Environmental Geology
Pre-Test Questions
Course Introduction
Environmental Geology explores the interactions between humans and the Earth's geological environment, emphasizing how geological processes affect societies and how human activity influences the Earth. The course covers topics such as natural hazards (earthquakes, landslides, floods, volcanism), resource management (water, minerals, energy), soil formation and degradation, and the environmental impact of waste disposal and land use. Students learn to evaluate geological risks, interpret maps and data, and apply scientific principles to solve environmental problems, with particular focus on creating sustainable solutions to the challenges posed by the Earth's dynamic systems.
Recommended Textbook
EARTH 1st Edition by Graham R. Thompson
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Chapter 1: Earth Systems
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Q1) The Earth's core is part of the __________.
A) geosphere
B) atmosphere
C) hydrosphere
D) biosphere
Answer: A
Q2) Earth's core consists mostly of __________.
A) iron and nickel
B) frozen water
C) solid rock
D) gas
Answer: A
Q3) Oceans cover about 71 percent of the Earth.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) The central portion of the Earth, called the __________, contains a solid layer surrounded by a molten layer.
Answer: core
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Chapter 2: Minerals
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Q1) Halite (table salt) is composed of __________.
A) silicon and oxygen
B) sodium and chlorine
C) iron and oxygen
D) silicon and sodium
Answer: B
Q2) Two ore minerals that are commonly comprised of pure metals and contain only a single element are native __________ and __________.
A) gold, silver
B) galena, silver
C) quartz, gold
D) silver, olivine
Answer: A
Q3) __________ __________ are a small class of minerals, including gold and silver.
Answer: Native elements
Q4) A positively charged ion is a __________.
Answer: cation
Q5) __________ __________ is the weight of a substance relative to that of an equal volume of water.
Answer: Specific gravity
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) As granitic magma rises through the Earth's crust, some of it may erupt from a volcano to form __________.
Answer: rhyolite
Q2) The most common cements in sedimentary rocks are calcite, quartz, and iron oxides.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Volcanic rock forms when magma solidifies within the Earth's crust.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) When a rock melts, the resulting magma __________ by about __________.
A) expands, 1 percent
B) expands, 10 percent
C) contracts, 1 percent
D) contracts, 10 percent
Answer: B
Q5) Hot water causes __________ metamorphism.
Answer: hydrothermal
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Chapter 4: Geologic Time: a Story in the Rocks
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Q1) Precambrian refers to all the time before the start of the __________ Eon.
A) Hadean
B) Archean
C) Proterozoic
D) Phanerozoic
Q2) The largest time units in the geologic column are periods.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Parent and daughter isotopes occur when an isotope is __________.
A) stable
B) unstable
C) radioactive
D) b and c
Q4) The volcanic gas __________ forms small particles called aerosols that reflect sunlight and cool Earth.
A) carbon monoxide
B) oxygen
C) nitrogen
D) sulfur dioxide
Q5) Matching rocks of similar ages from different localities is __________.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Geologic Resources
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Q1) Low-grade hydrothermal deposits throughout a rock body are called __________ __________ deposits.
Q2) Mud converts to shale and organic material converts to liquid petroleum:
A) when pressure and temperature are decreased by burial under younger sediment.
B) very quickly in the ocean.
C) when pressure and temperature are increased due to burial under younger sediment.
D) in the range of 0 to 30°C.
Q3) Bauxite is an example of a:
A) disseminated ore deposit.
B) residual ore deposit.
C) placer deposit.
D) submarine hydrothermal ore deposit.
Q4) Bauxite is an example of a __________ __________ deposit.
Q5) Natural gas is mostly methane. A)True B)False
Q6) Often, early-formed minerals sink to the bottom of a magma chamber in a process called __________ __________.
Q7) __________ energy resources are replenished by natural processes as we use them.
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Chapter 6: The Active Earth: Plate Tectonics
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Q1) At a divergent boundary between spreading tectonic plates in oceanic crust:
A) one plate subducts beneath the other.
B) rock and magma rise to form the Mid-Oceanic Ridge.
C) rock sinks to form an oceanic trench.
D) rock rises to form continents.
Q2) Where two lithospheric plates of different densities converge, the denser one sinks into the mantle beneath the other in a process called __________.
A) submission
B) subduction
C) rifting
D) spreading
Q3) A portion of a plate with continental crust composing its uppermost layer is thicker than one bearing __________ crust.
