Geology Study Guide

The 4 basic compositional groups of igneous rocks, ordered from the HIGHEST silica content to the LOWEST silica content is: - ultramafic, andesitic, basaltic, granitic - ranitic, basaltic, andesitic, ultramafic - ultramafic, basaltic, andesitic, granitic - granitic, andesitic, basaltic, ultramafic

- granitic, andesitic, basaltic, ultramafic

We discussed the following processes during our lecture on the Hydrologic cycle: evaporation, groundwater flow, precipitation, stream flow, evapotranspiration, infiltration, and surface runoff.

1-Evapotranspiration 2-Percipitation 3-Stream flow4-Evaporation 5-Surface run off 6-Ground water flow 7-Infiltration

A container initially holds 100 atoms of an isotope. This isotope has a half-life of 1.5 months. How many atoms remain in the container after 3 months?

25

Mafic igneous rocks have approximately _____ silica content. Intermediate igneous rocks have approximately _____ silica content. Felsic igneous rocks have approximately _____ silica content. 60%; 50%; 70% 70%; 50%; 60% 50%; 60%; 70% 70%; 60%; 50%

50% 60% 70%

P waves move through continental crust at about _____ km/sec, but once they cross the Moho, the velocity increases to _____ km/sec.

6; 8

The Octet rule suggests that atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons until they are surrounded by _____ valence electrons 6 10 8 2

8

As an overview, how did Earth's Moon form?

A Mars-sized body hit Earth, knocking debris off the impacting body into Earth's orbit. This debris coalesced to form the Moon.

Which of the following choices best explains the difference between a crater and a caldera?

A crater is a small, funnel-shaped depression; a caldera is a large depression that has a diameter of over 1 km.

What is a tsunami?

A large ocean wave generated when a megathrust fault suddenly lifts a slab of seafloor

Which types of moraines (marked by arrows) are pictured in the image below?

A lateral and medial moraine

Define a hurricane.

A low-pressure disturbance that develops over warm, tropical waters.

What are yardangs and ventifacts?

A yardang is a streamlined, wind-sculpted landform that is oriented parallel to the prevailing wind, while a ventifact is a polished, pitted, sharp-edged stone that formed as a result of wind-driven abrasion.

The crust, mantle, and core are divided based on their _____ behavior. Whereas, the lithosphere, asthenosphere, outer core, and inner core are divided based on their _____ behavior. A. chemical; mechanical B. thickness; mineral C. mechanical; chemical D. chemical; thickness

A. Chemical; Mechanical

Scoria is _____. A. lava or pyroclastic material with a cindery texture B. pyroclastic material that falls to the ground C. an early forming, relatively large crystal that is distinctly larger than the groundmass D. material that flows in a molten or partly molten form

A. Lava or pyroclastic material with a cindery texture

What is the difference between magma and lava? A. Magma is molten rock located below Earth's surface; lava is molten rock above Earth's surface B. Magma is generally granitic in composition; lava is dominantly basaltic in composition C. Magma is molten rock located above Earth's surface; lava is molten rock below Earth's surface D. Magma cools to produce extrusive igneous rocks; lava cools to produce intrusive igneous rocks E. Magma is lower in temperature; lava is higher in temperature

A. Magma is molten rock located below Earth's surface; lava is molten rock above Earth's surface

All of the following statements about the Earth's core are true EXCEPT: A. The density of the material comprising the core is about the same as granite. B. The outer core occurs at a depth starting at roughly 2900 km. C. It is divided into an inner core (solid) and an outer core (liquid). D. It is comprised of an iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) alloy.

A. The density of the material comprising the core is about the same as granite.

How does the burning of fossil fuels affect the environment?

ALL Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to ocean acidification. Particulates are released into the atmosphere, which collect on ice caps and glaciers to absorb more heat. Greenhouse gases are released that raise global temperatures. Sulfur dioxide is produced, which contributes to acid rain.

Why would increasing acidity of the ocean be a problem?

