• Soil
• Geophysics
• Population
• Agriculture
• Weather
• Limnology and varves

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Complex Earth System Entropy and Information
Local feedback at mineral surface that captures
differential diffusion rates and thermal diffusion
Composition changes with distance and time
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Mineral Resources
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Extraction and processing of minerals

• Example of how we interact with the Earth over
  time
• Feedback between the lithosphere and our
  environment
• Feedback to our economies and social structures
  
• Interconnected or Interdependent?
• We seek equilibrium or sustainable conditions
  where the use of minerals is in balance with
  human needs.
• Complex System

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All complex systems record Feedback Social
Structure

• Public policy
• Government
• NGOs
• Environment
• Resources
• Economics
• Energy

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Mines Ministers Conference I

• Links between exploration and production cycles
  (6 30 years) and resources and reserves
• In Canada some resources depleted by the the end
  of this decade
• Demographics 80 of geologists within 15 20
  years of retirement
• 300 of 2.5 Million US high school grads
  interested in mining

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Mines Ministers Conference II

• More maps
• Integrated databases
• HQP
• Disconnect between University curricula and what
  is needed by Industry
• How can disconnected elements be involved in
  feedback?

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Research and Training
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Research

• Out of 320 academics surveyed for the last
  reallocation exercise 6 indicated they would be
  doing research on mineral deposits.
• Large portion of NSERC funds now targeted
• Discovery grants
• NSERC-CRD
• Strategic grants

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Research
Atom coordination on mineral surfaces
As3 v. As5 mediated by seasonally controlled
bacteria
Pd coordination by EXAFS
Asbestos and ferrihydrite from lung tissue
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Research
Atomic Force Microscopy
LAM-ICP-MS
Synchrotron Radiation
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NSERC reallocation

• Recognition of the strong interactions that are
  now occurring between humankind and the Earth
  System currently constitutes both an urgent
  research challenge as well as an important
  research opportunity for Earth Sciences
• Recognition of the strong interdependence
  between humankind and the Earth System currently
  constitutes both an urgent research challenge as
  well as an important research opportunity for
  Earth Sciences

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NSERC strategy for Future Development of the
Discipline

• Three areas deemed to be intellectually,
  socially, economically and culturally
  significant Proposals 1, 2 3
• Global Environmental Change and the Challenge of
  Greenhouse Warming
• Earth Resources Environmental Stewardship and
  Sustainable Development (Petroleum, Freshwater,
  Energy and Mineral Resources)
• Earth System Evolution and Dynamics (seismic
  arrays and analytical instrumentation)

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Results
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Interconnected or Interdependent?
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Geology curricula

• Requirements for Grass Roots Exploration
• Acceptable business political and related risks
  permitting, environmental, taxes, ownership,
  social issues, business strategy, price and
  marketing
• Relevance of curricula
• Courses added to curricula such as environmental
  geology, geomorphic process, Earth system science
• Mineral deposits represents only one of the areas
  we are called on to support

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The disconnect

• University curricula geology, math, physics,
  chemistry, structural geology, paleontology,
  petrology (Ig/Met/Sed), stratigraphy,
  sedimentology, basin analysis, instrumental
  methods, mineralogy, global tectonics, petroleum
  geology, crystallography, mineral deposits, field
  mapping, thesis, communications, geochemistry,
  geomorphology
• Professional Registration
• Electives, 5 courses
• Environmental, law, ethics, economics
• Soil microbiology

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Sustaining Geology Interdependence

• Research
• number of themes, practical, theoretical and
  socially relevant
• Teaching programs
• Professional Registration requirements
• Flexibility to include social relevance
• environmental stewardship
• mineral and energy resources
• sustainable development

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Sustaining Earth

• Sustaining Earth means keeping the planets life
  support systems functional without going in to a
  long term decline so that human habitation can be
  indefinite
• Life support system includes soils, water
  atmosphere and biosphere.
• If any part fails.
• Doesnt speak to purpose or quality of life

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Sustaining Geology Survival

• geology is the service science to the Earth and
  the Environment
• quantitative data on the physical and chemical
  behaviour and characteristics of Earth materials
• many environmental and industrial process used to
  be considered relatively benign, advances in
  technology and theory mean we have gained a much
  better understanding of what is really going on.
• model the behaviour of minerals in natural and
  industrial systems.
• the theoretical and instrumental expertise needed
  to tackle many mineral extraction, mineral
  processing and environmental problems is resident
  in geology departments and geology surveys.
• a truly unique aspect to geological work is that
  it is the geologist (the one who maps the rocks)
  who samples the minerals in the appropriate
  spatial and temporal context.

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Geology Emergence

• Geology as we currently know it is rapidly
  becoming the professionally registerable practice
  of Earth Science
• Earth Science suggests an increasing awareness of
  the whole system, more degree options, more
  courses. Larger integrated faculty with more
  facilities.
• Geology and our resource requirements need to be
  framed in a social context
• Interdependence