Q4) A/an __________ __________ is a long narrow trough in the sea floor formed where a portion of an oceanic plate sinks into the mantle.
Q5) The __________ __________ system is an undersea mountain chain encircling the planet that forms at divergent plate boundaries.
Q6) The __________ is the Earth's thinnest layer.
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Chapter 7: Earthquakes and the Earths Structure
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Q1) The __________ is located on Earth's surface directly above the initial rupture point of an earthquake.
A) fault
B) upper center
C) focus
D) epicenter
Q2) The initial rupture point of an earthquake (below Earth's surface) is the __________.
A) focus
B) disaster zone
C) releaser
D) epicenter
Q3) The initial rupture point of an earthquake is the __________.
Q4) A strike-slip fault is a __________ fault on which rocks on opposite sides move
A) vertical, horizontally
B) vertical, vertically
C) horizontal, vertically
D) horizontal, horizontally
Q5) A/an __________ is a sudden motion or trembling of the Earth.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Volcanoes and Plutons
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Q1) Granitic magma contains __________ water than basaltic magma.
Q2) Which magma type erupts most violently?
A) basaltic
B) Hawaiian
C) Icelandic
D) granitic
Q3) Volcanic eruptions have no effect on global climate.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Pyroclastic bombs, cinders, and ash:
A) flow gently from volcanoes.
B) erupt explosively from volcanoes.
C) solidify within the crust as irregularly-shaped plutons.
D) occur as dikes and sills intruded into country rock.
Q5) Oceanic crust is typically of __________ composition.
A) basaltic
B) granitic
C) peridotitic
D) magnetic
Q6) Long chains of silicate tetrahedra form in magma with __________ composition.
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Chapter 9: Mountains
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Q1) A sedimentary basin between a subduction complex and an island arc is called a __________ __________.
Q2) A/an __________ is a bend in rock.
Q3) In a/an __________ fault, the hanging wall has moved upward relative to the footwall.
Q4) Rock often moves repeatedly along many faults because:
A) faults always lie over shallow bodies of hot magma.
B) all faults lie along tectonic plate boundaries.
C) faulting is a strong indication that rock in the region is distorting plastically. D) tectonic stress commonly continues to be active in the same place over long periods of time.
Q5) A circular or elliptical anticlinal shaped structure is called a basin. A)True B)False
Q6) Where two continents collide, one continent is forced under the other in a process called __________.
Q7) The Himalayas are continuing to rise because of underthrusting. A)True B)False
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Weathering, Soil, and Erosion
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Q1) Hydrolysis is an example of chemical weathering.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Alteration of the composition of rocks and minerals by the interaction of air and water at the Earth's surface is __________ __________.
Q3) The soil layer in which you would find the least organic material is the:
A) B horizon.
B) O horizon.
C) C horizon.
D) A horizon.
Q4) Sand can maintain an angle of repose up to 45°.
A)True
B)False
Q5) A __________ accumulates beneath many cliffs as the result of frost wedging.
A) litter
B) topsoil
C) caliche
D) talus
Q6) Soils with B horizons rich in accumulated aluminum, iron, and silicon are called
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Chapter 11: Fresh Water: Streams, Lakes, Ground Water, and Wetlands
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Sample Questions
Q1) Caverns usually form in __________.
A) granite
B) limestone
C) fractured schist
D) conglomerate
Q2) Water evaporates directly from plants as they breathe in a process called
Q3) Most streams carry the largest part of their load as bed load.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Water dripping from a limestone cave spatters on the cave floor and releases carbon dioxide and precipitates calcite to build __________ from the floor upward.
A) stalactites
B) stalagmites
C) geysers
D) sinkholes
Q5) A graded stream has a smooth, concave profile.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Water Resources
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Q1) Any process that uses water and then returns it to Earth far from its source is
A) withdrawal
B) consumption
C) pollution
D) remediation
Q2) The use of microorganisms to treat a contaminated aquifer is called __________.
A) bioliquidation
B) bioremediation
C) biostratigraphy
D) biohydration
Q3) Ground-water contaminants normally spread slowly into an aquifer as a contaminant __________.
Q4) 50 liters of water per person are needed for a healthy hygienic life, but the average American uses about 800 liters of water per day.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Pollution externalities become more expensive as pollution is reduced.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Glaciers and Ice Ages
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Q1) During an Ice Age:
A) all of the continental land is covered by a giant continental glacier.