Acid would dissolve calcium carbonate shells or sea organisms.

__________ are smaller earthquakes of lesser magnitude, but nonetheless dangerous, that follow a major earthquake.

Aftershocks

__________ originally proposed the theory of Plate Tectonics

Alfred Wegener

Yellowstone is best described as which of the following?

An active volcano that has erupted within the last 1 million years

Uranus' axis of rotation is approximately 90 degrees, whereas Earth only has a tilt of 23.5. What is the most plausible explanation for how this occurred?

An impact event knocked the planet over

How is an ore reserve defined?

An ore is a useful metallic mineral that can be mined at a profit.

What planet/feature marks the division between the terrestrial planets and the Jovian planets?

Asteroid belt

What type of bond is shown in the figure above? A. Metallic B. Covalent C. Ionic

B. Covalent

_____ was an important 18th century geologist who developed the concept of Uniformitarianism. A. Charles Darwin B. James Hutton C. James Ussher D. Abraham Gottlob Werner

B. James Hutton

What are the two types of crust? A. Lithosphere and asthenosphere B. Oceanic and continental C. Inner and outer D. High and low density rock

B. Oceanic and continental

What are the three components of magma? A. The liquid portion (mobile ions of the eight most common minerals found in the Earth's crust) called melt, the solid portion which consists of silicate mineral crystals, and the gaseous portion called steam. B. The liquid portion (mobile ions of the eight most common minerals found in the Earth's crust) called melt, the solid portion which consists of silicate mineral crystals, and the gaseous portion called volatiles. C. The liquid portion (mobile ions of the eight most common minerals found in the Earth's crust) called melt, the solid portion which consists of fragments of formed igneous rock, and the gaseous portion called volatiles. D. The liquid portion called volatiles, the solid portion which consists of silicate mineral crystals, and the gaseous portion called melt. E. The liquid portion, which is mostly water, the solid portion which consists of silicate mineral crystals, and the gaseous portion called volatiles.

B. The liquid portion (mobile ions of the eight most common minerals found in the Earth's crust) called melt, the solid portion which consists of silicate mineral crystals, and the gaseous portion called volatiles.

"The present is the key to the past" best describes which of the following concepts: A. Catastrophism B. Uniformitarianism C. Aristotle-ism D. Neptunism

B. Uniformitarianism

Minerals must be solid, have an orderly atomic structure, have a recognized chemical composition, be naturally occurring, and _____. A. found only in igneous rocks B. be generally inorganic in origin C. be reproducible in a laboratory setting D. be a highly valued natural resource

B. be generally inorganic in origin

The nucleus of an atom consists of a(n) _____. A. proton (with a negative charge) and neutron (with a positive charge) B. neutron (with no charge) and proton (with a positive charge) C. electron (with a negative charge) and proton (with a positive charge) D. proton (with a negative charge) and electron (with a positive charge)

B. neutron (with no charge) and proton (with a positive charge)

A mineral's streak is _____. A. the appearance of light reflected from the mineral's surface B. the color of the mineral in powdered form C. the mineral's resistance to breaking D. the tendency to break along weak bonds

B. the color of the mineral in powdered form

In order of INCREASING silica content, three common EXTRUSIVE igneous rock types are __________. -diorite, gabbro, rhyolite -gabbro, granite, komatiite -basalt, diorite, granite -basalt, andesite, rhyolite

Basalt. andesite, rhyolite

What is the term used to describe a very large (> 100 sq. km), widespread, and deep intrusive body of igneous rock? Laccolith Batholith Sill Dyke

Batholith

__________ are ejected as hot lava and are larger than 64 mm.

Bombs

Which process has been largely responsible for increasing the amount of CO2 in the last 200 years?

