OCE Chapter 1
The study of the structure of the sea floor and how the sea floor has changed through time is an example of ________ oceanography.
geological
Earth is a layered sphere with the ________-density material found near the center of Earth and the ________- density material located near the surface.
highest; lowest
According to the fossil record on Earth, the earliest-known life-forms were primitive ________.
bacteria
Earth's initial atmosphere formed from ________.
leftover gases from the nebula
The most likely place for the basic building blocks for the development of life to interact and produce life is in Earth's ________.
oceans
Earth's second atmosphere formed from ________.
outgassing
Plate tectonics and evolution, which are held with a high degree of confidence because of rigorous testing and verification, are examples of:
theories
Compared to continental crust, oceanic crust is generally __________.
thinner, denser, darker in color, and at lower elevations
The four principal ocean basins (plus an additional ocean) on Earth are the:
Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans.
Consider an interdisciplinary study that is aimed at understanding how ocean currents affect the distribution of coral larvae. What two disciplines of oceanography would the researchers be focused on?
Biological and physical oceanography
Who was killed in Hawaii during his last sea voyage after a skirmish with local people?
James Cook
Who left Spain in September 1519 and became the first person to complete a circumnavigation of the globe when he returned to Spain three years later?
Juan Sebastian del Caño
Which of the following is Earth's rigid layer that includes the crust plus the topmost portion of the mantle?
Lithosphere
Which of the following represents Earth's plates that are involved in plate tectonic motion?
Lithosphere
What are the major steps involved in the scientific method?
Observation, hypothesis, testing, and theory
Which of the following is Earth's liquid iron-nickel layer?
Outer core
Earth's atmosphere became oxygen rich about 2.45 ________ years ago.
billion
Earth's early atmosphere most likely included:
carbon dioxide, water vapor, ammonia, and methane.
The first humans from Western Hemisphere known to have developed the art of navigation were the:
Phoenicians
The first recorded circumnavigation of Africa was made by the ________.
Phoenicians
Based on definition, it is more appropriate to consider which ocean as a sea?
The Arctic Ocean
Which ocean is the shallowest ocean in the world?
The Arctic Ocean
How deep is the Mariana Trench (the deepest part of the ocean) compared to Mount Everest (the tallest mountain on Earth)?
The Mariana Trench is thousands of meters deeper than Mount Everest is tall.
Which ocean is actually a part of three other oceans?
The Southern Ocean
Who is credited with being the first European to see the Pacific Ocean?
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Who sailed from Europe around the tip of Africa to India and established a new trade route?
Vasco da Gama
The separation of the Earth into layers while it was molten was the result of the:
differing densities of the elements that make up the Earth.
The important contribution to navigation made by Eratosthenes in the third century BC was __________.
a reasonably accurate calculation of the circumference of our planet
Radioactive materials can sometimes be used to determine the:
ages of rocks.
Isostatic adjustments are the result of the buoyancy of Earth's lithosphere as it floats on the ________ below which is denser and plastic like.
asthenosphere
The average depth of the world's oceans is approximately ________.
3,682 meters (12,080 feet)
Earth is about:
4.6 billion years old.
The great oxidation event resulted in the massive die-off of which of the following?
Anaerobic bacteria
The European "Age of Discovery" began with:
Christopher Columbus's discovery of the "New World."
Who is credited with being the first person to accurately determine Earth's circumference?
Eratosthenes
The explorer who advanced oceanography by introducing systematic soundings, or depth measurements, was __________.
James Cook
Which of the following is Earth's rigid layer that includes the middle and lower mantle?
Mesosphere
How do the physical properties of the asthenosphere differ from the lithosphere?
The athenosphere is plastic or malleable and capable of slow flow. The lithosphere is a brittle and rigid solid region comprised mosly of basalt and granite.
According to the Geologic Time Scale, which selection lists the correct order of coexistence, from earliest to latest?
Trilobites and amphibians, insects and dinosaurs, dinosaurs and birds, flowering plants and fishes, humans and reptiles
The Sun and the rest of the solar system formed about 5 billion years ago from a huge cloud of dust and gas called a:
nebula
Earth's current atmosphere supports animal life because __________.
plant photosynthesis provides oxygen that is critical for aerobic respiration
Stanley Miller's 1952 experiment created ________ from the chemical ingredients thought to exist in Earth's early ocean.
simple organic compounds
The largest geographic feature on the surface of Planet Earth is __________.
the Pacific Ocean