GATE 2022 Question Paper GG2 Geophysics

GATE 2022 General Aptitude (GA)
Q.1 – Q.5 Carry ONE mark each.

Q.1 Inhaling the smoke from a burning _________ could _________ you quickly.

(A) tire / tier

(B) tire / tyre

(C) tyre / tire

(D) tyre / tier

Q.2 A sphere of radius 𝑟 cm is packed in a box of cubical shape.

What should be the minimum volume (in cm3 ) of the box that can enclose the
sphere?

(A) 𝑟
8

(B) 𝑟

(C) 2𝑟

(D) 8𝑟

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Q.3 Pipes P and Q can fill a storage tank in full with water in 10 and 6 minutes,
respectively. Pipe R draws the water out from the storage tank at a rate of 34
litres per minute. P, Q and R operate at a constant rate.

If it takes one hour to completely empty a full storage tank with all the pipes
operating simultaneously, what is the capacity of the storage tank (in litres)?

(A) 26.8

(B) 60.0

(C) 120.0

(D) 127.5

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Q.4 Six persons P, Q, R, S, T and U are sitting around a circular table facing the
center not necessarily in the same order. Consider the following statements:

 P sits next to S and T.
 Q sits diametrically opposite to P.
 The shortest distance between S and R is equal to the shortest distance
between T and U.

Based on the above statements, Q is a neighbor of

(A) U and S

(B) R and T

(C) R and U

(D) P and S

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Q.5 A building has several rooms and doors as shown in the top view of the building
given below. The doors are closed initially.

What is the minimum number of doors that need to be opened in order to go
from the point P to the point Q?

(A) 4

(B) 3

(C) 2

(D) 1

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Q. 6 – Q. 10 Carry TWO marks each.

Q.6 Rice, a versatile and inexpensive source of carbohydrate, is a critical component
of diet worldwide. Climate change, causing extreme weather, poses a threat to
sustained availability of rice. Scientists are working on developing Green Super
Rice (GSR), which is resilient under extreme weather conditions yet gives higher
yields sustainably.

Which one of the following is the CORRECT logical inference based on the
information given in the above passage?

(A) GSR is an alternative to regular rice, but it grows only in an extreme weather

(B) GSR may be used in future in response to adverse effects of climate change

(C) GSR grows in an extreme weather, but the quantity of produce is lesser than
regular rice

(D) Regular rice will continue to provide good yields even in extreme weather

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A game consists of spinning an arrow around a stationary disk as shown below.
Q.7
When the arrow comes to rest, there are eight equally likely outcomes. It could
come to rest in any one of the sectors numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 as shown.

Two such disks are used in a game where their arrows are independently spun.

What is the probability that the sum of the numbers on the resulting sectors upon
spinning the two disks is equal to 8 after the arrows come to rest?

(A) 1
16

(B) 5
64

(C) 3
32

(D) 7
64

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Q.8 Consider the following inequalities.

(i) 3𝑝 − 𝑞 < 4
(ii) 3𝑞 − 𝑝 < 12

Which one of the following expressions below satisfies the above two
inequalities?

(A) 𝑝 + 𝑞 < 8

(B) 𝑝 + 𝑞 = 8

(C) 8 ≤ 𝑝 + 𝑞 < 16

(D) 𝑝 + 𝑞 ≥ 16

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Q.9 Given below are three statements and four conclusions drawn based on the
statements.

Statement 1: Some engineers are writers.

Statement 2: No writer is an actor.

Statement 3: All actors are engineers.

Conclusion I: Some writers are engineers.

Conclusion II: All engineers are actors.

Conclusion III: No actor is a writer.

Conclusion IV: Some actors are writers.

Which one of the following options can be logically inferred?

(A) Only conclusion I is correct

(B) Only conclusion II and conclusion III are correct

(C) Only conclusion I and conclusion III are correct

(D) Either conclusion III or conclusion IV is correct

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Q.10 Which one of the following sets of pieces can be assembled to form a square
with a single round hole near the center? Pieces cannot overlap.