Burning of fossil fuels

What is the rate of cooling for an extrusive igneous rock and why? A. Slow because the magma was insulated below the surface B. Fast because it cooled 6 kilometers below the surface C. Fast because it was erupted from a volcano D. Slow because it cooled in a volcanic lava flow far from the vent

C. Fast because it was erupted from a volcano

The mineral fluorite is an example of _____. A. an oxide B. a sulfide C. a halide mineral D. a native element

C. a halide mineral

Cleavage in minerals refers to _____. A.the sharpness of edges between crystal faces B. the development of distinct crystal faces C. a tendency to break along planes of weak bonding D. a tendency to break in an irregular pattern

C. a tendency to break along planes of weak bonding

The valence electrons for _____ bonds are shared. The valence electrons for _____ are transferred. The valence electrons for _____ are shared in a common pool. A. covalent; metallic; ionic C. covalent; ionic; metallic B. ionic; covalent; metallic C. covalent; ionic; metallic D. metallic; covalent; ionic

C. covalent; ionic; metallic

__________ forces move toward each other.

Compressional

The __________ is a cylindrical path that allows magma to flow to the surface.

Conduit

Which of the following statements best describes Wegener's model of continental drift?

Continents were formerly in different positions on the Earth and have shifted to their present locations over time

]__________ plate boundaries move toward each other; __________ plate boundaries move past each other; and __________ plate boundaries move away from each other.

Convergent; transform; divergent

Which structure is common in sedimentary rocks?

Cross-bedding Ripple marks Mudcracks Fossils

The __________ is the threshold temperature at which magnetism is "frozen" in the rock.

Curie point

Shock metamorphism is caused by _____. A. shearing in a fault zone B. building mountains at high temperature and pressure C. heating by a magmatic intrusion D. extremely high pressure

D. Extreme High pressure

What does a porphyritic texture indicate about the cooling history of an igneous rock? A. The rock first began cooling under the Earth's surface, which formed the groundmass. It finished by solidifying the phenocrysts on Earth's surface B. The began cooling on Earth's surface, but was buried under Earth's surface where it finished cooling C. The rock cooled entirely underground, first forming the phenocrysts and then forming the groundmass out of different minerals D. The rock began cooling under Earth's surface, but then moved above Earth's surface where it finished cooling E. The rock cooled entirely on Earth's surface in a region that varied between high and low temperatures

D. The rock began cooling under Earth's surface, but then moved above Earth's surface where it finished cooling

Put the following regions of a subduction zone in order in order from the convergent boundary toward the continental interior.

Deep-ocean trench, forearc region, volcanic arc, back-arc region

__________ stress is responsible for creating the texture visible in the __________ below?

Differential; gneiss

Unbending a paper clip is an example of what kind of deformation?

Ductile

What is the difference between a dyke and a sill? Dykes are horizontal; sills are vertical Dykes are composed of igneous rock; sills are composed of sedimentary rock Dykes crosscut layers; sills occur between horizontal layers Dykes are injected rapidly; sills are injected slowly Dykes are made up of fine-grained basalt; sills are made up of coarse-grained basalt

Dykes crosscut layers; sills occur between horizontal layers

What is the elastic rebound theory?

Elastic rebound refers to how the slippage along a fault (i.e., earthquake) allows the deformed rock to regain its original shape in a new location.

Which of the following physical features are found on both Mars and Earth?

Erosional features related to flowing water

What name do we give to large boulders that have been carried long distances by glacial ice?

Erratics

Which of the following does NOT support the continental drift theory as outlined by Alfred Wegener?

Evidence for glacial ice near the North Pole

Minerals, such as gold (Au), are considered as renewable resources.

F

Our solar system has 9 planets that orbit around the Sun.

F

Ridge-push is a greater force than slab-pull that drives plate motion.

F

Rip currents are the result of longshore currents.

F

Saturn is the only planet in our Solar System with rings composed of particles of water ice and rocky debris.

F

How is a fall different from creep?

Falls occur rapidly and in areas with high slope, whereas creep occurs slowly in areas with low slope.

Aluminum and oxygen are the two most common elements found in the Earth's crust. True or False

False

If a scientist creates diamonds using a high-pressure lab, these diamonds are then classified as minerals. true or false

False

How do fjords relate to glacial troughs?

