Exam 4 Geo

Approximately what percentage of Earth's surface is exposed above sea level?

29 percent

The Precambrian Eon encompasses what percentage of Earth's total history?

88.2 percent

The energy released by a magnitude 8 quake on the Richter scale is how many times greater than that of a magnitude 6 quake?

992

The fact that Earth's interior is sorted into layers indicates that

Earth was once in a molten state, during which materials became sorted based on density.

Which of the following is CORRECT regarding Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift?

He believed that 225 million years ago all the continents were joined together to form Pangaea.

Which of the following is INCORRECT regarding Earth's inner core?

It is the source of Earth's magnetic field

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

Jurassic - a period of Paleozoic

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

Mesozoic - Epoch

The transition zone from the upper mantle to the crust is known as the ________ discontinuity.

Mohorovičić

Which of the following can occur when seismic waves encounter a layer in Earth's interior?

Reflection, refraction, absorption, and change in speed

Which of the following is CORRECT?

The age of the sea floor increases with increasing distance from a mid-ocean ridge.

Which of the following is NOT used to rate an earthquake on the moment magnitude scale?

The amount of death and destruction that occurred

Which of the following is an example of a first order of relief?

an ocean basin

Which of the following lists the correct sequence of divisions in the geologic time scale, from largest to smallest?

eon, era, period, epoch

The area at the surface directly above the subsurface location where seismic waves are initiated is termed the:

epicenter

When pressure is removed from overlying rock, the pressure of deep burial is relieved, initiating pressure-release jointing. The joints then separate into curved slabs. This is known as

exfoliation

Sedimentary rocks are more a product of the __________ system whereas metamorphic and igneous rocks are more a product of the __________ system.

exogenic; endogenic

Stream-related processes are termed:

fluvial

The motion of seismic waves is initiated in a subsurface area along the fault plane called the:

focus, or hypocenter

The fact that water expands as much as 9% of its volume as it freezes is the basis of

frost wedging

An active volcano is defined as one that

has erupted at least once within recorded history

In which climates would rocks experience the highest amounts of chemical decomposition and decay?

hot and wet

Volcanic activity located away from plate boundaries is associated with

hot spots

________ are sites of upwelling of magma from the mantle independent of plate boundaries.

hot spots

Which of the following is NOT a type of physical weathering process?

hydrolysis

Which of the following is not a type of physical weathering process?

hyrdolysis

Which rock type makes up approximately 90% of Earth's crust?

igneous

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

outer core

Rust, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water, is an example of

oxidation

Of the elements in Earth's crusts, ________ makes up the most of Earth's crust by weight.

oxygen (o)

The three most abundant elements in Earth's crust are

oxygen, silicon, and aluminum

The three most abundant chemical elements in Earth's crust are:

oxygen, silicon, and aluminum.

Which of the following is a period of Paleozoic era in Geologic Time Scale?

permian

________ is the theory that describes the motion of Earth's lithosphere.

plate tectonics

Heat energy and new materials are brought to the surface from the interior by the:

tectonic cycle

Areas where plates slide past one another, usually ar right angles to a seafloor spreading are

transform boundaries

Which drainage pattern is produced by folded topography?

trellis

The principle that the same physical processes currently active in the environment were operating throughout Earth's history is known as

uniformitarianism

Which of the following is an endogenic process?

volcanism

Hydrolysis involves:

water reacting with minerals

The process that breaks down rock at Earth's surface through disintegration of rocks into mineral particles or dissolving it into water is known as

weathering

Which of the following is an exogenic process?

weathering

Which of the following lists of processes are in the correct sequence as to their occurrence in nature?

weathering, erosion, transport, deposition

Which of the following is matched correctly?

Aesthenosphere - plastic

Which of the following is incorrect regarding floodplains?

They are characterized by rapids and low waterfalls.

"The present is the key to the past" summarizes a geologic principle known as:

Uniformitarianism

Orogenesis refers to:

a general term for a mountain-building episode that thickens continental crust.