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)
PART A: COMPULSORY SECTION FOR ALL CANDIDATES
Q.11 – Q .17 Carry ONE mark each

Q.11 Which one of the following is the typical product of ductile deformation?

(A) Gouge

(B) Breccia

(C) Cataclasite

(D) Mylonite

Q.12 Which one among the following coastal erosional landforms is caused by the action
of sea waves?

(A) Ventifact

(B) Kettle

(C) Cirque

(D) Cliff

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.13 In which one of the following regions of the electromagnetic spectrum does the
maximum atmospheric scattering occur?

(A) UV

(B) IR

(C) Radiowave

(D) Microwave

Q.14 Which one of the following is the Poisson’s ratio for an incompressible fluid?

(A) 0

(B) 0.25

(C) 1

(D) 0.5

Q.15 Which among the following Period(s) belong(s) to the Paleozoic Era?

(A) Carboniferous

(B) Paleogene

(C) Silurian

(D) Cretaceous

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.16 The average bulk density of a fully saturated sandstone reservoir with a fractional
porosity of 0.23 is ______ g/cc. [round off to 2 decimal places]

[Assume matrix density for sandstone = 2.63 g/cc and fluid density = 1.05 g/cc]

Q.17 For a productive alluvial aquifer with hydraulic conductivity = 105 m/day and
hydraulic gradient = 0.01, the flow rate is _________ m/day. [round off to 2 decimal
places]

Q.18 – Q .26 Carry TWO marks each

Q.18 The relationship between conjugate shear fractures and the principal stresses in a
homogenous, isotropic, deformed body is shown in the stereoplot given below
(1, 2 and 3 are compressive stresses). Which one of the given fault regimes is
indicated according to the Anderson’s theory of faulting for the formation of
conjugate shear fractures under plane strain?

(A) Dextral strike-slip

(B) Sinistral strike-slip

(C) Reverse

(D) Normal

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.19 How many independent elastic parameters are needed to describe a homogenous
isotropic material?

(A) 21

(B) 2

(C) 36

(D) 3

Q.20 Which one of the following is a mafic volcanic rock?

(A) Dacite

(B) Trachyte

(C) Rhyolite

(D) Basalt

Q.21 The intercepts of a crystal face on the crystallographic axes are ∞a, 2b, 3c. Which
one of the following is its Miller Index?

(A) (032)

(B) (023)

(C) (203)

(D) (320)

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.22 Match the locations in Group I with the corresponding economic deposits in
Group II.

Group I Group II

P. Wajrakarur 1. Chromite

Q. Sukinda 2. Diamond

R. Malanjkhand 3. Barite

S. Mangampeta 4. Copper

(A) P-3; Q-4; R-1; S-2

(B) P-3; Q-1; R-4; S-2

(C) P-2; Q-1; R-4; S-3

(D) P-2; Q-4; R-1; S-3

Q.23 Choose the CORRECT statement(s) on seismic wave propagation in an elastic
isotropic medium.

(A) P-waves are polarized in the direction of propagation.

(B) S-waves are polarized in the direction of propagation.

(C) Rayleigh waves are elliptically polarized.

(D) Love waves are elliptically polarized.

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.24 The difference in arrival times of P- and S-waves generated by an earthquake and
recorded at a seismological station is one second. Assuming a homogeneous and
isotropic Earth, a P-wave velocity (VP) of 3 km/s, the ratio of P- to S-wave
velocities (VP/VS) of 2.0, the distance between the station and the hypocenter is
__________km. [round off to 1 decimal place]

Q.25 Assuming the rate of rotation of the Earth is 7.27  10-5 radians/s and the radius of
Earth is 6371 km, the centrifugal acceleration at 60o latitude for a spherically
rotating Earth is ______ 10-3 m/s2. [round off to 1 decimal place]

Q.26 The angle of inclination of the remanent magnetization of a volcanic rock measured
at a location is 45°. The magnetic latitude of the location of the volcanic rock at the
time of its magnetization is _________ °N. [round off to 1 decimal place]

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)
PART B (SECTION 2): FOR GEOPHYSICS CANDIDATES ONLY
Q.27 – Q.47 Carry ONE mark Each

Q.27 In 2D stacked seismic sections, the vertical axis corresponds to two-way travel time
and the horizontal axis corresponds to __________.