Fjords are glacial troughs that became submerged as the ice left the valleys and the sea levels rose.

How is magma generated along subduction zones?

Fluid is added to the mantle, which lowers the melting point of the surrounding mantle

What type of texture occurs in igneous rocks that cool so rapidly that unordered ions are "frozen" in place? A. Aphanitic B. Phaneritic C. Porphyritic D. Glassy

GLASSY

Which astronomer first observed the rings of Saturn in 1610?

Galileo Galilei

__________ describes the increase in temperature with depth in the Earth. Decompression melting Convection cells Hydrothermal alteration Geothermal gradient

Geothermal gradient

Which of the following was the main cause of the landslide in Oso, Washington in March 2014?

Heavy rains saturated the surface materials on the slope

What does the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale tell us about an earthquake?

How intense the earthquake feels

Which two continents collided that eventually caused uplift of the Himalayas and the M7.8 megaquake in 2015, as seen on the NOVA documentary?

India and Eurasia

What is isostasy? and what does it indicate about a floating object that has a weight added or removed?

Isostasy is the concept that Earth's crust is floating within the mantle in gravitational balance. Thus, if weight is added, the crust would sink until it reached a new isostatic balance. Conversely, if weight is removed from the crust, it would rise until it reached a new isostatic balance.

Which planet has the most moons in orbit around it?

Jupiter

The __________ orogeny was not one of the three events that formed the Appalachian Mountains.

Laramide

After a recent earthquake, you notice that the road has been shifted to the left by 20 feet. What kind of fault created this obstruction?

Left-lateral strike-slip

__________ form when waves that approach the beach at an angle and produce a net current direction that is parallel to the shore, resulting in beach drift.

Longshore currents

The __________ is a seismic boundary between the crust and the mantle where there is a dramatic increase in the P-wave seismic wave velocity.

MOHO

How do the products of the two categories of weathering differ from each other?

Mechanical weathering results in broken pieces that are of the same composition as the original material, whereas chemical weathering alters the composition of the material.

Place the planets in our Solar System in the proper order.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

The most prominent force that induces tides on Earth is the __________.

Moon's gravitational pull

Which of the following process releases energy from radioactive materials to produce nuclear power?

Nuclear fission

In what environment will the plant and animal remains necessary to generate oil accumulate?

Ocean

The largest shield volcano in the solar system is __________ and is located on __________.

Olympus Mons; Mars

Most comets originate in the __________.

Oort cloud

A(n) __________ travels the fastest.

P wave

As discussed in the Deadliest Volcanoes documentary, the Ring of Fire is a narrow zone of volcanoes that rim the __________ Ocean

Pacific

Contrast pāhoehoe and 'a'ā lava flows.

Pahoehoe flows exhibit smooth surfaces and 'a'ā flows exhibit jagged surfaces with sharp edges, regardless of SiO2 content.

Which of the following is a reason Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006?

Pluto is not large enough to sweep its orbit clear of debris.

What is the definition of orognesis?

Processes that collectively form a mountain belt

Which term describes the bending of waves?

Refraction

What is the term for the thumbprint-sized pits found on the surface of meteorites?

Regmaglypts

How do renewable resources and nonrenewable resources differ?

Renewable resources can be replenished over relatively short time spans such as months, years, or decades, whereas nonrenewable resources continue to be formed in Earth, but the processes that create them are so slow that significant deposits take millions of years to accumulate.

The __________ scale calculates the magnitude of an earthquake by measuring the amplitude of waves recorded on a seismograph.

Richter

What are foliations in metamorphic rocks?

Roughly parallel layers of mineral crystals aligned perpendicular to the direction of pressure.

__________ refers to the bouncing motion sands will display when transported by moving water or wind.

Saltation

Which of the following types of mass movement travels down a curved surface?

