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Questions and Problems

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    305664
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    Access to and use of the internet is assumed in answering all questions including general information, statistics, constants, and mathematical formulas required to solve problems. These questions are designed to promote inquiry and thought rather than just finding material in the text. So in some cases there may be several “right” answers. Therefore, if your answer reflects intellectual effort and a search for information from available sources, your answer can be considered to be “right.”

    1. Suggest the main contributions made by the geosphere to the biosphere.

    2. Distinguish between rocks and minerals.

    3. How does igneous rock turn into secondary minerals?

    4. What is the branch of chemistry that deals with rocks and minerals and their chemical characteristics and interactions?

    5. Suggest ways in which improved materials, some made by green chemical processes, can reduce the effects of earthquakes.

    6. In what respect do volcanoes have the potential to drastically affect global climate? Is there any evidence for such an effect?

    7. How may human activities lead to landslides?

    8. What are the formations called that contain water under ground? What is a major threat to groundwater in such formations?

    9. What is FeS2? Why is its exposure of this material from mining a potential problem?

    10. Give an example of an air pollutant and of a water pollutant that may be generated by sanitary landfills.

    11.How is soil divided? Which is the top one of these divisions?

    12. What is humification, and what does it have to do with soil?

    13. What is water in soil called? Give the name of the process by which this water enters the atmosphere by way of plants.

    14. In what respects is conservation tillage consistent with the practice of green chemistry?

    15. Name a gaseous form and two solid forms of fixed nitrogen used as fertilizer.

    16. Explain what is meant by desertification.

    17. What is the good news in the U. S. regarding deforestation?

    18. What is the potential use of perennial plants in grain production and how does it tie in with soil conservation?

    19. What are the processes occurring in soil that operate to reduce the harmful effects of pollutants?

    20.Of the following, the one that is not a manifestation of desertification is (explain): (A) Declining groundwater tables, (B) salinization of topsoil and water, (C) increased organic matter in soil, (D) reduction of surface waters, (E) unnaturally high soil erosion.

    21.Why do silicates and oxides predominate among earth’s minerals?

    22. Explain how the following are related: weathering, igneous rock, sedimentary rock, soil.

    23.What is the distinction between weathering and erosion? Suggest ways in which air pollution may contribute to both phenomena.

    23.In what respect is biochar a material that gets into soil by natural processes? Where would soils with significant levels of naturally-occurring biochar likely be found?

    24.In what sense may volcanoes contribute to air pollution? What possible effects may this have on climate?

    25.Large areas of central Kansas have vast deposits of halite. What is halite? What does this observation say about the geologic history of the area?

    26. One way in which coal and other fossil fuels may be used without contributing to higher levels of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is through carbon sequestration by pumping carbon dioxide into mineral strata. Explain with a chemical reaction how formations of limestone (calcium carbonate) might be used for this purpose. Suggest how this might cause problems on the surface.

    27. In what respects do humus and biochar perform similar functions in soil? What are the main differences between these two kinds of materials.

    28. Explain how bamboo might be used for restoring degraded soil. How does bamboo prevent erosion?


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