Final Exam Quizzes

Using the Richter scale, an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 releases about how much more energy than one of magnitude 5.5?

1,000

What percent of Earth's land surface is currently covered by glaciers?

10%

During the Last Glacial Macimum, sea level was about _________

100 meters lower than it is today

If the ratio of radioactive parent to stable daughter isotope is 1:3, how many half-lives have elapsed?

2

Most dry lands lie between _________ degrees north and south of the equator

20 and 30

what are the mass and charge of an alpha particle?

4, +2

_________ involves movement on a zone of compressed air.

A rock avalanche

1) Which statement about the May, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens is FALSE?

A) During the eruptive period, the mountain peak was substantially built up by new lava flows and pyroclastic debris.

3) ________ is a major dissolved volatile constituent in both magmas and volcanic gases.

A) Water

12) Another term for a volcanic mudflow is a ________.

A) lahar

4) Which one of the following shows the correct order (left to right) of decreasing magma viscosity?

A) rhyolite, andesite, basalt

24) The Appalachian Mountains in North America were formed by a continent-continent collision in the Paleozoic, and are an example of a(n) ________-type orogeny.

Alpine

7) Basaltic lava flows are generally ________ and ________ than andesite lavas.

B) hotter, less viscous

_________ is one of the two major flow mechanisms in a glacier

Basal slip

Iselbergs are _________

Bedrock hills in a highly eroded desert landscape

Visualize five horizontal sedimentary strata exposed in a cliff or canyon wall identitied by sonsectuve numbers, 1 being the lowest bed and 5 being the highest. Which of the following statements concerning the stara are TRUE?

Beds 1 and 3 are older than bed 4

5) Why do magmas rise toward Earth's surface?

C) Magmas are mainly liquid and contain dissolved fluids such as water; most are less dense than the adjacent solid rock.

11) The average composition of rocks comprising a large composite cone or stratovolcano is similar to a(n) ________ magma.

C) andesitic

9) Volcanic bombs originate ________.

C) as erupted magma blobs that partly congeal before falling to the ground

14) Large, volcanic depressions formed by subsidence and collapse are known as ________.

C) calderas

6) Which of the following is most likely to result in an effusive eruption?

C) magma with a low silica composition

8) Which of the following magma types has the highest gas content?

C) rhyolitic magma

13) Which of the following best describes Shiprock, a famous volcanic feature in New Mexico?

C) the eroded remains of a volcanic pipe and radiating dikes

which of the following is not a very long-lived, radioactive isotope?

C-14

16) What type of volcano is shown in the diagram below?

Cinder cone

2) Which of the following would you most expect to accompany an eruption of Kilauea Volcano?

D) fluid lava flows

10) Pyroclastic fragments intermediate in size between ash and bombs are known as ________.

D) lapilli

Which one of the following will effectively limit further deflation in a given area?

Desert pavement

Which of the following is the one best measure of the wetness or dryness of a region?

Difference between annual precipitation and evaporation potential

A(n) _________ is a narrow, winding ridge composed of outwash deposited in a tunnel or channel cut into stagnant, glacial ice

Esker

Which one of the following is NOT a speleothem?

Geyserite

Consider a weathered rock or soil particle lying on a slope. How will the gravitational force pulling the particle downward along the land surface vary with the inclination of the slope?

I will decrease as the slope angle is lessened

________ are found on a much larger scale than _________

Ice sheets, valley glaciers

15) Pockets of magmas can be formed by the melting of deep continental crust heated by the intrusion of other magmas. Which of the following correctly describes this process?

Intrusion of basaltic magma causes deep crustal rocks to melt, producing andesitic or rhyolitic magmas.

what fundamental concept states that in a horizontal sequence of conformable sedimentary strata, each higher bed is younger than the bed below it?

Law of superposition

_________ is the best explanation for a glacial surge

Melting at the base of the glacier resulting in increased rates of basal slip

Alternating glacial and interglacial periods cannot be attributed to _________ because of the time scale on which they occur

Movement of the Earth's tectonic plates

29) ________ faults form in response to horizontal, tensional stresses that stretch or elongate the rocks.

Normal

Which one of the following concerning desert lands is FALSE?

Running water has little effect on shaping the landscape

The ice covering the Arctic Ocean is _________

Sea ice

Which one of the following statements is correct?

Sea level drops when water is stored in expanding ice sheets and continental glaciers.

which of the following describes radioactive decay by beta particle emission?

The atomic number of the daughter isotope is one more than the parent: the mass numbers are the same

You come upon an outcropping of sandstone while working in the field in Southern Utah. You notice cross-beds. Which of the following would you be able to determine about this deposit, just from looking at it?

The direction of the wind at the time it was deposited

Rainshadow deserts are common in __________

The dry valleys of Eastern California and Nevada

which of the following geologic observations would not bear directly on working out the sequence of geologic events in an area?