Slump

__________ meteorites are combinations of iron and silicate minerals; __________ meteorites are mostly aggregates of iron with 5% to 20% nickel; and __________ meteorite are silicate minerals with inclusions of other minerals.

Stony-iron; Iron; Stony

What is the difference between strain and stress?

Strain is the change in rock shape that results from stress, which is the force that deforms the rock

How does strain differ from stress?

Strain is the change in rock shape that results from stress, which is the force that deforms the rock.

Milankovitch cycles explain climatic variations over 100-300 kya time scales. Which of the following is NOT part of the Milankovitch cycles?

Sunspots: the dark areas on the Sun caused by magnetic aactivity and occurs in 11-year cycles

Which seismic waves are the last to arrive at a seismic station?

Surface waves

What are the two primary types of seismic waves generated by earthquakes?

Surface waves and body waves

Put the three orogenic events of the Appalachian in order from oldest to youngest.

Taconic, Acadian, Alleghanian

Which type of stress has produced the fault-block mountains located in the Basin and Range province?

Tensional

Most mountain ranges are the result of __________ stress

Tensional and Compressional

What differentiates terrestrial planets from Jovian planets?

Terrestrial planets are smaller, more dense, and closer to the Sun than Jovian planets, which are larger, less dense, and farther from the Sun.

What is the nature of Jupiter's Great Red spot?

The Great Red Spot is a large, anticyclonic storm.

Which of the following is NOT an example of chemical weathering?

The breaking of a rock into pieces by freezing and thawing of water

What are the rocks below and above a fault called?

The footwall below and the hanging wall above

How are faults, hypocenters, and epicenters related?

The hypocenter is the exact point underground along a fault where the slippage of the two blocks of rock occurs. The epicenter is the point on Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter.

What is a suture zone?

The location where two continents have collided and are welded together

A mountain range with peaks as high as 14,000 feet above sea level has formed. As time passes, erosion wears down the mountains. How will isostasy affect the crust?

The mountain range will rise

What is the definition of lithification?

The process by which sediments are made into rock

Why does the East Pacific Rise lack a rift valley?

The rate of seafloor spreading is very fast

What is the definition of a parent rock?

The rock that was altered by metamorphism

According to the nebular theory, what are the basic steps in the formation of our solar system from first event to last?

The solar nebula contracted; the protosun formed; collisions of solid matter formed planetesimals; accretion of matter turned the planetesimals into protoplanets; the protoplanets ultimately became the eight planets of our solar system.

How do a wave's speed, wavelength, and height change as the wave moves into shallow water and breaks?

The speed and wavelength of the wave decrease, and the wave's height increases.

What is the angle of repose?

The steepest angle at which a material remains at rest.

If a back-arc basin is a region related to a subduction zone, how can such an extensional basin form near a boundary defined by compression?

The subducting plate rolls back as the old, dense plate sinks

The Tohoku earthquake generated a massive tsunami that devastated the nearby coast of Japan. What is the explanation for the generation of the tsunami?

The sudden lifting of the seafloor that pushed huge volumes of water up, out, and away in all directions

Which of the choices below accurately describes Earth's mantle from top to bottom?

The upper mantle contains the lithospheric mantle, the asthenosphere, and the transition zone; the lower mantle is Earth's thickest layer and is made of perovskite.

Generally speaking, how does the chemical composition of most metamorphic rocks compare to that of the protolith?

Their chemical compositions are nearly the same.

If I have a granite rock and a sandstone rock, which statement is most true, concerning their relative age?

Their relative ages cannot be determined from the information given.

What does the presence of mudcracks indicate about the former environment?

There was a wet environment that eventually dried up

How can tree rings provide information about past climates?

Thickness and spacing of tree rings reflect environmental conditions.

How can slate and phyllite, which resemble each other, be differentiated

Unlike slate, which has a flat surface, phyllite has a glossy sheen and a wavy surface.

What accounts for the large density differences between the terrestrial planets and the Jovian planets?

Variation in the chemical composition of the planets

What happens to tsunami waves as they move closer to shore?

