Geoinformatics (Geol 4123/6123)
Practice 1st Exam
The real exam will include the material from the beginning of the course through the week
before the first exam. It will include database concepts, although they are not included in
this practice exam. This practice exam only covers the concepts of logics, mereotopolgy, and
the extraction of knowledge statements in triples (subject-predicate-object) (see the last
part in this practice exam).
PART A: Logic and Mereotopology
Write the following in first-order logic: (4 pts each)
1. What does the formula below state?
xy [Geochemist (x)  y Sample (y)  Rock (y)  analyze (x, y)]
a. Geochemists are those who take some samples from rocks and analyze them.
b. If there is a geochemist, then they only analyze samples from rocks
c. Only geochemists analyze rock samples.
d. Some geochemists analyze some rock samples.
2. The statement : “Laramide Orogeny deformed most rocks in Wyoming during the Late Cretaceous period” is
represented by the following formula.
x y ti [Orogeny (x)  Laramide (x)  Rock (y)  located-in (y, Wyoming)  TimeInterval (ti)  Deformed
(x, y) during (Period (ti, “Late Cretaceous”))]
a. True
b. False
3. How do we state ‘FaultSegment partOf Fault’.
a. x [inst(x, FaultSegment) y (inst(y, Fault)  x part of y)]
b. x [inst(x, FaultSegment)  y (inst(y, Fault)  x part of y)]
c. x [inst(x, FaultSegment) y (inst(y, Fault)  x part of y)]
d. x [inst(x, FaultSegment)  y (inst(y, Fault)  x part of y)]
4. What is the logical implication of the above sentence (FaultSegment partOf Fault)?
a. xy [FaultSegment (x)  Fault (y)  partOf (x, y)]
b. Which means: for all x, if x is an instance of FaultSegment (i.e., if x instantiates FaultSegment), then there
exists a y, where y is an instance of Fault (i.e. y instantiates Fault), and x is part of y.
c. x y [FaultSegment (x)  Fault (y)  partOf (x, y)]
d. Both b and C.
5. Not all rocks are sedimentary or metamorphic.
a. [x Rock (x)  Sedimentary (x)  Metamorphic (x)]
b. x [Rock (x)  Sedimentary(x)  Metamorphic(x)]
c. a and b
d. x [Rock (x)  Sedimentary(x)  Metamorphic(x)]
6. Igneous rocks and sedimentary rocks are disjoint.
a. IgneousRock  SedimentaryRock
b. IgneousRock  SedimentaryRock  
c. Both a and b
d. IgneousRock  SedimentaryRock  
7. Crystal-plastic deformation includes static recrystallization, dynamic recrystallization, or both.
b. x y z [CrystalPlasticDeformation (x)
 has-Part (StaticRecrystallization (y)  DynamicRecrystallization (z))]
c. x y z [CrystalPlasticDeformation (x)
 has-Part (StaticRecrystallization (y)  DynamicRecrystallization (z))]
d. x y z [CrystalPlasticDeformation (x)
 has-Part (StaticRecrystallization (y)  DynamicRecrystallization (z))]
e. x y z [CrystalPlasticDeformation (x)
 has-Part (StaticRecrystallization (y)  DynamicRecrystallization (z))]
8. Rust and oxidize are related by the property equivalence: oxidize  rust
a. True
b. False
9. Which of the following properties is symmetric?
a. moreConcentrated
b. liesOn
c. olderThan
d. containedIn
e. None
10. All values for the ‘alters’ property of Mineral should come from the Mineral class.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Mineral  alters.Mineral
AlteredMineral  alters.Mineral
AlteredMineral  Mineral
AlteredMineral  alters.Mineral
11. If lava overlaps delta, and delta is part-of the river, then lava overlaps the river.
a. O (Lava , Delta)  PP (Delta , River)  O (Lava , River)
b. PP (Lava , Delta)  O (Delta , River)  O (Lava , River)
c. PP (Lava , Delta)  O (Delta , River)  O (Lava , River)
d. O (Lava , Delta)  PP (Delta , River)  O (Lava , River)
12. Hurricane Katrina is located in Gulf of Mexico at time t, if the region of hurricane Katrina at time t is part of
the region of Gulf of Mexico at time t.
