GEOG 110 Practice Final Exam

________ is the coherent theory that describes the motion of the Earth's lithosphere and associated processes and results.

Plate tectonics

________ is the theory that describes the motion of the Earth's lithosphere.

Plate tectonics

Which of the following properly describes the formation of continental crust?

The formation of continental crust involves the entire sequence of seafloor spreading, subduction, remelting of oceanic crust, and subsequent rise of the remelted material.

Which of the following statements about Earth's core is not correct?

The inner core is believed to be liquid and the outer core solid.

Which of the following is an example of the principle of uniformitarianism?

The processes by which streams carve valleys at present are the same as those that carved valleys 500 million years ago.

Which of the following is correct regarding continental drift?

The term "continental drift" is now called plate tectonics.

Which of the following is not correct regarding terranes?

They are very similar in composition to the continents to which they attach.

A drainage divide that separates drainage basins that empty into different bodies of water surrounding a continent is known as

a continental divide.

The Hawai'ian Islands were formed as a result of

a rising plume of magma from the mantle.

If the load exceeds a stream's capacity, sediment accumulates in the bed in a process called

aggradation

The area of high ground that separates one valley from another and directs sheetflow is known as ________.

an interfluve

Mafic igneous rocks, such as gabbro and basalt,

are derived from magnesium and iron.

Felsic igneous rocks, such as granite and rhyolite,

are high in silicate minerals.

Earth's magnetic poles

are migrating approximately 60 km (37 mi.) per year.

The plastic layer in the mantle from about 70 to 250 km (43 to 155 mi.) in depth is known as the

asthenosphere

Maximum velocity as stream flows around a meander curve is

at the outer portion of the meander curve.

The sediment load consisting of coarse material too large to remain in suspension, moving along the channel bottom via traction and saltation is the

bed load.

Bed load is moved by

both saltation and traction, but not suspension.

The geologic cycle is fueled by

both solar energy and the Earth's internal heat.

The process of isostatic adjustment is most closely associated with which of the following?

buoyancy

The total possible load a stream can transport is its ________, whereas a stream's ability to move particles of specific size is its ________.

capacity; competence

Sedimentary rock formed from dissolved minerals that precipitate out of water solution and build up to form rock are

chemical.

Sedimentary rock formed from the combined processes of weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition, lithification, and compaction of rock fragments of other rocks are

clastic

Explosive eruptions tend to build up

composite volcanoes.

At this convergent boundary, neither plate is subducted, rather folding, faulting, and uplift occurs.

continental-plate-continental plate

The Himalayas formed as a result of the ongoing collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. This is an example of ________ collision.

continental-plate-continental plate

Areas of crustal collision and subduction occur along

convergent boundaries.

At which of the following locations does subduction occur?

convergent plate boundaries

Which of the following is not a location in which volcanoes typically occur?

cratons

Which of the following gives the correct sequence of layers in Earth, from the surface to the center?

crust, mantle, outer core, inner core

The portion of each meandering curve subject to the fastest water velocity undergoes the greatest erosive action. This action forms a steep

cutback

As they migrate, meandering streams erode their out outside banks, often forming a narrow neck of land that eventually erodes through and forms a ________ and the stream becomes ________.

cutoff; straighter

The sediment load that travels in solution is

dissolved load.

Areas of upwelling material from the mantle to form new seafloor occur along

divergent boundaries.

Watersheds are defined by

drainage divides.

Which of the following lists, in proper sequential order, the steps leading to the formation of clastic sedimentary rock?

erosion, transportation, deposition, lithification

Finer grained igneous rocks tend to be ________ because ________.

extrusive; the faster cooling of lava limits time for crystals to form

Processes that are related expressly to streams and rivers are termed

fluvial

Terranes refer to

fragmented crustal material from one plate and accreted to another plate.

The suspended load of a stream consists of particles that are

held aloft in the stream flow.

The ________ drives the exogenic processes of the rock cycle.

hydrologic cycle

The principal cycles composing the geologic cycle include all the following except

hydrologic cycle, rock cycle, and tectonic cycle

What type of rock forms from the solidification of molten material?

igneous

Which rock type makes up approximately 90% of the Earth's crust?

igneous

The temperature of Earth's interior

increases with depth so the hottest temperatures are found within Earth's core.

A batholith forms from

intrusive igneous rock.

Coarser grained igneous rocks tend to be ________ because ________.

intrusive; slower cooling of magma allows more time for crystals to form

Geomagnetic reversals

involve slow diminishments to low intensity and a rapid regaining of full strength.

