CATS Environmental Geology, Fall 1999:
Final Exam--Due December 8
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Geoscience Education in the Mountain State, CATS Environmental Geology, Fall 1999: Final Exam--Due December 8 |
PART I. Multiple Choice +2 for each correct; -1/2 for each incorrect.
1.) An official in North Carolina has referred to a result of hurricane Floyd as a "...witches' brew." This has been repeated in news broadcasts. What does it refer to?
2.) Officials warned of a possible tsunami resulting from one recent quake in Taiwan, but there was no such event. Why did we believe there to be little chance of a tsunami in this case?
3.) The extraction of metals from rocks is nearly as old as the origin of cultures. There is clear evidence that metals were extracted from ore thousands of years ago. Which mineral group of ores provides the greatest environmental problems due to AMD and gases emitted to the atmosphere?
4.) Which mineral is especially vulnerable to weathering because it is readily dissolved in weak acids such as rainwater and groundwater? Hint: When it is present in abundance in sedimentary rock, the rock can dissolve and caves can form.
5.) Which layered silicate family is of great concern because it can cause shrinking and swelling when present in abundance in soils?
6.) On page 82 of your text, Figure 4.13, the example shown is of a cripple-wall at the base of older structures. In the case of the Loma Prieta quake of 1989, such walls bent or folded to the north. What do you interpret this to mean with respect to the direction of horizontal acceleration due to the quake?
7.) On page 54 of your text, Figure 3.4, there is a model of the interior of the earth. What is the primary evidence that the Outer Core is a liquid?
8.) On page 124 of your text, Figure 5.4, active volcanoes and volcano centers are shown in the western U.S. Locate Long Valley Caldera close to the Nevada state line in east-central California. It is a high-silica/low temperature type of magma that is present below the surface. A catastrophic eruption could take place. What is the cause of this volcano?
9.) Which Federal Agency has jurisdiction over the plans for flood control and transportation on the Nation's navigable rivers and streams?
10.) The building of the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River drastically changed the ecosystem in the river because of a change in the conditions of the water. Compare and contrast the conditions of the river water before the dam was built and after the dam was built.
11.) The CAP (Central Arizona Project) canal cracked in places due to subsidence caused by the removal of ground water for irrigation. This canal system supplies water to both Phoenix and Tucson (Arizona) from which river system?
12.) Which of the following sedimentary rocks is composed of carbonates and thus is subject to potential solution weathering in humid, temperate climates? This is of concern because of the problems associated with the formation of sinkholes.
13.) You are about to purchase a piece of property, and you seek out a geologic map of the surficial deposits (the unconsolidated materials on the surface--regardless of soil type). The slopes are moderate to steep and the area is covered with colluvium. Do you have any concerns regarding investment? Why or why not?
14.) Lahars are accumulations of unconsolidated materials on the flanks of volcanoes. These deposits are most often found at the base of the volcanoes and in some cases they extend many tens of miles from the cone itself. If these deposits are mapped in a region, there is significant concern for safety. What makes these deposits suggest a danger exists? In 1984 one of these events killed 23,000 in Armero, Columbia!
15.) A road-cut in Morgantown is only about 6 feet in height, yet it has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to continually repair damage done by the continued movement of the slope onto the road. Local folks call it a landslide. You can now suggest what the material is that is moving and why it began to move.
16.) This fall, after weeks of rain, and extensive flooding, at least 321 people were confirmed dead in south eastern Mexico. In one remote corner, the earth "...opened up and swallowed the Totonac Indian community." An entire school disappeared along with the teacher and all but two of her students. Reports from survivors said the mud did not come from above...it was as if it exploded downward." What do you agree is the most likely suggestion as to the geologic conditions?
17.) Just as we had predicted after hurricane Floyd, conditions in Pamlico Sound, NC relate to a growing "dead zone" in one of the two most important fish habitats and invertebrate ecosystems along the east coast. Not only were metals, chemicals, agricultural waste, and untreated sewerage swept into the Sound, but so too were enormous quantities of fertilizer. What caused the dead zone if fertilizer is used to promote growth of plants?
18.) Why are benches cut in the bedrock adjacent to the interstate highways in West Virginia? The exposures are often very high, being 60-100 feet above the roadway!
19.) In the United States, why do we often speak of the 100th meridian as being the separation line between pedalfers and pedocals? NOTE: Calcium carbonate accumulates in pedocals; Al and Fe are leached from the upper horizon of Pedalfers.
20.) By what chemical process do caves form in limestone?
21.) Which Federal Agency has oversight authority for assisting Americans following a natural disaster?
22.) Why is the pool level of reservoirs in the headwater reaches of rivers in the east (WV, PA, MD, etc.) lowered so drastically during late September and October of each year?
23.) The modern method of removal of thicker, flat lying coal beds, the longwall method, is a procedure that ensures subsidence. The roof rock is designed to collapse as the panel is mined. Why are older room and pillar underground coal operations also subsiding--often many tens of years later?
24.) Why does coal mining in the south-western counties of WV have to resort to the Mountain Top Removal method?
25.) What is the current forecast for the world-wide weather pattern over the next 6-8 months?
26.) How will desertification alter such areas as the Sahel in Africa?
27.) In the American Southwest, the conditions are semi-arid rather than true desert. On BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, ranchers graze untold numbers of cattle. What is a result of overgrazing here?
28.) The Great Lakes are International Boundary Waters (U.S. and Canada). Industrialization over the past 150 years has created significant problems regarding pollution of water and the inclusion of heavy metals and poisonous metals in sediments. Mercury in the water and sediments is one such problem. What is the best action to take with respect to the contaminated sediments in harbors of cities on the lakes?
29.) Examine Figure 11.16 (p. 303) in your text. In terms of annual shoreline change, what can be said about the three coasts: EAST, WEST, GULF?
30.) Examine Figure 11.19 (p. 305) in your text. After a hurricane eroded part of the barrier island, the Ocean City inlet was kept open and jetties were built. What is the eventual fate of the wildlife preserve on the north end of Assateague Island?
PART II.
1.) Identify two reasons for land subsidence in WV.
2.) How does leachate form at a landfill in WV?
3.) What is the "solution" for the storage of HLW in the U.S.? (High Level Nuclear Waste)
4.) Identify the two Federal Agencies which had their "own" ideas regarding the control of the Missouri River.
5.) How are gabions constructed? Why are they often used in WV to stabilize slopes and/or river banks?
PART III.
1.) The Corps of Engineers commented on the problems of very slow retreat of water from crop land protected by constructed levees along the Mississippi River after record flooding a few years back. Identify the reasons why the flood water did not recede immediately as the river level went down.
2.) Dr. Orin Pilkey of Duke University has four "rules" to apply if you are going to buy and build on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He likes to say "if you can see the ocean, the ocean can see you." What does he mean by moving "up and back"? Most structures are on stilts above the surface. Why is this?
3.) Compare and contrast the topography at the sites of Boulder (Hoover) Dam on the Colorado River and Ft. Peck Dam on the Missouri River.
4.) Compare and contrast the engineered structure (materials and type of construction) for the dams in Question 3.
5.) The DOH stores road salt along a road in WV. The residence across the road is downslope and relies on a well for water. Only a tarpaulin is used to protect the salt. What problem could be predicted regarding the quality of ground water flowing to the well?
BONUS +5
Identify one site near your school where you would lead us as a part of an environmental field trip to your county. Identify the topical subject to be covered, the road or highway we should take, the history of identification and/or solution of the environmental concern.
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