Course Introduction
Environmental Geology Review Questions
Environmental Geology is an interdisciplinary course that explores the interactions between humans and the geologic environment. Topics include natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, and landslides; the management of earth resources like water, minerals, and fossil fuels; and the impact of human activities on earth systems. Students will examine case studies to understand how geological processes influence environmental policies, land use planning, and sustainable development, as well as how to mitigate and adapt to geologic hazards within the context of environmental stewardship.
Recommended Textbook
Earth Portrait of a Planet 5th Edition by Stephen Marshak
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23 Chapters
1125 Verified Questions
1125 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Cosmology and the Birth of Earth
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50 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Aside from Earth,the terrestrial planets are ____________.
A)Mars,Mercury,and Venus
B)Mars,Venus,and Jupiter
C)Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune
D)Mars and Saturn
Answer: A
Q2) An ancient Greek philosopher concluded (correctly)that the ____________.
A)Earth was spherical (round)
B)Sun was the center of the whole Universe
C)Sun was the center of the Earth's orbit
D)Earth was the center of the Universe
Answer: A
Q3) Humans first realized that the Earth was spherical ____________.
A)as a result of the voyages of Christopher Columbus
B)when Magellan's crew was able to sail completely around the world
C)during the Renaissance
D)during the time of Aristotle in ancient Greece
Answer: D
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3
Chapter 2: Journey to the Center of the Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) As seismic (earthquake-generated)waves travel downward and reach the Moho,they ____________.
A)speed up
B)slow down
C)continue at the same velocity
D)are all reflected directly back toward the surface
Answer: A
Q2) The Moho ____________.
A)lies at uniform depth everywhere it is found in Earth
B)is found deeper underneath continents than under oceans
C)is found deeper underneath oceans than under continents
D)is found well below the crust/mantle boundary
Answer: B
Q3) A mixture of copper and tin would be called ___________.
A)a metal
B)an alloy
C)a melt
D)a volatile
Answer: B
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas
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51 Verified Questions
51 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Marine magnetic anomaly belts run parallel to ____________.
A)mid-ocean ridges
B)fracture zones
C)continental coastlines
D)continental shelves
Answer: A
Q2) In Wegener's evidence for continental drift,continents were proposed to fit together,such as the east coast of South America with the __________________ and the upper west coast of Africa with the _______________.
A)west coast of Europe;east coast of South America
B)lower west coast of Africa;east coast of South America
C)west coast of Europe;east coast of North America
D)lower west coast of Africa;east coast of North America
Answer: D
Q3) The age of oceanic crust ____________ with increasing distance from a mid-ocean ridge.
A)increases
B)decreases
Answer: A
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Page 5
Chapter 4: The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
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64 Verified Questions
64 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Segments of the mid-ocean ridge system are offset.Between the offset segments we observe ____________.
A)a second series of ridges,perpendicular to the main set
B)deep ocean trenches
C)transform faults
D)None of the above are correct.
Q2) Oceanic lithosphere thickens away from the mid-ocean ridge primarily due to ____________.
A)the addition of new crust due to hot-spot volcanism
B)the addition of new crust due to sedimentation
C)the addition of new lithospheric mantle as a result of cooling
D)reasons that geologists cannot determine at present
Q3) The youngest sea floor occurs ____________.
A)along passive margins
B)along active margins
C)along mid-ocean ridges
D)randomly over the entire ocean basin
Q4) Broad,sediment-covered continental shelves are found along ____________.
A)active margins
B)passive margins
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Patterns in Nature: Minerals
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51 Verified Questions
51 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following minerals is hardest?
A)quartz
B)calcite
C)talc
D)fluorite
Q2) Most commercially exploited metals are extracted from the ground as native elements.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The most recently formed portion of any crystal is always found ____________.
A)deep within the interior
B)on the outer edges
Q4) Which common gemstone results from biomineralization?
A)diamonds
B)garnets
C)pearls
D)sapphires
Q5) Diamond and graphite are both polymorphs of pure silicon.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rock
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Sample Questions
Q1) If a body of magma becomes more felsic,its viscosity will ____________.
A)increase
B)decrease
C)stay the same
Q2) When rock is partially melted,the chemistry of the melt is ____________.
