SAMPLE HOUR EXAM - CONSIDER THIS AS FAR MORE A GUIDE TO FORMAT THAN A GUIDE TO CONTENT!

Name ________________________________

GEOLOGY 102 - ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY

SPRING, 1997

MID-TERM EXAMINATION

Fill-in-the-Blank. (20 questions, 15 minutes) [Note: could also be multiple-choice!]

1. Environmental geology is more important to human society now than ever before because ________ _____________________________________________________________.
2. A system in which a small change amplifies itself, causing accelerating change, is termed "___________ feedback".
3. The most rapid of the Earth's cycles of change is the _________________ cycle.
4. To environmental geology, the most important family of silicate minerals is the ___________________.
5. Regardless of rock type, the strength of a hillside is determined largely by ________________________.
6. The soil-related hazard which causes more damage than any other geologic hazard in the United States is __________________________.
7. The single most effective hazard mitigation technique is ________________________________.
8. A diagram showing stream discharge as a function of time is called a _____________________.
9. All reservoirs have a finite lifespan because of ____________________________________________.
10. The best predictor of where future landslides will occur is ____________________________________.
11. Most landslides are triggered by _____________________________________________________.
12. The snow avalanche equivalent of a rock slide is _________________________________.
13. A common definition of an "active" fault is one which has ruptured in the last ____________ years.
14. The effects of an earthquake are mapped as its _____________________________.
15. The greatest hazard in urban areas from earthquakes is _______________________.
16. Most combined deaths and damage in recent volcanic eruptions in Washington, Columbia, and Japan resulted from ________________ associated with the eruptions.
17. The most effective precursor of an impending volcanic eruption is _________________________.
18. The greatest coastal hazard from an approaching hurricane is located ___________________________.
19. A structure often built to stabilize a beach is a _________________.
20. Barrier islands are particularly sensitive to development because _______________________________.

II) Diagram/Short-answer (3 questions, 10 minutes each)

1) On the map below, show the approximate global distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes.

2)  Earthquakes OR volcanoes can be subdivided into 3 (three) types based on geologic processes. Select either earthquakes or volcanoes and:

Define and briefly explain the three types.

i)

ii)

iii)

Show on the map representative locations of each of the types.

Discuss briefly the different hazards (if any) posed by the three types.

i)

ii)

iii)

B) Draw a diagram to explain the concept of a recurrence interval.

How does the application of the recurrence interval concept differ between river floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes?

C)  Select one geologic natural disaster which has occurred in 1997 and:

Discuss the geologic process involved.

Explain the circumstances which made the process a hazard.

Describe how the problem was or could have been minimized by proper mitigation strategies.