An Introduction to Geology An Introduction to Geology Dynamic Study Module

Where are active mountain belts most likely to be found?

Along the margins of continents.

Which of the following best describes the fundamental concept of superposition?

Any sedimentary deposit accumulates on top of older rock or sediment layers.

Which word describes a system in which energy moves freely in and out, but no matter enters or leaves?

Closed

What two processes occur during lithification of sedimentary rocks?

Compaction and cementation

Which term describes a relatively stable interior portion of a continent?

Craton

The _____ is the thinnest layer of Earth?

Crust

The __________ is a thought to be a liquid, metallic region in Earth;s interior.

Outer core.

What are the basic differences between the disciplines of physical and historical geology?

Physical includes the study of how rocks form and of how erosion shapes the land surface; historical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and geologic events, utilizing the geologic time scale as a reference.

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

Sedimentary rocks may weather to form igneous rocks.

What material is thought to form the core of Earth?

Solid iron-nickel alloy

Which of the following is NOT one of the possible steps of a scientific investigation?

The publication of conclusions without prior experimentation or observation.

Which layer forms the relatively cool, brittle plates of Earth's crust?

The top of the lithosphere.

A ________ is a well-tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain scientific observations.

Theory

Compared to the age of Earth accepted as correct today, how did 17th and 18th century proponents of a catastrophism envision Earth's age?

They believed Earth to be much younger than current estimates.

What geological theory is oftem paraphrased as "the present is the key to the past?"

Uniformitarianism

__________ is the process by which rocks breakdown in place to produce soils.

Weathering

What is the currently accepted age of Earth?

4.6 billion years

Where in the ocean basin would we find the continental shelf?

Between the continent and the continental slope.

The ____________ refers to the sum total of all life on Earth.

Biosphere

Where in Earth is the asthenosphere?

In the mantle under the lithosphere.

Which list below identifies the layers of the Earth in the correct order from the center outward?

Inner core, outer core, mantle, crust

What are the most prominent features on the ocean floor?

Mid-ocean ridges

What theory proposes that the bodies of the solar system formed at essentially the same time from a rotating cloud of gases and dust.

Nebular theory.