A)more mafic than the original chemistry of the rock that was partially melted
B)more felsic than the original chemistry of the rock that was partially melted
C)identical to the original chemistry of the rock that was partially melted
D)completely unpredictable (it could be more mafic or more felsic)
Q3) The formation of magma within Earth is NOT caused by which of the following processes?
A)decompression (drop in pressure)
B)addition of volatiles
C)transfer of heat from adjacent magma or very hot rocks
D)loss of volatiles to the atmosphere
Q4) As compared to mafic igneous rocks,all felsic igneous rocks ____________.
A)cool and solidify more quickly
B)cool and solidify more slowly
C)solidify at higher temperatures
D)solidify at lower temperatures
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Chapter 7: Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks
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56 Verified Questions
56 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?
A)biochemical
B)clastic
C)organic
Q2) Physical precipitation of gypsum due to evaporation of seawater produces which kind of sedimentary rock?
A)biochemical
B)chemical
C)clastic
D)organic
Q3) Which transport medium carries the largest particles?
A)ice
B)water
C)wind
Q4) Compaction and cementation of grains occurs during ____________.
A)erosion
B)lithification
C)transport
D)weathering
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Chapter 8: Metamorphism: A Process of Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Precambrian metamorphic rocks are exposed at the surface ____________.
A)on Mars and Venus,but nowhere on Earth
B)at places in continental interiors termed platforms
C)at places in continental interiors termed shields
D)at the bottom of the deep sea
Q2) Flattened-clast conglomerate would most likely be found ____________.
A)in an aureole around a cooled igneous intrusion
B)at the eroding base of an ancient collisional mountain range
C)at a depth within the mid-ocean ridge system
D)within a meteorite impact crater
Q3) Rapid,deep burial of sediments in an accretionary prism leads to the formation of a metamorphic rock termed ____________.
A)blueschist
B)greenschist
C)migmatite
D)gneiss
Q4) Dynamothermal (regional)metamorphism produces ____________.
A)foliated rocks only
B)nonfoliated rocks only
C)both foliated and nonfoliated rocks
Page 10
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Chapter 9: The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
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50 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The lithification of material from a pyroclastic flow forms a rock called
A)metabasalt
B)ignimbrite
C)migmatite
D)tuff
Q2) rWhat signs do scientists look for when predicting volcanic eruptions?
A)changes in earthquake activity
B)increases in gas and steam emission
C)changes in shape
D)All of the above are correct.
Q3) Hawaiian-style effusive eruptions are a greater threat to property than to human life.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Phreatomagmatic eruptions take place when ____________.
A)volatiles effervesce prior to lava flow
B)water enters the magma chamber and forms steam
C)basaltic lava clogs the chimney
D)lava or pyroclastic debris erupt by bursting through the sides of the volcano
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Chapter 10: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
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50 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Medium- and deep-focus earthquakes occur along ____________.
A)convergent-plate boundaries only
B)divergent-plate boundaries only
C)transform-plate boundaries only
D)All of the above are correct.
Q2) Earthquake waves that pass through the interior of Earth are termed ____________.
A)interior waves
B)R-waves
C)surface waves
D)body waves
Q3) The point on Earth's surface directly above the point where an earthquake occurs is termed the ____________.
A)hypocenter (focus)
B)epicenter
C)eye of the fault
D)vertex
Q4) Faulting and earthquakes are examples of ____________.
A)brittle behavior
B)ductile behavior
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Cracks, crags, and Crumples: Crustal
Deformation and Mountain Building
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Sample Questions
Q1) A hot body of rock is more likely to exhibit ____________ than is a cold body of rock.
A)brittle behavior
B)ductile behavior
Q2) The balance between the weight of a mountain range and the buoyancy provided by the underlying mantle is termed ____________.
A)punctuated equilibrium
B)homeostatic equilibrium
C)isostatic equilibrium
D)osmotic equilibrium
Q3) Regions where Precambrian metamorphic rocks are exposed at the surface are termed ____________.
A)shields
B)platforms
C)convergent margins
Q4) Mountain ranges are associated with modern and ancient convergent-plate boundaries,but do not form in association with either divergent- or transform-plate boundaries.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Deep Time: How Old Is Old
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which method of correlation is more reliable for determining age equivalence among bodies of rock that are physically isolated by vast distances?
