Geology Chapter 10 Reading/Visual Quiz

Using the geologic principles of relative dating, it is possible to tease apart rock outcrops and determine which are the oldest and the youngest beds in a sequence. In the cross-section below, identify the oldest bed in the sequence. https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1001.jpg a. 1 b. granite pluton c. 5 d. basalt dike

a. 1

Which of the following statements is FALSE? a. Scientists can date any radioactive material back only three half-lives; after this there's not enough parent material left to measure. b. Carbon-14 dating is used to date organisms, not minerals. c. Isotopic dating relies on the parent-daughter ratio. d. The "radiometric clock" starts when a radioactive mineral cools below its closure temperature.

a. Scientists can date any radioactive material back only three half-lives; after this there's not enough parent material left to measure.

A hominin (human family) skull was found in a shale layer between two fine-grained igneous rock layers. There were no baked zones on the rocks above the igneous layers. The skull had been 100% fossilized and changed to stone; there was no original skull material left. On the basis of this information and the diagram, decide which of the following statements is FALSE. https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/rq10.5.jpg a. The skull should be dated by the carbon-14 method, since this is the method used for organic material older than 1 million years. b. The igneous layers can be dated by radiometric methods; the shale layers cannot be dated radiometrically. c. The skull itself cannot be dated, because it is no longer organic material and it is not igneous material. The age of the skull is determined by its position between the igneous layers. d. The igneous layers must be lava flows, because they are fine-grained rock and there are no baked zones on the rock above them.

a. The skull should be dated by the carbon-14 method, since this is the method used for organic material older than 1 million years.

Which of the following accurately ranks the subdivisions of geologic time in order from largest to smallest? a. eon, era, period, epoch b. era, eon, epoch, period c. epoch, period, eon, era d. period, era, eon, epoch

a. eon, era, period, epoch

Using the geologic principles of relative dating, it is possible to tease apart rock outcrops and determine which are the oldest and the youngest beds in a sequence. In the cross-section below, identify youngest event in the sequence. https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1002.jpg a. erosion of the land surface b. the basalt dike c. the granite pluton d. folding

a. erosion of the land surface

You should be able to number the events in the accompanying figure in the proper order of occurrence. If the first (oldest) event is number 1, and the last (most recent) is number 8, which occurred fifth in the sequence? https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/rq10.1.jpg a. intrusion (batholith G) b. deposition of layer D c. deposition of layer E d. deposition of layer A

a. intrusion (batholith G)

Geologists refer to the contact between two units as an unconformity when it represents a period of no deposition, or possibly erosion. What type of unconformity is illustrated by the time sequence illustrated below? https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1006.jpg a. nonconformity b. disconformity c. lateral unconformity d. angular unconformity

a. nonconformity

What type of unconformity forms when sedimentary rocks overlie either igneous or metamorphic rocks? a. nonconformity b. angular unconformity c. disconformity d. baked contact

a. nonconformity

A radioactive isotope of the element potassium decays to produce argon. If the ratio of argon to potassium is found to be 7:1, how many half-lives have occurred? a. 1 half-life b. 3 half-lives c. 7 half-lives d. 8 half-lives

b. 3 half-lives

Which of the following statements is FALSE? a. A formation is the name of a rock layer identified by such factors as rock type and approximate geologic age. b. An unconformity is a break in the rock record that indicates the area was underwater for millions of years. c. The generally accepted age of Earth is 4.54 billion years. d. Varieties of an element that differ only in the number of neutrons are called isotopes.

b. An unconformity is a break in the rock record that indicates the area was underwater for millions of years.

Which of the following shows the four time divisions listed from oldest to youngest? a. Precambrian, Mesozoic, Archean, Cenozoic b. Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic c. Phanerozoic, Precambrian, Mesozoic, Cenozoic d. Hadean, Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Proterozoic

b. Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic

Which of the following is TRUE? a. Geologists learned how to determine numerical age long before they could determine relative age. b. Specifying the age of one feature with respect to another is called its relative age. c. Saying that a fossil is 4 million years old reports its relative age. d. Specifying the date on which an event took place is an example of relative age.

b. Specifying the age of one feature with respect to another is called its relative age.

