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
