Intro to Ocean

Earth's primordial prebiotic atmosphere (i.e. existing at the very beginning) most likely included: a) carbon dioxide, water vapor, sulfur dioxide, and methane. b) hydrogen, helium, and oxygen. c) ammonia, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. d) nitrogen, ozone, and sulfur dioxide.

a)

Modern molecular biology and DNA sequencing techniques have revealed that all of the following are domains of life, except for: a)Animals b) Bacteria c) Archaea d) Eukarya

a)

The Sun and the rest of the solar system formed about 5 billion years ago from a huge cloud of dust and gas called a: a) solar nebula b) supernova c) solar system d) protoplanet e) quasar

a)

Underwater avalanches of muddy water mixed with rocks and debris are: a) turbidity currents. b) turbidite deposits. c) white smokers. d) graded bedding. e) deep sea fans.

a)

The driving forces for plate tectonics include all but the following: a) gravitational pulling at subduction zones b) deposition and 'pushing apart' at spreading centers c) convection circulation in the asthenosphere d) movement from hot spot plumes

d)

Which of the following is a characteristic of oceanic-oceanic convergent plate boundaries? a) mid-ocean ridges b) hot spots c) fracture zones d) volcanic island arcs

d)

Oceanic crust is created at _______ and destroyed at ___________. a) Passive margins; active margins b) Hot spots; divergent plates c) Ridges; plate boundaries d) Spreading centers; subduction zones

d)

Oceanic crust is primarily: a) granite b) clay minerals c) basalt d) siltstone e) carbonate sedimentary rocks

c)

Passive continental margins are characterized by all of the following except: a) shallow coastal waters. b) very little volcanic and earthquake activity. c) deep-sea trenches. d) broad continental shelves.

c)

The separation of the Earth into layers while it was molten was the result of the: a) presence of water at Earth's surface. b) decrease in temperature downward toward the core. c) differing densities of the elements that make up the Earth. d) initial collection of materials and their position in Earth. e) gravitational force created by the rotating Earth.

c)

Why is the inside of the Earth still hot? What is the source of its heat? a) A nuclear process like that found in stars is at work in Earth's interior. b) The outer layers have prevented the escape of heat trapped during planet's initial formation, and no new heat has been formed. c) The decay of large radioactive elements is creating heat in the Earth's inner layers. d) Huge quantities of oil and natural gas occasionally burn deep within the Earth.

c)

Submarine canyons (like the Monterey Canyon) were most likely formed by: a) erosion by major rivers in the past. b) deposition of terrestrial sediment. c) earthquake activity. d) erosion by turbidity currents. e) scouring by glaciers during the last ice age.

d)

A tentative, testable statement about the general nature of a phenomenon is called a/an: a) observation. b) theory. c) law. d) guess. e) hypothesis.

e)

Characteristics of active continental margins include all of the following except: a) deep-sea trenches. b) thin sediment accumulation. c) volcanic and earthquake activity. d) chains of islands. e) broad continental shelves.

e)

Satellites are used to map the ocean floor because: a) the shape of the ocean surface itself reflects large features on the seafloor below. b) they can "see" large areas of the seafloor at one time. c) they are unaffected by surface weather. d) they can cover areas where ships have not produced surveys. e) All of the other answers are correct.

e)

What is thought to be responsible for the accumulation of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere? a) outgassing from inner Earth AND removal of iron from the ocean into banded iron formations b) outgassing from inner Earth c) removal of iron from the ocean into banded iron formations d) oxygenic photosynthesis e) removal of iron from the ocean into banded iron formations AND oxygenic photosynthesis

e)

At which location do we find the most earthquakes and volcanoes? a) Transform plate boundaries b) Convergent plate boundaries c) Divergent plate boundaries d) Hot spots

b)

Current scientific knowledge indicates that the most likely origin of most of Earth's oceans was due to: a) comets from outer space. b) water vapor released from volcanic outgassing. c) all of the other answers are correct d) release of liquid water from the core.

b)

Earth's oldest rocks are found: a) in the deepest trenches. b) at the core of continents. c) at mid-ocean ridges. d) on volcanic islands, like Hawaii.

b)

Fossils of ancient polar plants are currently found near the equator because the: a) poles were at the equator at times in the geologic past. b) plants lived near the poles, but landmasses have drifted to current locations. c) plants probably were tolerant of both tropical and polar conditions. d) plants were distributed to current locations by ancient glacial ice sheets.

b)

Radioactive materials are often used to determine the: a) formation method. b) ages of rocks. c) chemical composition of rocks. d) origin of rocks.

b)

Tectonic plates are pieces of the ________ that float on the more fluid ________ below. a) crust; lithosphere b) lithosphere; asthenosphere c) mantle; crust d) asthenosphere; lithosphere

b)

As you know, Earth is layered inside. The layers have different thicknesses and densities. How do geologists know this? a) From drilling and digging down into the various layers. b) From observing the characteristics of lava and gas issuing from volcanic vents. c) From satellite altimetry d) From observing the transit times through the Earth of seismic waves generated by large earthquakes.

d)

At the present time, oceanographic research is primarily the province of _____, and funded by____: a) private corporations, funded through national or local grants. b) private individuals, privately funded. c) private corporations, privately funded. d) academic institutions or governmental agencies, publicly funded.

d)

Plate tectonics, evolution, relativity, and heliocentrism (the sun being the center of our solar system) are held with a high degree of confidence because of rigorous testing and verification. They are examples of: a) theories. b) observations. c) hypotheses. d) guesses. e) laws.

a)

Volcanic peaks on the deep-ocean floor with conical tops are called: a) seamounts. b) tablemounts. c) submarine canyons. d) oceanic ridges.

a)

The average depth of the world's oceans is approximately: a) 11,000 meters b) 4,000 meters c) 2,000 meters d) 1,000 meters

b)

The seafloor magnetic pattern is best described as: a) not related to the location of mid-ocean ridges. b) parallel to and symmetric about mid-ocean ridges. c) perpendicular to, but not symmetric about mid-ocean ridges. d) parallel to, but not symmetric about mid-ocean ridges.

b)

There are many trenches that are found around the rim of the Pacific Ocean basin. Why are the deepest trenches found in the area near the Mariana Trench/Challenger Deep? a) These are the sites where lithospheric plates are converging the fastest. b) This is the location where the oldest and most dense oceanic plates converge. c) Because of the frequent occurrence of turbidity currents in this region. d) This is just a coincidence that these trenches ended up the deepest.

b)

What types of organizations are the biggest funders of oceanographic research? a) Academic institutions (schools and universities) b) Government agencies (NOAA, NSF, NASA, EPA, etc) c) Private foundations (Moore Foundation, Simons Foundation, etc) d) Private Companies (Google, etc)

b)