Humans and the Geologic Environment

Question 1

What are the factors that made Earth livable?

Answer 1

1. Its distance from the Sun
2. Its ability to retain its own atmosphere

Question 2

When did the first Homo sapiens (archaic and Neanderthal) first make their appearance on Earth?

Answer 2

Approx. 200,000 years ago

Question 3

How did the first civilizations start?

Answer 3

• People learned how to plant crops and harvest them
• They recognized areas with the most productive soils to grow crops on

Question 4

What happens when a city is built?

Answer 4

• Floods occur more frequently due to the ground’s reduced ability to absorb water
• Decreased water quality and quantity

Question 5

A phenomenon wherein the Self-interest of individuals results in the destruction of a common and shared resource

Answer 5

Tragedy of the Commons

Question 6

study of the solid earth and the process that shape and modify the planet

Answer 6

Physical Geology

Question 7

interprets Earth’s past by unravelling the information held in rocks

Answer 7

Historical Geology

Question 8

talks about geologic principles and knowledge are used to address problems arising from the interaction between humans and the geologic environment

Answer 8

Environmental Geology

Question 9

Steps of a scientific inquiry

Answer 9

• Observation
• Hypothesis
• Experiment/ Data Gathering
• Analysis of results
• Conclusion

Question 10

Who proposed the geocentric model?

Answer 10

Claudious Ptolemy

Question 11

Who proposed the heliocentric model?

Answer 11

Nicolaus Copernicus

Question 12

Environmental problems related to geology generally fall into one of two categories, which are:

Answer 12

Hazards and Resources

Question 13

It is the chance that some natural process or event will produce negative consequences for an individual or society as a whole

Answer 13

Environmental Risk

Question 14

The formula for risk

Answer 14

Risk = (probability of event) x (Expected consequences/damage)

Question 15

Natural processes can be classified as:

Answer 15

• Incremental (slow)
• Sporadic (fast/sudden)

Question 16

composed of four major subsystems that interact in a highly complex and integrated manner, where changes in one subsystem affect the others

Answer 16

Earth System

Question 17

Illustrate the Earth System.

Question 18

True or False: Sediments can negatively affect the growth of vegetation in a specific area.

Answer 18

True

Question 19

In ___________, the amount added over successive time periods remains the same

Answer 19

linear growth

Question 20

It occurs when amount added over successive time increments keeps increasing

Answer 20

Exponential Growth

Question 21

A prime example of exponential growth that greatly affects the natural geologic processes

Answer 21

Human population

Question 22

This man said that there is a limit to the number of humans that the Earth can support.

Answer 22

Thomas Malthus

Question 23

Population growth : Exponential
______________ : Linear

Answer 23

Food Production

Question 24

Why is Thomas Malthus’ model about population growth deemed somewhat “inaccurate”?

Answer 24

Becasuse his model failed to take account that advancements in technology also greatly impacted the growth and production of crops and food in general, thus making food production exponential rather than linear.

Question 25

Why does Thomas Malthus’ model about population growth still hold true even until today?

Answer 25

Because although the food production dilemma has been addressed via technologic innovations, the land and resources that you can use to farm on is still constant; if anything is gets smaller and smaller the bigger the global population grows, therefore food production still has a maximum limit, making Thomas Malthus’ claim right.

Question 26

A society that lives within Earth’s capacity to provide resources such that resources remain available for future generations

Answer 26

Sustainable Society

Question 27

What are the factors that make the resource depletion from nation to nation vary?

Answer 27

• population growth rates
• level of economic development
• resources being consumed

Question 28

What is the key to sustainability?

Answer 28

Earth’s total population and humanity’s per capita consumption rate of resources

Question 29

A concept which is simply the amount of biologically productive land/sea area needed to support the lifestyle of humans.

Answer 29

Ecological Footprint

Question 30

Ecological footprint is expressed in _____________________.

Answer 30

Global Hectares