GEL 1007
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY |
EXAM 1
DUE: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
General Guidance:
- The exam questions below cover the material we will discuss in class. Your answers should reflect what we cover in class, the posted notes, and the text book.
- It is best to work on the questions as we cover the material; you should feel free to bring the questions up in class for discussion.
- Be thorough, it may take one or two paragraphs to completely answer the question.
- Put the answer into your own words. Short quotes are OK, but your answer should not be a single, long quote from a source.
- Please answer the questions using complete sentences, and be sure to use proper spelling and grammar (worth 10%).
- The answers must be typed.
- Informal citations are required.
- If you are using information from the textbook; indicate the page number
- If you are using information from your class notes; indicate so
- If you are using other sources, you should indicate the source
- Format examples: "According to [source], [followed by the information]" OR "[information] [followed by source in parentheses]"
- Answers that are copied from the book, notes, another student, or any other source (verbatim or superficially rephrased) will not be accepted. While you should use all the resources available and you can and should work with other students, the work you submit must be your own work in your own words.
Answer the following questions.
- Explain why it is important to understand the earth’s environment. (5 pts.)
- Explain why population growth is considered to be such a large environmental problem. (5 pts.)
- Explain what makes an investigation "scientific." (5 pts.)
- Describe one of the characteristics of scientific investigation and explain its importance. (5 pts.)
- Describe how Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) can be used to improve our understanding of environmental problems. (5 pts.)
- For each of the three rock types, explain how they form and describe, in general, some of their important characteristics (how they respond to weathering, strength ). (5 pts. ea.)
- Igneous: formation & key characteristics
- Sedimentary: formation & key characteristics
- Metamorphic: formation & key characteristics
- Describe three features you would expect to find at a boundary between two plates and explain why the feature would be found there. Note: Do not list the three types of plate boundaries and the features that would be found at each; you should list three specific features and describe the processes at a plate boundary that would produce each feature.(15 pts)
- Feature 1:
- Feature 2:
- Feature 3:
- Describe the surficial deposits present under your home. Include the formation name, thickness, and a brief description of the materials. (5 pts.)
- The unconsolidated materials under my house consist of the...(official name: member, formation, &/or group)
- The __________ formation is described as...(describe the thickness and materials)
- Source: (authors, map name, date, publisher)
- Describe the bedrock deposits under your home. Include the formation name, thickness and rock type(s) present. (5 pts.)
- The bedrock under my house is...(official name: member, formation, &/or group)
- The __________ formation is described as...(describe the thickness and materials)
- Source: (authors, map name, date, publisher)
Bedrock & Surficial Geology (8 & 9)
- Use the maps provided in the lab to determine the surficial unit and bedrock present under your home.
- You may use the Online Handbook of Illinois Stratigraphy for a detailed description of the bedrock formation.
- For surficial geology: Include the formation name, thickness, and a brief description of the materials.
- For bedrock geology: Include the formation name, thickness and rock type(s) present. You may wish to include the top two or three formations if they include important resources.
- For both: You should record the sources of your information.
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last updated: 2025-09-05