exam 1- sample questions

3. Which of the following lines of evidence has been used to determine the internal structure of theEarth? a. Drilling b. Deep-sea cores c. Outcrops d. The behavior of seismic waves generated by earthquakes

The behavior of seismic waves generated by earthquakes

4. The surface expression of a mantle plume is thought to be: a. a hotspot. b. an epicenter. c. a focus.

a hotspot.

27. The ratio of parent-to-daughter isotope in a rock sample is 1:3.How many half-lives have passed? a. 2 b.1 c. 0.5 d.0.25

a. 2

11.Yellowstone National Park is presumably underlain by a hotspot.The North American plate on which Yellowstoneis located is moving west-northwest.Would you expect the age of the lavas erupted from the Yellowstone hotspot to increase or decrease away from Yellowstone? a. Increase b. Decrease

a. Increase

2. By themselves, fossils yield which kind of age? a. Relative b. Absolute c. Radioactive

a. Relative

19. True or false: Graded beds are formed by turbidity currents but they could alsobe formed by deposition during storms. a. True b. False

a. True

13. Which ocean basin is closing? a. Atlantic b. Pacific c. Neither.They have always remained the same size.

b. Pacific

26. The Principle of Superposition yieldswhich kind of ages? a. Absolute ages b. Relative ages

b. Relative ages

17.Distinct, sudden changes in structure, lithology, and fossil faunas are found in the Appalachians, New England, and Newfoundland.What do findings specificallyindicate? a. Orogeny to produce the Appalachians b. The occurrence of exotic terranes like those found in the western United States c. Subduction to form mountain chains d. Accretionary wedges plastered to the edge of the ancient continent of Laurentia

b. The occurrence of exotic terranes like those found in the western United States

8. The Pacific Ocean basin is characterized by ______ margins. a. passive b. active

b. active

28. Carbon-14 cannot be used to date rocks older than about 50,000 years.Why? a. The half-life is too long. b.The half-life is too short.

b.The half-life is too short.

18. The sands of Cape Hatteras largely consist of quartz grains while those of Hawaiian beaches consist of olivine.Why are both sediments still classified as sands? a. Because it's a mistake b. Because sand is always deposited on beaches c. Because "sand"is a size term only

c. Because "sand"is a size term only

5. The magnetic "stripes"on either side of seafloor spreading centers indicate: a. reversals in the Earth's magnetic field. b. seafloor spreading. c. Both a and b

c. Both a and b

6. The magnetic "stripes"on either side of seafloor spreading centers indicate: a. reversals in the Earth's magnetic field. b. seafloor spreading. c. Both a and b

c. Both a and b

14. Which of the following islands or island chains is not associated with a seafloor spreading center (mid-ocean ridge) or subduction zone? a.Japan b.Iceland c. Hawaii

c. Hawaii

10.Which feature presumably underlies Yellowstone National Park, Iceland, and easternAfrica? a. Subduction zone b. Mid-ocean ridge c. Hotspot d. Rift Valley

c. Hotspot

20.A house collapses into a sinkhole in Florida.Which kind of rock most likely underlies the area? a. Sandstone b. Shale c. Limestone d. Volcanic

c. Limestone

5.Why do you suppose there is no ocean crust older than about Jurassic Age? a. Older crust was eroded. b. Older crust didn't form because the Earth was too hot. c. Older crust has largely been subducted.

c. Older crust has largely been subducted

1. The fundamental principle which underlies allof science is the: a. Principle of Superposition. b. Principle of Equilibrium. c. Principle of Uniformitarianism. d. Principle of Faunal Succession

c. Principle of Uniformitarianism.

12. The Hawaiian Islands increase in age to the northwest because: a. the Pacific plate is being subducted beneath North America. b. the islands overlie a fault. c. the Pacificplate is moving in a northwesterly direction over a hotspot.

c. the Pacificplate is moving in a northwesterly direction over a hotspot.

16. You find outcrops of mélange along the coast of California.What can you conclude from this? a. This is (andmay still be) an active tectonic margin. b. This is part of a former accretionary wedge. c. Both of the above d. It's a passive margin

c.Both of the above

23. Which of the following are typically necessary for the preservation of fossils? a. Hardparts b. Rapidburial c. Burialin relatively fine-grained sediment d. All of the above

d. All of the above

22. Leaves would most likely be preserved by which type of preservation? a. Amber b. Internal mold c. External mold d. Carbonization

d. Carbonization

25. Most of the periods of the geologic time scale were originally recognized in which area? a. North America b. Russia c. Asia d. Europe

d. Europe

30. The periods of the moderngeologic time scale (the one you're supposed to know) are based mainly on the Principle of: a. Original Horizontality. b. Lateral Continuity. c. Cross-Cutting Relationships. d. Faunal Succession.

d. Faunal Succession.

29. The tectonic cycle accounts for sea-level change on which of the following durations? a. Thousands of years b. Tens-of-thousands to about a hundred thousand years c. Millions of years d. Several hundred million years

d. Several hundred million years

21.Field work reveals extensive deposits of salt and gypsum in a basin.You infer which of the following? a. That the deposits formed by precipitation in the deep sea b. That the deposits formed by precipitation on a continental shelf open to the open sea c. That the deposits formed in a silled basin receiving freshwater d. That the deposits formed within a restricted basin receiving sea water

d. That the deposits formed within a restricted basin receiving sea water

24.The very earliestgeologic time scales were based on: a. faunal succession. b. radiometric dating. c. Carbon-14 dating. d.superposition and lithology (rock type).

d.superposition and lithology (rock type).

9.Which of the following might be found along an active margin?(Instructor: Refer to Table 2.1 and substitute as to your preference.) a. Trench b. Volcanic arc c. Earthquakes d. Transform fault e. All of the above

e. All of the above

7.As plates move, the ___________ moves over the ______________. a. crust, lithosphere b. lithosphere, crust c. asthenosphere, mantle d. lithosphere, asthenosphere e.asthenosphere, lithosphere

lithosphere, asthenosphere