The principle of fossil succession states that each fossil species has a distinct range, an interval of time when it lived. According to the image below, which statement BEST qualifies what we know about the range of fossil F. https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1004.jpg a. Fossil F is the oldest fossil in the sequence. b. The total range of fossil F is unknown because the outcrop ends. c. Fossil F's range is units 1-10. d. We cannot tell when fossil F first appeared in the rock sequence.

b. The total range of fossil F is unknown because the outcrop ends.

Block diagrams allow for geologists to render rock units in three dimensions. Features such as unconformities and folds will look different from different angles. What features are shown in the block diagram below? https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1009.jpg a. a fault and a nonconformity b. an anticline, syncline, and an angular unconformity c. a disconformity and a reverse fault d. a syncline and a nonconformity

b. an anticline, syncline, and an angular unconformity

Identify the FALSE statement. Radiometric dating a. can begin only when the isotopes cool enough to lock into the crystal lattice. b. can be used only if there is some uranium present in the rock. c. of sedimentary rock dates the time of crystallization of the sedimentary minerals, not the time of sedimentary rock formation. d. of metamorphic rock tells when the high temperatures of metamorphism cooled below the closure temperatures of the minerals involved.

b. can be used only if there is some uranium present in the rock.

In 1815, William Smith correlated strata from many locations and plotted it on paper to show the spatial distribution of rock units on Earth's surface. This document was the first modern: a. geologic column. b. geologic map. c. stratigraphic column. d. geologic time scale.

b. geologic map.

Geologists estimate that the age of the Earth is 4.54 billion years old, based on a. radiometric age dates on rocks from the Canadian craton. b. isotopic dating of meteorites thought to be from primitive solids of the early Solar System. c. relative age dates on clastic zircons from Australia. d. age estimates of Moon rocks.

b. isotopic dating of meteorites thought to be from primitive solids of the early Solar System.

Examining stratigraphic sections from several different locations can determine, through stratigraphic correlation, the lateral extent of units. Which unit(s) are present in sections A and B, but not in section C? https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1008.jpg a. the Oswaldo Sandstone b. the Rufus and Mils Limestones c. the Emma Shale and the Hamilton Conglomerate d. the Santuit Sandstone

b. the Rufus and Mils Limestones

Charcoal (burned wood) that was used to make prehistoric drawings on cave walls in France was scraped off and analyzed. The results were 4 mg carbon-14 (parent isotope) and 60 mg nitrogen (daughter isotope). The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years. How old are the cave drawings? a. 11,460 years b. 17,190 years c. 22,920 years d. The sample is too old to be analyzed by carbon dating.

c. 22,920 years

On the diagram shown, several surfaces between rock layers are identified by letters. Choose the answer below that correctly identifies the unconformities. https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/rq10.2.jpg a. A and E b. C and D c. C and E d. B and E

c. C and E

A corpse with flesh intact, found in the Alps in 1991, was dated by the carbon-14 method and showed a parent-daughter isotope ratio of approximately 1:1, with slightly more parent material than daughter material. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years. Which of the following statements is TRUE? a. Since the body was still organic and had not been petrified, it was inappropriate to use the carbon-14 process. b. The age could logically be 6,730 years. c. The age could logically be 5,300 years. d.The age could logically be 6,000 years.

c. The age could logically be 5,300 years.

The four columns in this diagram represent fossil-bearing sedimentary rock layers at four different sites. The sedimentary layers are continuous except at the zigzag lines, which represent unconformities. Compare the sites, determine the relative ages of the fossils, and then identify the FALSE statement. https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/rq10.3.jpg a. Unconformities are breaks in the rock record that indicate missing time. b. Mammals are the youngest fossils shown. c. The reptile fossils are the second-youngest fossils shown. d. Trilobites are the oldest fossils shown.

c. The reptile fossils are the second-youngest fossils shown.

The following image shows a stratigraphic section of the Grand Canyon. Between which two groups is there an angular unconformity? https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1007.jpg a. between the Kaibab Limestone and the Toroweap Formation b. between the Muav Limestone and the Bright Angel Shale c. between the Unkar Group and the Tapeats Sandstone d. between the Zoroaster granite and the Vishnu schist

c. between the Unkar Group and the Tapeats Sandstone

The boundary surface between two stratigraphic formations is called a a. key bed. b. marker bed. c. contact. d. nonconformity.

c. contact.