(A) receiver locations

(B) source locations

(C) Offsets

(D) common midpoint (CMP) locations

Q.28 In a 2D seismic survey acquired on land, head waves were recorded at the surface.
Assuming that the subsurface consisted of horizontal, isotropic and homogeneous
layers, the moveout of the head wave event(s) would be _________.

(A) linear

(B) parabolic

(C) hyperbolic

(D) elliptical

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.29 An accurate depth migration of seismic data requires the knowledge of ________.

(A) interval velocities

(B) root mean squared (RMS) velocities

(C) stacking velocities

(D) normal moveout (NMO) velocities

Q.30 The dimension of bulk modulus is _________.

(A) [𝑀𝐿 𝑇 ]

(B) [𝑀𝐿𝑇 ]

(C) [𝑀𝐿 𝑇 ]

(D) [𝑀𝐿 𝑇 ]

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.31 A current flows from a medium with resistivity 1 to a medium with resistivity 2.
A planar interface separates the two media. The angle of incidence and refraction
with respect to the normal to the interface are θ1 and θ2, respectively. If the
components of the current density perpendicular to the interface and the
components of the electric field horizontal to the interface are continuous, the
electrical law of refraction can be expressed as ___________.

(A) 1 tan θ1 = 2 tan θ2

(B) 1 sin θ1 = 2 sin θ2

(C) 2 cos θ1 = 1 cos θ2

(D) 1 tan θ2 = 2 tan θ1

Q.32 The convolution of two box-car pulses of positive amplitudes, with unequal and
finite durations yields a ________ pulse.

(A) triangular

(B) trapezoidal

(C) rectangular

(D) sinusoidal

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.33 Which ONE of the following P-phases represents a reflection from the Moho?

(A) Pn

(B) Pg

(C) P*

(D) PmP

Q.34 The remanent, induced and total magnetizations of a rock sample are denoted by
𝑀 ⃗, 𝑀⃗ and 𝑀 ⃗, respectively. The Königsberger ratio is

(A) 𝑀⃗ 𝑀⃗

(B) 𝑀⃗ 𝑀⃗

(C) 𝑀⃗ 𝑀⃗

(D) 𝑀⃗ 𝑀⃗

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.35 Which among the following is/are CORRECT statement(s) about the Van Allen
radiation belts?

(A) The inner belt consists mainly of protons and the belt extends to about 1000-3000
km from the Earth’s surface.

(B) The belts are doughnut-shaped regions coaxial with the geomagnetic field lines of
the Earth.

(C) The pitch of the helical motion of the charged particles increases as the particles
approach the surface of the Earth.

(D) The outer belt occupies regions between 3 to 4 Earth radii and consists primarily of
electrons.

Q.36 Which of the following logging methods can be used to measure the resistivity of
the flushed zone?

(A) Lateral log

(B) Long normal log

(C) Microlaterolog

(D) Microspherically focused log

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.37 Which of the following statement(s) is/are CORRECT about the continuation of the
gravity field?

(A) Continuation of the gravity field from one surface to another is permissible only
when there are no masses present between the two surfaces.

(B) In upward continuation, the longer wavelength anomalies are attenuated more than
the shorter wavelength anomalies.

(C) Downward continuation may enhance noise and uncertainties.

(D) Upward continuation is a smoothing process.

