Chapter 8 Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanism

The ________ scale would use Roman numerals to qualitatively describe an earthquake that causes "considerable-to-serious damage to buildings."

Modified Mercalli Intensity

Which of the following is correct regarding continental drift?

The concept of "continental drift" is now called plate tectonics.

Which of the following statements about Earth's core is not correct?

The inner core is believed to be liquid and the outer core solid.

Which of the following plays a role in the shaping of Earth's surface?

Volcanism, plate tectonics, weathering, and erosion shape Earth's surface.

Within the United States, which area has the highest earthquake hazards?

West Coast

The asthenosphere can best be described as

a plastic.

Folded layers of rock can form a wavelike pattern of troughs and crests. The layers near the crest (i.e. the upward fold) form

an anticline.

Earth's crust is roughly made up of

at least 14 plates capable of movement.

Which of the following are frequently associated with plate boundaries?

both earthquakes and volcanism.

In terms of human-environment interaction, which of the following is an example of an anthropogenic endogenic process contributing to the geologic cycle?

injection wells contributing to earthquake activity

Effusive eruptions are not related to which of the following?

magma rich in silica and aluminum

The majority of the Earth's volume is within the

mantle.

Earth's interior is layered because

materials became sorted based on density as the Earth solidified.

A substance that forms an inorganic, natural compound with a specific chemical composition is called a

mineral

Tensional stress along a fault can result in a downward shifting hanging wall block relative to the footwall side, producing a

normal fault.

Which of the following layers of Earth is liquid and is responsible for producing Earth's magnetic field?

outer core

The study of plate boundaries and the frequency of past earthquakes in order to forecast earthquakes is known as

paleoseismology.

Which of the following is not a location in which volcanoes typically occur?

plutons

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

radioactive decay heat — exogenic process

Metamorphism that occurs over broad areas when the pressure and associated heat of overlaying rocks or other tectonic forces cause the rocks to undergo deformation is known as

regional metamorphism

Plate movement that results from the addition of new oceanic crust along mid-ocean ridges is known as

ridge push

What type of rock is derived from the bits and pieces of former rocks?

sedimentary

The three basic rock types are

sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous

The present-day, ongoing extinction event is regarded as the ________ mass extinction event in Earth's history

sixth

Which of the following is not a process that can cause metamorphism?

solidification of magma

The scientific study of rock strata (layers) is known as ________ and based on the principle of ________.

stratigraphy; superposition

In terms of dating of specific rocks, structures, or landscapes, relative age refers to

the age of one feature with respect to another within a sequence of events and deduced from the positions of rock strata above and below one another.

Ocean floor subducts under continents because

the ocean floor is more dense than continental material.

Which of the following is/are subcycles within the geologic cycle?

the rock cycle, tectonic cycle, and hydrologic cycle

Areas where plates slide past one another, usually at right angles across mid-ocean ridge systems are

transform boundaries.

Which of the following is an endogenic process?

volcanism

________ causes continental crust to arch upward as if pushed from below.

Broad warping

Large, basin-shaped depressions that form when summit materials on a volcanic mountain collapse inward after an eruption or loss of magma are known as

calderas.

Small conical-shaped hills with truncated tops that formed during moderately explosive volcanic eruptions are known as

cinder cones.

Which of the following gives the correct sequence of layers in Earth, from the surface to the center?

crust, mantle, outer core, inner core

Strain, the amount of deformation undergone by an object, is expressed in rocks by

folding and faulting.