CSU GEOL-120 Cumulative Final Exam

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At a subduction zone, what is the cause(s) of melting? (Select all that apply.)

Addition of water Heating

If a region has had 71 earthquakes in the 4.0-5.0 magnitude range over the past 30 years. What is the Mean Recurrence Interval of earthquakes in this magnitude range?

0.42 years

If we estimate that the Mean Recurrence Interval of earthquakes in the 7.0-8.0 magnitude range in the San Francisco area is 200 years, what is the probability of an earthquake in that magnitude range occurring in any given year?

0.5%

Approximately, what is the one year probability of an earthquake in the magnitude range 7.0-7.9 occurring in the Los Angeles area?

0.7%

Approximately how far would a tectonic plate travel in an average human lifetime?

1-10 meters

Match the terms below with the correct definition. 1. Fact 2. Hypothesis 3. Scientific Theory

1. A confirmed or agreed-upon empirical observation or conclusion 2. An educated proposal to explain certain facts; a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation 3. An integrated, comprehensive explanation of many "facts," especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena

All of the metamorphic rocks shown below started off as shale. Rank them in increasing metamorphic grade; 1 is least metamorphosed and 3 is most metamorphosed.

1. C 2. B 3. A

Place these clastic sedimentary rocks in order from smallest grain size (1) to largest grain size (4).

1. Claystone 2. Siltstone 3. Sandstone 4. Conglomerate

Match the chemical layers of the Earth with the correct descriptions. 1. The outermost chemical layer and the one we currently reside on. There are two types: ocean and continental. 2. The largest chemical layer by volume. Scientists hypothesize most of it is made of the rock peridotite. 3. Consists mostly of iron, nickel, and possibly some oxygen

1. Crust 2. Mantle 3. Core

Match these descriptions of processes associated with lithification with the correct term. 1. when friction and gravity overcome the forces driving sediment transport, allowing sediment to accumulate 2. when material continues to accumulate on top of the sediment layer, squeezing the grains together and driving out water 3. minerals coating the sediment grains and gluing them together into a fused rock

1. Deposition 2. Compaction 3. Cementation

Put the events listed below in the order they must have occurred to explain the features that we see at Siccar Point from first (1) to last (5)

1. Deposition of the muddy gray sandstone 2. Folding and uplift of the muddy gray sandstone 3. Erosion down into the muddy gray sandstone 4. Deposition of the reddish sandstone 5. Tilting and uplift of the muddy gray sandstone and the reddish sandstone

Rank these magma compositions from most viscous (1) to least viscous (3).

1. Felsic 2. Intermediate 3. Mafic

Match the descriptions below with the correct term defining the igneous rock composition. 1. Contains a predominance of the light-colored (felsic) minerals feldspar and silica in the form of quartz. Rich in silica (in the 65-75% range, meaning the rock would be 65-75% weight percent SiO2) and poor in iron and magnesium. 2. Usually contains roughly-equal amounts of light and dark minerals, including light grains of plagioclase feldspar and dark minerals like amphibole. Contains silica in the 55-60% range. 3. Contains a abundance of ferromagnesian minerals (with magnesium and iron, chemical symbols Mg and Fe) plus plagioclase feldspar. It is mostly made of dark minerals like pyroxene and olivine, which are rich in iron and magnesium and relatively poor in silica. Silica in the 45-50% range. 4. Rocks composed of mostly olivine and some pyroxene which have even more magnesium and iron and even less silica. These rocks are rare on the surface, but make up peridotite, the rock of the upper mantle. It is poor in silica, in the 40% or less range.

1. Felsic 2. Intermediate 3. Mafic 4. Ultra-mafic

Place the rock layers and features in the block diagram below in the order in which they formed from oldest (1) to youngest (9). All rock layers are sedimentary and were horizontally continuous when they were deposited. B and E are faults.

1. G 2. C 3. A 4. F 5. B 6. H 7. D 8. I 9. E

Using relative dating procedures, put the labeled rocks and geologic features in order from oldest (first - 1) to youngest (last - 11). All of the rocks are sedimentary except G and I, which are igneous. D is a fault.

1. J 2. K 3. F 4. H 5. B 6. G 7. E 8. D 9. I 10. C 11. A

Match the physical layers of the Earth with the correct description. 1. Outermost physical layer of the Earth. It is broken into segments called plates. 2. It is mechanically weak, this layer moves and flows due to convection currents created by heat coming from the earth's core 3. More rigid and immobile than the asthenosphere. Located at a depth of approximately 410 and 660 km below the earth's surface. 4. The only entirely liquid layer within the Earth. Scientists believe the earth's magnetic field is generated by the circulation of molten iron and nickel within it. 5. Hottest part of the Earth. Solid.

1. Lithosphere 2. Asthenosphere 3. Mesosphere 4. Outer Core 5. Inner Core

Identify the processes below as mechanical (physical) or chemical weathering. 1. Exfoliation 2. Frost wedging 3. Root wedging 4. Salt expansion 5. Hydrolysis 6. Dissolution 7. Oxidation

1. Mechanical Weathering 2. Mechanical Weathering 3. Mechanical Weathering 4. Mechanical Weathering 5. Chemical Weathering 6. Chemical Weathering 7. Chemical Weathering

Match the mineral class with some common uses of minerals in that class. 1. Jewelry, coins, industry 2. Lime, Portland cement 3. Ores of iron & aluminum, pigments 4. Table salt, fertilizer 5. Ores of lead, copper, mercury 6. Sheetrock, therapeutic soak 7. Fertilizer, teeth, bones

1. Native elements 2. Carbonates 3. Oxides 4. Halides 5. Sulfides 6. Sulfates 7. Phosphates

Match the descriptions below with the correct soil horizon. 1. The top horizon is a thin layer of predominantly organic material, such as leaves, twigs, and other plant parts that are actively decaying into humus 2. This layer is often referred to as top soil. It consists of humus mixed with mineral sediment 3. Also called subsoil, this layer consists of sediment mixed with humus removed from the upper layers. The subsoil is where mineral sediment is chemically weathered. 4. This is substratum and is a zone of mechanical weathering. Here, bedrock fragments are physically broken but not chemically altered. This layer contains no organic material. 5. The final layer consists of unweathered, parent bedrock and fragments.