Q.38 An oceanic plate formed at a mid-oceanic ridge 27 million years ago. The plate has
been moving with a uniform half-spreading rate of 4 cm/year ever since its
formation. The current distance between the edge of this plate and the centre of the
ridge is __________ km. [round off to 1 decimal place]

Q.39 An artificial neural network (ANN) is trained to classify between shale and sand
formations. The final layer of the ANN consists of a single neuron with a sigmoid
activation function given by (𝑥) = . If the input to the final neuron is 0,
then the output is __________. [round off to 1 decimal place]

Q.40 A current electrode introduces a 2 Ampere current at a point (P) on the surface of a
uniform half space. If the resistivity of the half space is 5 -m, the magnitude of
the electric field (due to the current) in the half space at a distance of 1 m from P
is ________ V/m. [round off to 2 decimal places]

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.41 The relative dielectric permittivity of a homogeneous isotropic medium is 10 and
the relative magnetic permeability of the same medium is 1. If the velocity of the
electromagnetic wave propagating through this medium is v and the velocity of
light in vacuum is c, then the ratio v/c is ________. [round off to 2 decimal places]

Q.42 A mountain of height 8 km above mean sea level is in isostatic equilibrium with a
42 km thick continental crust. As predicted by Airy’s hypothesis, the root beneath
this mountain is ________ km. [round off to 1 decimal place]

[Assume, density of mantle = 3.7 ×103 kg m-3 and density of crust = 2.7 ×103 kg
m-3]

Q.43 In wet soil of resistivity 100m, the skin depth of a GPR signal of 100 MHz is
_________ m. [round off to 2 decimal places]

[Assume: 𝜇 = 4𝜋 × 10 𝐻/𝑚]

Q.44 A Wadati diagram was prepared for a local earthquake occurring in a homogeneous
crust. If the crust is assumed to be a Poisson solid, the slope of the straight line in
the Wadati diagram is ________. [round off to 2 decimal places]

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.45 – Q.65 Carry TWO marks Each

Q.45 The gravitational potential of the spheroidal Earth can be expressed as
𝑈 = −𝐺 1−∑ 𝐽 𝑃 (cos 𝜃) , where G is the gravitation
constant, 𝐸 is the mass of the Earth, 𝑟 is the radial distance from the centre of the
Earth, R is the radius of Earth, 𝐽 are the coefficients obtained from satellite
geodesy, 𝑃 represents the Legendre polynomial of order 𝑛, and 𝜃 is the colatitude.
Which among the following is described by the term corresponding to 𝑛 = 2?

[Given: 𝑃 (cos 𝜃) = (3 cos 𝜃 − 1)]

(A) Gravitational potential due to a spherical Earth

(B) Deviations from the ellipsoid that correspond to a pear-shaped Earth

(C) The effect of the polar flattening on the Earth’s gravitational potential

(D) The gravitational potential of the Earth-Moon system

Q.46 The magnetic potential of a dipole at any external point (P) can be expressed as

⃗∙ ̂
𝑉=𝐶 , 𝑟 ≠ 0, where 𝑚⃗ is the dipole moment, 𝑟̂ is a unit normal along
the vector directed from the centre of the dipole to the external point (P) and 𝐶 is
a constant. If θ is the angle between 𝑚⃗ and 𝑟̂ , the radial component of 𝐵⃗ is:

(A)
𝐵 = 2𝐶

(B)
𝐵 =𝐶

(C)
𝐵 =𝐶

(D)
𝐵 = 2𝐶

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.47 The functions 𝑔(𝑡) and 𝐺(𝜔) constitute a Fourier Transform pair [𝑔(𝑡) ↔ 𝐺(𝜔)]
as per the convention:
𝑔(𝑡) = ∫ 𝐺(𝜔)𝑒 𝑑𝜔 and 𝐺(𝜔) = ∫ 𝑔(𝑡)𝑒 𝑑𝑡

Which ONE among the following is the correct Fourier transform pair?