An effusive eruption ________, whereas an explosive eruption ________.

is an outpouring of low-viscosity magma onto the ground; is a violent explosion of magma, gas, and pyroclastics

The principles of buoyancy and balance, when applied to Earth's crust, helps us to explain fluctuations in Earth's outer crust, a property known as

isostasy

Molten rock that pours forth on Earth's surface is called

lava

The rigid crust and uppermost mantle are known collectively as the

lithosphere

Effusive eruptions are not related to which of the following?

magma rich in silica and aluminum

Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface is known as ________, whereas molten rock on the Earth's surface is called ________.

magma; lava

Earth's interior is layered because

materials became sorted based on density as the Earth solidified.

Channels with gradual slopes often develop a sinuous form called a(n) ________ pattern.

meandering stream

A rock transformed from any other rock through extreme heat and or pressure is referred to as

metamorphic

Along ________, new ocean floor is formed by upwelling flows of magma, whereas along ________, old oceanic crust is destroyed.

mid-ocean ridges; subduction zones

An element or combination of elements that forms an inorganic, natural compound is called a

mineral

At this convergent boundary, a subduction zone forms as the result of density differences of the converging plates.

oceanic plate-continental plate

The Andes of South America formed as a result of the Nazca plate subducting beneath the South American plate. This is an example of ________ collision.

oceanic plate-continental plate

At this convergent boundary, volcanic island arcs form where one plate is subducted under another.

oceanic plate-oceanic plate

The "Ring of Fire" is a volcanic island arc extending from the southwestern Pacific through Indonesia. The island arc formed as a result of ________ collision.

oceanic plate-oceanic plate

At which of the following locations is new ocean crust being formed?

oceanic rift zones

Drainage basins are

open systems.

The ________ is liquid and is responsible for producing Earth's magnetic field.

outer core

A(n) ________ is a meander that becomes isolated from the rest of the river.

oxbow lake

The three most abundant elements in Earth's crust are

oxygen, silicon, and aluminum.

Mid-ocean ridges occur where

plates are moving apart (diverging).

Which of the following is an example of an intrusive, igneous rock formation?

pluton

The portion of each meandering curve subject to the slowest water velocity undergoes aggradation. This results in a(n)

point bar.

Overland flow can concentrate in small grooves called ________, which can enlarge to form ________.

rills; gullies

A(n) ________ is an assemblage of minerals bound together, a mass composed of a single mineral, a mass of undifferentiated materials, or a mass of solid organic material.

rock

The continuous alteration of Earth materials from one rock type to another is known as the

rock cycle.

What type of rock is derived from the bits and pieces of former rocks?

sedimentary

If you were driving down the highway and saw mountains composed of layered strata, you could be confident that you were looking at

sedimentary rocks.

The three basic rock types are

sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous.

In stream formation, surface water initially moves down slope in a thin film called

sheetflow

A gently sloping mountain landform built from effusive eruption is known as a

shield volcano.

Which of the following is not a process that can cause metamorphism?

solidification of magma

The general term for channelized water flow, regardless of size, is

stream

The world's deep ocean trenches coincide with

subduction zones.

The process whereby one portion of the lithosphere beneath another and dives downward into the mantel is called

subduction.

The sediment load consisting of fine-grained clastic particles held aloft in the stream is the

suspended load.

The ________ drives the endogenic processes of the rock cycle.

tectonic cycle

Pulverized rock and clastic materials ejected violently during an eruption are called

tephra, or pyroclastics.

The major rocks of Earth's crust are classified into principal types based on

the manner in which they formed.

Ocean floor subducts under continents because

the ocean floor is made of mafic material and is therefore more dense than continental material.

Uniformitarianism assumes that

the same physical processes we see today are a key to understanding the processes that have been operating throughout geologic time.

Areas where plates slide past one another, usually at right angles to a seafloor spreading, are

transform boundaries.

The principle that the same physical processes currently active in the environment were operating throughout Earth's history is known as

uniformitarianism.

Which of the following are located along the mid-ocean ridges?

volcanoes

The area of land from which all water in it drains into the same place is known as a(n)

watershed.

Which of the following lists of processes are in the correct sequence as to their occurrence in nature?

weathering, erosion, transport, deposition

The Appalachians formed as a result of the

Alleghany orogeny.

The fact that Earth's interior is sorted into layers indicates that

Earth was once in a molten state, during which materials became sorted based on density.

The heat from ________ is the energy that drives plate tectonics.

Earth's extremely hot interior

The most recent epoch in the geologic time scale is the ________, though numerous scientists agree we have entered a new epoch called the ________.

Holocene; Anthropocene

________ are sites of upwelling of magma from the mantle independent of plate boundaries.

Hot spots

Which of the following is correct of the longitudinal profile of most rivers?

It is concave in shape.