B) all glaciers extend into the sea and cover large portions of the oceans.
C) the high latitudes are ice covered, but there are no glaciers near the equator.
D) alpine glaciers descend into lowlands, and continental glaciers spread over the higher latitudes.
Q2) A/an __________ is a sharp, narrow ridge between two glacial valleys.
A) tarn
B) horn
C) arête
D) fjord
Q3) A/an __________ __________ is a section in a glacier consisting of crevasses and towering pinnacles that occur in the upper 50 meters of a glacier as it flows over bedrock.
Q4) Geologic evidence shows that the Earth has been cold and ice covered for about 90 percent of the past 2.5 billion years.
A)True
B)False
Q5) A series of tarn lakes in the valley below a cirque are called __________ lakes.
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Chapter 14: Deserts and Wind
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Q1) Most dunes are symmetrical.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Deserts never occur along coastlines.
A)True
B)False
Q3) When a dry desert streambed suddenly fills with water during a rainstorm, this is called a/an __________ flood.
A) surprise
B) attack
C) race
D) flash
Q4) When dunes are buried by younger sediment and lithified, __________ __________ form.
Q5) A crescent-shaped dune with its tips pointing downwind that forms in rocky deserts with little sand is a __________ dune.
A) parabolic
B) transverse
C) barchan
D) longitudinal
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Ocean Basins
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Q1) If a series of island arcs collide with a continent over a long period of time, they add to a continent as:
A) accreted terranes.
B) mid-oceanic ridges.
C) abyssal plains.
D) high plains.
Q2) When two oceanic plates converge, the sinking plate drags the sea floor down to create:
A) a black smoker.
B) a rift valley.
C) accreted terranes.
D) an oceanic trench.
Q3) A turbidity current can travel at speeds greater than 100 kilometers per hour and for distances up to 700 kilometers.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Continental margins on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean are __________
Q5) Oceanic crust is mostly composed of __________.
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Chapter 16: Oceans and Coastlines
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Q1) A wave breaks when the wave steepens until it collapses forward.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The world fish harvest is predicted to decline sharply after 2010.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The __________ is the distance between successive crests or troughs of a wave.
Q4) The size of waves depends on:
A) wind speed, length of time the wind has been blowing, and fetch.
B) wind speed, length of time the wind has been blowing, and ocean color.
C) wind speed, fetch, and ocean color.
D) length of time the wind has been blowing, fetch, and ocean color.
Q5) Submergent coasts commonly have steep, rocky shorelines.
A)True
B)False
Q6) A spring tide is a __________ tide formed when the Sun and Moon are __________.
A) small, 90° out of alignment
B) large, 90° out of alignment
C) small, aligned
D) large, aligned
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Chapter 17: The Atmosphere
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Q1) Smog is produced:
A) when sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen dissolve in water droplets in the atmosphere.
B) by nuclear fission reactors.
C) by atmospheric inversion.
D) when sunlight reacts with automobile exhaust.
Q2) As early multicellular organisms evolved, they released more __________ into the atmosphere.
A) hydrogen
B) oxygen
C) nitrogen
D) argon
Q3) Solar energy breaks oxygen molecules apart in the stratosphere, releasing __________, which combine(s) with additional oxygen molecules to form
A) oxygen atoms, carbon dioxide
B) ozone, CFCs
C) ozone, oxygen atoms
D) oxygen atoms, ozone
Q4) Acidity is expressed on the __________ scale.
Page 19
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Chapter 18: Energy Balance in the Atmosphere
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Q1) Carbon dioxide and methane can trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and are therefore known as __________ gases.
Q2) All areas of the globe receive the same total number of hours of sunlight every year.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The __________ traps heat radiating from Earth and acts as an insulating blanket.
Q4) __________ are particles of light.
Q5) Evaporation from a body of water:
A) cools the water and air around it.
B) cools the water, but warms the air around it.
C) warms the water and air around it.
D) has not effect on the temperature of the water and air around it.
Q6) __________ is the transport of heat by currents in liquids or gases.
Q7) Photons appear when they are emitted and disappear when they are absorbed.
A)True
B)False
Q8) __________ is the reflectivity of a surface.
