Environmental Geology
Test 3
Fall, 2011
Answers to the following questions should each be at least 1 full page. The
final question should be in the form of a five-paragraph essay, as discussed in
class. If any question is unclear, ask me for clarification.
Start each answer on a new page, and upload your test to Moodle,
Good luck.
- What are the differences between illite and smectite? What are their chemical differences?
- What are rare-earth elements? What minerals are they found in? Why are they important?
Who controls most of them?
- Obtain a standard soil classification ternary diagram (triangle)
used by the the USDA. Determine the soil type for each of
the following soil samples:
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Sand
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Silt
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Clay
|
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0%
|
40%
|
60%
|
|
40%
|
30%
|
30%
|
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80%
|
5%
|
15%
|
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50%
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35%
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15%
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What other properties of the soil might you want to know for 1)
civil engineering, 2) agriculture, and 3) estimating contaminant
migration.
- How has the history of mineral production in Indonesia influenced
politics, cultural history, and ethnic relations? Pay attention particularly to Freeport McMoRan and Former President Suharto. Notice also the role of Islam and the Chinese minority.
- What are the main environmental concerns with open-pit mining,
especially of coal?
- What is a permeameter? How is it used? What equations
are used to estimate K in a constant-head permeameter? How do
they relate to Darcy's Law?
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Essay: If we had it to do over again, how should we deal with the use of asbestos and its remediation?
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