Geology Reading Quiz 10

What type of unconformity occurs when sedimentary rocks overlie either igneous or metamorphic rocks? Choose one: A. nonconformity B. disconformity C. baked contact D. angular unconformity

A. nonconformity

Which of the following is a method used to determine numerical age? Choose one: A. cross-cutting relations B. counting tree rings C. correlating strata D. fossil correlation

B. counting tree rings

Identify the true statement. Choose one: A. Radiometric dating can be used only if some uranium is present in a rock. B. Dating a mineral within a metamorphic rock gives the age when the rock cooled below the closure temperatures of that mineral. C. Dating a sand grain in a sandstone gives the age of the sandstone's formation. D. All of the possible answers are correct.

B. dating a mineral within a metamorphic rock gives the age when the rock cooled below the closure temperatures of that mineral

What does this photo of sedimentary rock layers in Utah show? Choose one: A. angular unconformity B. disconformity C. nonconformity D. baked contact

B. disconformity

In this illustration, which is a correct interpretation of relative ages? Choose one: A. The fault is older than the folded layers, which are younger than the granite. B. All of the possible answers are correct. C. The granite pluton is older than the fault, which is older than the dike. D. The granite pluton is older than the folded layers.

C. The granite pluton os older than the fault, which is older than the dike

In the image below, what is the best estimate for the age of the fossils? Choose one: A. younger than 80 Ma B. older than 125 Ma C. between 80 and 125 Ma D. The ages of surrounding rocks are irrelevant: the fossils can be dated much more precisely with carbon-14 dating.

C. between 80 and 125 Ma

A radioactive isotope of the element potassium decays to produce argon. If the ratio of argon to potassium in a mineral is found to be 7:1, how many half-lives have occurred since the mineral cooled below its closure temperature? Choose one: A. 7 half-lives B. 8 half-lives C. 1 half-life D. 3 half-lives

D. 3 half-lives

Which of the following lists the three Phanerozoic eras in order from oldest to youngest? Choose one: A. Mesozoic, Archean, Cenozoic B. Proterozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic C. Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Proterozoic D. Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic

D. Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic

Dipping sedimentary rock layers include a layer of basalt containing xenoliths of the overlying sedimentary rock. Which of the following statements must be true? Choose one: A. The basalt is older than the sedimentary rock layers above it. B. The sedimentary layers were deposited on a basaltic lava flow. C. The sedimentary layers were deposited at an angle, creating the "dip" of the layers. D. The basalt is a sill intruded into older sedimentary rock.

D. The basalt is a sill intruded into older sedimentary rock

The principle of fossil succession states that Choose one: A. every rock layer contains only one species of fossil. B. the same fossil assemblages appear throughout geologic time in repeating intervals. C. every fossil species spans only a limited range of rock layers, corresponding to the time period over which it lived. D. fossil species found in rock are the same as species living today.

C. every fossil species spans only a limited range of rock layers, corresponding to the time period over which it lived.

The principle of lateral continuity says that Choose one: A. rock containing inclusions is younger than the inclusions. B. in a sequence of sedimentary beds, the oldest is on the bottom. C. sedimentary layers began as continuous expanses of sediment. D. the feature doing the cutting is younger than the feature it cuts.

C. sedimentary layers began as continuous expanses of sediment

The boundary surface between two stratigraphic formations is called: Choose one: A. key bed. B. nonconformity. C. marker bed. D. contact.

D. contact

Stratigraphic correlation Choose one: A. involves the matching of sedimentary layers to layers that look the same across the Earth. B. has proven that the same sequence of rock types is present everywhere on Earth. C. cannot be performed globally because sedimentary rocks in different areas look so different. D. relates layers in different places that are the same age, regardless of how different they look.

D. relates layers in different places thatt are the same age, regardless of how different they look

If you equate all of the Earth's history to one calendar year, the history of our species (Homo sapiens) would occupy Choose one: A. the time from December 31 at 3 P.M. to New Year's Eve. B. the time from December 15 to New Year's Eve. C. the week from Christmas to New Year's Eve. D. the last hour before midnight on New Year's Eve.

D. the last hour before midnight on New Year's eve.

What conclusion can you make from the following diagram? Choose one: A. If the half-life of the parent material is 4,000 years, 3 on the horizontal axis of the graph represents 12,000 years. B. If 2 g of parent material is present after three half-lives, 6 g of daughter material will also be present. C. All of the possible answers are correct. D. Equal amounts of parent and daughter material are present after the passage of two half-lives.

A. If half-life of the parent material is 4,000 years, 3 on the horizontal axis of the graph represents 12,000 years

What does the term uniformitarianism mean? Choose one: A. We can interpret the processes that formed ancient rock by examining the processes that form similar rock today. B. All of the possible answers are correct. C. The Earth's surface is unchanging. D. The physical processes on Earth today are different from those in the past.

A. We can interpret the processes that formed ancient rock by examining the processes that form similar rock today.

In 1815, William Smith correlated strata from many locations and plotted the information on paper to show the spatial distribution of rock units on the Earth's surface. This document was the first modern Choose one: A. geologic map. B. geologic time scale. C. stratigraphic column. D. geologic column.

A. geologic map

Geologist base their estimate that the Earth is 4.56 billion years old on. Choose one: A. isotopic dating of meteorites thought to be from primitive solids of the early Solar System. B. the rate of cooling of the Earth since it formed. C. radiometric age dates on rocks from Wyoming. D. cross-cutting relationships.

A. isotopic dating of meteorites thought to be from primitive solids of the early Solar System

In the image below, what does the contact between the Unkar Group and Tapeats Sandstone represent? Choose one: A. an angular unconformity B. All of the possible answers are correct. C. a surface formed by uplift and erosion of tilted older rock layers D. missing time in the geologic record

B. All of the possible answers are correct

Which of the following is the MOST PRECISE estimate of when the folding occurred? Choose one: A. before erosion of the land surface B. before the granite pluton intruded, and after intrusion of the sill C. before the basalt dike intruded and after layer 6 was deposited D. before the fault formed and after layer 5 was deposited

B. before the granite pluton intruded, and after intrusion of the sill