1. O horizon 2. A horizon 3. B horizon 4. C horizon 5. R horizon

Rank these reservoirs of water according to their volume. (1 = greatest volume; 4 = least volume)

1. Oceans 2. Glaciers and ice sheets 3. Groundwater 4. Rivers and lakes

Match the oil and gas terms below with the correct description. 1. Source rock 2. Reservoir 3. Trap 4. Seal

1. Organic matter-bearing rock within which the formation of gas and oil take place 2. relatively permeable rocks that allow migration and accumulation of oil and natural gas 3. structure of arrangement of rocks that leads to the accumulation of oil and gas 4. impermeable rock that prevents migration of oil and gas

Match the description of igneous rock texture to the correct term. 1. Coarsely crystalline, individual crystals are readily visible to the unaided eye 2. Finely crystalline, individual crystals are too small to see with the unaided eye 3. A mix of coarse crystals surrounded by a matrix of finely crystalline material 4. Very large crystals (centimeters or larger)

1. Phaneritic 2. Aphanitic 3. Porphyritic 4. Pegmatitic

Match each common way that minerals form with the correct description. 1. Ions in a solution come together to form a solid mineral. This can happen if the temperature falls, the solute evaporates, or with changing chemical conditions. 2. As molten rock cools, mineral crystals can start to form. 3. Forming bones, shells or body coverings, these minerals are typically in the carbonate or phosphate classes.

1. Precipitation from aqueous solution 2. Crystallization from magma 3. Precipitation by organisms

Read the three informal definitions of the term "science" that follow. All definitions include some information that is relevant to science. Place the definitions in order and rank them from best (1) to worst (3).

1. Science is our attempt to understand our world. It's our knowledge about our existence as well as our search for explanations and new discoveries. 2. Science is about the process of collecting observations and data to better understand the world. 3. Science is about building up our store of knowledge. The more information we have, the more scientific our culture.

Match the following components of the scientific process with the best description. 1. observation 2. hypothesis 3. experiment 4. peer review 5. theory

1. The act of gathering new information 2. a tentative explanation 3. the process of testing a hypothesis 4. scrutiny of a study's methods, data, and results by experts in a field 5. an accepted scientific idea that explains a process based on the best available information

Match these sedimentary structures with the correct description. 1. Bedding planes 2. Graded bedding 3. plane beds 4. cross bedding 5. bioturbation 6. sole marks 7. imbrication 8. vugs

1. discernable layers of rock 2. a sequence of beds that either get coarser or finer 3. flat, parallel layers 4. inclined layers within a bed 5. action of burrowing organisms in soft sediments 6. features formed from the erosion into sediments by a flow 7. stacking of clasts aligned in the direction of flow 8. small voids in rocks

Match the type of unconformity with the correct description. 1. where is a break or stratigraphic absence between strata in an otherwise parallel sequence of strata 2. where sedimentary strata are deposited on crystalline (igneous or metamorphic) rocks 3. where sedimentary strata are deposited on a terrain developed on sedimentary strata that have been deformed by tilting, folding, and/or faulting. so that they are no longer horizontal

1. disconformity 2. nonconformity 3. angular unconformity

Determine if the descriptions below would correspond to intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks. 1. cools quickly on Earth's surface 2. cools slowly within Earth's surface 3. contains tiny microscopic crystals 4. contains larger crystals that can be seen with the naked eye

1. extrusive 2. intrusive 3. extrusive 4. intrusive

Match these metamorphic rocks with their parent rock. 1. Slate 2. Marble 3. Quartzite 4. Amphibole

1. shale 2. limestone 3. quarts sandstone 4. basalt or gabbro

Put these metamorphic rocks in order of increasing metamorphic grade from 1 (lowest grade) to 4 (highest grade).

1. slate 2. phyllite 3. schist 4. gneiss

Match the type of stress below with the correct resulting strain. 1. tensional 2. compressional 3. shear

1. stretching and thinning 2. shortening and thichening 3. tearing

Match the relative dating principle with its definition. 1. Superposition 2. Original horizontality 3. Lateral continuity 4. Cross-cutting relationships 5. Inclusions 6. Faunal succession

1. the layers on the bottom are the oldest and the layers above are younger 2. Layers of rocks deposited from above, such as sediments and lava flows, originally were laid down horizontally 3. Within the depositional basin in which they form, strata are continuous in all directions until they thin out at the edge of that basin 4. Faults and igneous intrusions that cut across rocks are younger than the rocks they cut across 5. When one rock formation contains pieces or inclusions of another rock, the inclusion is older than the host rock 6. Assemblages of fossils contained in strata are unique to the time they lived and can be used to correlate rocks of the same age across wide geographic distribution

How much will sea level rise if the entire ocean increases its temperature by 2 degrees C? Use these values for your calculations: Initial Volume of the Ocean = 1,340,000,000 km3 Surface Area of the Ocean = 362,000,000 km2 Give your answer in meters.

1.11

What is the mean recurrence interval (MRI) in years for earthquakes within the magnitude range 5.0-5.9 in the Los Angeles area?

1.2

Potassium-40 is radioactive and decays into Argon-40. The half-life of Potassium-40 is 1.3 billion years. You measure the # of atoms of each isotope in a rock and find 50 atoms of Potassium-40 and 50 atoms of Argon-40. How old is this rock? Give your answer in billions of years.

1.3

If a reservoir has a volume of 10,000 acre-feet, and sediment is being deposited in the reservoir at a rate of 100 acre-feet/year, how many years until the entire volume of the reservoir is full of sediment? Assume a constant sedimentation rate.