Velocity decreases and height increases

The __________ is the site of eruption connected to the magma chamber

Vent

What do massive volcanic eruptions, for example El Chichon and Mount Pinatubo, tell us about climatic effects.

Volcanic activity causes cooling but it only lasts a few years and then the effect disappears.

Distinguish between weather and climate.

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place; climate is a description of aggregate weather conditions over a long period of time.

__________ is the breakdown of exposed rock into small fragments and dissolved ions.

Weathering

Magmas in the magma chamber of a volcano are often compared to soda to explain how the magma is erupted. How is magma like a bottle of soda? What happens to both substances when the pressure changes?

When it comes to how a bottle of soda is compared to a magma chamber of a it would be how when you shake up the bottle with the lid on it creates pressure and build up with in. This pressure needs a way to escape so when you open it erupts out releasing pressure and gases This is just like a volcanos magma chamber when the gases rise and need release its pressure from underground.

What is the definition of magma mixing? When magma mixes with other fluids to become more dilute When one rising magma combines with a second magma and the two intermix When rising magma melts surrounding country rock and incorporates it When magma incorporates more dissolved gasses

When one rising magma combines with a second magma and the two intermix

How do dunes migrate?

Wind erodes material on the windward side of the dune and deposits it on the leeward side of the dune.

The Wadati-Benioff zone is __________.

a planar region of concentrated earthquake activity that dips beneath a volcanic arc and outlines the downgoing oceanic crust in a subduction zone

The Love wave is a __________.

a surface wave that moves from side-to-side

In the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron, the oxygen:silicon ratio is: a. 4:1 b. 1:4 c. 3:1 d. 2:2

a. 4:1

A trap is a geological configuration that holds oil and gas. A(n) __________ trap is formed via a structural arch.

anticline

A tsunami is caused by __________.

anything that displaces water

_____ is an example of a framework tetrahedra. A. Olivine B. Quartz C. Hornblende D. Biotite

b. quartz

A __________ is a circular fold where the youngest layers are in the middle and the oldest layers are on the outside.

basin

Which of the following energy types are considered as only renewable?

biomass, hydropower, wind, geothermal

The biggest clasts of sediments are known as __________; the smallest clasts of sediments are known as __________.

boulders; mud

A __________ is a hard shoreline stabilization feature, detached from the shoreline, that protects shorelines from the pounding of waves by creating an area of quiet water behind it.

breakwater

Based on the definition of a mineral, which of the choices below lists ONLY minerals? A. water, ice, gold, and synthetic diamonds B. synthetic diamonds and gold C. gold and ice D. ice, water, wood, gold, and synthetic diamonds

c. Gold and Ice

Using figure 6.18 (pg. 185), if there are equal proportions of clay, sand, and silt in a soil, it is called __________.

clay loam

The A horizon in a soil (is) __________

composed of a mixture of humus and mineral matter

If caught in a rip current, do which of the following:

don't panic swim parallel to the shoreline ride the current out all of the aboveALLLLLL none of the above

The glacial features in the picture below are examples of a __________. Based on its shape, ice was flowing from the __________. Note: the landscape is made from glacial till and the top of the figure is North.

drumlin north

A 100-year flood ONLY happens every 100 years.

f

Groundwater migrates from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure.

f

Sediment within a meandering river is most likely to be deposited uniformly on either side of the meander.

f

Granite and rhyolite are both __________, but differ in __________. -aphanitic; composition -phaneritic; composition -crystal size; silica content -intermediate; texture -felsic; crystal size

felsic crystal size

A __________ will form as sediment collects between the accretionary wedge and the volcanic arc.

forearc basin

A common mechanical weathering process that takes place at either high latitude or high altitude is __________.

frost wedging

Walking to class you found a mafic igneous rock with a phaneritic texture. What is potential rock name? Diorite Granite Andesite Gabbro

gabbro

Because of (an) extreme __________, surface temperatures on Venus average more than 450 C.

