General Science: Chapter 26
Precambrain
goes from the formation of earth to the time where multicellular organisms first appear
Phanerozoic
ontinues from Precambrian end to today
Epoch and what are they used for
smallest division of geologic time. These are chunks of time that describe evolutionary ups and downs of mammals and birds
Period
spans no more than one hundred years
About how much of the Earth is water? A) 10% B) 90% C) 50% D) 70% E) 30%
D
Any inclusion found within sedimentary rock must be _____ that rock. A) causing an unconformity in B) the same age as C) younger than D) older than
D
How are mantle plumes and hot spots related? A) Hot spot is another word for mantle plume. B) The core forms a hot spot which moves through the crust to form a mantle plume. C) Hot spots erupt and form mantle plumes. D) Mantle plumes rise and break through the crust, forming hot spots.
D
How did the Earth most likely form? A) From another planet that broke off to become the Earth. B) From the absolute center of the Milky Way galaxy. C) From a cloud of helium, oxygen and hydrogen. D) From a large interstellar cloud of dust and gas.
D
How to determine age of rocks
Numerical dating, relative dating
Law of Superposition
Oldest rick are furthest toward the bottom and youngest are closest to the top
Major eras
Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic (we are in this era today)
All eras are in eon
Phanerozoic
What are the two major eons
Precambrian and Phanerzoic eons
A scientist would not be able to use radiocarbon dating to find the age of which of the following samples? A) Stone from a 1,000-year-old settlement B) Cloth from an ancient garment found in 500-year-old burial C) Tissue from a human body found in 16th-century burial D) Wood from a 2,000-year-old settlement
A
Cape Cod's beaches are a result of which of the following? A) Weathering and Deposition B) Volcanoes C) Deposition D) Weathering
A
If a large green forest disappeared in time and became dry and barren, what would be the result in the Earth's balance of energy? A) loss of energy B) large change in humidity C) gain of energy D) no change in energy
A
In dendrochronology, scientists count ______________. A) tree rings B) fossils C) amino acids D) atoms
A
In its early stages, the Earth looked much different than it does now. How would you differentiate between the two stages? A) The early Earth was a lot hotter and much larger than it is now. B) The early Earth contained a vast number of life forms that are not seen today. C) The early Earth had not yet taken shape and was a swirling collection of rocks. D) The early Earth was mostly in a liquid form, held together by gravity.
A
The Earth was under continuous bombardment by meteorites and comets as it formed and continued to take shape. What was the significance of comets hitting the Earth during that time? A) Comets enriched the Earth with gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and ammonia. B) Comets enriched the Earth with crystals and metals such as iron ore and manganese. C) Comets brought liquid water to the Earth that contributed to the formation of the oceans. D) Comets contributed nothing to the Earth other than killing o all of the dinosaurs.
A
When scientists use two or more Earth materials to determine an age by comparison, they are determining the _________ age of a material. A) relative B) calendar C) precise D) absolute
A
Which is NOT a type of weathering? A) Aquatic Weathering B) Biological Weathering C) Chemical Weathering D) Physical Weathering
A
Which is an example of biological weathering? A) A tree growing out of rock B) Acid rain C) Water freezing inside a rock D) Erosion leaving unequal layers of rock
A
Which of the following is true about the Hawaiian islands? A) The islands get older as you travel northwest. B) The islands are all the same age. C) The oldest island is to the southeast and the youngest is northwest. D) There is no order to their age.
A
Which of the following statements is true of radiocarbon dating? A) The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years, and carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14. B) The half-life of carbon-14 is 1.3 billion years, and carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14. C) The half-life of carbon-14 is 50 billion years, and carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14. D) The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years, but carbon-14 does not change.