(A) ( )
↔ 𝐺(𝜔)

(B) ( )
↔ 𝑗𝜔𝐺(𝜔)

(C) ( )
↔ −𝑗𝜔𝐺(𝜔)

(D) ( )
↔ 𝜔𝐺(𝜔)

Q.48 Gauss’ divergence theorem is given by

⃗ 𝑎⃗ 𝑑𝑉 = 𝑎⃗  𝑑𝑆⃗

where 𝑎⃗ is a vector field and V is the volume enclosed by the surface S. If
𝑎⃗ =  + ⃗ × 𝜓⃗ , then the application of divergence theorem to 𝑎⃗ yields:

(A) ∫   𝑑𝑉 = ∫   𝑑𝑆⃗

(B) ∫ ⃗ 𝜓⃗ 𝑑𝑉 = ∫ 𝜓⃗  𝑑𝑆⃗

(C) ∫   𝑑𝑉 = ∫ ⃗ × 𝜓⃗  𝑑𝑆⃗

(D) ∫  𝑑𝑉 = ∫ 𝜓⃗  𝑑𝑆⃗

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.49 The angular frequency (𝜔) and wavenumber (𝑘) for an electromagnetic wave is
related by the expression 𝜔 = 𝛼𝑘 + 𝛽𝑘 , where 𝛼 and 𝛽 are constants. The
wavenumber 𝑘 for which the group velocity equals the phase velocity is ______.

(A)
3

(B)

(C)

(D)

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.50 The schematic represents P-wave arrivals from a zero-offset Vertical Seismic
Profiling (VSP) experiment conducted over a horizontally layered and isotropic
Earth. Match the four events labelled in the schematic and their listed descriptions.

Schematic Description

1. Primary reflection from the first
reflector

2. Direct arrival

3. First order multiple

4. Primary reflection from the second
reflector

(A) P-2; Q-1; R-4; S-3

(B) P-1; Q-2; R-3; S-4

(C) P-2; Q-1; R-3; S-4

(D) P-1; Q-2; R-4; S-3

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.51 The transfer function of a linear system is given as (𝑠) = . The poles of
this function are __________.

(A) –3 and –2

(B) –3 and 2

(C) 3 and –2

(D) 3 and 2

Q.52 The eigenvalues of the given matrix 𝑨 are _________.

2 −1 1
𝑨 = −1 0 1
1 1 2

(A) –1, 2 and 3

(B) 1, 2 and 3

(C) 0, 2 and 3

(D) 0, 2 and 2

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.53 The apparent resistivity values obtained from a vertical electrical sounding (VES)
survey over a horizontally layered 1-D Earth are indicated by 𝜌 , 𝜌 , 𝜌 , 𝜌 , where
the subscript refers to the nth layer from the surface. Match the VES curve types
listed in Group-I with the corresponding ordering of resistivity values listed in
Group-II.

Group-I Group-II

P. QH 1. 𝜌 < 𝜌 > 𝜌 <𝜌

Q. HK 2. 𝜌 > 𝜌 > 𝜌 < 𝜌

R. HA 3. 𝜌 > 𝜌 < 𝜌 >𝜌

S. KH 4. 𝜌 > 𝜌 < 𝜌 <𝜌

(A) P-4; Q-3; R-1; S-2

(B) P-2; Q-3; R-4; S-1

(C) P-4; Q-3; R-2; S-1

(D) P-3; Q-1; R-2; S-4

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.54 Choose the CORRECT statement(s) from the following on the solution of systems
of linear equations without the application of regularization.

(A) An under-determined system of linearly independent equations has either a trivial
solution or an infinite number of solutions.

(B) An ill-conditioned system of linear equations can yield stable solutions in the
presence of noise.

(C) An over-determined system of linearly independent equations does not have an
exact solution.

(D) A system of linearly independent equations with the number of equations equal to
the number of unknowns is a mixed-determined system.

Q.55 In seismic spiking deconvolution with an unknown source wavelet, the wavelet can
be deconvolved most effectively under which of the following condition(s)?

(A) The source wavelet is minimum phase.

(B) The source wavelet is zero phase.

(C) The autocorrelation of the reflectivity series in time domain can be approximated
by a delta function.

(D) The autocorrelation of the reflectivity series in time domain can be approximated
to be identically zero.