100

What is the one year probability of an earthquake in the magnitude range 4.0-4.9 occurring in the Los Angeles area? Give your answer as a %.

100

After 3 half-lives, what percentage of the original parent isotopes would still be present?

12.5%

If a rock starts off with 1000 radioactive parent atoms, how many parent atoms will be left after 3 half-lives?

125

14%

The graph below shows the peak streamflow for the Gunnison River at Grand Junction, CO. Flood stage at this site corresponds to 17,400 cubic feet per second. This discharge has been exceeded 19 times in the 120 years in the record. What is the approximate probability of flooding at this location in any given year? (Give your answer as a percentage)

15.83

Approximately, what do you estimate that the mean recurrence interval (MRI) in years would be for earthquakes within the magnitude range 8.0-8.9 in the Los Angeles area?

1500 years

A rock has 16% porosity and is completely saturated with water. What is the volume of water that is present in a 100 m3 section of the rock?

16 m^3

16%

Approximately, what is the probability of an earthquake in the magnitude range 7.0-7.9 occurring in the Los Angeles area in the next 30 years?

18%

Longs Peak, a mountain in the Colorado Front Range has an elevation of 14,259 feet above sea level. Using an average erosion rate of 500 feet/million years, and assuming erosion is constant, about how long will it take until Longs Peak has been eroded to the elevation of Fort Collins (5,003 feet)?

18.5 million years

Rank these fossil fuels by the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced for a given amount of energy produced from 1 (most CO2) to 3 (least CO2).

1: coal 2: oil 3: natural gas

Potassium-40 is radioactive and decays into Argon-40. The half-life of Potassium-40 is 1.3 billion years. You measure the # of atom of each isotope and find 200 atoms of Potassium-40 and 600 atoms of Argon-40. How many half-lives have passed since the rock formed?

Approximately, what is the probability of an earthquake in the magnitude range 8.0-8.9 occurring in the Los Angeles area in the next 30 years?

What do you estimate that the mean recurrence interval (MRI) in years would be for earthquakes within the magnitude range 7.0-7.9 in the Los Angeles area?

200

A river has a discharge of 150 cubic meters per second. Its width is 10 meters and its depth is 5 meters. What is its velocity? Give your answer in meters/second.

Examine the map below and answer the question that follows. How many plates are present? [image description: 3 vertical lines, red ocean ridge in middle of map, small island in top left corner.]

A river has a discharge of 200 cubic meters per second. Its width is 10 meters and its average velocity is 5 meters/second. What is its depth? Give your answer in meters.

What is the business as usual global temperature increase by 2100 according to the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator?

4.1 degrees C

What is the currently scientifically accepted age of the Earth?

4.55 billion years old

The carbon dioxide levels today are around ________ ppm.

410

Examine the map below and answer the question that follows. How many plates are present?

6 years

It is estimate that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet contains approximately 3,200,000 km3 of ice. If it all melted, how much would it contribute to sea level rise? Remember that the volume of water is 0.9 times the volume of ice, and use 362,000,000 km2 as the surface area of the ocean. Give your answer in meters.

7.96

The graph below shows the peak streamflow for the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri for the past 155 years. The discharge corresponding to a Major Flood Stage is 750,000 ft3/s. This value has been exceeded 19 times during the period of record. What is the approximate recurrence interval of Major Flooding on the Mississippi River at this location?

8 years

About 3 million years ago, during the Pliocene, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were similar to today, and global sea levels were about 20 m higher than they are today. Assuming that entire change was caused by changes in ice on land, how much less ice did we have then, compared to today? Use 362,000,000 km2 as the surface area of the ocean. Give your answer in km3.

8,044,444.44

If a river has an average width of 10 m, an average depth of 4 m, and is flowing with a velocity of 2 m/s, what is its discharge? Give your answer in m3/s.

If a river has an average width of 10 m, an average depth of 4 m, and is flowing with a velocity of 2 m/s, what is its discharge? Give your answer in meters cubed per second.

Approximately what percentage of the energy used in the United States in 2019 was sourced from fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, coal)?

80%

Using the diagram below, at what velocity will 10 mm gravel be transported?

> 90 cm/s

Examine the diagram below. The lettered objects represent volcanoes formed on an oceanic plate above a hot spot. The arrow illustrates the direction of plate motion. Which volcano is the youngest?

Examine the map above and answer the question that follows. Where would you find the youngest ocean crust?

Examine the map below and answer the question that follows. Which of these plates is subducting? [image description: 3 vertical lines, red ocean ridge in middle of map, small island in top left corner.]

The schematic cross sections below illustrate four models of relative plate motions and plate boundary geometry. Which of the cross sections best represents the characteristics of the plate boundary at location 6 on the map below?

Using the figure below, and your relative dating principles, which of the 3 Rhyolite Dikes is youngest?

Which of the diagrams below best represents the change in the % of the parent isotope remaining as radioactive decay occurs? [Image description: A: down sloping exponential slope. B: down sloping linear slope. C: up sloping linear slope. D: up sloping exponential slope.]

At which of these sites would expect to find shield volcanoes? (Select all that apply.) [image description: Plate A: middle of pacific ocean by hawaii. Plate B: near greenland. Plate C: between mexico and south america.]

A B

At which of these sites would you expect to find basaltic lava? (Select all that apply.)

A C

Which of these best describes a 100-year flood?

A 100-year flood has a 1 in 100 chance of being equaled or exceeded in any year

What is a lahar?

A flow of mud and debris down a channel leading away from a volcano

For a given earthquakes , in which of these regions would you expect to have the greatest damage?

A region underlain by loose, unconsolidated sediments

Which is the best description of a scientific study?

A scientific study involves making hypotheses, collecting data, and performing experiments or testing claims, to reach a conclusion supported by evidence.

Which of the following settings would be most vulnerable to mass movements?

