Environmental Earth Science Study Guide
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Course Introduction
Environmental Earth Science explores the dynamic interactions between the Earth's systems atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere and human activity. The course examines the fundamental principles of geology, meteorology, oceanography, and ecology to understand environmental processes such as climate change, natural resource management, natural hazards, and pollution. Students will develop skills in analyzing scientific data, assessing the impacts of human behavior on the environment, and proposing strategies for sustainable living and environmental stewardship. Through lectures, laboratory work, and field studies, this course equips students with the knowledge needed to address current and future environmental challenges from a scientific perspective.
Recommended Textbook
Environmental Geology 10th Edition by Carla W Montgomery
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Chapter 1: Planet and Population: An Overview
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Q1) Because of agricultural impact on soil nutrients,crops grown in the U.S.are less nutritious compared to 50 years ago.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Human beings,as the species Homo sapiens,have existed on earth for approximately
A) 0.00012 (0.12 thousandths) of the earth's history.
B) 1 percent of the earth's history.
C) 10 percent of the earth's history.
D) Homo sapiens originated on Mars, which was much warmer when the sun was younger and its luminosity was greater. Our ancestors colonized Earth as Mars became too cold for habitation, just as we will colonize Venus when Earth becomes colder as the sun's energy fades.
Answer: A
Q3) Sources of heat in the early earth included
A) Compression by gravity.
B) The impact of colliding particles as they came together to form the earth.
C) Decay of radioactive elements.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: Rocks and Minerals-A First Look
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Q1) The sulfide mineral group includes many valuable ores.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Which of the following rock is an example of an extremely rapid rate of cooling?
A) Granite
B) Rhyolite
C) Obsidian
D) Basalt
Answer: C
Q3) A mineral is
A) A naturally occurring, crystalline, solid chemical element or compound with a definite or range of composition.
B) Possibly an organic chemical compound.
C) Necessarily inorganic.
D) Both a and c provide the correct definition.
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: Plate Tectonics
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Q1) Pre-drift reassembly of the continents can be assisted by A) Polar-wander curves.
B) Matching up the shapes of the corresponding continental margins.
C) Matching up mountain ranges and rock types between once-adjacent continents.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Answer: D
Q2) The San Andreas fault is a good example of a
A) Convergent plate boundary.
B) Divergent plate boundary.
C) Transform plate boundary.
D) Hotspot.
Answer: C
Q3) Because the sea floor is protected from weathering,seafloor rocks are better preserved and generally older than continental rocks.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 4: Earthquakes
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Q1) The New Madrid,Missouri fault zone is a high-risk area on the U.S.seismic-risk map because
A) It is undergoing rapid creep at this time.
B) It is subject to frequent severe earthquakes.
C) It is a large transform fault.
D) It was the site of the largest earthquakes ever reported in the contiguous United States.
Q2) Scale modeling is a useful tool in designing earthquake-resistant buildings,but its usefulness is limited by the lack of records of actual ground motion during large earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The seismic-risk map of the United States is based on A) Frequency of occurrence of past earthquakes only.
B) Severity of past earthquakes and anticipated ground motion in future ones.
C) A prediction of the likelihood of future earthquakes.
D) Observations of precursor phenomena.
Q4) After an earthquake,rocks snap back elastically to their pre-stress condition. A)True B)False
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Volcanoes
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Q1) Volcanoes that build domes are more likely to erupt explosively than are shield volcanoes.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Explosive volcanoes can be so unpredictable that even volcanologists monitoring and studying them can be killed by unexpected eruptions.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The damage from ash fall in the eruption of Mt.Pinatubo,Philippines in 1991 would have been worse,but fortunately,monsoon rains washed the ash off houses and hillsides.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Volumetrically,the greatest production of new volcanic rock occurs at seafloor spreading ridges.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Streams and Flooding
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Q1) An increase in sedimentation along a stream can be caused by
A) A recent forest fire.
B) A beaver dam.
C) Fish spawning.
D) Animal migration.
Q2) A drainage basin
A) Includes the area from which surface water flows into a stream segment.
B) For a river includes all the drainage basins for that river's tributaries.
C) Increases in size and proportion to the size of the stream or river it feeds, for the same climate.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Q3) A flood stage is reached when the stream stage supersedes the A) Bank width.
B) Bank length.
C) Bank height.
D) Bank stage.
Q4) Constructing levees may increase the amount of property at risk from future flooding by encouraging floodplain development.
