chapter 10

oldest dated rock

4.0 billion years old, acasta geneiss, found in canada

How old are the oldest zircon minerals on Earth? a. approximately 10,000 years old b. approximately 500 million years old c. approximately 65 million years old d. approximately 4.4 billion years old

4.4 billion years

craton

a large, stable block of the earth's crust forming the nucleus of a continent.

accreted terrane

a mass of crust that is transported by plate movement and fused onto the margin of a continent

Cratonic Keel

a mechanically stable and chemically distinct portion of the lithospheric mantle that extends some 200 to 300 km beneath a craton into the asthenosphere like the hull of a boat into water

Orogony

a process in which a section of the earth's crust is folded and deformed by lateral compression to form a mountain range.

Human beings (homo sapiens) evolved during which geologic era? a. the Cenozoic b. the Mesozoic c. the Paleozoic d. the Precambrian a. the Cenozoic

a. cenozoic

Which of the following shows the correct order of events in early Earth evolution? a. accretion, impact event, differentiation b. impact event, accretion, differentiation c. differentiation, accretion, impact event d. accretion, differentiation, impact event

acretion, impact event, differtation

precambrian shields

areas of exposed ancient rocks

The typical elevation of the land surface occurs within a range of ___________ above sea level. a. 0-20 km b. 0-1 km c. 0-10 km d. 0-5 km

b. 0-1

Which of the following mountain chains was the result of a continental collision during the assembly of the supercontinent Pangaea? a. the Andes b. the Appalachians c. the Cordillera d. the Himalayas

b. appalachians

An orogenic belt on the Earth that is still actively growing today is __________. a. the North American Cordillera b. the Alpine-Himalayan belt c. the Appalachian Fold belt d. the Variscan Fold belt

b. the Alpine-Himalayan belt

Why is the North American Cordillera topographically higher than the Appalachians?

because the main orogeny in the Cordillera was more recent.

platforms

buried Precambrian rocks

Epeirogeny

gradual downward and upward movements of broad regions of crust without significant folding or faulting

Which is the earliest eon in Earth history? a. Phanerozoic b. Proterozoic c. Hadean d. Archean

hadean

Precambrian is based on absolute ages 3 eons

hadean: 4,600 archeon 4,000 proterozoic 2,500- 600

What are cratons made up of? a. orogens and platforms b. platforms and shields c. orogens and shields d. orogens, platforms, and shields

orogens and platforms

candian shied

precambrian period

Accretion

A process of continental growth in which buoyant fragments of crust are attached (accreted) to continents during plate motions.

What mountain chain runs along the eastern margin of North America?

Appalachain Mountains

Which of the following statements about earthquakes is true?

Earthquakes can be caused by normal, reverse, and strike-slip faulting

rejuvenation

Process during which a stream resumes downcutting toward its base level, increasing its rate of flow

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Highlands region is located west of the Coastal Plain region and extend from eastern Canada to western Alabama. It is made of old, eroded mountains. It contains the oldest mountain range in North America.

canadian shield

The Canadian Shield region wraps around the Hudson Bay in a horseshoe shape. It is made of hills worn by erosion. There are hundreds of lakes formed by glaciers in the Canadian shield region. Some of the oldest rock formations in North America are located here.

coastal plain

The Coastal Plain region is located along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It has broad lowlands that provide many excellent harbors. It is located east of the Appalachian Highlands region.

When did the Mesozoic era begin? a. 65 million years ago b. 543 million years ago c. 251 million years ago d. 2.5 billion years ago

c. 251 million years ago

What is the general term for the mountain-building process of folding, faulting, magmatism, and metamorphism? a. diagenesis b. isostasy c. orogeny

c. orogeny

Which of the following is the best statement of the principle of original horizontality? a. Igneous intrusions form horizontal layers b. Metamorphic isograds are horizontal before deformation c. Sediments are deposited as horizontal layers d. Most igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks in the Earth's crust form horizontal layers

c. sediments are deposited as horizontal layers

Which of the following terms describes large exposures of very old, crystalline basement rocks? a. orogens b. platforms c. shields

c. shields

oldest part of north america

canadian sheild

Which of the following radioactive isotopes has the shortest half-life? a. carbon-14 b. potassium-40 c. rubidium-87 d. uranium-238 a. carbon-14

carbon 14

candian shield is formed by

cratons( slave and superior craton)

Almost nine-tenths of Earth history occurs during the __________. a. Phanerozoic b. Archean c. Paleozoic d. Precambrian

d. precambrian

The principle of superposition states that ________. a. a fault is younger than the rock it cuts b. sediments are deposited as essentially horizontal layers c. the present is the key to the past d. undisturbed sedimentary layers get progressively younger from bottom to top

d. undisturbed sedimentary layers get progressively younger from bottom to top

Which mass extinction was the largest? a. Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction b. Paleocene-Eocene mass extinction c. End Permian mass extinction d. End Cambrian mass extinction

end permian mass

The smallest time division on the geologic time scale is a(n) _______________. a. era b. epoch c. eon d. period

epoch

oldest rocks in the north american contient

found in the canadian shield

According to the principle of uniformitarianism, _________. a. geologic processes we observe today have operated in the past b. animals evolved at a uniform rate c. all of the planets formed from a uniform solar nebula d. early Earth was covered by a uniform magma ocean

geologic processes we observe today have been operated in the past

Starting with a large continent that is breaking apart, what is the correct order of stages in the Wilson cycle?

rifting, seafloor spreading, subduction, continent collision

The study of faunal succession allows __________. a. absolute dating of fossil-bearing strata b. correlation of marine fossils with modern mammals c. reconstruction of paleoclimates d. rocks to be correlated from different outcrops

rocks to be correlated from different outcrops

parts of a craton

shield, platform, basement

Volcanic rocks derived from the Yellowstone hot spot get progressively older to the southwest. Based on this information, in which direction is the North American plate moving?

southwest

In which of the following regions is new material currently being added to the crust? a. the Appalachian Mountains b. the Cascade Range c. the Canadian Shield d. the Rocky Mountains

the cascade range

Tectonic Age

the time of the last major episode of crustal deformation of that rock