A
Which of the following types of radioactive decay does not result in a change in the number of protons and neutrons within a nucleus, but does release a lot of energy? A) Gamma Decay B) Beta Decay C) Alpha Decay D) Delta Decay
A
__________ dating is limited because it can only measure the age of materials up to 75,000 years old. A) Radiocarbon B) Amino acid C) Potassium-argon D) Radioscopic
A
A large nucleus may get to a more stable state by emitting two protons and two neutrons. This describes which type of radioactive decay? A) Gamma Decay B) Alpha Decay C) Beta Decay D) Delta Decay
B
An interface between discontinuous layers of rock is called _____. A) a cross-cut B) an unconformity C) an intrusion D) an inclusion
B
Any fault lines or igneous intrusions that cut across a set of rock strata must be _____ that set of rock. A) creating an inclusion in B) younger than C) older than D) the same age as
B
How is erosion different from weathering? A) Weathering is the depositing of eroded rock, while erosion is the movement of rock. B) Erosion is the movement of rock, while weathering is the breaking down of rock. C) Weathering happens by physical processes and erosion happens by chemical processes. D) Erosion only happens with glaciers.
B
The Mesozoic Era was the Age of Dinosaurs, and the current Cenozoic Era is the Age of _____. A) Birds B) Mammals C) Ice D) Humans
B
The ___________ age of an Earth material is a measure of how old it actually is in years. A) precise B) absolute C) accessible D) relative
B
The process where rocks and minerals are broken down by the elements of nature is called _____. A) erosion B) weathering C) physical destruction D) deposition
B
What are two NATURAL effects of groundwater movement on the landscape? A) Deltas and levees B) Sinkholes and caverns C) Waterfalls and rapids D) Erosion and abrasion E) Subsidence and sinkholes
B
What massive terrain feature of Canada was formed by deposition? A) Yukon B) Canadian Shield C) St. Lawrence River D) Tundra
B
Which of the following events is LEAST likely to trigger a tsunami? A) A volcanic eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii B) Rock weathering in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands C) An underwater earthquake that causes a plate to move upwards D) An underwater landslide
B
Which of the following terms is used to describe the time required for a quantity to fall to half of its starting value? A) Full-Life B) Half-Life C) Halted-Life D) Decay-Life
B
Why do many geologists study layers of strata? A) They are interested in determining how dinosaurs went extinct. B) They want to learn more about the history of the Earth. C) They are interested in the exploitation of fossil fuels. D) They hope to discover Greek-era ruins.
B
What divides the two major eons (the Precambrian and Phanerozoic Eons)? A) The extinction of the dinosaurs B) The appearance of flowering plants C) The appearance of multicellular organisms D) The rise of humans
C
What is another word for weathering? A) Wind damage B) Sinking C) Erosion D) Smoothing
C
How long after the Earth was formed did it take to achieve the state we recognize now? A) About 1 billion years. B) About 500 million years. C) About 10-20 million years. D) About 100 million years.
C
If a parent nucleus is feeling unstable because the ratio of neutrons to protons is too great, it might undergo a type of radioactive decay which results in the neutron emitting an electron (a beta particle) from the nucleus and turning into a proton. This describes what type of radioactive decay? A) Delta Decay B) Alpha Decay C) Beta Decay D) Gamma Decay
C
If dust particles in the atmosphere, due to an eruption of a volcano, disappeared in time, what would be the result? A) no change in energy flow in the system B) cooler surface temperatures C) more energy flow in the system D) less energy flow in the system
C
If the ocean circulation in the Atlantic Ocean were to shut down, how would this a effect the energy flow at the poles? A) no change of energy in the system B) equalization of energy at the poles C) loss of energy in the system D) more energy in the system
C
In the process of thermoluminescence, scientists can determine when a material was last __________. A) frozen B) modified C) heated D) submerged
C
In uranium-lead dating, we see that two unstable uranium isotopes decay into stable lead isotopes. Which of the following statements is true about this decay? A) Uranium-235 decays to lead-206; uranium-238 decays to lead-207. B) Uranium-238 and uranium-235 both decay to lead-206. C) Uranium-238 decays to lead-206; uranium-235 decays to lead-207. D) Uranium-238 and uranium-235 both decay to lead-207.