A)lithologic correlation
B)fossil correlation
Q2) Which eon of geologic time is represented by rocks containing abundant shelly fossils?
A)Archean
B)Phanerozoic
C)Proterozoic
Q3) The age of Earth CANNOT be reliably estimated from sediment thicknesses because
A)sedimentation rates are not likely to remain constant at any one locality over all of Earth's history
B)sedimentary rocks can be metamorphosed or melted
C)locally,much of Earth's history is represented by unconformities between strata rather than the strata themselves
D)All of the above are correct.
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Chapter 13: A Biography of Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) Tree-sized relatives of the living ferns,club mosses,and scouring rushes were common in environments termed coal swamps during the ____________ Period.
A)Ordovician
B)Carboniferous
C)Jurassic
D)Cretaceous
Q2) Convergence along the western margin of North America during the Cenozoic gave way to rifting forces that created the characteristic topography of the ____________.
A)Coast Ranges
B)Basin and Range Province
C)Colorado Plateau
D)Columbia Plateau
Q3) The oldest terrestrial insect fossils are found in rocks from the ____________ Period.
A)Cambrian
B)Devonian
C)Permian
D)Triassic
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Chapter 14: Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources
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50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Hydrocarbons are chain-like or ring-like molecules made of carbon and ____________ atoms.
A)helium
B)oxygen
C)water
D)hydrogen
Q2) Which fossil fuel,oil or natural gas,is found at greater depths within Earth,and why?
A)oil,because it is more stable at high temperatures
B)oil,because it is more stable at low pressures
C)gas,because it is more stable at high temperatures
D)gas,because it is more stable at low pressures
Q3) Natural gas ____________.
A)consists of longer carbon chains as compared to oil
B)is denser than oil
C)is produced at higher temperatures than oil
D)is produced at higher temperatures than graphite
Q4) Before the discovery of coal,humans did NOT produce or consume energy.
A)True
B)False
16
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Chapter 15: Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources
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50 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The high electrical conductivity associated with metallic bonds results from ____________.
A)the ability of outer electrons to move freely from atom to atom
B)their radioactive instability
C)the ability of nuclei to be discharged into the atmosphere
D)their relatively great atomic mass
Q2) Which of the following is NOT an important ore of iron?
A)magnetite (iron oxide)
B)hematite (iron oxide)
C)pyrite (iron sulfide)
D)All of the above minerals are important ores of iron.
Q3) Which ore minerals are commonly found in ancient sedimentary deposits that are two billion years old?
A)copper sulfides
B)aluminum oxides
C)iron oxides
D)copper oxides
Q4) Underground mining is considered the safest way to mine ore.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) In cold,dry,mountainous climate,rock glaciers consisting of rocks held together by a smaller volume of ice can slide down slopes.
A)True
B)False
Q2) To the geologist,____________.
A)landslides and mass movements are the same thing
B)all mass movements are landslides,but not all landslides are mass movements
C)all landslides are mass movements,but not all mass movements are landslides
D)mass movements differ from landslides in that a greater mass of material moves during a mass movement than during a landslide
Q3) Mass wasting always involves a sudden movement of material downslope.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Between subaerial and submarine mass movements,we have a much better historical record of ____________.
A)subaerial movements
B)submarine movements
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Chapter 17: Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water
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Sample Questions
Q1) All flowing water on the continents' surfaces is confined to stream channels.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The stream gradient of most rivers ____________.
A)is greater near the source than near the mouth
B)is greater near the mouth than near the source
C)does not change significantly as the river flows downstream
D)is greater for a meandering stream than for any other type
Q3) All else being equal,water will flow faster in a stream with ____________.
A)well-developed meanders
B)a straight channel
Q4) Meandering streams ____________.
A)consist of a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sediment
B)have flowing water either episodically or during a portion of the year
C)have a channel that is highly sinuous (curvy)
D)are those that divert flow from streams they have intersected through stream erosion
Q5) A 100-year flood is more catastrophic than a 50-year flood.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Water-filled coastal valleys that were excavated by glaciers are termed
A)deltas
B)tombolos
C)fjords
D)fords
Q2) Estuaries most commonly have salinity that is ____________.
A)identical to normal marine salinity
B)identical to fresh water
C)hypersaline (greater than normal marine salinity)
D)brackish (between freshwater and marine salinity)
Q3) Waves ___________.