A)True
B)False
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Coastal Zones and Processes
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Q1) An active continental margin is one at which many major storms with high storm surges occur.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Construction on barrier islands is highly desirable because it stabilizes these islands. A)True
B)False
Q3) Moving the Cape Hatteras lighthouse from its shore location inland is an example of A) Hard structural stabilization.
B) Soft structural stabilization.
C) A non-structural strategy.
D) Increasing wave base.
Q4) A storm surge results from the high air pressure associated with major storms. A)True
B)False
Q5) A drowned valley is one that has been blocked by seawalls and flooded.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 8: Mass Movements
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Q1) Rainfall intensity and duration affect the likelihood of the occurrence of mass movement.Which of the following is true?
A) Rainfall intensity is more important than duration.
B) Rainfall duration is more important than intensity.
C) They are equally important and their effect is universal: a unique combination of rainfall duration and intensity will set off mass movement anywhere.
D) They are both important, but different geologic materials and geographic settings have different resistance to mass movement as started by rainfall.
Q2) Mass wasting
A) Is a formal term for the weathering of rock masses.
B) Represents the process of lava flow.
C) Is the movement of material (rock or soil) down slope due to gravity.
D) Is the movement of material by wind.
Q3) This type of mass wasting is a hazard within Yosemite National Park
A) Slumps.
B) Rock slides and rock falls.
C) Debris flows.
D) Rock creep.
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Chapter 9: Ice and Glaciers,wind and Deserts
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Q1) Continental glaciers are smaller and much more common than alpine glaciers.
A)True
B)False
Q2) When ice is lost from a glacier by a set of processes then the process is called
A) Accumulation.
B) Loss.
C) Ablation.
D) Melting.
Q3) Because ice is so efficient an agent of erosion,alpine glaciers carve steep-sided,V-shaped valleys.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Loess derived from glacial rock flour is rich in soluble plant nutrients.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Over the course of a year,the length of an alpine glacier fluctuates seasonally,increasing in winter,melting back in summer.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Climate-Past, present, and Future
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Q1) Rising sea level due to global warming will
A) Cause a decrease in coastline erosion.
B) Increase the acreage of coastal wetlands by increasing moisture content.
C) Decrease the acreage of coastal wetlands due to saltwater intrusion.
D) Cause beaches worldwide to grow seaward.
Q2) Melting permafrost poses no construction engineering problems.
A)True
B)False
Q3) United Nations studies suggest that the impacts of global climate change are likely to be most severe in the highly industrialized countries.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The term "greenhouse effect" refers to an increase in atmospheric temperatures resulting from an increasing blanket of clouds around the earth.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Global warming may increase the number of heat related deaths during summer. A)True B)False
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Chapter 11: Ground Water and Water Resources
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Q1) Possible consequences of excessive groundwater withdrawal include
A) Surface subsidence.
B) Swelling of aquifer rocks.
C) Increased permeability of aquifer rocks.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Q2) Water stored in aquifers is stationary and does not take part in the hydrologic cycle.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The vadose zone is also known as the
A) Unsaturated zone.
B) Saturated zone.
C) Confined zone.
D) Recharge zone.
Q4) One of the problems associated with the desalination of water for irrigation applications is the cost.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Weathering, erosion, and Soil Resources
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Q1) Soil formation is dependant upon A) Climate.
B) Nature of the parent material and organic matter.
C) Topography.
D) Time.
E) All the choices are correct.
Q2) Consequences of sediment pollution include more rapid infilling of reservoirs and clogging of stream channels.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Feldspars chemically weather through a reaction with water to become clay minerals.This chemical reaction is especially rapid
A) The more acidic the water.
B) The more alkaline the water.
C) The lower the water temperature.
D) For larger feldspar crystals.
Q4) Chemical and mechanical weathering are two processes,unrelated to each other.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Mineral and Rock Resources
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Q1) The success of mine reclamation is often heavily dependent on availability of water.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Recycling of steel is relatively difficult because alloys of specific composition may be required for specific applications.
A)True
B)False
Q3) All of the following are extensively recycled except A) Platinum.
B) Copper.
C) Manganese.
D) Lead.
Q4) Wallboard (Sheetrock)is made from gypsum.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The consumption of resources in the United States matchest their production.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Energy Resources-Fossil Fuels
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Q1) At present,most of the energy used in the United States is supplied by
A) Hydroelectric plants.
B) Fossil fuels.
C) Geothermal plants.
D) Nuclear power plants.
