Geology Ch. 9

[picture] This photo shows an upper unit with fragments and a lower unit with tilted layers. Which of the following statements is true? a. the upper unit is younger bcs it is on top b. the upper unit is younger bcs it contains pieces of of the underlying unit c. the lower unit is older bcs it was tilted and eroded before deposition of the upper unit d. all of these

all of these

which of the following features look like fossils but are not? a. footprints from dinosaurs b. burrows excavated by worms and other creature and filled by other sediments c. leaves and other plants formed on land d. dark minerals that grow in branching patterns e. all of these are fossils

dark minerals that grow in branching patterns

which of the following time periods were dinosaurs the dominant creatures? a. cenozoic b. mesozoic c. paleozoic d. precambrian

mesozoic

in which of the following time periods were mammals the dominant type of life? a. cenozoic b. mesozoic c. paleozoic d. precambrian

a. cenozoic

in which of the following time periods did coral, fish, plants, and insects become abundant? a. cenozoic b. mesozoic c. paleozoic d. precambrian

paleozoic

which of the following chapters in geologic time occured before there were abundant animals with hard parts? a. cenozoic b. mesozoic c. paleozoic d. precambrian

precambrian

which of the following is the earliest (oldest) chapter of geologic time? a. cenozoic b. mesozoic c. paleozoic d. precambrian

precambrian

what is a possible cause of the extinction event called the Great Dying? a. a meteorite impact that killed the dinosaurs b. a great outpouring of a lava at the end of the Paleozoic c. a sudden increase in the oxygen content of the atmospheric during the Precambrian d. a new kind of super predator that devoured nearlly all of the life

a great outpouring of a lava at the end of the Paleozoic

what is a principle we use to determine the age of a landscape surface? a. a landscape surface must be older than any rocks onto which it is carved b. a landscape surface is younger than any rock that is deposited on top of the surface c. the highest river terrace is probably the youngest in age d. a surface with a well-developed soil is probably older than a surface with no soil

a surface with a well-developed soil is probably older than a surface with no soil

What was the Cambrian explosion? a. a large volcano that went off in wales, which the Romans called Cambria b. a meteorite impact that struck the north coast of the Yucatan peninsula of mexico c. a time when a meteorite collided with the center of a super continent, melting all the ice glaciers d. a time when many different types of creatures appeared on Earth

a time when many different types of creatures appeared on Earth

Upon what basis were the upper and lower boundaries of the Mesozoic Era defined? a. dramatic changes is the color of the rocks from green to tan b. major episodes of mountain building c. abrupt changes in the types of fossils, representing mass extinctions d. the discovery that a meteoroid impact may have killed the dinosaurs

abrupt changes in the types of fossils, representing mass extinctions

which of the following is NOT accurately dated at b/w 4 and 4.6 billion yrs old? a. the oldest dates on mineral grains of earth b. age of the oldest meteorite c. age of the moon returned to earth and dated d. isotopic ages on earth's oldest known fossil shell

isotopic ages on earth's oldest known fossil shell

What type of feature is shown in this photograph of Siccar Point, Scotland? a. monocline b. thrust fault c. normal fault d. unconformity

unconformity

If a rock started with 1,000 atoms of a parent but now contains 250 atoms, how many half lives have passed? a. .25 half lives b. .5 half lives c. 1 half life d. 2 half lives e. theres is no way to tell

2 half lives

If the contact between the upper light-colored sedimentary layers and the lower dark-colored metamorphic rocks is a depositional contact, what type of feature is present? a. a surface representing missing geologic time b. an angular unconformity c. an ancient eriosion d. all of these

all of these

In this photograph, Paleozoic sandstone rests depositionally on Precambrian granite. What events must have occurred before deposition of the sandstone? a. uplift of granite to the surface b. solidifcation of granite at depth c. formation of an erosion surface d. all of these e. none of these

all of these

What is the main geologic feature for which Siccar Point on Scottland is famous? a. a boundary between steep gray layers below and gently dipping red layer above b. an unconforimty c. an ancient erosion d. all of these e. none of these

all of these

for which of the following resources do geologic ages help us explore? a. mineral deposits related to granites b. oil and gas c. groundwater d. all of these

all of these

to what does the term evolution refer? a. observed changes in the fossil record b. to one or more theories that help explain observed changes c. as a general term to describe how something, such as landscape, has changed over time d. all of these

all of these

what marks the boundary between the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic (called the K-P boundary)? a. the extinction of the dinosaurs b. the start of a rise to the dominance of the mammals c. the meteorite impact in Mexico d. all of these e. none of these

all of these

what strategies do we use to investigate human origins? a. the same relative-dating principles we apply to older rocks d. finding pieces of an older wall in younger deposits c. determining carbon-14 ages on bones, wood, and charcoal d. dating interbedded volcanic rocks e. all of these