C
James needs to write a report which will describe the ups and downs of mammals in a previous time period. Why would discussing epochs make sense? A) Because it can display the entire story, including the fall of the dinosaurs B) Because epochs are the longest possible measurement of time C) Because longer periods of time, such as eras, are too long and include other types of living creatures D) Because mammals only started existing 10,000,000 years ago
C
Most effects of groundwater movement are _____. A) harmful B) human influenced C) naturally influenced D) caused by acid rain E) caused by abrasion
C
Radiometric dating is a method used to date rocks based on what? A) The known environmental activities of the area, such as past volcanic activity and deposition B) The known composition of the parent rocks C) The known decay rate of radioactive isotopes within the rocks D) The known date the rock was formed
C
Water covers 70% of the Earth's surface. Of that, 97% of all the water on Earth comes from _____, while 3% is _____. A) oceans; glaciers B) oceans; groundwater C) oceans; freshwater D) freshwater; in the ice caps
C
When waves break down a sea cliff, pick up and carry the debris, and dump on the shore forming a beach, what processes are happening, and in what order are they happening? A) Erosion, then weathering, then deposition B) Weathering, then deposition, then erosion C) Weathering, then erosion, then deposition D) Erosion, then deposition, then weathering
C
Where in the Milky Way galaxy is our solar system located? A) In the approximate center of the galaxy. B) Our solar system is not in the Milky Way galaxy. C) In the middle of one of the arms. D) At the absolute end of one of the arms.
C
Which of the following is NOT a way that glaciers change landforms? A) By creating unique landforms as they move. B) By picking up rocks and boulders and carrying them away. C) By scouring the land beneath to create V-shaped valleys. D) By depositing debris in a moraine.
C
Which part of the Earth is the lithosphere? A) Mantle B) Hydrosphere C) Crust D) Core
C
Why is Earth called the blue planet? A) It is the color of the planet that is displayed after absorbing sunlight. B) It is the color of the planet that is displayed by reflecting heat from the sun. C) It shows up as a bright blue hue from space since it is covered with water. D) It appears to have a blue tint when seen from space due to the color of the sky.
C
Relative dating
Cannot establish absolute age, but it can tell whether one rock is older or younger than another
Relative age
Compared material to other similar materials to est. timeline (this before that)
How does an eon differ from an era? A) Eons focus on the existence of Earth, while eras measure the passage of time from the Big Bang. B) Eons measure the time during which humanity existed, while eras measure everything since the Earth was formed. C) An eon spans up to a million years, while eras span longer than 2 million years. D) An eon spans hundreds to thousands of millions of years, while eras span tens to hundreds of millions of years
D
If Sedimentary Layer A occurs above Sedimentary Layer C and Sedimentary Layer B is below Sedimentary Layer C, which of the following is the correct order of the layers (from oldest to youngest)? A) C, B, A B) A, B, C C) C, A, B D) B, C, A
D
If solar activity changed the energy balance of the Earth, what term best describes this affect? A) solar energy B) solar storm C) climate sensitivity D) radiative forcing
D
Surface water is mostly found on Earth in the form of _____. A) Streams B) Rivers C) Water vapor D) Lakes
D
The Principle of Original Horizontality applies only to _____ rocks. A) igneous B) younger C) metamorphic D) sedimentary
D
What mountain chain once resembled the Rockies, but has been weathered down? A) Himalaya B) Yukon C) Alps D) Appalachians
D
What would be the result if a snowy surface became darker over time from air pollution? A) no change in surface temperature B) no change in energy flow in the system C) loss of energy flow in the system D) warmer surface temperature
D
Which is an example of chemical weathering? A) Water freezing in the rock's cracks B) All of these C) A tree growing out of a rock D) Acid rain
D
Which of the following is NOT an agent of erosion? A) Gravity B) Wind C) Water D) Sunlight
D
Which of the following is the term used for the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by releasing radiation? A) Gamma ray reduction B) Radioactive detection C) Radioactive neutralization D) Radioactive decay
D
Which of the following terms is used to describe the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by releasing radiation? A) Radioactive stabilization B) Radiocentric decay C) Radioactive explosion D) Radioactive decay
D
Which of these features would have been impossible without weathering? A) None of these B) Rocky Mountains C) Himalayas D) Grand Canyon
D
Which of these is an example of physical weathering? A) A tree growing out of a stone B) Moss growing on a stone C) Acid rain D) Water freezing in cracks
D
Which state was largely formed by volcanoes? A) California B) New York C) Rhode Island D) Hawaii
D
Which statement best describes how the beaches in Hawaii are formed? A) Lava hardens into small grains that are weathered right on the beaches. B) Sand from the bottom of the ocean is carried up by strong waves and accumulates over time, forming the beaches. C) Rocks erode to small pieces that are swept away by waves, leaving behind beaches. D) Volcanic rocks weather to small pieces that erode and are deposited on shorelines by waves.