A steep mountain covered in a thick layer of sediment

Which of these is the best description of a paleoclimate proxy?

A substitute or stand-in for temperature

What is a pyroclastic density current or pyroclastic flow?

A very hot (several 100°C) mixture of gases and volcanic tephra that flows rapidly (up to 100s of km/h) down the side of a volcano

Match the igneous rocks below with the correct texture.

A. Phaneritic B. Aphanitic C. Porphyritic D. Vesicular E. Glassy F. Pegmatitic

Match the images below with the correct type of fault.

A: normal fault B: reverse fault C: strike slip fault

What percentage of freshwater is groundwater?

About 30.1%

At a subduction zone, what is the initial mechanism of melting?

Addition of water

For earthquakes of the same magnitude, which of these would you expect to cause greater damage?

An earthquake with a shallower epicenter

Which represents the longest interval of geological time?

An eon

What would the name for this igneous rock be? [Image description: asphalt looking slab of rock, dark gray sediments with light gray crystals]

Andesite

Which type of coal has the highest carbon content?

Anthracite

All minerals _____________. (Select all that apply)

Are inorganic Have a specific chemical composition Are natural Are solid Have a ordered internal structure

Which of these potential future supercontinents assumes the closing of both the Atlantic and the Pacific and rifting of Eurasia?

Aurica

Which of the regions of the United States indicated on the map below would you expect to have the highest mass movement hazard?

At which of these sites would expect to find composite volcanoes? (Select all that apply.)

B A

Put the sediments shown below in order according to how well sorted they are. List them from well sorted to poorly sorted. [Image description: A: large chunky rocks settled in fine sandy sediments. B: fine sand. C: Similarly sized small pebbles and rocks]

B, C, A

The energy in Earth's climate system comes from the _____________.

Sun

Where are volcanoes located in association with a convergent boundary?

Behind the trench on the overriding plate

______________ the water table, all of the pore spaces are saturated with water.

Below

The diagram below shows sedimentary rock units with their ages in millions of years. When did crustal deformation and erosion occur?

Between 60-200 million years ago

The rock pictured below, which can be found near Fort Collins, fizzes when hydrochloric acid is dropped on it and contains clam fossils. What type of sedimentary rock would this be placed?

Biochemical

How do scientists know what CO2 levels were during the ice ages?

By measuring air bubbles trapped in ice sheets

How do scientists know what CO2 levels were prior to direct measurements of the atmosphere?

By measuring air bubbles trapped in ice sheets

Examine the diagram below that shows oceanic and continental crust surrounding a plate boundary. Based on the current plate tectonic setting, Which arrow best reflects the direction that Point X is moving?

Examine the map above and answer the question that follows. Where would you find the youngest ocean crust? [image description: 3 vertical lines, red ocean ridge in middle of map, small island in top left corner.]

What are the two primary sources of water for the City of Fort Collins?

Cache la Poudre River Horsetooth Reservoir

The Colorado State campus lies within the drainage basin of which of these rivers? (Select all that apply)

Cache la Poudre River Mississippi River South Platte River Missouri River

Which country has the largest reserves of rare earth elements?

China

Which glacial landform can be observed in the image below?

Cirque

Which of the following would likely have the lowest permeability?

Clay

Feldspars typically produce what weathering products?

Clay minerals plus potassium, sodium, and calcium in solution

Which statement is most accurate?

Coal forms from decayed vegetation and oil and gas from microscopic marine organisms

Which of these fuel sources produce greenhouse gases as a waste product during electricity production? (Select all that apply.)

Coal; natural gas

Which of these could cause the designation of the 100-year flood for a river to change? (select all that apply)

Collection of more data Urban development Installation of flood controls

What type of volcano would be composed of layers of andesite, pyroclastic debris, and ash?

Composite volcano

The rock in the image below contains clasts that are larger than sand and are partially rounded. What would this rock below be called? [Image description: small and larger pebbles in fine, sandy sediment]

Conglomerate

If the price of a mineral resource increases, which of these are likely to occur? (choose all that apply)

Consumer demand for the mineral resource may decrease Consumers or product makers may seek a substitute mineral or product Mining may increase to increase the mineral supply

How do current concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere compare to pre-industrial concentrations?

Current concentrations are higher than any concentrations observed over the past 600,000 years

Examine the diagram below. The lettered objects represent volcanoes formed on an oceanic plate above a hot spot. The arrow illustrates the direction of plate motion. Which volcano is the oldest?

Examine the map below and answer the question. How are points D and E moving relative to each other? [image description: 3 vertical lines, red ocean ridge in middle of map, small island in top left corner.]

D and E are not moving relative to each other

The stratigraphic column below shows descriptions of the rock layers below Fort Collins. Of these options, which would be the best choice for a source of groundwater?

Dakota Group

Sand, gravel, and larger fragments that flows rapidly would be classified as a _________________.

Debris flow

As stream velocity decreases, the size of sediment that the stream can carry __________________.

Decreases

What do tilt meters measure?

Deformation of the surface of the volcano

Which of the following data that geologists collected to investigate the movement of rocks on Race Track Playa is qualitative data? (Select all that apply)

Descriptions of the playa surface Time-lapse Photographs

An igneous rock with a intermediate composition that formed intrusively would be called a _____________.

Diorite

The image below shows an unconformity between two layers of sedimentary rock. What type of unconformity is this?

Disconformity

New ocean crust is formed at which type of plate boundary?

Divergent

Which of the following are examples of qualitative data (rather than quantitative data) that we could collect to address a geologic question such as what formed Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park? (Select all that apply)

Drawings of the rocks Descriptions of the rocks present in the area

How are Earth System Models (ECMs) different from Climate Models?

ESMs simulate the interaction between the physical climate, the biosphere, and the chemical constituents of the atmosphere and ocean

Based on the hydrograph shown below, at what time of year does the most water typically flow through the Cache la Poudre River?