all of these

what types of life developed during the Paleozoic? a. corals, crinoids, and other creatures b. tribolites c. fish and amphibians d. plants and insects e. all of these

all of these

which of the following forms different layers fro season to season and can be used to determine how many yrs the layers represent? a. tree rings b. layers of ice cores c. varves d. all of these

all of these

which of the following is a reason why rock units may change from one section to another? a. facies charge b. restricted aerial distribution c. removed along an unconformity or disconformity d. eroded away e. all of these

all of these

which of the following is evidence that earth's history is not short? a. millions of layers of light and dark colred sediment b. rates of seafloor spreading compared to the width of the Atlan. Ocean c. a 4 billion yr age on a rock in Canada d. thousands of isotopic ages measured by different methods e. all of these

all of these

which of the following did NOT live during the Mesozoic era? a. dinosaurs that had a bird-like hip b. dinosaurs with a hip structure similar to lizards c. large flying reptiles d. large marine reptiles e. all of these lived during the Mesozoic

all of these lived during the Mesozoic

which of the following is NOT a way in which fossils can be preserved ? a. they can be replaced by hard materials such as silica b. they can be buried and decay c. they can be preserved in ancient tree sap d. they can be too small to see but can build diagnostic features in the rocks e. all of these ways a fossil can be preserved

all of these ways a fossil can be preserved

The term half life represents the time it takes: a. to dissolve half of the atoms in lattice b. for the parent atom to decay into atoms half their original size c. for half of the parent atoms to decay into daughter atoms d. for the Sun to decrease it size by 50 percent

for half of the parent atoms to decay into daughter atoms

what were some of the earliest forms of life on Earth? a. land plants and insects b. corals and other bottom dwellers c. microscopic creatures that built mound-shape structures called stromatolites d. sharks

microscopic creatures that built mound-shape structures called stromatolites

how does angular unconformity form? a. rocks are folded into a angle and the top is removed by faulting b. older rocks are tilted, eroded, and the top is removed by faulting c. rock layers are turned upside down at an angle d. angular rocks are deposited on top of flat-lying layers e. any of these

older rocks are tilted, eroded, and the top is removed by faulting

[picture] this figure shows a discomformity between an upper dark layer (being deposited by the sea) and a lower light colored layer. What happened to form this discomformity? a. the lower layers were tilted and untilted before deposition of the upper layers b. the boundary between the two units indicates that for a time there was either erosion or no deposition c. the lower limestone were converted into another rock type by seawater d. the upper layer must have been deposited by volcanic eruptions

the boundary between the two units indicates that for a time there was either erosion or no deposition

this photograph shows an upper light colored conglomerate and a lower dark basalt. which of the following statements is true? a. the conglomerate is older bcs it overlies the dark basalt b. the conglomerate is younger bcs it contains clast of the dark basalt c. the basalt is younger bcs it is crosscut by fractures filled with conglomerate d. none of these

the conglomerate is younger bcs it contains clast of the dark basalt

which of the following collection of fossils would be least useful for determining the age of a section of rocks? a. fossils that are large and distinctive b. fossils that are widely distributed across different parts of the earth c. the fossil of a family of creatures that lived unchanged for a very long time d. index fossils

the fossil of a family of creatures that lived unchanged for a very long time

[picture] this photograph shows light-colored granite and darker diorite (both igneous rocks). which of the following statements is true? a. the light colored unit is younger bcs granite is more continental than diorite b. the diorite is older bcs its weathered surface are darker c. the granite is younger bcs it crosscuts the diorite d. all of these

the granite is younger bcs it crosscuts the diorite

[picture] which of the four sedimentary layers in this figure is the oldest? a. the layer on top b. the layers in the middle c. the layer on the bottom d. there is not enough information to tell

the layer on the bottom

[picture] Where is the oldest layer in this tilted sequence of sedimentary rocks? a. at the top of the hill in the center of the photo b. the darkest layers will be the oldest c. the layers on the lower left part of the photo d. the layers on the right of the photo

the layers on the lower left part of the photo

which of the following statements is NOT something we can learn by determining isotopic ages? a. the age of volcanic eruptions b. the age when a rock is uplifted toward the surface c. the age of material from which clast in a sedimentary rock were derived d. the cooling history by using different types of isotopic ages e. we can determine all of these

we can determine all of these

what factors are the most critical in determining whether a fossil is preserved? a. the age of the fossil and the age of sediments in which it is preserved b. the temperature of the granite and how fast it cooled c. whether the creature had hard parts and how fast it was buried d. the color of the original organism compared to the color of the sediments in which it is found e. whether the creature was a predator or was a prey

whether the creature had hard parts and how fast it was buried