A hypsographic curve is defined as:

a generalized curve showing Earth's surface by area and elevation in relation to sea level.

The Hawaiian Islands were formed as a result of

a rising plume of magma from the mantle.

Plate tectonic boundaries (margins) are associated with:

all of the above

The rate at which rocks weather depends upon:

all of the above

The variety of surface features on Earth results from:

all of the above

The San Andreas fault system in California is an example of a:

all of these are correct

Which of the following is NOT a criteria to be classified as a mineral?

anthropogenic

Volcanoes formed from silica (Si, O)-rich magma:

are highly explosive and dangerous

Volcanic activity generally does not occur:

around the perimeter of the Atlantic Ocean basin

The plastic layer in the mantle from about 70 to 250 km (43 to 155 mi) in depth is known as the

asthenosphere

If Earth did not experience endogenic processes, the landscape would:

be of very low relief as a result of weathering and erosion in the absence of uplift

Intrusive igneous cooled and hardened ________ Earth's surface, resulting in ________ grained rocks.

beneath; coarser

Limestone formed from the shells of marine organisms is an example of ________ sedimentary rock.

biochemical

The geologic cycle is fueled by

both solar energy and Earth's internal heat.

A brittle rock is likely to respond to stress by __________, whereas a ductile rock is likely to respond by __________.

breaking; bending

The total possible load a stream can transport is its __________, whereas a stream's ability to move particles of specific size is its __________.

capacity; competence

Sedimentary rock formed from dissolved minerals that precipitate out of water solution and build up to form rock are

chemical

When rock is broken down and disintegrated in the presence of water and with chemical alterations to the rock, the process in operation is

chemical weathering

Convergent plate boundaries are characteristic of

collision zones between plates

Explosive eruptions tend to build up

composite volcanoes

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

crust, aesthenosphere, lower mantle, core

Knowledge of the Earth's interior layers is derived from:

indirect evidence involving the analysis of seismic waves.

The majority of Earth's volume is within the

mantle

Which of the following is matched correctly?

marble - metamorphic

The downslope movement of a body of material made up of soil, sediment, or rock propelled by the force of gravity is known as

mass movement

Earth's interior is layered because

materials became sorted based on density as Earth solidified.

A rock transformed from any other rock through extreme heat and or pressure is referred to as

metamorphic

Tensional stress along a fault can result in a dropped hanging-wall block relative to the footwall side, producing a:

normal fault

The Basin and Range Province in the western United States is a result of ________ faulting produced by ________ forces.

normal; tensional

Which of the following is INCORRECTLY matched?

point bar - area of substantial erosion

Which of the following is INCORRECTLY matched?

radioactive decay heat-exogenic energy source

An assemblage of minerals bound together is called a:

rock

Factors influencing the weathering process include

rock composition and structure, climate, and vegetation

The continuous alteration of Earth materials from one rock type to another is known as the

rock cycle

Three types of rock-forming processes comprise the:

rock cycle

The ultimate base level for a river system is:

sea level

Divergent plate boundaries are characteristic of

sea-floor spreading centers

The history of life on Earth is preserved as fossils in which type of rock?

sedimentary

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

sedimentary

An instrument used to record vibrations (earthquakes) in the crust is called:

seismograph

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

shearing- stretching or faulting

Stream transport involves all of the following except:

sheet flow

If you were paranoid of earthquakes, which of the following areas would be the safest to live?

shield

A gently sloping mountain landform built from effusive eruptions is known as a

shield volcano.

Which of the following is NOT a class of mass movement?

slip

The most common type of mass movement in a moderately sloped and dry environment is:

soil creep

The process whereby one portion of the lithosphere beneath another and dives downward into the mantel is called

subduction

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

the age of geological features based on isotopic dating techniques

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.

Fault types are defined by:

the relative motion of the hanging wall and footwall.

The major rocks of Earth's crust are classified into three principal types based on:

three specific rock-forming processes; i.e., the manner in which they formed.

Which of the following landforms is incorrectly matched with a drainage pattern?

topographically disrupted areas - parallel