Canary Islands PAU Geology & Env Sci case studies
Canary Islands PAU Geology & Env Sci · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The PAU in Geología y Ciencias Ambientales is the university-access examination taken in the Canary Islands by students who want to use this subject in their admission score, typically for degrees in geology, environmental sciences, biology, geography, engineering or teaching. It is a written test built around the two-year Geology and Environmental Sciences curriculum: internal and external geodynamics, minerals and rocks, historical geology, geological hazards and maps, then the atmosphere and climate, the hydrosphere and coasts, island ecosystems and soils, and finally environmental impact, pollution and sustainability. The Canary Islands PAU Geology & Env Sci case studies are 5 cases and about 3,254 words.
1Alert-level decision during volcanic unrest on La Palma's southwest rift
Since 03:00 on 12 October, the INVOLCAN network on La Palma has recorded 312 small earthquakes beneath the Cumbre Vieja southwest flank, clustered at 9–12 km depth, with a maximum magnitude of 2.9. Over the same 10-day period, two permanent GNSS stations show 4.5 cm of inflation, and the summit SO2 flux has risen from a baseline of ~5 t/day to 48 t/day.
726 words, about 4 min2Interpreting an alkaline lava series from Gran Canaria
In a 400 m roadcut through the Tejeda caldera on Gran Canaria, you sample five lavas in stratigraphic order. From base to top they are: basanite (SiO2 44 wt%, MgO 12 wt%, Ni 280 ppm, Zr 140 ppm); hawaiite (SiO2 50, MgO 6, Ni 90, Zr 280); mugearite (SiO2 54, MgO 3, Ni 35, Zr 430); trachyte (SiO2 61, MgO 1.2, Ni 10, Zr 620); and phonolite (SiO2 57, MgO 0.8, Ni 8, Zr 780).
540 words, about 3 min3Beach erosion and a proposed groyne at Maspalomas
Playa de Maspalomas on Gran Canaria is a 2.7 km sandy beach backed by a dune field and, at its northern end, by a promenade and hotels. In February a storm with offshore waves of 5.5 m removed an estimated 35,000 m³ of sand and cut the dune scarp back by 12 m; one hotel is now 40 m from the scarp.
666 words, about 3 min4Landfill siting over a volcanic aquifer in the Güímar valley
A waste-management company proposes a 120,000 m² non-hazardous landfill in the Güímar valley, Tenerife, to accept 250,000 t/yr of construction and commercial waste for 15 years. The site lies 30 m above the water table on 18 m of lapilli and volcanic ash overlying fractured phonolitic lava.
654 words, about 3 min5Rainfall decline and water-supply choices on Gran Canaria
The Chira–Soria reservoir system on Gran Canaria supplies irrigation and some urban water. At the Soria gauge, mean annual rainfall was 480 mm for 1961–1990 and 410 mm for 1991–2020; the number of days with more than 30 mm has increased slightly, while the number of rain days has fallen.
668 words, about 3 min