Exam 1 Example - Geology 1133 - Environmental Geology

Name: _______________________________

Student ID ____________________________

1 to 3. List three areas that indicate we might be on the verge of an environmental crisis.

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________

_____ 4. In the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines the warning system worked pretty well.

Only about 600 people were killed in this very heavily populated area. How did most of the deaths occur?

a. pyroclastic flow
b. floods
c. lightning
d. building collapse due to weight of ash
e. building collapse due to ground shaking

_____ 5. The reduction in size of the Aral Sea was caused by diversion of water for irrigation. Impact from this is

a. changed from a nice tourist get away spot to dried salt flats
b. altered economic base
c. colder winters
d. more dust storms
e. all of these are correct

6. The atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere are basic _______________

7. Why do we bother to review plate tectonic boundaries in environmental geology? Provide a specific example related to environmental geology for a transform plate boundary and a convergent plate boundary.

_____ 8. An active fault is defined as one that has moved in the past 20,000 years. (T or F)

9 to 12: List the four types of ground behavior associated with earthquakes.

9. _______________________________

10. ______________________________

11. ______________________________

12. _________________________________

_____ 13. By definition lava is

a. magma
b. molten rock with or without gasses and solids
c. a type of pyroclastic material
d. magma that solidifies at the earth's surface
e. intrusive

14. A segment of a seismically active fault along which no large earthquakes have occurred recently is called a(n) __________________________________________.

_____ 15. Wave frequency (F) is

a. number of seconds between wave peaks
b. number of seconds between wave troughs
c. number of waves passing per second
d. amplitude of surface waves
e. none of these is correct

_____ 16. Base surge occurs when hot magma contacts cold, dry rock. (T or F)

_____ 17. The current population of the earth is about 6.6 billion. The growth rate is about 1.5% per year. What is the doubling time (the time it takes to reach a population of 13.2 billion people)?

a. 51 years
b. 47 years
c. 24 years
d. 32 years
e. 200 years

_____ 18. There is no such thing as an isolated system in the real world. (T or F)

_____ 19. The surface expression of convection currents in the earth is

a. the growth of mountains
b. continental drift
c. plate tectonics
d. the formation of new oceans
e. all of these are correct

_____ 20. The cold brittle plates of the lithosphere are riding around on an underlying layer of hot, ductile, easily deformed mantle material called the

a. ductile layer
b. uniform zone
c. core
d. crust
e. asthenosphere

21. Sketch a diagram that shows how the rock cycle and the tectonic cycle are related. Include an example of each of the three major rock groups and at least 2 of the plate boundary types.

_____ 22.When do natural processes become hazards?

a. when people are involved
b. they are never hazards
c. they are always hazards
d. when you are involved
e. after they occur

23. Sketch a graph of frequency vs. magnitude. Put frequency on the x axis and magnitude on the y axis. Include appropriate labels on the axes.

_____ 24. From the graph in question 23 it is observed that

a. as frequency increases - magnitude decreases
b. as frequency increases - magnitude increases
c. as frequency decreases - magnitude is unchanged
d. as frequency decreases - magnitude decreases
e. all of these are correct

_____ 25. This is a

a. reverse fault
b. strike slip fault
c. normal fault
d. no fault
e. thrust fault

_____ 26. Which of the following does not belong with the others?

a. P
b. compression
c. shear
d. primary
e. body wave

_____ 29. The rate of lava flow depends on the viscosity which is controlled by

a. temperature
b. type of eruption
c. silica content of the magma
d. both a and c are correct

_____ 30. The main causes of death associated with the explosive eruption of Mt. Pelee on Martinique in 1902 were

a. impact from air blast, inhaling hot gas, burns
b. floods, mudflows, roof collapse
c. lava flow, impact from air blast, burns
d. earthquake, building collapse, burns

_____ 31. The main driving force for environmental crisis is

a. lack of adequate resources
b. volcanic eruptions
c. plate tectonics
d. reductions in biodiversity
e. exponential population growth

_____ 32. The carbon cycle is an example of

a. a hydrologic cycle
b. a tectonic cycle
c. a rock cycle
d. a biogeochemical cycle
e. a bicycle

34 & 35: List two beneficial aspects that are associated with natural disasters.