Q2) Enhanced oil recovery methods are necessary because
A) Drilling directly into an oil field is often not possible.
B) The presence of natural gas makes it impossible to pump liquid petroleum.
C) Only about one third of the liquid petroleum within a field can be recovered by initial pumping.
D) Increasingly, drilling directly into an oil field is being banned by law.
Q3) It is easier to estimate coal reserves than oil reserves because coal is solid and does not migrate.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Enhanced oil recovery methods include all of the following except
A) Deliberate fracturing to increase reservoir porosity.
B) Use of gas under pressure to force out more oil.
C) Heating the oil to decrease its viscosity.
D) Underground mining of oil bearing rock.
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Energy Resources-Alternative Sources
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Q1) Radioactive materials can be made nonradioactive by heating and treating by chemical reaction.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Dams have a shelf life.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Exploiting hydroelectric power by constructing dams on rivers and streams is environmentally sound.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Nuclear fusion reactors would
A) Be very inexpensive to build, once the technology is perfected.
B) Involve far fewer radiation hazards than fission reactors.
C) Require extremely rare elements as fuel, which is why none are currently in use.
D) Produce more nuclear fuel for future use as they operate.
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Chapter 16: Waste Disposal
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Q1) On-site disposal of food waste using an in-sink garbage-disposal unit is detrimental for all of the following reasons except
A) It reduces the impact on local landfills.
B) It requires electricity and water.
C) It adversely affects the performance of septic systems.
D) It increases the volume of solids that must be treated by municipal wastewater treatment plants.
Q2) Which of the following statements is not true?
A) Some radioisotopes are also chemical toxins.
B) Except for those living near nuclear plants or uranium mines we are not normally exposed to radiation.
C) Inferences about the effects of low doses of radiation are drawn, in part, by extrapolation from incidents of high dosage.
D) A given radioisotope behaves chemically just like non-radioactive isotopes of the same element.
Q3) A leaching field is the area around a landfill into which leachate percolates.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Water Pollution
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Q1) Because groundwater flow rates are often slow,groundwater pollution may first be detected many years after the occurrence of contamination and in areas distant from the pollution source.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The pump-and-treat method is
A) The surface treatment of polluted groundwater that has been removed from an aquifer.
B) The process by which municipal sewage is treated before discharge into a river.
C) Ineffective in cleansing contaminated water well enough to be used as a drinking water supply.
D) A fast, effective and inexpensive means of treating contaminated groundwater.
Q3) Pollution of surface water has nothing to do with pollution of groundwater.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Chemical decontamination is principally used for small toxic-waste spills in surface waters.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: Air Pollution
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Q1) The catalytic converter,a required component for automobile exhaust emission control systems,converts carbon monoxide into
A) Pure carbon and oxygen.
B) Carbon dioxide.
C) Carbonic acid.
D) Carbon monoxide (the catalytic converter is designed to remove gases other than carbon monoxide).
Q2) The gas that is produced when oxygen is less and as a result of the incomplete combustions materials bearing carbon is
A) Water vapor.
B) Carbon dioxide.
C) Carbon monoxide.
D) All the choices are correct.
Q3) In urban areas,this gas from internal-combustion engines may contribute to rainfall acidity.
A) Sulfur gases
B) Nitrogen oxides
C) Radon
D) Ozone
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Chapter 19: Environmental Law and Policy
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Q1) The U.S.Exclusive Economic Zone is enormous,covering an area of more than one and one-half times the land area of the United States and its territories.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The "precautionary principle" in international law
A) Allows for restriction of countries' activities before irrevocable harm has been documented.
B) Requires all nations to cease producing and releasing pollutants.
C) Gives the United Nations the authority to impose sanctions against nations whose actions may be harmful.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Q3) The Surface and Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 pertains
A) Exclusively to coal and salt.
B) Exclusively to any minerals.
C) Excusively to salt.
D) Exclusively to coal.
Q4) To avoid confusion,water-rights laws are uniform throughout the United States.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 20: Land-Use Planning and Engineering Geology
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Q1) In the United States,the federal government owns some percentage of land in almost every state and territory.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Because Alaska is so cold,the Trans-Alaska Pipeline had to be heated along much of its length to keep the oil flowing and to avoid damage from freezing soil.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The need for land-use planning is diminishing now that geologic hazards are better understood.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Scale modeling allows simulation of natural disasters to test the response of structures to the associated stresses.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Rapid development of dams for hydropower raises concerns about dam safety. A)True
B)False
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