a. Located-in (HurricaneKatrina, GulfOfMexico , t)  part-of (r(HurricaneKatrina, t), r(GulfOfMexico, t), t)
b. Located-in (HurricaneKatrina, GulfOfMexico , t)  part-of (r(HurricaneKatrina, t), r(GulfOfMexico, t), t)
c. Part-of (HurricaneKatrina, GulfOfMexico , t)  located-in (r(HurricaneKatrina, t), r(GulfOfMexico, t), t)
d. Located-in (HurricaneKatrina, GulfOfMexico , t)  part-of (r(HurricaneKatrina, t), r(GulfOfMexico, t), t)
13. Younger rocks above an unconformity are externally connected to the underlying rocks if the younger rocks
are connected to the underlying rocks, but are not part of them.
a. EC (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof) 
C (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof)  P (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof)
b. EC (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof) 
C (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof)  P (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof)
c. EC (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof) 
C (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof)  P (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof)
d. EC (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof) 
C (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof)  P (RocksAboveUnconf , RocksUnderUncof)
PART B: Read the scenario on next page, and do the following:
1. Identify the spatial (i.e., endurant) object classes in the scenario on next page. Enclose these classes
(i.e., types) with a rectangle (i.e., draw a rectangle around each such term).
2. Identify the properties in the scenario, and mark them with ellipse.
3. Identify the terms that are processes (i.e., occurrents) in the scenario, and underline them.
4. Identify the terms that represent attributes. Underline them with dashed line.
5. /20 pts . Write Four (4) triple (SPO) statements (i.e., subject, predicate, object) in the table below (5
pts each). The subject and object classes of these four statements must be chosen from the endurant
classes and process classes (e.g., Faulting forms Fault). The domain and range of the properties that
relate each pair of class must be selected properly. NOTE: Use a lower case or lower camelCase for
the name of the simple and compound property names (e.g., slips, brittleyDeforms), and an upper case
or upper CamelCase name for the classes (e.g., Fault, CrystalPlasticDeformation).
6. /10 pts Write two (2) statements relating two endurant classes to each other (5 pts each). For
example: Geologist studies structure.
Put your six triple in the table below:
Put your Subject-Predicate-Object Statement below
1.
Granulation part of Cataclasis
Cataclasis hasPart Granulation
Put labels in each box and on the arrow!
Granulation
partOf
Cataclasis
hasPart
2.
Recrystallization recrystallize Mineral
Mineral recrystallizedBy Recrystallization
Recrystallization
3.
Faulting displaces Rock
Rock displacedby Faulting
Faulting
recrystallize
Mineral
recrystallizedBy
displaces
displacedBy
Rock
4.
5.
shears
Shearing shears Mineral
Mineral shearedBy Sharing
Shearing
Sample isCutIn ThinSection
ThinSection cutFrom Sample
Sample
shearedBy
isCutIn
Mineral
ThinSection
cutFrom
6.
CoreSample identifiedBy UniqueNumber
UniqueNumber identifies CoreSample
CoreSample
identifiedBy
UniqueNumber
y
identifies
7. /12 pts Identify the logical properties of three of the properties which you have identified, i.e., write
whether the property is inverse, symmetric, functional, inverse-functional, transitive, reflexive, etc.
Fill in the table below (4 pts each): NOTE: only write one of each type. Do not put the isA relation!
Domain - property – Range
e.g., Geologist studies Microstructure
1. Photomicrograph takenFrom thinSection
A unique thin section for a given
photomicrograph
Type of the logical property
(e.g., inverse)
Functional
If x p y, the functional property p
can only have one unique value y
for a particular individual x (i.e., a
single value of y for a given x)
2. UniqueNumber identifies CoreSample
Inverse Functional
 If x p y, and p is inverse functional,
then there can be only a single
value of x for a given y, that is:
 The object individual y of an
inverse-functional property p
uniquely determines a single
subject individual x
3. Faulting displaces Rock
Inverse of displacedBy
Scenario (One class, one property, and one attribute are marked for example!)
Geologists study the microstructures of core samples. The samples, which are taken by the geologists
from different depths along the core, are identified by a unique number. These samples are cut in thin
sections, and studied under microscope by the geologists. Photomicrographs are taken from these thin
sections. The microstructure are identified by the geologists, and categorized based on whether they were
produced by brittle or crystal plastic mechanism.
Emphasis is put on identifying structures such as micro-shear zones, micro-faults, and micro-folds,
fault rock types such as gouge, micro-breccia, mylonite, and cataclasite, and minerals. Crystal-plastic
deformation is indicated with the recrystallization of the minerals. Cataclasis is indicated with granulation
and fragmentation in the microbreccia and cataclasite. Brittle deformation is indicated with faulting and
cataclasis. Shearing of minerals commonly leads to faulting and slip of the minerals and structures.