greenhouse effect

The Sahara of Africa is a desert primarily because it is located __________.

in the subtropics

Two atoms of a single element that differ in their number of neutrons represent two distinct __________ of that element.

isotopes

(A) __________ is a volcanic hazard associated with the mixture of volcanic debris and water.

lahar

The Saffir-Simpson scale is numbered 1 to 5 with __________ wind speeds.

larger numbers indicating lower pressure and higher

Which of the following is NOT a type of dune?

latitudinal

The volcanic textures in the figure below are ordered in the following, from left to right: A. glassy, aphanitic, vesicular B. vesicular, aphanitic, glassy C. glassy, vesicular, aphanitic D. aphanitic, vesicular, glassy

left to right glassy-obsidian rock(left) vesicular- scoria (middle) Aphanitic- (right) picture linked

Pumping vast quantities of water locally __________.

lowers the water table by forming a cone-shaped depression

The Gobi desert of Mongolia is a desert primarily because it is located __________.

near the center of a large continent

The Atacama of Chile is a desert primarily because it is located __________.

next to a cold ocean current

Coal, natural gas, and oil are examples of __________.

non-renewable natural resources

Which type of unconformity is displayed in the picture below?

nonconformity

According to Bowen's reaction series, __________ is the first mineral to crystallize from a melt, whereas __________ is the last mineral to crystallize. quartz; olivine quartz; pyroxene olivine; quartz pyroxene; quartz

olivine; quartz

The primary basis for classifying detrital rocks is __________, whereas the primary basis for classifying chemical rocks is __________.

particle size; mineral composition

A gold prospector who pans for gold in a streambed is exploiting a __________ deposit.

placer

Metamorphic rocks can sometimes contain unusually large grains surrounded by a fine-grained matrix of other minerals. These large crystals are called __________.

porphyroblasts

The difference between a breccia and a conglomerate is that a conglomerate __________.

possesses more rounded grains than a breccia

The Enhanced Fujita scale __________.

quantifies tornado magnitude based on estimated maximum wind speed

A permeable and porous rock is a good candidate to serve as a __________ in an oil-producing scenario.

reservoir rock

A planetesimal is __________.

rocky material accreted through repeated collisions

An impermeable rock is a good candidate to serve as a __________ in an oil-producing scenario.

seal rock

Which mineral group makes up most igneous rocks? Halides Sulfides Silicates Native Elements

silicates

Believe it or not, a chocolate bar behaves similarly to rocks. If you try to bend a chocolate bar at room temperature, it will typically __________, and exhibit __________ behavior.

snap; brittle

__________ is the compass direction produced by the intersection of an inclined rock layer with a horizontal plane.

strike

In an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks, when younger layers overlie older layers, this is called the principle of __________.

superposition

Earth is currently in an Ice Age.

t

A __________ is constructed by the accumulation of rock debris at the terminus of a glacier.

terminal moraine

For the glacial budget, if ablation is greater than accumulation, the following statement is true:

the glacial front retreats

Regional metamorphism corresponds to __________.

the mountain building process

All of the following are evidence that Earth's global climate is presently warming EXCEPT __________.

the observation that the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth is more than what it used to be

The most recent spike of CO2 (over 280 ppm) in the atmosphere correlates to __________.

the onset of the Industrial Revolution

Chemical sedimentary rocks form from __________.

the precipitation of ions in solution

The geometry of sand dunes is strongly influenced by __________.

the strength of the wind the consistency of wind direction the abundance of sand all of the above ALLL

One part of the hydrologic cycle include evaporation, which is __________.

the transformation of water from the liquid state to the gas state

Global warming is __________.

the warming of Earth's atmosphere primarily caused by the production of greenhouse gases due to human activity

Mountain ranges such as the Appalachians and the Himalayas are examples of mountains that formed as a result of __________ faulting.

thrust

If all the particles in a detrital sedimentary rock are nearly the same size, it is __________.

very well-sorted