Kerala Plus Two Geology study guide
Kerala Plus Two Geology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Kerala Plus Two Geology - the Higher Secondary Geology course examined by the Kerala Board of Higher Secondary Education - is a two-year senior secondary elective for students who want a science stream subject built around the solid Earth rather than around living systems or chemical reactions alone. It suits candidates who intend to continue into B.Sc. The Kerala Plus Two Geology study guide has 9 sections and about 2,461 words.
01Physical Geology and Earth Processes
Physical Geology and Earth Processes tests the Earth's layered interior, plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanism, and the surface processes - weathering, erosion, transport and deposition - driven by running water, wind, glaciers, groundwater and waves. Kerala items commonly use monsoon lateritisation, Western Ghats landslides and coastal erosion as contexts.
299 words, about 1 min02Mineralogy
Mineralogy covers the definition of a mineral, crystal habit, physical and optical properties, the silicate structure classes, and identification of the rock-forming minerals found in Kerala's granulites and beach sands. A mineral is naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, with a definite chemical composition and an ordered atomic arrangement.
283 words, about 1 min03Petrology (Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic)
Petrology covers the origin, classification and textures of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, plus Kerala's Precambrian charnockite–khondalite–migmatite assemblage and its Tertiary sedimentary beds. Igneous: plutonic rocks are coarse (slow cooling), volcanic rocks fine (fast cooling); glassy and vesicular textures record rapid quenching or gas escape.
267 words, about 1 min04Structural Geology and Tectonics
Structural Geology and Tectonics tests the attitude of rock bodies (strike and dip), folds, faults, joints and unconformities, and the plate-tectonic setting of peninsular India and Kerala. Strike is the compass direction of the line where a bed meets the horizontal; dip is the angle of steepest descent, measured perpendicular to strike, and must be reported with a dip direction.
303 words, about 2 min05Palaeontology and Stratigraphy
Palaeontology and Stratigraphy covers fossil preservation, index fossils, the geological time scale and the principles used to order and correlate rock sequences, including Kerala's Tertiary plant and invertebrate fossils. Preservation modes: permineralisation, replacement, mould and cast, carbonisation, preservation in amber or tar, and trace fossils.
245 words, about 1 min06Indian and Kerala Geology
Indian and Kerala Geology tests the broad stratigraphic and physiographic framework of India and the rock units, landforms and geological history of Kerala. Indian stratigraphy in order: Archaean gneisses and granulites → Dharwar (iron ore, gold) → Cuddapah → Vindhyan → Palaeozoic Gondwana coal → Mesozoic (Trichinopoly, Bagh) → Deccan Traps → Tertiary (Himalaya, Warkalli, Quilon) → Quaternary.
266 words, about 1 min07Economic Geology and Mineral Resources
Economic Geology and Mineral Resources covers ore-forming processes, identification of ore minerals, and the distribution and uses of Kerala's mineral resources. Ore minerals: oxides (hematite Fe₂O₃, magnetite Fe₃O₄, bauxite, chromite), sulphides (galena PbS, sphalerite ZnS, chalcopyrite CuFeS₂, pyrite FeS₂), carbonates such as siderite, and native gold.
261 words, about 1 min08Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology
Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology covers the occurrence and movement of groundwater, aquifer properties, Kerala's well and spring systems, and environmental problems such as salinity intrusion, pollution and landslides. Porosity is the fraction of void space; permeability is the ability to transmit water.
268 words, about 1 min09Applied Geology and Field/Lab Skills
Applied Geology and Field/Lab Skills tests the practical toolkit: field mapping, measuring structural attitude, sampling, hand-specimen identification, sieve analysis and data presentation. A Brunton compass measures strike and dip; a clinometer measures vertical angles.
269 words, about 1 min