Page 20
Q9) __________ is the transport of heat by collisions between atoms and molecules.
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Chapter 19: Moisture, Clouds, and Weather
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Q1) Windward valleys receive much less moisture than leeward valleys.
A)True
B)False
Q2) __________ and __________ are visible concentrations of water droplets or ice crystals in air.
Q3) __________ is the mass of water vapor in a given amount of air expressed in grams per cubic meter (g/m<sup>3</sup>).
A) Relative humidity
B) Absolute humidity
C) Dew point
D) Partial humidity
Q4) Rising air cools adiabatically.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Water becomes __________ when it has cooled below its freezing point but remains liquid.
Q6) Sea and land breezes are caused by uneven heating and cooling of land and water.
A)True
B)False
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Q7) __________ fog occurs when warm, moist air from the sea blows onto cooler land.
Chapter 20: Climate
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Q1) The humid continental climate is characterized by:
A) mild summers, moderate winters, and precipitation throughout the year.
B) mild summers, moderate winters, and precipitation in summer only.
C) hot summers, cold winters, and precipitation in summer only.
D) hot summers, cold winters, and precipitation throughout the year.
Q2) The __________ __________ are a calm, high-pressure region at about 30° north and south latitudes.
Q3) In the Northern Hemisphere above 60° north, surface winds deflected by the Coriolis effect are known as the:
A) trade winds.
B) prevailing westerlies.
C) polar easterlies.
D) horse latitudes.
Q4) Surface winds moving toward the equator that have been deflected by the Coriolis effect to blow reliably are called the __________ __________.
Q5) The climate of cities is measurably different from that of the surrounding rural regions.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 21: Climate Change
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Q1) Marine corals and shelled organisms:
A) release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as they convert carbonate ions to hard shells.
B) convert carbon from the remains of dead plants and animals to hard shells.
C) extract carbon from the lower crust and upper mantle.
D) absorb calcium and carbonate ions from seawater and convert them to hard shells.
Q2) When carbon dioxide gas dissolves in seawater, it forms calcium carbonate.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Water in the atmosphere can cause both warming and cooling.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Ice core records from Greenland indicate that atmospheric temperature changed several times by __________ within 5 to 10 years during the past 35,000 years.
A) 5°C to 10°C
B) 5°C to 20°C
C) 10°C to 15°C
D) 10°C to 20°C
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Chapter 22: Motions in the Heavens
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Q1) Astronomers discovered the element helium in the Sun 27 years before it was discovered on Earth.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The Pole Star is a __________ point in the sky.
A) fixed
B) circling
C) meandering
D) jumping
Q3) Copernicus was the first to propose a __________ Universe.
A) heliocentric
B) geocentric
C) parallax
D) retrograde
Q4) Planets show sometimes __________ motion with respect to the stars.
A) retrospect
B) returning
C) repeated
D) retrograde
Q5) __________ first proposed the heliocentric Universe.
Page 24
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Chapter 23: Planets and Their Moons
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Q1) Asteroids may change their orbits frequently and erratically.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The atmosphere of Venus is 90 times denser than the Earth's atmosphere.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Venus has mountains higher than Mount Everest.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Solar System formed from a:
A) hot, dense cloud of fusing hydrogen and helium.
B) cold, diffuse cloud of fusing hydrogen and helium.
C) hot, dense cloud of dust and gas.
D) cold, diffuse cloud of dust and gas.
Q5) Io is the most active volcanic body in the Solar System.
A)True
B)False
Q6) At the present time, the Moon's maria are filled with liquid water.
A)True
B)False
Page 25
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Chapter 24: Stars, Space, and Galaxies
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Q1) Orion's absorption nebula:
A) is about as dense as the Earth's atmosphere at sea level.
B) is so hot that its atoms glow like a neon light.
C) contains all or most of the natural elements.
D) is about 100 times as massive as our Solar System.
Q2) When a star larger than 1.44 solar masses dies, a/an __________ explosion occurs after helium fusion has ended and after iron fusion has occurred.
Q3) The Milky Way rotates about its center once every 200 million years, so in the 4.6-billion-year history of the Earth, we have completed 23 rotations.
A)True B)False
Q4) A dying star with the mass of our Sun will eventually become a:
A) black dwarf.
B) white dwarf.
C) black hole.
D) pulsar.
Q5) Neutron stars are extremely diffuse. A)True B)False
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