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.56 The stacking chart for an end-on 2D seismic survey is shown in the figure. The
shot, receiver, mid-point and offset coordinate axes are as indicated in the figure,
while each star represents a unique seismic trace. With reference to the stacking
chart, which of the following is/are CORRECT statement(s)?

(A) The traces along LL constitute a common mid-point (CMP) gather.

(B) The traces along LL constitute a common shot gather.

(C) The traces along NN constitute a common offset gather.

(D) The traces along NN constitute a common receiver gather.

Q.57 Suppose 𝑥 ⁄ defines the half-width at 1/5th of the maximum gravity value measured
over a buried sphere of uniform density. If 𝑑 is the distance from the surface to the
⁄
centre of the sphere, the value of is _______. [round off to 2 decimal places]

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.58 In a reservoir zone, the deep induction log reads 3 m for a formation whose
porosity is 19%. The hydrocarbon saturation of that formation as estimated from
Archie’s equation is ______%. [round off to 1 decimal place]

[Assume: a=1, n=2, m=1.5, formation water resistivity = 0.04 m]

Q.59 The heat flow q (mW/m2) is related to the age t (My) of the ocean floor as
t = (510/q)2. Assuming the temperature gradient and the thermal conductivity at a
site in the Indian ocean to be 55 C/km and 2.3 W/m C, respectively, the age of the
site is_______ My. [round off to 2 decimal places]

[Use the magnitude of the calculated value of q]

Q.60 The radioactive isotopes AX and BX of an element X at the time of formation of a
rock sample were in equal proportions. Subsequently, in a closed system, it was
found that the abundances of the isotopes were in the ratio BX / AX = 128.55. The
elapsed time since the formation of the sample is ______ years. [round off to 1
decimal place]

[Assume: decay rate of A = 9.85 × 10-3 y-1, B = 1.55 × 10-3 y-1].

Q.61 A two-layered planet consists of a core and a mantle of uniform but unequal
densities. The density of the core is 7150 kg m-3 and the mean density of the planet
is 5620 kg m-3. If the mantle enclosing the core occupies 2/3rd of the radius of the
planet from the surface, then the density of the mantle is ______ kg m-3. [round off
to 1 decimal place]

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.62 A reflection seismic survey is conducted over a two-layered medium with a single
horizontal, homogeneous, isotropic layer underlain by a homogenous, isotropic
half-space. The Shuey two-term approximation for the P-wave reflection coefficient
for the interface separating the media is given by:

𝑅(𝜃) = 0.025 − 0.1 sin 𝜃,

where 𝜃 is the angle of incidence of the P-wave with respect to the normal to the
interface. Assuming the validity of the approximation, the offset-to-depth ratio
(offset/depth) at which a polarity reversal can be observed in a CMP gather from
the survey is _________. [round off to two decimal places]

[Hint: A change in the sign of the reflection coefficient leads to polarity reversal]

Q.63 The given figure shows the rupture of a unilateral fault with the rupture velocity
(Vr) of 2 km/s. According to the simple Haskell source model, the rupture time
associated with the entire length of the fault as estimated at the station is ________
sec. [round off to 2 decimal places]

[Assume: Shear wave speed = 3.5 km/s]

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GATE 2022 Geology Geophysics (Geophysics)

Q.64 The given figure shows ray paths for direct P and P-to-S converted phases recorded
at a station on the surface (R) for a teleseismic event. Given that the ray parameter
(p) is 0.1 s/km, the arrival time difference between the P-to-S converted phase and
the direct P-phase at the receiver R is _____sec. [round off to 2 decimal places]

Q.65 A land seismic survey is conducted over a horizontally layered and isotropic Earth.
The thickness and the P-wave velocity of the homogeneous weathered layer are
5 m and 800 m/s, respectively. The shots are fired at a depth of 5 m below the
surface and the receivers are placed on the surface at mean sea level (MSL). If the
datum plane is defined to be 5 m below the MSL, the magnitude of the P-wave static
correction to be applied to the data is ________ milliseconds. [round off to 2
decimal places]

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