Early summer

Which of the following can cause an increase in precipitation of minerals out of an aqueous solution? (Select all that apply.)

Evaporating water Colling a fluid

Science provides answers to ethical dilemmas.

False

Indicate the order in which these seismic waves would arrive at a seismic station following an earthquake.

First: P-waves Second: S-waves Third: Surface waves

The three agents of metamorphism are ____________, _____________, and ______________.

Fluids Heat Pressure

Which statement best describes the current state of US energy production and/or consumption?

Fossil fuels represent more than 80% of US energy consumption and the US is the world's largest oil producer.

What would the name for this igneous rock be? [image description: a chunk of granite with fine red, green, and black crystals]

Granite

Using the diagram below, which sizes of particles could be eroded by a stream velocity of 100 cm/s? (choose all that apply)

Gravel Sand Silt

Review the map of the plates below and identify which pair of locations is moving closer together as a result of plate tectonics.

Hawaii and Tokyo

Which of these regions of the world is expected to have the greatest increase in temperature by the end of the century according to climate models?

High latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere

Which of these are the two primary water sources for the City of Fort Collins?

Horsetooth Reservoir Cache la Poudre River

Which is an example of a renewable resource? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

Hydroelectric power Cotton Heat within earth Solar power Corn ethanol

Which of these terms is defined as the point within the Earth where the earthquake occurred?

Hypocenter

Which of these statements is a more accurate description about the relative roles of observations and hypotheses in science?

Hypotheses are only as good as the observations on which they are based.

Which of these characteristics of a drainage basin would tend to promote a shorter lag time between a rainfall event and peak discharge? (choose all that apply)

Impermeable surfaces Steeper terrain

If the amount of incoming solar radiation that the Earth absorbs is greater than the amount of outgoing radiation the Earth emits to space, Earth's temperature will ________________.

Increase

Approximately, how has Earth's average temperature changed since 1850?

Increased by about 1 degree C

Why are mass movements common after large rainfall events such as the 2013 Front Range Flooding? (select all that apply)

Increased water in streams erodes and undercuts hill slopes The addition of water decreases the resisting force

How does the sediment load of a river typically change from the headwaters to the mouth?

Increases

Take a look at the site Indicators of Climate Change (Links to an external site.) from the U.S. Global Change Program. What is the direction of the trend in acres of land burned by wildfires in the United States over the last several decades?

Increasing

How would you describe the composition of this igneous rock? (hint: this rock contains primarily plagioclase feldspar, biotite and amphibole) [Image description: asphalt looking slab of rock, dark gray sediments with light gray crystals]

Intermediate

Which of these sectors uses the most water in Colorado?

Irrigation

Which of these statements best describes the solutions necessary to keep global temperatures from increasing more than 2° C?

It is possible to limit global warming to less than 2°C, but it will require large changes across many areas of society

If groundwater is pumped out of a well faster than the groundwater can flow to replace it, what will happen to the level of the water table?

It will go down

Which of these volcano monitoring methods can create detailed images of the volcano surface?

Lidar

The rock pictured below, which can be found near Fort Collins, fizzes when hydrochloric acid is dropped on it and contains clam fossils. What would this sedimentary rock be called? [Image description: tan layered slabs of rock stacked on top of each other]

Limestone

Tectonic plates are made up of which layer of the Earth. Choose the best answer.

Lithosphere

Greenhouse gases absorb ________ radiation emitted by the _________ but are mostly transparent to _______ emitted by the _________.

Long wavelength; Earth; short wavelength; Sun

Which of these seismic waves only travel along Earth's surface? (select all that apply)

Love Waves Rayleigh Waves

Clastic sedimentary rocks with smaller grain sizes are typically deposited in environments with higher energy, than rocks with larger grain sizes.

Lower

Magma viscosity is primarily dependent upon which two factors?

Magma temperature Magma composition

What is the best and most widely used definition of ore?

Metal-bearing minerals that can be extracted for profit

What is the main cause of the glacial cycles during the Quaternary Ice Age?

Milankovich Cycles

Elongated mounds of glacial till that form on the edges of glaciers or in the center of the glacier are known as ______________.

Moraines

Is ocean crust more or less dense than continental crust?

More dense

What might an increasing number of shallow earthquakes under a volcano indicate?

Movement of magma towards the surface

Approximately what percentage of Earth's history have modern humans been present on earth?

Much less than 1%

Review the map of the plates below and identify which pair of locations is moving further apart as a result of plate tectonics.

New York and London

Which of these potential supercontinents assumes that present day plate movements continue in the future, so that the Atlantic continues to open and the Pacific keeps closing?

Novopangea

Which statement best describes recent trends in US coal and oil production?

Oil production has increased and coal production has decreased.

Which of these are common silicate minerals? Select all that apply.

Olivine Biotite Quartz Potassium Feldspar

Silicate minerals are built around a molecular ion called the silicate tetrahedron. Which of these correctly lists the components in the silicate tetrahedron?

One silicon atom and four oxygen atoms

Which of these are reasons that surface mining may be selected as a better option than underground mining? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

Ore is widely spread out over a large area Ore is close to the surface

Which seismic wave is shown in the diagram below?

P-wave

Which of these seismic waves would you expect to arrive at a seismic station first?

P-waves

______________ describes how well connected the pore spaces in a rock or sediment are.

Permeability

What is currently the least expensive technology for most of Colorado?

Photovoltaics (utility)

___________ describes the percentage of open space within sediment or rock.

Porosity

How would you describe the texture of this igneous rock? [Image description: asphalt looking slab of rock, dark gray sediments with light gray crystals]

Porphyritic

We can predict that melting sea ice in the Arctic Ocean due to global warming will act as a ________ feedback and drive ________.

Positive; additional warming

In the context of science, how would you classify the following statement? "The continued use of fossil fuels will raise global temperatures."

Prediction

Using the image shown below, how would you know which rock is older A or H? i.e. which of these relative dating principles would be most useful?

