Areas of Concentration for Exam 1 - Geology 1133 - Environmental Geology - Spring 2010

Chapter 1:

-What are signs that we might be in an environmental crisis?

-Current Events Discussions
-Driving force for environmental problems
-Population curves - what do they mean?
-What is doubling rate? What is empirical equation for doubling rate?
-Case history on Aral Sea.
-What is environmental geology?
-Earth Systems.
-Dynamic equilibrium and how it relates to earth systems/earth cycles
-Carrying Capacity

Chapters 1 and 6:

-Earth cycles
-Interrelationship of cycles.
-Significance to environmental geology.
-Case study St. Francis Dam.
-Magnitude - frequency concept
-Are all hazards bad? Examples.
-Biogeochemical Cycles

Chapter 7 and 9
Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes Portions

-Plate boundaries
-Types of faults & forces involved.
-Types of seismic waves, forces and motion.
-Recurrence interval.
-Slip rate
-Fault activity - How to estimate.
-Wave frequency and period.
-Relationship to structural damage - examples
-Patterns of building failure in Mexico City.
-How geology affects structural damage - examples.
-Magnitude vs. intensity.
-Prediction
-Dilatency theory & other tools or methods of prediction.
-Human activity that may cause quakes.
-Types of ground behavior and other impacts.

Chapter 8 and 9
Volcanic Activity

-What is magma? What is lava?
-Type of volcanoes - type of hazards associated with various volcanoes.
-Types of magma & type of eruption associated with each magma type.
-Impacts from selected case histories.
-Tools & methods of prediction.
-Methods to control lava flow - examples.
-For both earthquakes and volcanoes, what is the human perception of the hazard?
-Case studies for Vesuvius, Pelee, Pinatubo

Chapter 10
Soil Resources

-Differentiation of Weathering Processes
-Hydrolysis, Oxidation and Dissolution
-Pedosphere

-Five Soil Forming Factors and which one is most significant
-Components of Soil Profile
-Eluviation vs. Illuviation

-Pedocal vs Pedalfer

-Major Soil Characteristics, know generally what these are

-You do not need to memorize the 10 soil orders, but should have some idea about location of soil orders we discuss

-Assessment of Soil Erosion Rates
    *Direct Measure
    *Estimate based on sediment load in streams and Reservoirs
    *Calculate using Universal Soil Loss Equation