Course Introduction
Environmental Geology Study Guide
Questions
Environmental Geology explores the interactions between human activities and the geological environment, focusing on how natural processes such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, and soil erosion impact societies. The course examines the ways in which geology influences land use, resource management, and environmental policy, while also addressing the effects of pollution, waste disposal, and climate change on the earths systems. Students gain an understanding of risk assessment, site evaluation, and sustainable practices through case studies, fieldwork, and analysis of real-world environmental challenges.
Recommended Textbook
Natural Hazards and Disasters 4th Edition by Donald Hyndman
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Natural Hazards and Disasters
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Q1) Which natural hazard causes the GREATEST amount of fatalities in the United States annually?
Answer: Heat and drought.
Q2) Natural disasters generally involve which of the following?
A) events with a single clear-cut cause
B) events that involve overlapping natural causes
C) events wholly caused by the activities of man
D) events that are unaffected by the activities of man
E) events that always involve interaction between closely related processes
Answer: B
Q3) Your mother,who has lived in central Ohio for her entire life,really wants to purchase a beach house along the Gulf coast of the southeastern United States because of the natural beauty of the area.Explain to her why this is not a financially or safety-related decision.
Answer: Your mother is probably not aware of the dangers of coastal storms,and local realtors and government from coastal areas might not publicize the dangers of the natural hazards in coastal regions.
Q4) When is a large event such as a major earthquake not a disaster?
Answer: When it happens in a remote area and does not affect anyone.
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Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics and Physical Hazards
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Q1) What was the primary reason why Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift was rejected?
Answer: He had no mechanism for moving continental crust through strong basaltic oceanic crust.
Q2) Distinguish between Earth's crust and mantle.
Answer: Crust overlies mantle.It is basalt composition under the ocean basins and granitic composition in the continents.
Q3) Discuss the three types of plate boundaries included in this chapter and provide examples of each.
Answer: Convergent (Himalayas),divergent (Mid-Atlantic Ridge),and transform (San Andreas Fault).
Q4) If the Atlantic Ocean floor is getting wider,why is the Earth not becoming larger?
A) Actually, the Atlantic Ocean floor is not getting wider.
B) Old ocean floor sinks at subduction zones (trenches).
C) It is becoming denser, so it takes up no more space.
D) It becomes part of the edge of the adjacent continent.
E) It melts at oceanic transform faults.
Answer: B
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Earthquakes and Their Causes
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Sample Questions
Q1) What does the Richter Magnitude Scale depend on?
A) the maximum amplitude of earthquake waves on a seismograph
B) the frequency of P waves recorded on a seismograph
C) the intensity of shaking during the earthquake
D) the amount of destruction by the earthquake
E) the distance to the earthquake focus
Answer: A
Q2) Where do earthquakes typically occur? Explain why they occur where they do.Which coast of North America has highly damaging earthquakes that are less frequent?
Answer: Earthquakes typically occur at plate boundaries,and they occur as a result of the gradual buildup of strain due to convection currents in the asthenosphere moving tectonic plates in different directions.The west coast of North America,especially Alaska,has highly damaging earthquakes that are less frequent.The Pacific Northwest also receives highly damaging earthquakes as a result of the Juan de Fuca plate subducting under the North American plate.
Q3) What is the approximate P-wave velocity through the Earth? Indicate whether your answer refers to the Earth's crust or mantle.
Answer: 5-6 km/sec in continental crust; 8 km/sec in mantle.
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Chapter 4: Earthquake Prediction and Mitigation
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Q1) Buildings of different heights shake back and forth at different frequencies.Which shake at higher frequencies,short buildings or tall buildings?
Q2) Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A) Shattering glass is one of the most common causes of injuries in earthquakes.
B) During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, broken glass rained down on the street in downtown San Francisco.
C) Safety glass is required in all windows of newly constructed commercial buildings.
D) Glass systems in modern high-rise buildings are designed to accommodate routine sway.
E) Safety glass in some commercial building is similar to that used in cars.
Q3) The double-deck freeway at the east edge of San Francisco Bay collapsed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.Why?
A) It was too tall for its height.
B) It lacked steel reinforcing bars.
C) Strong shaking lasted for more than the 30 minutes it was designed for.
D) It was built across soft mud.
E) Water from San Francisco Bay rotted the foundation material, weakening it.
Q4) Where is the safest place to be in an earthquake?
