Environmental Geology MCQs

1. What is the study of the relationship between geological processes and the environment called?
a) Environmental Geology
b) Structural Geology
c) Petrology
d) Mineralogy
Answer: a) Environmental Geology

2. Which of the following is a primary source of natural groundwater contamination?
a) Industrial discharge
b) Agricultural runoff
c) Landfills
d) Acid rain
Answer: d) Acid rain

3. What type of rock is formed from the accumulation and compaction of sediment?
a) Igneous rock
b) Metamorphic rock
c) Sedimentary rock
d) Volcanic rock
Answer: c) Sedimentary rock

4. What geological process is responsible for the formation of mountains?
a) Erosion
b) Sedimentation
c) Plate tectonics
d) Weathering
Answer: c) Plate tectonics

5. Which of the following is a common method of mitigating landslides?
a) Deforestation
b) Building retaining walls
c) Urbanization
d) Increasing slope gradient
Answer: b) Building retaining walls

6. What is the term for the process by which rocks are broken down into smaller particles by physical or chemical means?
a) Erosion
b) Weathering
c) Sedimentation
d) Metamorphism
Answer: b) Weathering

7. Which type of rock is formed by the cooling and solidification of magma or lava?
a) Sedimentary rock
b) Metamorphic rock
c) Igneous rock
d) Biochemical rock
Answer: c) Igneous rock

8. What is the term for the zone where groundwater is stored and transmitted through porous rock or sediment?
a) Aquifer
b) Aquiclude
c) Water table
d) Permeable layer
Answer: a) Aquifer

9. Which of the following processes is a significant factor in the formation of sinkholes?
a) Volcanic activity
b) Erosion
c) Groundwater dissolution
d) Landslides
Answer: c) Groundwater dissolution

10. What is the name for the geological phenomenon where rocks are folded or faulted due to tectonic forces?
a) Sedimentation
b) Lithification
c) Deformation
d) Erosion
Answer: c) Deformation

11. Which of the following is a common method used to prevent soil erosion?
a) Clearing vegetation
b) Building terraces
c) Increasing runoff
d) Removing sediment
Answer: b) Building terraces

12. What type of geological hazard involves the rapid movement of rock and soil down a slope?
a) Earthquake
b) Landslide
c) Tsunami
d) Volcanic eruption
Answer: b) Landslide

13. Which rock type is characterized by layers or bands of minerals that have been changed by heat and pressure?
a) Igneous rock
b) Sedimentary rock
c) Metamorphic rock
d) Volcanic rock
Answer: c) Metamorphic rock

14. What is the primary cause of groundwater depletion?
a) Natural recharge
b) Over-extraction for agriculture
c) Geological activity
d) Soil erosion
Answer: b) Over-extraction for agriculture

15. What is the name for the underground layer of rock or sediment that holds and transmits water?
a) Aquifer
b) Aquiclude
c) Water table
d) Recharge zone
Answer: a) Aquifer

16. Which geological hazard is often associated with volcanic activity and involves the flow of molten rock?
a) Lava flow
b) Landslide
c) Tsunami
d) Earthquake
Answer: a) Lava flow

17. What is the term for the boundary where two tectonic plates meet?
a) Fault line
b) Rift zone
c) Plate boundary
d) Epicenter
Answer: c) Plate boundary

18. Which of the following is a method used to assess soil contamination?
a) Geophysical surveys
b) Soil sampling
c) Remote sensing
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above

19. What is the primary factor causing coastal erosion?
a) Sediment deposition
b) Wind
c) Ocean waves
d) Vegetation
Answer: c) Ocean waves

20. Which of the following is a common source of non-point source pollution?
a) Industrial discharge
b) Agricultural runoff
c) Wastewater treatment plants
d) Landfills
Answer: b) Agricultural runoff

21. What type of geological formation is characterized by a dome-shaped structure created by the upward movement of magma?
a) Volcanic cone
b) Basin
c) Shield volcano
d) Laccolith
Answer: d) Laccolith

22. Which type of fault involves horizontal movement of rock layers?
a) Normal fault
b) Reverse fault
c) Strike-slip fault
d) Thrust fault
Answer: c) Strike-slip fault

23. What is the term for the geological study of the Earth’s past climates and environments?
a) Geomorphology
b) Paleoclimatology
c) Structural geology
d) Petrology
Answer: b) Paleoclimatology

24. Which of the following is a common method for stabilizing slopes and preventing landslides?
a) Planting vegetation
b) Building retaining walls
c) Installing drainage systems
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above

25. What geological process is responsible for the formation of sedimentary rock layers?
a) Cooling and solidification
b) Erosion and deposition
c) Heat and pressure
d) Crystallization
Answer: b) Erosion and deposition

26. What type of rock is formed from the accumulation of organic materials, such as plant debris?
a) Igneous rock
b) Sedimentary rock
c) Metamorphic rock
d) Plutonic rock
Answer: b) Sedimentary rock

27. What is the term for the gradual wearing away of the Earth’s surface by wind, water, or ice?
a) Weathering
b) Erosion
c) Deposition
d) Lithification
Answer: b) Erosion

28. Which of the following processes can contribute to the formation of a sinkhole?
a) Surface runoff
b) Soil erosion
c) Dissolution of soluble rock
d) Sediment deposition
Answer: c) Dissolution of soluble rock

29. What type of geological hazard involves the sudden shaking of the ground due to tectonic activity?
a) Tsunami
b) Volcanic eruption
c) Earthquake
d) Landslide
Answer: c) Earthquake

30. What is the term for the geological study of the Earth’s internal structure and the processes that shape it?
a) Geophysics
b) Geochemistry
c) Structural geology
d) Hydrogeology
Answer: a) Geophysics

31. Which of the following is a consequence of excessive groundwater extraction?
a) Aquifer recharge
b) Land subsidence
c) Increased soil fertility
d) Improved water quality
Answer: b) Land subsidence

32. What is the term for the study of the Earth’s physical features and processes, including landforms and soil?
a) Geomorphology
b) Geochemistry
c) Petrology
d) Environmental geology
Answer: a) Geomorphology

33. Which of the following is a method for managing and mitigating flood risk?
a) Building levees
b) Clearing wetlands
c) Removing vegetation
d) Building more roads
Answer: a) Building levees

34. What is the primary source of pollution from mining activities?
a) Sediment runoff
b) Greenhouse gases
c) Heavy metals
d) Plastic waste
Answer: c) Heavy metals

35. What type of rock is formed from the cooling and solidification of molten magma below the Earth’s surface?
a) Igneous rock
b) Metamorphic rock
c) Sedimentary rock
d) Sedimentary rock
Answer: a) Igneous rock

36. Which of the following is a major factor influencing coastal erosion?
a) Sediment deposition
b) Tidal ranges
c) Coastal vegetation
d) Wave action
Answer: d) Wave action

37. What is the term for the process by which rocks are transformed from one type to another through heat and pressure?
a) Metamorphism
b) Erosion
c) Sedimentation
d) Weathering
Answer: a) Metamorphism

38. What is the name for the geological process that involves the sinking of the Earth’s crust into the mantle?
a) Subduction
b) Uplift
c) Extension
d) Erosion
Answer: a) Subduction

39. Which of the following can be an environmental impact of quarrying?
a) Improved soil quality
b) Habitat destruction
c) Increased biodiversity
d) Enhanced groundwater recharge
Answer: b) Habitat destruction

40. What is the primary factor that drives the movement of tectonic plates?
a) Wind currents
b) Solar energy
c) Convection currents in the mantle
d) Ocean currents
Answer: c) Convection currents in the mantle

Environmental Geology MCQs

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