Geology Exam 1

Prelude- Which of the following headlines from possible news stories relate(s) to Earth Science? Choose one or more: -Ancient artifacts found in Mayan Temple reveal what life was like for the wealthy Mayans -EPA under the microscope after 2015 Colorado Gold King Mine spill -Scientists search genome to make cancer treatments more effective -NASA prepares for launch of James Webb telescope, which will give us new insights into outer space -New Ebola vaccine shows promising results in human clinical trials

-EPA under the microscope after 2015 Colorado Gold King Mine spill -NASA prepares for launch of James Webb telescope, which will give us new insights into outer space

Prelude- What is the best estimate for the age of the Earth?

4.56 billion years

Prelude- Which of the following statements is true? Choose one: A. The crust and the uppermost part of the mantle are, together, called the lithosphere. B. Plate tectonics theory explains how crust moves around on the outer core. C. The lithosphere lies below the asthenosphere. D. Plates are made of only crust.

A. The crust and the uppermost part of the mantle are, together, called the lithosphere.

CH.2) Boundaries between the Earth's layers...

Are places where there is an abrupt change in the density of the rock

CH.3) Identify statements true of Pangaea. Choose one or more: A. Pangaea consisted of all of the Earth's continents pushed together with the exception of Antarctica. B. The regional-scale folds visible in the Appalachian Mountains are remnants of Pangaea's formation. C. Rates of seafloor spreading in the Atlantic Ocean are compatible with what is known about the breakup of Pangaea. D. Pangaea was one of several supercontinents that have formed and broken up during Earth's history.

B. The regional-scale folds visible in the Appalachian Mountains are remnants of Pangaea's formation. C. Rates of seafloor spreading in the Atlantic Ocean are compatible with what is known about the breakup of Pangaea. D. Pangaea was one of several supercontinents that have formed and broken up during Earth's history.

Prelude- Geology Choose one: A. stands alone and does not incorporate other fields of physical science. B. helped determine that the planet existed long before humans did. C. predicts that the Earth will soon stop changing naturally. D. is relevant to scientists, but not to the daily lives of everyday citizens.

B. helped determine that the planet existed long before humans did.

CH.3) Identify the true statement. Choose one: A. All polarity chrons are the same length of time; they differ only in the magnetic strengths they represent. B. The width of each rock stripe is a measure of how long the polar direction took to change. C. Positive magnetic anomalies occur over areas of seafloor when the poles of the Earth's magnetic field and the paleopoles preserved in the seafloor basalt agree. D. The series of rock stripes perpendicular to and bilaterally symmetric across the mid-ocean ridge records the sequence of the Earth's magnetic reversals over time.

C. Positive magnetic anomalies occur over areas of seafloor when the poles of the Earth's magnetic field and the paleopoles preserved in the seafloor basalt agree.

Prelude-A scientific law Choose one: A. has certain exceptions for a prescribed range of conditions. B. explains why natural phenomena exist. C. describes a specific relationship; an example is Newton's law of gravitation. D. is the same as an untested speculation.

C. describes a specific relationship; an example is Newton's law of gravitation.

CH.2) (page 56 in textbook for the picture) Identify the correct layer of the Earth on the following diagram...

CENTER: -Inner Core -Outer Core -Lower Mantle -Upper Mantle -Crust OUTSIDE

CH.2) Which of the following methods of heat transfer occurs when an increase in temperature creates a decrease in density, causing the warm, less-dense material to rise as shown in this diagram? ( pg.58- Figure Bx2.3 C)

Convection

Prelude-Accurately list the layers of the Earth from surface to center...

Crust, Mantle, Core

CH.3) Identify the true statement. Choose one: A. Subduction causes continents to move apart; seafloor spreading brings them together. B. Ocean basins get narrower as a result of seafloor spreading. C. Ocean floor is created by the process of subduction. D. To keep the Earth's surface area constant, the amount of seafloor spreading must equal the amount of subduction.

D. To keep the Earth's surface area constant, the amount of seafloor spreading must equal the amount of subduction.

CH.2) (watch video) List in chronological order the events that led to the formation of the Earth...

FIRST: 1) The Earth cleared its orbit of all other matter, making it a true planet 2) The moon formed 3)Volcanic activity occurred, releasing gases 4) An atmosphere formed LAST

CH.2) List Earth's layers in order from highest to lowest density...

HIGHEST: -Inner Core -Outer Core -Mantle -Crust LOWEST

CH.2) The Earth's magnetic field is generated in the...

Outer Core

Prelude- The Phanerozoic Eon is divided into three main intervals. From oldest to youngest, they are...

Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic

Prelude- All time prior to the Phanerozoic is called the

Precambrian

CH.3) During World War II, the military imaged the seafloor by sending pulses of sound waves down through the water and measuring the time it took for the sound to bounce off the seafloor and return to the receiver. This method, illustrated here, (pg. 73- Figure 3.7 A) is called

Sonar

Prelude- Geologists call the interconnected web of interacting processes and materials on (and in) the Earth...