Principle of cross-cutting relationships

Which statement is most accurate?

Pyroclastic flows are common products of composite volcanoes, and lava flows are common at shield volcanoes.

According to Bowen's reaction series, which of these minerals would crystallize last from a cooling magma?

Quartz

Which of these minerals is the most resistant to weathering?

Quartz

Sandstones are commonly made up of quartz sand grains. Why is quartz the most common mineral found in sandstones? (Select all that apply.)

Quartz is chemically resistant to weathering Other minerals, such as feldspars, will break down to clays

Colorado tends to experience _________ flooding, due to _________ lag times between the peak in rainfall and the peak in stream discharge.

Rapid (flash); short

A reduction in the size of glaciers and ice sheets on land will lead to a _______ in global sea level.

Rise

The two rocks pictured below were both deposited next to or under the Cretaceous Interior Seaway, when a shallow sea covered much of the mid-section of North America. Rock A (top) fizzes with hydrochloric acid and contains clam fossils. Rock B (bottom) contains sand-sized fragments of quartz. Which one would you predict was deposited in deeper water?

Rock A

Rock B

Which is the best description of an aquifer?

Rock or sediment below ground that accommodates the flow and storage of groundwater.

A large rock body that moves as a unit along a planar surface would be classified as a ________________.

Rock slide

The rock shown below contains large mica crystals and other platy minerals aligned in a parallel direction. What type of foliation does this rock display?

Schistocity

Which of these statements most accurately reflects how scientists know that the age of the Earth is approximately 4.56 billion years?

Scientists have used radioactive isotopes to date meteorites that formed at the same time as the Earth

The rock pictured below contains clay-sized clasts of clay minerals. What would this rock be called?

Shale

Which of these mineral classes is most common in Earth's crust?

Silicates

Examine the map above and answer the question that follows. E is moving toward the ___________.

Southeast

Which of the following is the most likely depositional environment for the rock pictured below? [Image description: smooth, rounded small and large pebbles settled in fine grained sediments]

Steep river channel

Which of these statements about water storage within the Fort Collins water supply is most accurate?

Storage is necessary to meet demand every year.

Which of these tectonic settings tend to produce the largest earthquakes?

Subduction zones

Molybdenite has the chemical formula, MoS2. Which class of minerals would molybdenite be placed?

Sulfides

Which of these are common non-silicate mineral classes? Select all that apply.

Sulfides Oxides Phosphates Sulfates

Which of the following statements would an interpretation, rather than an observation about a rock called the Boulder Creek Granodiorite? (Note that you don't need to know anything about the Boulder Creek Granodiorite to answer this question.)

The Boulder Creek Granodiorite cooled slowly within the crust.

When a oceanic plate and a continental plate converge, which plate will subduct?

The Oceanic plate

Compare the answer that you got in the previous question to the volume of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the Greenland Ice Sheet. What does the sea level during the Pliocene imply about the size of those ice sheets at the time?

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the Greenland Ice Sheet were likely completely or nearly gone.

What would happen to Earth's albedo during an ice age?

The average albedo of Earth's surface would increase.

What happens as newly formed ocean crust moves away from the mid-ocean ridge?

The crust gets colder

Predict what will happen to the equilibrium line of a glacier if there is an increase in temperature.

The equilibrium line will move to higher elevation

When an ocean plate and a continental plate converge, which plate will subduct and why?

The ocean plate; it is denser

A reddish color in sedimentary rocks usually indicates ____________. (choose all that apply)

The presence of iron oxides Deposition in an environment with plenty of oxygen

How does the price of a mineral resource usually respond when the supply of the mineral resource is reduced?

The price increases

How would you expect the price of a mineral resource to respond when consumer demand for that mineral increases?

The price increases

Which of the following is an observation that could be made about Upheaval Dome, rather than an interpretation?

The rocks in the center of the dome are severely fractured and deformed.

Which of the following statements about the Race Track Playa is an observation rather than an interpretation?

The rocks on the playa have a similar composition to those found in the surrounding mountains.

Which of the following statements about the half-life of a radioactive isotope is true?

The term half-life refers to the time it takes for half of the radioactive parent atoms to decay into daughter atoms

How has Earth's average temperature changed over the last 5,000,000 years, prior to recent warming? (Select two correct answers)

The variability of Earth's temperature increased towards the present (became more variable) Earth's temperature had a long term cooling trend over the past 5 million years

Which of these statements about the Fort Collins area would be considered an observation, not an interpretation? (select all that apply)

There is a river that flows toward the southeast through Fort Collins The area to the west of Fort Collins has steeper topography than to the east

What is the term used for a boundary between two plates where the relative motion is horizontal, with the two plates sliding past one another?

Transform

Glaciers tend to erode _________ valleys, while rivers erode ________ valleys.

U-shaped; V-shaped

Igneous rocks with a ____________ composition will have the highest percentage of olivine.

Ultra-mafic

One of the most important ideas in geology is the Principle of ___________, which states that natural processes that operate today also worked the same way in the past.

Uniformitarianism

The Principle of _____________ holds that the natural processes that operate today also worked the same way in the past; i.e. the present is the key to the past.

Uniformitarianism

Which of the rock units described below contain evidence for an sea that covered the middle of North America during the Cretaceous? (Select all that apply.)

Unit 4 Unit 5

Which of the rock units described below contain evidence for an sea that covered the middle of North America during the Cretaceous? (select all that apply)

Unit 4 Unit 5

What features or processes are common in hot spots? Choose the best answer.

Volcanism

Volcano 1 is cone shaped and composed of a composite of andesite, ash layers, mudflow layers, and volcanic debris layers. Volcano 2 is broad and low-slope and composed of basalt. Which volcano would you be most concerned about an explosive eruption?

Volcano 1

Which of the following would likely have the highest porosity?

Well-sorted gravel

What is currently the least expensive technology in Larimer County, Colorado?