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Tsunami
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Q1) Although the Atlantic coast of North America experiences few large earthquakes,what specific other event could generate a large tsunami wave that could cause catastrophic damage there?
A) a giant subduction-zone earthquake near the coast of Africa
B) a giant subduction-zone earthquake along the eastern edge of North America
C) a giant transform-fault earthquake on the Atlantic Ocean floor
D) flank collapse of a volcano in the Canary Islands
E) flank collapse of Mt. Vesuvius
Q2) About how high are the largest earthquake-caused tsunami waves in bays?
Q3) In the open sea,tsunami reach an average wave height of about:
A) 1 or 2 meters.
B) 10 meters.
C) 100 meters.
D) 1,000 meters.
E) 10,000 meters.
Q4) h.How long was the break along that fault?
Q5) When are tsunami warning systems ineffective?
Q6) Decide which natural occurrence would create the most catastrophic tsunami and why.Describe the location that would be the most devastating.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Volcanoes: Tectonic Environments and Eruptions
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Q1) If you had to choose between enduring a Strombolian eruption and a Vulcanian eruption,which would you choose and why?
Q2) What property(s)of magma determine the magnitude of an eruption?
Q3) Eruptions dominated by basalt compositions are found where?
A) along convergent margins involving oceanic and continental crust
B) along divergent boundaries at mid-oceanic ridges
C) over continental hotspots
D) between plates along transform boundaries
E) along convergent margins involving oceanic crust
Q4) Highly explosive magmas are controlled by which of the following?
A) high magnesium content and high water
B) high silica content and high water
C) low silica content and high water
D) high silica content and low water
E) high iron content and low water
Q5) A large,steep-sided volcano is likely made of what composition of rock? In what form was the rock erupted? What type of volcano is it?
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Q6) What two main influences on a water-bearing basaltic magma can cause water to separate from a magma to drive an eruption?
Chapter 7: Volcanoes: Hazards and Mitigation
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Q1) Harmonic tremors recorded on seismographs near volcanoes are generally interpreted as __________.
Q2) If an ash flow approaches you from across a kilometer-wide lake,are you likely to be safe or not? Explain why.
A) Safe. Hot ash flows would chill and stop as soon as they hit cold water.
B) Safe. Ash flows move along the ground; they would continue harmlessly underwater.
C) Safe. Hot ash flows would boil the water, and that would stop them.
D) Not safe. A fast-moving ash flow would cause a deadly tsunami wave.
E) Not safe. Ash flows can cross much wider bodies of water.
Q3) Why is paleovolcanology important in predicting future volcanic eruptions?
Q4) Describe the process that created Crater Lake and how this differs from what geologists originally thought occurred.What evidence supports this conclusion?
Q5) What is Wizard Island in Crater Lake?
Q6) Why would a volcanic eruption at Mount Vesuvius pose a huge hazard?
Q7) How can you approximate the travel distance and which hills a pyroclastic flow might cross?
Q8) Why is Mount Shasta considered a major hazard as it currently stands?
Q9) What signs suggest that a volcano may be getting ready to erupt?
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Chapter 8: Landslides and Other Downslope Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the difference between a slump and a translational slide?
Q2) Old landslides are NOT normally reactivated by:
A) adding water.
B) earthquakes.
C) steepening the slope by removing material at the lower part of the slope.
D) steepening the slope by adding material at the upper part of the slope.
E) piling heavy rocks on the lower part of the slope.
Q3) Which slope material is most likely to move as a translational slide?
A) homogeneous, cohesive materials
B) a raised terrace of old beach sediments
C) moist soil 300 meters thick
D) 3 meter thick soil over bedrock
E) deeply weathered granite rich in clays
Q4) What three methods can be used to minimize damage from rockfalls?
Q5) The disastrous Vaiont landslide in Italy involved what combination of circumstances?
Q6) For a rockfall,what two factors lead to a greater distance of travel of the moving debris?
Q7) Why do some slopes fail in a rotational slump rather than a translational slide?
Q8) How does evapotranspiration work? List the main aspects.
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Chapter 9: Sinkholes, Land Subsidence, and Swelling Soils
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Sample Questions
Q1) What material causes swelling soils?
Q2) Venice,Italy,is noted for numerous water canals instead of paved streets for cars.Why doesn't it have many typical streets? Explain briefly.
Q3) What are two main mechanisms of ground subsidence?
Q4) Which is NOT a method for recognizing the presence of swelling soils?