D
Why is the water cycle significant to Earth's habitats? A) The water cycle does not play a significant role in regard to Earth's habitats. B) It affects the economies of the world, making the countries with less rainfall poorer than countries with more abundant water supply. C) It affects the development of alternative energy sources, making the countries with diminished rainfall less desirable locations for engineers to research forms of alternative energy. D) It affects weather, land features, global temperatures, and drinking water supplies.
D
_____ is water that is held in the ground, but above groundwater, and can be found in the spaces between dirt particles following irrigation or rain. A) Waterlogged soil B) Field moisture C) Surface water D) Soil moisture
D
Numerical dating
Determines actual age of rocks through the study of radioactive decay
Strata
Different layers of rock types
Groundwater occurs in _____. A) sink holes B) floodplains C) soil moisture D) the unsaturated zone E) the saturated zone
E
Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean? A) It was built on a sinkhole. B) The land below it has subsided. C)There is an underground river below it. D) It was not designed correctly. E) It was built on a floodplain.
E
How were the earth's layers formed
Earth was continuously hit by meteorites and comets. This shaped earth, brought water, and elements CO2, N, and ammonia. As the earth cooled, heavier elements moved to the center (core). Liquid material settled over the core to form the mantle As it cooled more, a solid crust formed over the liquid middle
Lithosphere
Earth's crust
How are Tsunamis formed
Earthquake triggers a landslide near a body of water, Underwater landslides, Volcanic eruptions
Rate from largest to smallest time: eons, epochs, eons, eras, periods
Eon > Era > Periods > Epoch
Inclusions
Foreign bodies of rock or mineral enclosed within another rock Inclusions are always older than the sedimentary rock within which they are found
Principle of Original Horizontality
Means that all rocks layers were originally horizontal (only applies to sedimentary rock)
Unconformities
Interfaces between discontinuous layers of rock. They complicate relative dating b/c they don't give an accurate picture of what happened
How are volcanoes formed
Magma ooze from ground when the lithosphere pulls apart (called non-explosive volcano) Volcano erupts as a result of a piece of earth's crust being forced back into the mantle. The piece of crust re-melts and moves to the surface to cause the eruption Hot spot. Hot magma moves towards the surface (mantle plumes). When they reach the crust they break through in one spot, forming an area of volcanism
How did land form on earth
Pressure and heat from the molten interior pushed solid portions above the water to form land Plates move around and push out rock that form continents, mountain ranges, valleys, etc.
Geologic Time Scale
Record of the earth's geologic history as scientist have come to understand it by the studying of rock
What are two ways to determine age
Relative & absolute age
Planetesimals
Small, irregular shaped body formed by colliding matter
How did water and the atmosphere form on earth
Solid crust was covered with active volcanoes. Erupted gasses like water vapor, CO2, and ammonia that add to helium and H from the original solar nebula. Light from the sun broke down ammonia, which release N into the atmosphere. Evolution of bacteria + a few billion year and O came into the atmosphere.
The Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
States that rock formations that cut across other rocks must be younger than the rocks that they cut across
Measuring earthquakes can give us information about ____. Explain how.
The interior of the earth. When there is an earthquake, waves of energy travels through earth's rocks and core Wave travels at different speeds through rock depending on its rock type, temperature, and its pressure
Why do we study strata
To figure out major events in geologic history
Weathering
Wearing away of rock by wind, water, or any other natural agent
When are planetesimals considered planets
When planetesimals grow and start to orbit the sun, they are considered to be planets
Deposition
Where sediment and other broken down parts of rocks accumulate to create landforms
Eon
an indefinite and very long period of time Largest division of the geologic time scale (spans hundred to thousands of millions of years)
Fault
crack in the earth's crust cause by stress in the surrounding rocks
Eons are made up of
era