The feldspar and quartz contents of a granite

sandstone strata and a mass of granite are observed to be in contact. Which of the following statements is correct geologically?

The granite is older if the sandstone contains pebbles of the granite

which one of the following best characterizes tsumanis?

They have relatively small amplitudes compared to their very long wavelengths

Intermittent streams are also called _________.

Washes, arroyos, and wadis, these are all names for intermittent streams

when a(n) _______ is emitted, the mass nymber of the isotope is reduced.

alpha particle

All of the following are possible indicators that creep is occurring EXCEPT for _______.

an extremely thick soil profile

P waves _______.

are faster than S waves and surface waves

The distance between a seismological recording station and the earthquake source is determined from the ________.

arrival times of P and S wave

27) A circular to elliptical structure developed by downwarping of the central strata is a ________.

basin

the half life of carbon-14 is about 6000 years. Assume that a sample of charcoal formed by burning of living wood 15,000 years ago. How much of the original carbon-14 would remain today?

between 12.5% and 25%

Which process occurs where a glacier enters the sea?

calving

_______ describes the total sediment load transported by a stream.

capacity

18) Which of the following best defines strain?

changes in a rock's shape due to stress

the zone of greatest seismic activity is called the ______.

circum-Pacific bet

28) Terrane accretion generally occurs along a ________ boundary between a continental plate and an oceanic plate.

convergent

Most of Earth's strongest earthquakes tend to occur along ________.

convergent plate boundaries

the amount of desrtuction caused by earthquake vibrations is affected by ____

design of structures, intensity, and duration of the vibrations, and the nature of surface material all affect the amount of destruction caused by earthquake waves

The volume of water flowing past a certain point in a given unit of time is called ______.

discharge

Which one of the following materials has the maximum, sustainable, slope angle, as determined by the angle of repose

dry sand

19) Folds form as a result of ________.

ductile deformation

_______ are components of the hydrologic cycle that release water valor directly to the atmosphere.

evaporation and transportation

Seismic waves travel ____ when rock is ________.

faster, stiffer

The ________ is the site of initial rupturing associated with an earthquake.

focus

All of the following are factors affecting mass movement EXCEPT for _______.

geologic age

The slope of a stream channel, expressed as the vertical drop of a stream over a specified distance, is called the/a ______.

gradient

___________ is the coefficient that takes into account the viscosity of the fluid and the permeability of the aquifer.

hydraulic conductivity

The water table slope is known as the ________.

hydraulic gradient

The majority of freshwater on Earth is located where?

in glaciers and ice sheets

Most rapid and spectacular mass movement events occur _________.

in rugged, geologically young mountains

How does urbanization (paving, etc.) affect runoff and infiltration in a small, previously forested, drainage basin?

infiltration decreases; runoff increases

22) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

joint

The unsaturated zone ___________.

lies above the water table

The hot rock spring deposits at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, are travertine. What rock probably lies somewhere beneath the hot springs?

limestone

____ refers to the tendency for a foundation material to lose its internal coheison and fail mechanically during earthquake shaking

liquefaction

The downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil is called ________.

mass movement

As an erosional process, how is mass movement unique from wind, water, and ice?

mass wasting does not require a transporting medium

The ________ magnitude scale is a measure of the energy released by an earthquake. It does not directly measure the extent of building damage

moment

23) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

monocline

17) Rock deformation mostly occurs ________.

near the centers of plates

26) Horsts and grabens are bounded by ________ faults.

normal

Consider a steep highway cut made by removing slightly weather to fresh, fractured, granite bedrock. Which of the following situations is most stable against rockslidfes?

one set of widely spaced, horizontal fractures

25) The east coast of North America is a(n) ________ tectonic margin, characterized by an extensive platform of sediments and sedimentary rocks.

passive

__________ is the volume of voids or open space in a rock or unconsolidated material.

porosity

by applying the law of superposition, ______ dates can be determined.

relative

_________ refers to the "bouncing" mode of sand transport in a windstorm or stream

salation

The type and amount of material carried in suspension are controlled by flow velocity and _________.

settling velocity

_______ comprise the suspended loads of most rivers and streams.

silt and clay-sized, detrital grains

Which of the following was a major factor leading to the Gros Ventre, Wyoming, slide?

soils and shallow bedrock were very wet and locally saturated

An uncomformity is a buried ______.

surface of erosion separating younger strata above from older strata below

Overall, this type of seismic wave is the most destructive.

surface wave

S waves cannot travel through ________.

the outer core

A _________ is formed by abrasion of rocks by windblown sand.

ventifact

An artesian well is one in which ________.

water rises above the top of the aquifer without any pumping

a worm would satnd a poor chance of being fossilized because _____.

worms have no hard parts

The near-surface zone that contains some of the water that soaks into the ground is called the _________.

zone of soil moisture

Seismic gaps are _______.

zones storing strain that will be released during a future earthquake