A) They are extremely slippery when wet.
B) They form a popcorn-like surface when dried out.
C) They stick like gum to the bottom of your shoes when wet.
D) Since they deform elastically, the ground feels spongy or bouncy underfoot.
E) They deform concrete foundations and walls.
Q5) What type of ground settling process is common in high latitudes?
Q6) Discuss the four causes of land subsidence described in the text and one case study of each cause.
Q7) Name three of the eight states with the largest areas of ground subsidence,including sinkholes.
Q8) In the case of Mexico City,Mexico,land subsidence due to unsustainable groundwater pumping caused many problems because the area is highly populated.Discuss two of these problems.
Q9) What agricultural behavior is likely to lead to formation of more sinkholes?
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Chapter 10: Weather, Thunderstorms, And Tornadoes
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Q1) What is a heat wave? How do heat waves affect people? Why are people in urban areas in danger during a heat wave?
Q2) What is the greatest danger (what causes most deaths)from a tornado?
A) being picked up in the funnel and dropped
B) being struck by flying debris
C) being crushed under a collapsing roof
D) being flung against something in the intense winds
E) being in a car crash while trying to escape an oncoming tornado
Q3) Does the atmosphere in the tropics contain more moisture or less? Why?
Q4) Which part of a storm is likely to form tornadoes?
A) under the leading edge of the stratocumulus cloud
B) immediately ahead of the heaviest rain.
C) under the left edge of the storm cloud (viewed in the direction of storm travel)
D) in the tailing part of the area of heaviest rain
E) in the rotating winds of the trailing edge of the stratocumulus cloud
Q5) Describe the mechanism that triggers thunderstorm systems.What are some hazards that thunderstorms produce?
Q6) What is a drought? What negative effects can a drought have on a region?
Q7) Why do clouds have a fairly well-defined base at a particular altitude? Explain.
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Chapter 11: Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is radiative forcing?
Q2) Which of the following plants or animals have benefitted from global warming?
A) American pika
B) polar bears
C) black spruce
D) Pacific salmon.
E) sea turtles
Q3) How do greenhouse gases warm Earth's atmosphere?
Q4) In a single year,which of the following is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide into Earth's atmosphere?
A) a single large volcanic eruption
B) cement plants
C) agriculture
D) coal-fired power plants
E) ground and air transportation
Q5) What atmospheric particles cool the atmosphere?
Q6) How can isotopes of oxygen be used as a proxy for past temperature data?
Q7) Can the current increase in carbon dioxide level in Earth's atmosphere be attributable to natural variation and not human activity? Why or why not?
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Streams And Flood Processes
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Q1) What is the best long-term solution to avoiding a debris flow?
Q2) How would a hydrograph for a drainage basin change if major urban growth were to occur upstream?
A) The hydrograph would be higher and narrower.
B) The hydrograph would be both higher and last longer.
C) The hydrograph would be lower but last longer.
D) The hydrograph changes only with wildfire, logging, or overgrazing, not urban growth.
E) The hydrograph becomes skewed, rising more slowly but dropping very quickly.
Q3) Which is likely to flow farther down to the flatter,wider part of a valley: a debris flow or a mudflow? Why?
Q4) In the case study "Desert Debris Flows and Housing on Alluvial Fans-Tucson,Arizona,Debris Flows,2006," why did the hydrograph for Sabino Creek show higher and higher discharge rates between July 27 and July 31?
Q5) Why are river floodplains often broad and flat-bottomed,many times wider than the width of the meander belt of the stream?
Q6) What are the differences in appearance between a debris flow and a mudflow deposit?
Q7) What are natural levees? Where do they form? Why do they form there?
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Floods And Human Interactions
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Q1) What are causes of dam failure? What determines the hazard potential of dam failure for people living downstream?
Q2) Why is it almost impossible to keep water from seeping under a levee and out onto a floodplain?
A) Bigger rocks are typically placed at the bottom of levees, and they are most permeable.
B) Levees are built on floodplains marked everywhere by old permeable stream channels.
C) People building levees often forget to line the stream channel with plastic.
D) Piping (large tubes) are built near the top of the levee to prevent overtopping.
E) Metallic walls that are placed into the ground rust and fail after two or three years.
Q3) Which of the following does NOT cause increased erosion in a stream channel?
