Missouri State University

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Associate Professor of Geology
Kevin R. EvansEarth Science Education Coordinator

Ph.D., 1997, The University of Kansas
M.S., 1989, The University of Kansas
B.S., 1986, Missouri State University
 
Department of Geography, Geology, & Planning
Missouri State University
901 S. National Ave.
Springfield, Missouri 65897
 
Office: 369-A Temple Hall
Telephone: (417) 836-5590
Lab: 355 Temple Hall
Lab Telephone: (417) 836-3231
Fax: (417) 836-6006
Email: kevinevans@missouristate.edu
 
Spring 2008 Courses:
GLG 171 Environmental Geology
GLG 360 Carbonate and Karst Geology of Florida
GLG 597 Global Tectonics

Links

Four Noble Truths of Geology

(...with apologies to His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
  1. The Earth is dynamic.
  2. The Earth is very old.
  3. Life has evolved on Earth.
  4. Humans exist in a perilous geological environment.
A few years ago, half a dozen books got soaked from watering plants on my bookshelf. Spreading the books out to dry, I noticed my copy of the "The Four Noble Truths" was damp. I'm not a Buddhist (not a practicing one anyway), but it struck me that if truths are transcendant, are there truths we recognize in geology?
Scientists commonly express the most highly probable relationships as laws or principles, but there must be truths as well. I have seen these ideas mentioned in other terms, but these seem succinct and relevant.