Valencian Community PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences study guide
Valencian Community PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences exam is one of the optional subject-specific tests in the Valencian Community's university entrance procedure. It is aimed at students who want to demonstrate scientific reasoning about the Earth and the environment, and it is particularly useful for admission to degrees such as Geology, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Geography, or Engineering. The Valencian Community PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences study guide has 10 sections and about 4,550 words.
01Internal structure and dynamics of the Earth
Domain 1 - Internal structure and dynamics of the Earth. PAU questions here ask you to justify a layered model from seismic evidence and then explain the heat engine that moves plates.
490 words, about 2 min02Plate tectonics
Domain 2 - Plate tectonics. The exam tests the theory as an integrated model: evidence, boundary types, driving forces and the Wilson cycle, often applied to Iberia and the western Mediterranean.
429 words, about 2 min03Magmatism and metamorphism
Domain 3 - Magmatism and metamorphism. Expect questions that link magma generation to tectonic setting, then use texture, composition and mineral assemblages to interpret cooling history and pressure–temperature conditions.
354 words, about 2 min04Historical geology, stratigraphy, palaeontology and geological time
Domain 4 - Historical geology, stratigraphy, palaeontology and geological time. Questions ask you to order geological events from cross-sections, date them, and place them on the time scale using fossils and isotopes.
412 words, about 2 min05External geological processes: weathering, erosion, transport, sedimentation and landforms
Domain 5 - External geological processes. The exam expects a clear chain from weathering through erosion, transport and deposition to landforms, with the agent (water, ice, wind, gravity) correctly identified.
388 words, about 2 min06Minerals, rocks and geological resources
Domain 6 - Minerals, rocks and geological resources. Typical questions ask you to identify a mineral or rock from descriptive properties, classify it, then discuss its economic use and environmental cost.
380 words, about 2 min07Geological hazards and risk management
Domain 7 - Geological hazards and risk management. The exam tests the risk equation, the physics of each hazard, and the difference between structural and non-structural mitigation.
413 words, about 2 min08Atmosphere, climate and climate change
Domain 8 - Atmosphere, climate and climate change. Questions combine atmospheric structure, the global energy budget and circulation with the physical basis of the enhanced greenhouse effect and regional climate variability.
415 words, about 2 min09Hydrosphere: water cycle, resources, quality and management
Domain 9 - Hydrosphere. The exam links the water cycle to aquifer behaviour, water quality indicators and the management conflicts typical of Mediterranean Spain.
426 words, about 2 min10Environmental systems: ecosystems, biodiversity, soil and biogeochemical cycles
Domain 10 - Environmental systems and interactions. Questions test energy flow, the structure and formation of soil, biodiversity measures and the human alteration of element cycles.
843 words, about 4 min