The Earth System

CH.3) Which of the following issues initially prevented widespread acceptance of Alfred Wegener's continental drift hypothesis?

Wegener's lack of a good mechanism to explain why the continents moved

CH.3) Currently, most geologists...

agree that continental drift occurs; the mechanisms that drive drift are at work in the ocean basins and upper mantle and were unknown in Wegener's time.

CH.3) Seafloor spreading is driven by volcanic activity that occurs... (where)

along mid-ocean ridges.

CH.3) Plate tectonics theory took decades to be accepted...

because Wegener couldn't explain how continents moved

CH.2) Rocks...

can be an aggregate (mixture) of minerals

CH.3) The rate of seafloor spreading...

dictates the rate at which ocean basins grow wider

CH.2) (page 36 in textbook for the picture) Over time, the Earth's interior separated into layers according to density, through a process called...

differentiation

CH.2) list these rocks (Basalt, Peridotite, Granite) composition decreasing in silica and increasing in iron and magnesium...

granite, basalt, peridotite

CH.3) The age of oceanic crust...

has been determined by radiometric dating

CH.3) (Refer to page 78- Figure 3.14 D) This diagram shows how the tilt of a magnetic needle changes with latitude. Which part of the Earth's magnetic field does this tilt represent?

inclination

CH.2) Studies of interplanetary space have indicated that...

interplanetary space is much denser than interstellar space

CH.2) Which groups of elements make up most of the mass of the whole Earth?

iron,oxygen,silicon, and magnesium

CH.3) Oceanic crust...

is covered by a thin blanket of sediment that thickens away from the ridge axis

CH.2) The Crust

is separated from the mantle by the Moho

CH.2) The geothermal gradient...

is the rate of change in temperature with depth in the Earth

CH.2) Continental crust...

is thinnest beneath zones of stretching, called rifts

CH.3) Refer to page 78- Figure 3.14 D to study the diagram of Earth's Magnetic Field

know how to label the picture

CH.3) (Refer to page 69- Figure 3.3 c) Alfred Wegener used the orientation of glacial striations left by late Paleozoic glaciers as evidence that the continents were combined to form Pangaea during the glaciation. Drag the correct arrow, indicating the direction of glacial movement, to the correct spot.

know the direction of the arrows

CH.3) Cynognathus, Glossopteris, Mesosaurus, and Lystrosaurus are...

land-dwelling species whose distribution suggested joined continents

CH.3) Marine magnetic anomalies result from seafloor spreading in conjunction with...

magnetic polarity reversals

CH.2) The two most common gases of the Earth's atmosphere, and their percentages, are...

nitrogen (N2), 78%; and oxygen (O2), 21%.

CH.3) The paleomagnetic record is...

preserved in stripes of rock parallel to the mid-ocean ridge

CH.3) Pangaea...

started to break apart during the Mesozoic. EXPLANATION: Pangaea means all Earth; the Earth's rotational force is a million times too small to cause Pangaea to break apart; and Pangaea is the most recent super continent, although others existed in the past.

CH.2) Peridotite is...

the MOST abundant rock in the Earth

CH.3) The Earth's magnetic field is created by...

the flow of liquid iron in the Earth's molten outer core

CH.3) Which line of evidence was discovered after Wegener developed his theory that continents drift?

the presence of earthquakes in seismic belts along trenches, ridges, and fracture zones

CH.2) Which of the following categories of materials is part of the Earth's makeup?

volatiles, materials that easily become gases at ordinary Earth surface temperatures

CH.2) Review the block diagram of the lithosphere (page 62 in textbook)

~emphasizes the difference between continental and oceanic crust~

Prelude- Which of the following statements describe a part of the scientific method? Choose one or more: A. You notice that a certain plant seems to bloom shortly before it rains; you are curious and decide to investigate this phenomenon. B. You design an experiment in which you will record your observations every day for one year of when the plant blooms and when it rains. C. You use the Internet to find information on the plant you have observed, which seems to bloom shortly before it rains, and you see that one other person has noticed the same phenomenon. You decide that this is enough information, and you develop a theory that this type of plant can predict when it will rain. D. You develop a hypothesis for the phenomenon you have noticed, which states that "the plant always blooms shortly before it rains." E. You notice that during the winter months, the plant does not bloom shortly before it rains, and thus you decide that your hypothesis, which states that the plant always blooms before it rains, is incorrect.

A. You notice that a certain plant seems to bloom shortly before it rains; you are curious and decide to investigate this phenomenon. B. You design an experiment in which you will record your observations every day for one year of when the plant blooms and when it rains. D. You develop a hypothesis for the phenomenon you have noticed, which states that "the plant always blooms shortly before it rains." E. You notice that during the winter months, the plant does not bloom shortly before it rains, and thus you decide that your hypothesis, which states that the plant always blooms before it rains, is incorrect.

Prelude- A scientific theory Choose one: A. has been tested rigorously and has withstood all tests. B. is less convincing to scientists than a hypothesis. C. is an idea or explanation that can be right or wrong. D. cannot be tested and therefore does not change.

A. has been tested rigorously and has withstood all tests.