Wind

Is this rock foliated? [Image description: rock with black and white horizontal bands running through it.]

Yes

A decrease in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would lead to _______________. (select all that apply)

a decrease in the amount of long-wave radiation that is absorbed by the atmosphere a decrease in Earth's average temperature

An increase in Earth's average albedo leads to ________________. (select all that apply)

a decrease in the amount of solar radiation that is absorbed by Earth an increase in the amount of solar radiation that is reflected

A greenhouse gas is an atmospheric gas that _______.

absorbs heat radiating from the surface of Earth.

Which of these changes in the physical conditions could cause a solid rock to melt? (Select all that apply.)

addition of water increase in temperature decrease in pressure

What is the primary cause for the increase in global temperature over the past century?

an increase in greenhouse gas concentrations related to the burning of fossil fuels

What type of unconformity is pictured below? [Image description: tall rock formation with vertical foliation at lower half and slanted horizontal foliation at top half]

angular unconformity

Minerals are classified according to the ____________ part of their chemical formula

anion

What type of structure is the man standing in front of in this image? [Image description: n shaped curve in a rock formation with foliated bands]

anticline

Over the last 600,000 years, the highest pre-industrial concentration of carbon dioxide in atmosphere was _____ ppm.

approximately 300

Which type of deformation occurs at shallow depths within the crust?

brittle

Which type of deformation typically occurs at shallow depths within the crust?

brittle

Continental collisions are characterized by___________________. (select all that apply)

broad mountainous regions widespread shallow earthquakes

Very fine-grained sedimentary rocks, such as this shale, are typically deposited in ______________ environments.

calm, low-energy

Which of these river variables typically decrease as you travel downstream from the headwaters to the mouth? (select all that apply)

channel gradient maximum sediment grain size

Swelling soils occur when water is added to which type of minerals?

clay minerals

Which of these conditions tends to promote greater solar power potential? (select all that apply)

closer to the equator flatter topography drier climate

A and B represent locations on two separate plates. The curved black line represents the plate boundary. The arrows show the directions of plate motion and the rates of motion are indicated. What type of plate boundary is this? [image description: plate A moving East 3mm/yr, plate B moving East 7mm/yr]

convergent

Which of these would be considered a renewable resource? (Select all that apply.)

corn wind energy sunlight

Soil or other overburden; in some cases, mixed with ice that flows very slowly would be classified as __________________.

creep

Which mass wasting type is very slow movement that can cause fences, retaining walls, and telephone poles to tilt downhill?

creep

Adding water to a rock can contribute to melting by _________________.

decreasing the temperature at which the rock melts

Which of these features would you expect to find at a convergent boundary where subduction is taking place? (select all that apply)

deep earthquakes accretionary prism shallow earthquakes deep ocean trench volcanoes

Science denial generally uses which of these rhetorical arguments? (Select all that apply)

demanding equal media coverage for a "balanced" view attacking the researchers who's findings they disagree with claiming the science is unsettled

Settling of collapsible soils tend to happen in areas with ________________________.

dry, low density soils

Which of these are potential triggers for mass wasting events? (choose all that apply)

earthquake volcanic eruption freezing and thawing heavy rain wildfire

Which of these areas of Colorado generally has the highest wind energy potential?

eastern part of the state

Which of these terms is defined as the point on the land surface directly above the location where the earthquake occurred?

epicenter

How would you describe the composition of this igneous rock? [image description: a chunk of granite with fine red, green, and black crystals]

felsic

Which of the following are ways of correlating rocks? (Select three that apply)

fossils rock type time (age)

Which of these rocks could be the parent rock of gneiss? (select all that apply)

granite mudrock (such as shale)

Mass movement occurs when the shear force is ___________ the shear strength.

greater than

Projected increases in high temperatures in Fort Collins are _______ for higher emissions scenarios and the difference between the emissions scenarios _______ as time moves forward.

greater; grows larger

What type of glacier is shown in the photograph below? [Image description: a glacier that appears to be sliding down the edge of a cliff]

hanging glacier

Contact metamorphism occurs when rocks are exposed to _________ temperature and _________ pressure.

high temperature, low pressure

Clastic sedimentary rocks with larger grain sizes are typically deposited in environments with lower energy, than rocks with smaller grain sizes.

higher

Glaciers __________________________. (choose all that apply)

hold about 69% of Earth's freshwater Are bodies of ice that are large enough to flow under their own weight form from the accumulation of snow that doesn't melt during the summer

Daytime temperatures on the moon are ________ than on Earth, and nighttime temperature on the moon are _________ than on Earth because the moon does not have an atmosphere.

hotter; colder

Whether oil or natural gas is produced in a source rock depends on _________________.

how deep the rock is buried

Which of these substances would be considered a mineral?

ice

Earth's energy balance refers to the balance between _________ and _________.

incoming radiation from the sun; radiation emitted by the Earth to space

An increase in the amount of sea ice that covers the ocean would lead to a ______________ in albedo.

increase

If there is an increase in the size of the ice sheets on land, the 18O/16O ratio in the ocean will _______________.

increase

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is used in some unconventional oil and gas reservoirs to:

increase the permeability of the reservoir

Which of these changes would you predict to occur in Colorado as a result of a warming climate? (choose two correct answers)

increased drought and wildfire risk earlier snowmelt

The shear force acting on materials on a slope _____________.

increases as the slope angle increases.