A) building a dam across the stream
B) mining gravel from the stream channel
C) planting native trees in the flood fringe
D) building a bridge across the stream, with roadway fill across the floodplain
E) channelizing the stream upstream
Q4) What are the four main reasons cited for building large dams on rivers?
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Waves,Beaches,And Coastal Erosion
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Q1) What happens to wave energy and erosion when riprap or seawalls are installed?
A) Wave height rises against the wall, and erosion concentrates at the base of the wall.
B) Waves that strike the riprap are reflected back against the incoming waves to cancel them.
C) Waves move up and down against steep surfaces in deep water, so they don't do anything.
D) Waves lose their energy against riprap or seawalls, so they permanently protect the coast.
E) Waves pulverize the riprap and seawalls, creating sand that helps maintain the beach.
Q2) What factors do NOT influence the size of most waves?
A) atmospheric pressure
B) wind velocity
C) fetch
D) time of wind across water
E) constant direction of wind across water
Q3) Why do barrier islands gradually migrate landward with time?
Q4) What is the relationship between wave height and energy of the wave?
Q5) Why are once sandy beaches on the West Coast now disappearing?
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Chapter 14: Hurricanes and Noreasters
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Q1) What shape of roof is most susceptible to being lifted off by a hurricane?
A) a flat roof
B) a gently sloping roof with one slope facing toward the wind
C) a steep "A-frame" roof
D) a dome-shaped roof (hemisphere)
E) a "hip" roof sloping toward all four sides
Q2) What shape of roof is least vulnerable to being pulled off?
A) a flat roof
B) a hip roof (sloping to all sides)
C) a gently sloping roof with one slope facing toward the wind
D) a dome-shaped roof (hemisphere)
E) a steep "A-frame" roof
Q3) Why isn't the greatest coastal damage from a hurricane directly in line with the center of the hurricane path as it reaches land?
Q4) What are nor'easters? Describe the ways in which nor'easters differ from hurricanes.
Q5) What local circumstances also raise the height of a storm surge?
Q6) Aside from flooding,what damages accompany the hurricane surge?
Q7) What is the approximate forward speed of a hurricane (how fast does it approach the coast)?
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Wildfires
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Q1) What condition does NOT lead to more fire-prone forests?
A) vegetation with large surface area per unit of volume of solids
B) low moisture content fuels
C) low-humidity air
D) larger trees
E) insect-killed trees
Q2) What is fuel loading? What are examples of fuel loading,and what makes them combustible?
Q3) How is fire danger or risk now determined over large areas?
A) Visible-light sensors on satellites measure the variable shades between green and brown.
B) Infrared sensors on satellites measure greenness versus average greenness.
C) Forest service personnel collect vegetation samples and analyze their water content.
D) Forest service personnel fly over regions to analyze for dry vegetation.
E) Fire lookout employees scan their region to analyze for dry vegetation.
Q4) What effect can topography have on the spreading of a fire? What are the dangers of being upslope during a fire?
Q5) Why are fires more frequent and hotter now than they were several decades ago?
Q6) Why do grass,needles,and shrubs burn easier and faster than trees?
Page 18
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Chapter 17: Impact of Asteroids and Comets
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Q1) How fast do comets travel in space?
A) about 2 to 3 km per minute
B) about 60 km per minute
C) about 2 to 3 km per second
D) about 60 km per second
E) about 500 km per second
Q2) A rock that enters Earth's atmosphere and survives to reach the ground is a(n):
A) meteor.
B) meteorite.
C) comet.
D) asteroid.
E) space rock.
Q3) What are meteorites made of?
Q4) How is the tail of a comet oriented? (Which way does it point?)
A) points away from the sun
B) points toward the sun-from its gravitational attraction
C) back from the direction of travel
D) in the direction of its afterburner
E) randomly in space
Q5) Why do some very large impact craters have a central peak?
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Chapter
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Q1) Since 1988,federal policy has shifted to emphasize:
A) the precautionary principle.
B) property rights.
C) reverse condemnation.
D) mitigation.
E) willful ignorance.
Q2) Who needs to be educated on natural disasters? When should they be educated? Why is education about these issues important?
Q3) What are natural hazards? Give examples.
Q4) Historically,how has the evolution of civilization contributed to natural disasters?
Q5) As a result of climate change,the number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has increased by how much worldwide since 1990?
A) doubled
B) decreased by fifty percent
C) tripled
D) stayed the same
E) decreased by ten percent
Q6) What effect will global warming have on natural disasters?
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