Which of the following statements is FALSE? The principle of a. superposition says in a sequence of sedimentary beds, the youngest is on top. b. original continuity says sedimentary layers began as continuous expanses of sediment. c. inclusions says rock containing inclusions is older than the inclusions. d. cross-cutting relations says the feature doing the cutting is younger than the feature it cuts.

c. inclusions says rock containing inclusions is older than the inclusions

Uniformitarianism a. means Earth's surface—its oceans, continents, and atmosphere—have always been the same and always will be the same. b. is an outdated theory that states catastrophes like major volcanic eruptions no longer happen. c. is illustrated by scientists' seeing pillow lava form only underwater, then theorizing that pillow lava found high in the mountains today did nevertheless form underwater. d. means neither the scientific past nor the future should be predicted because physical laws change over time.

c. is illustrated by scientists' seeing pillow lava form only underwater, then theorizing that pillow lava found high in the mountains today did nevertheless form underwater.

Identify the FALSE statement. William Smith's observations a. were made around 1800 in fresh exposures of sedimentary bedrock in the English countryside. b. recognized that groups of fossil species (fossil assemblages) occurred in limited intervals of strata. c. noted that a fossil species could disappear then reappear in much younger strata. d. lead to the principle of fossil succession.

c. noted that a fossil species could disappear then reappear in much younger strata.

The principle of fossil succession states that each fossil species has a distinct range, an interval of time when it lived.. According to the image below, what is the range for fossil E? https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1003.jpg a. unit 6 b. units 1-10 c. units 6-8 d. units 3-6

c. units 6-8

Choose the proper listing of names to fit the following three descriptions- Age of Mammals, Age of Dinosaurs, and longest geologic time period. a. Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Paleozoic b. Cenozoic, Hadean, Paleozoic c. Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Proterozoic d. Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Precambrian

d. Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Precambrian

The following map shows a hypothetical distribution of rocks around the world by geochronologic age. Based on this map and the geologic column, where are the representative Proterozoic rocks found? https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1010.jpg a. South Africa b. Australia c. Central Asia d. Central North America

d. Central North America

An area of slightly dipping sedimentary rock layers has large inclusions and is intruded by an igneous dike. Apply the basic principles for determining relative ages and identify the FALSE statement. a. The sedimentary layers started out lying flat. b. The oldest sedimentary layer is the bottom layer. c. The igneous intrusion "baked" (metamorphosed) the sedimentary rock it touched. d. The dike is older than the sedimentary rock layers it cuts across.

d. The dike is older than the sedimentary rock layers it cuts across.

Geologists refer to the contact between two units as an unconformity when it represents a period of no deposition, or possibly erosion. What type of unconformity is illustrated by the time sequence illustrated below? https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/vq1005.jpg a. nonconformity b. disconformity c. lateral unconformity d. angular unconformity

d. angular unconformity

Which of the following methods of determining the age of materials is a radiometric dating technique? a. rhythmic layering of snow layers in glacial ice b. dendrochronology (tree rings) c. seasonal changes in growth rings in shelled organisms d. carbon dating

d. carbon dating

Which of the following is NOT a method to determine numerical age? a. carbon-14 dating b. radioactive decay of uranium to lead c. analyzing growth ring patterns in trees d. cross-cutting relations

d. cross-cutting relations

If you equate all Earth history to one calendar year, the history of our species (Homo sapiens) would occupy a. the week from Christmas to New Year's Eve. b. from December 15 to New Year's Eve. c. from December 31 at 3 p.m. to New Year's Eve. d. the last hour before midnight on New Year's Eve.

d. the last hour before midnight on New Year's Eve.

Which of the following statements is FALSE? On the diagram shown https://d1lexza0zk46za.cloudfront.net/coursepacks/geo/essgeo5/imgs/rq10.4.jpg a. the area under the curve represents the amount of parent material present. b. if the half-life of the parent material is 4,000 years, 3 on the horizontal axis of the graph represents 12,000 years. c. if 2 g of parent material is present after three half-lives, there will also be 14 g of daughter material present. d. there are equal amounts of parent and daughter material present after the passage of two half-lives.

d. there are equal amounts of parent and daughter material present after the passage of two half-lives.