A)refract (bend)so as to impact the shore in a nearly parallel manner
B)refract so as to impact the shore nearly perpendicular to the shoreline
C)reflect directly backward from the angle at which they approached the shoreline
D)are reflected off the shoreline,but never refract
Q4) Which type of coastline usually has a broader continental shelf?
A)a passive continental margin
B)an active continental margin
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Chapter 19: A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which statement about recharge areas is NOT true?
A)Recharge areas typically are elevated with respect to neighboring areas.
B)Recharge areas are regions of relatively high precipitation.
C)Recharge areas are the same as discharge areas.
D)Recharge areas are areas where water infiltrates the sediment from above.
Q2) Bioremediation of contaminated groundwater involves ____________.
A)introduction of laboratory-cultured viruses that can dissolve the plume
B)pumping nutrients into a contaminant plume to help local bacteria metabolize the plume
C)pumping out the contaminated groundwater and using it to irrigate genetically modified crops
Q3) Any place where groundwater naturally flows out of the surface of Earth is termed a
A)flowing artesian well
B)geyser
C)spring
D)recharge area
Q4) Freshwater lakes are always discharge areas.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 20: An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to geological evidence and computer models based upon that evidence,which statement about the concentration of oxygen in our atmosphere is correct?
A)No oxygen was present prior to the Cambrian;oxygen levels have uniformly risen since and today's atmosphere is more oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history.
B)Oxygen levels were greatest during the Cambrian but have been steadily declining ever since;today's atmosphere is less oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history since the Precambrian.
C)Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic but peaked during the Mesozoic ("age of dinosaurs")and declined sharply in the Early Cenozoic.
D)Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic but peaked during the Late Paleozoic ("age of coal swamp forests")and declined sharply in the Early Mesozoic.
Q2) Cold air pushes underneath warm air at cold fronts and warm air pushes underneath cold air at warm fronts.
A)True
B)False
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Page 22
Chapter 21: Dry Settings: the Geology of Deserts
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Atacama of Chile is a desert primarily because it is located ____________.
A)in the subtropics
B)near the South Pole
C)near the center of a large continent
D)next to a cold ocean current
Q2) During heavy rainstorms,rates of physical weathering and erosion are ____________.
A)greater in humid climates than in deserts,because dry desert soils can soak up all of the available moisture
B)greater in deserts than in humid climates,because soil tends to be more easily eroded in deserts than in humid regions
C)greater in humid climates than in deserts,because vegetation tends to break up the soil
D)about equally fast in deserts and in humid climates
Q3) An arroyo is a steep-sided,linear trough produced by ____________.
A)normal faulting or other extensional processes
B)wind erosion of more susceptible layers
C)scouring erosion by water and sediment during flash floods
D)cliff retreat
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Page 23
Chapter 22: Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages
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Sample Questions
Q1) Areas on the southern margins of the continental glaciers of the northern hemisphere were much ____________ during Plio-Pleistocene glaciations than they are today,as suggested by evidence of large ____________ during this time.
A)warmer;tropical rainforests
B)wetter;tropical rainforests
C)drier;deserts
D)wetter;pluvial lakes
Q2) A remnant ridge separating two bowl-shaped depressions formed by a mountain glacier is termed a(n)____________.
A)arĂȘte
B)cirque
C)horn
D)tarn
Q3) A bowl-shaped depression formed by a mountain glacier is termed a(n)____________.
A)arĂȘte
B)cirque
C)horn
D)tarn
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Chapter 23: Global Change in the Earth System
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Sample Questions
Q1) During most of the Mesozoic,Earth was ____________.
A)about as warm as present
B)cooler than present
C)warmer than present
Q2) Which of the following processes releases CO to the atmosphere?
A)photosynthesis
B)weathering of silicate rocks
C)volcanism
D)burial of organic matter
Q3) Tectonic uplift and resultant chemical weathering ____________ CO to/from the atmosphere.
A)remove
B)add
C)have no net effect on
Q4) A biogeochemical cycle means the ____________.
A)movement of biogeochem minerals over time through the rock cycle
B)exchange of chemicals among magmatic and solid-phase systems
C)transitioning and residence of specific chemicals among living and nonliving systems
D)A and B are both correct.
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