Geology 102L Semester Quiz questions
The release of oxygen by green plants during photosynthesis is an example of a
Flux involving the biosphere and atmosphere
Sinkholes typically have steep-walled sides because
Gravity causes the roof of an area hollowed by solution to collapse
Classy and porous textures are characteristic of
Igneous rocks
Processes in the rock cycle can change
Igneous rocks into sedimentary Metamorphic into sedimentary Sedimentary into different sedimentary rocks All the above
The asthenosphere is
Layer of low rigidity that separates the rigid lithosphere from the rigid mantle
Igneous rock forms by
Solidification of magma at the surface or within the Earth
Volcanic arcs form above subduction zones During chemical weathering _______
The mineralogy of previously existing rock changes
During the transmission of a S-wave, particles in a rock _____ as the energy passes through the rock.
Vibrate perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling
Liquefaction occurs during earthquakes when
Vibration causes water to coat sediment grains, greatly lessening friction
Volcanic arcs form above subduction zones
Wherever oceanic lithosphere is subducted
A hypothesis is
A tentative explanation for a natual phenomenon or Earth material.
Geologists classify minerals into groups like silicates based on their
Chemical composition
Properties required for a material to be an aquifer include
High porosity and high permeability
In identifying a rock, geologist must consider its
Mineral content and texture
Porphyroblasts are
Minerals added to a metamorphic rock after metasomatism
When chemical bonds in a mineral are stronger in some directions than in others, the result is _______.
Cleavage
_____ occurs at ocean ridges, whereas _____ occurs at subduction zones.
Decompression; flux melting
Mohs hardness scale describes the relative hardness of ten materials, not their absolute hardness. This means that
Diamond is hard than talc, but how much harder is not indicated.
Grain size typically increases with metamorphic intensity in all except
Dynamic metamorphism
The ____ of a stream are where it begins, and its _____ is where it flows into another body of water.
Headwaters; mouth
The major source of energy to melt rock within the Earth and to cause earthquakes is
Heat energy generated inside the Earth
The magnitude of an earthquake is a measure of
How much energy is released during the fault that produced the earthquake
Ever mineral has preferred crystal shape (habit), but most mineral grains do not display that shape because
Many grains interfere with one another when they grow
Well-rounded grains in a clastic sedimentary rock indicate
Numerous collisions between particles during extensive transportation
Collision of two continental plates would cause
Regional metamorphism
Most fossils are found in sedimentary rocks because ______
Sedimentary rocks form in the same environment where the plants and animals lived and died
The difference between sills and dikes is that
Sills are parallel to layering in surrounding rocks while dikes cut across the layering
The texture of a rock includes the ______ of its constituent grains.
Size, shape, and orientation
If the water in an area drops below the level of stream channels
Stream levels will drop as water leaks from the streams into the ground
Dendritic, trellis and rectangular drainage patterns are the result of the
Structure and erodibility of the rocks underlying the region
The term for metamorphic grade refers to
The degree to which it has changed from its original state
The eastern edge of the North American continent is
The edge of the continental shelf because that is where continental crust ends and oceanic crust begins
The presence of tropical plants and animals hundreds of millions of years old near the North Pole suggests that
The plate on which those organisms are found has moved from a different climate zone
The epicenter of an earthquake is
The point at the earth's surface closest to where the rock broke
The principle of uniformitarianism states that
The present is the key to the past.
A travel-time curve shows graphically
The velocities of the different kinds of seismic waves
The agents that cause metamorphism include all except
Time
The only type of plate boundary at which there is no vertical transfer material between the lithosphere and asthenosphere is a
Transform fault