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100+ Free Castilla y León PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences Practice Questions
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2026 Statistics
Key Facts: Castilla y León PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences Exam
90 min
Exam Duration
Junta de Castilla y León
0–10
Grading Scale
USAL / UVA / UBU / ULE
4.0 / 10
Minimum Access Phase Score
Comisión Organizadora PAU CyL
EUR 76.82
Base Registration Fee
Junta de Castilla y León 2026
The Castilla y León PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences exam tests 2nd Bachillerato students in a 90-minute written examination in Spanish. Grades are on a 0–10 scale, with a minimum 4.0 required in the mandatory Access Phase to calculate the university admission mark (60% Bachillerato average + 40% PAU mark). Base registration costs EUR 76.82 in Castilla y León. Note: Our interactive practice question bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation of the 2026 official curriculum.
Sample Castilla y León PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to test your Castilla y León PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1Which type of seismic body wave is compressional (longitudinal), travels fastest through the Earth, and can propagate through both solid and liquid layers?
A.P waves (Primary waves)
B.S waves (Secondary waves)
C.Love waves
D.Rayleigh waves
Explanation: Primary (P) waves are compressional longitudinal waves that travel fastest through Earth's interior and can pass through both solids and liquids because fluids resist compression. Secondary (S) waves are shear waves that cannot travel through liquids, while Love and Rayleigh waves are surface waves.
2Which seismic discontinuity marks the boundary between Earth's crust and the uppermost mantle?
A.Gutenberg discontinuity
B.Mohorovičić (Moho) discontinuity
C.Lehmann discontinuity
D.Repetti discontinuity
Explanation: The Mohorovičić (Moho) discontinuity marks the boundary between the crust and mantle, characterized by a sharp increase in seismic wave velocity due to the change from mafic/felsic crustal rocks to ultramafic mantle peridotite. The Gutenberg discontinuity separates the mantle from the liquid outer core, and the Lehmann discontinuity separates the liquid outer core from the solid inner core.
3What key mechanical property distinguishes the lithosphere from the underlying asthenosphere?
A.The lithosphere is rigid and brittle, whereas the asthenosphere is ductile and capable of slow plastic flow.
B.The lithosphere is entirely liquid metal, whereas the asthenosphere consists of solid mantle silicates.
C.The lithosphere undergoes high-grade metamorphism, whereas the asthenosphere has no pressure or temperature gradients.
D.The lithosphere lacks tectonic plates, whereas the asthenosphere is divided into rigid moving tectonic plates.
Explanation: The lithosphere encompasses the crust and uppermost mantle, behaving as a rigid, brittle solid that breaks into tectonic plates. The asthenosphere lies below in the upper mantle, where higher temperatures permit plastic, ductile flow under stress.
4At mid-ocean ridges, what geological process accounts for the formation of new oceanic lithosphere?
A.Subduction of continental crust into the lower mantle
B.Decompressional melting of ascending mantle peridotite generating basaltic magma
C.High-pressure contact metamorphism of deep-sea sediments
D.Tectonic collision creating thick continental roots
Explanation: As tectonic plates diverge at mid-ocean ridges, asthenospheric peridotite rises into areas of lower pressure. This decompressional melting generates basaltic magma that erupts or cools intrusively to form new oceanic crust.
5In an oceanic-continental subduction zone, why does the oceanic plate subduct beneath the continental plate?
A.Oceanic lithosphere is denser and thinner than continental lithosphere.
B.Oceanic lithosphere is less dense and thicker than continental lithosphere.
C.Continental lithosphere contains higher proportions of iron and magnesium silicates.
D.Oceanic lithosphere is preserved from subduction by high geothermal gradients.
Explanation: Oceanic lithosphere is composed of dense mafic rock (basalt and gabbro) and cools as it ages, making it denser than the buoyant, felsic (granitic) continental lithosphere. Consequently, the denser oceanic plate sinks into the asthenosphere.
6Which tectonic feature is produced where two lithospheric plates slide horizontally past one another without creating or destroying lithosphere?
A.Deep ocean trench
B.Transform fault
C.Volcanic island arc
D.Continental rift valley
Explanation: Transform plate boundaries (or conservative margins) involve strike-slip fault movement where plates slide horizontally past each other. Lithosphere is neither created nor consumed along transform faults.
7Which mechanism is currently considered the dominant gravitational force driving plate motion in subduction zones?
A.Basal traction from asthenospheric drag
B.Slab pull generated by the negative buoyancy of cold, dense subducting slabs
C.Ridge push resulting from gravitational sliding at transform offsets
D.Tidal forces exerted by the Moon and Sun
Explanation: Slab pull is the primary driving force of plate tectonics. As old oceanic lithosphere cools, it becomes denser than the underlying asthenosphere and metamorphoses into dense eclogite upon subduction, exerting a strong gravitational pull that drags the rest of the plate downward.
8Why does addition of water (flux melting) cause magma generation in subduction zones?
A.Water increases the melting temperature of mantle silicates.
B.Water lowers the solidus temperature of mantle peridotite.
C.Water reacts with iron to produce exothermic nuclear reactions.
D.Water converts felsic granite into dense ultrabasic cumulates.
Explanation: Dehydration of subducting oceanic crust releases hydrous fluids (water and volatiles) into the overlying mantle wedge. These fluids act as fluxing agents, lowering the solidus melting temperature of mantle peridotite and triggering partial melting.
9Which combination of magma characteristics promotes highly explosive volcanic eruptions?
A.Low silica content, low viscosity, and low dissolved gas content
B.High silica content, high viscosity, and high dissolved gas content
C.High iron-magnesium content, high temperature, and low gas content
D.Low silica content, high temperature, and high fluid flow
Explanation: Felsic/rhyolitic magmas have high silica content (SiO2 > 65%), making them highly viscous. High viscosity prevents dissolved gases (H2O, CO2) from escaping easily; gas pressure builds up until violent, explosive pyroclastic eruptions occur.
10What is a batholith?
A.A small tabular discordant pluton that cuts across bedding planes
B.A massive discordant intrusive igneous body with an exposed surface area exceeding 100 square kilometers
C.A concordant lens-shaped intrusion that arches the overlying strata upward
D.A tabular concordant igneous intrusion injected parallel to sedimentary rock layers
Explanation: A batholith is the largest type of pluton, defined as a discordant intrusive igneous body with an surface exposure greater than 100 km2, typically composed of granitic or granodioritic rocks formed in continental arc roots.
About the Castilla y León PAU Geology and Environmental Sciences Practice Questions
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