34. ______________________________________

35. ______________________________________

_____ 36. A proactive response to a natural hazard is

a. land-use planning
b. sand bagging
c. temporary shelters
d. fire fighting
e. search and rescue

_____ 37. Reverse faults result from extensional forces. (T or F)

_____ 38. In the 1985 Mexico City quake, which buildings were most affected?

a. short, 2 to 3 story buildings
b. very tall sky scrapers
c. steel framed buildings
d. medium height slab and pillar constructed buildings
e. insurance buildings

_____ 39. The modified Mercalli intensity scale is based on the maximum measured amplitude of seismic waves from an earthquake. (T or F)

_____ 40. Sand volcanoes result from liquefaction. (T or F)

_____ 41. Estimate the recurrence interval for an area with a slip rate of 0.05 ft/yr and an average displacement per event of 5 ft.

a. 25 years
b. 10 years
c. 125 years
d. 100 years
e. 0.25 years

42 & 43: List two methods that can be used to try and control a lava flow

42. _________________________________________

43. _________________________________________

_____ 44. Briefly explain what happened near Lake Nyos in Cameron, Africa in 1986 (a sketch might help)

_____ 46. To develop and implement a hazard warning system we need to first be able to predict the event

and assess the risk. The prediction and risk assessment are based on

a. location
b. probability of occurrence
c. precursor events
d. a and c are the only correct answers
e. a, b and c are correct

47. Give one example of human activity causing an earthquake __________________________.

48. Briefly compare structural damage resulting from an earthquake for structures built on bedrock and structures built on saturated alluvial deposits.

49 to 52: List four tools or methods used in volcanic prediction

49. __________________________________________

50. __________________________________________

51. __________________________________________

52. __________________________________________

_____ 53. The St. Francis Dam in California was completed in 1926 and filled in 1928. The dam failed one week after filling. What three factors contributed to the dam failure?

a. earthquake triggered landslide, heavy precipitation, inclined rocks
b. slipping of inclined metamorphic rocks, disintegration and sliding of sandstone, leakage along fault
c. volcanic lahar, piles of trees, poor dam construction
d. human mismanagement, heavy precipitation, volcanic ash flow
e. ice jam in river, rapid snow melt, overtopping of dam

_____ 54. Radon emissions increase in wells prior to an earthquake because

a. magma is heating the rocks releasing the gas
b. the rocks dilate (open up) allowing the radon gas to enter the well
c. the rocks contract (close up) and squeeze the gas from the rocks
d. there is no increase in radon gas emissions
e. the water in the well is shaken by the foreshocks releasing the gas (like bubbles in your soda)

_____ 55. The Nevado del Ruiz disaster in Columbia killed about 22,000 when a lahar buried the town of Armero. Could this tragedy have been avoided, explain your answer.

_____ 56. Explosive eruptions are generally associated with volcanoes at which type of plate boundary?

a. transform
b. normal
c. divergent
d. hot spots
e. convergent

_____ 57. Which of the following is not a hazard closely associated with earthquakes?

a. fires
b. seismic sea waves
c. liquefaction
d. heating of the ground surface
e. surface rupturing

_____ 58. An increase of 1 on the Richter magnitude scale corresponds to an increase in maximum seismic

wave amplitude of

a. 10 times
b. 20 times
c. 30 times
d. 100 times
e. 1000 times

_____ 59. Soil erosion in the U.S.

a. is an ongoing problem

b. was not a problem until the 1930's Dust Bowl

c. ended with the termination of the Dust Bowl

d. is a problem everywhere except the nations farmlands

e. is no longer a problem

_____ 60. (this is equivalent to 2 questions) _______________ m³/km²/yr: Big Bend reservoir has an initial volume of 1,000,000 m³. After one year of sediment and water inflow the volume is reduced to 990,000 m³. The area of the drainage basin is 1,000 km². What is the sediment yield from the basin? Show your work if you want partial credit!!!

_____ 61. Does Big Bend have a significant sedimentation problem? Explain your answer considering the life expectancy of most reservoirs!! Just Yes or No gains you no points!!

62. (This Question is Equivalent to 2 questions) Label the four horizons on the right side of the soil profile with appropriate terms or letters.