Which of these metals are used in solar photovoltaic panels? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

indium lead molybdenum copper nickel

Which scale would you use if you wanted to measure the amount of shaking felt by people and damage that occurred as a result of an earthquake?

intensity scale

Which of these igneous rock types would you expect to have larger crystals?

intrusive (plutonic)

What are the two largest uses of water in the United States?

irrigation thermoelectric power

Hydraulic fracturing ______________ (select all that apply).

is primarily used to extract oil or gas from shale is a process in which fluid and sand is pumped at high pressure into a rock to fracture it is used to increase the permeability of the rock

Why is plastic not a mineral?

it is not natural

What is the starting material for oil and natural gas?

limestone

Areas underlain by which of these rock/soil types will have the greatest amplitude of shaking for a given earthquake?

loose, unconsolidated sediments

Pyroxene has the chemical formula, (NaCa)(Mg,Fe,Al)(Al,Si)2O6. Is pyroxene a felsic or mafic silicate mineral?

mafic

Which scale would you use if you wanted to measure the amount of energy released as a result of an earthquake?

magnitude scale

Chemical sedimentary rocks are composted of ____________________.

material that has been transported as ions in solution

What type of river channel is pictured below?

meandering

The degree or intensity of metamorphism is known as _____________________.

metamorphic grade

A decrease in Earth's average albedo would lead to _________________________.

more incoming solar radiation being absorbed by Earth

Above the equilibrium line, accumulation is ________more than ablation; while below the equilibrium line, accumulation is ________ ablation.

more than; less than

Which of these characteristics of a drainage basin would tend to promote a longer lag time between a rainfall event and peak discharge? (choose all that apply)

more vegetation larger drainage basin thick soils

Coal was formed through the burial and heating of ____________.

plants

Climate models project _____ precipitation in the northern part of North America and ______ precipitation in the southern part of North America by the end of the century.

more; less

The reactions that take place during chemical weathering remove CO2 from the atmosphere. These chemical weathering reactions take place faster at higher temperatures. This acts as a _________ feedback and can help _________ over long timescales.

negative; stabilize Earth's climate

Isotopes are atoms of the same element but have different numbers of __________.

neutrons

What type of fault is shown in the image below?

normal fault

Which type of fault would you expect to find at a divergent boundary?

normal fault

As you move away from a mid-ocean ridge on either side the age of the ocean crust should get ________________.

older

For oil to be produced, the following events must occur: (choose all that apply)

organic molecules are buried to greater depth by the accumulation of sediment microorganisms settle to the bottom of an ocean or lake after they die organic molecules are preserved under low oxygen conditions microorganisms produce organic molecules through photosynthesis

Magnetite has the chemical formula, Fe3O4. Which class of minerals would magnetite be placed?

oxides

Which of these are the TWO most common elements in Earth's crust?

oxygen silicon

At a mid-ocean ridge, what is melting to produce magma?

part of the asthenosphere

Albedo is defined as the __________________.

percentage of incoming solar radiation that is reflected back to space

How would you describe the texture of this igneous rock? [image description: a chunk of granite with fine red, green, and black crystals]

phaneritic

The rock shown below contains fine-grained (too small to see with the naked eye) platy minerals such as mica. What would this rock be called?

phyllite

The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is an example of a ________, where an initial warming will cause there to be more evaporation which will increase the greenhouse effect and lead to _________.

positive (reinforcing) feedback; additional warming

The metamorphic rock shown below started as sandstone before it was metmorphosed. It is very hard and does not fizz under hydrochloric acid. What is this rock?

quartzite

What type of structure is shown in the image below? [image description: tall rock formation protruding from the side of a hill. The rock formation shows foliated bands]

reverse fault

Which of these features would you expect to find at a divergent boundary? (select all that apply)

ridge of elevated seafloor volcanoes shallow earthquakes

An increase in the temperature of the ocean would lead to a _______ in global sea level because __________.

rise; water expands as it is heated

Which type of mass wasting moves rapidly and can be deadly? (choose all that apply)

rock fall flows

Which of these factors will affect the shear strength of material on a slope? (choose all that apply)

rock type the orientation of bedding or metamorphic layers amount of water the material contains

The rock pictured below contains well-sorted, well-rounded, fine quartz sand, iron oxides and large cross-bedding. What type of rock is this?

sandstone

The rock shown below contains large mica crystals and other platy minerals aligned in a parallel direction. What type of metamorphic rock is this? [Image description: silvery and gold rock with glints of crystals]

schist

If you wanted to reconstruct ocean temperatures on long timescales (hundreds of thousands of years), which of these archives would be the best target?

sediment cores

Which of the following settings would be most favorable for fossil fuels?

sedimentary rocks that contain folds and faults

Soils on top of which of these rock types would you expect to be most at risk for swelling soils.

shale

The sedimentary rock pictured below contains layers of silt and clay-sized clasts. What would this rock be called?

shale

Identify TWO lists of clastic, chemical, and biochemical sedimentary rocks (in that order)?

shale, rock salt, limestone conglomerate, travertine, coal

Which of the following are possible impacts of over-pumping groundwater? (select all that apply)

shallow wells become dry ground subsidence declining water table

What forces are involved in a mass sliding down an inclined plane? SELECT THREE

shear friction normal

The metamorphic rock shown below dense, microscopic clay minerals or mica and breaks into hard, flat sheets. What would this rock be called? [Image description: smooth-ish dark gray layered rock]

slate

What type of fault would occur as a result of tension stress?

strike slip

What type of fault would occur as a result of shear stress?

strike-slip

In which of these environments would you expect to have high-pressure, low-temperature metamorphism?

subduction zone

What is the geological structure shown in this image called?

syncline

Viscosity refers to _________________

the resistance to flow of a fluid

Predict what will happen to the terminus of a glacier if there is an increase in average temperature.

the terminus will retreat to higher elevation

An earthquake occurs when ___________________.

there is a rupture and movement along a fault

What are the two most important factors in the process of generating oil from organic remains?

time temperature

On the map below the brown lines indicate surface elevations and the blue lines show the elevations of the water table. In what general direction would you expect the groundwater to flow?

toward the bottom right of the map

The map below shows elevation of the water table within the Dakota Aquifer in western Kansas. What is the general direction of groundwater flow?

towards the East

Concentrated deposits of Uranium ore are created by _______________.

transport and precipitation of uranium by groundwater

How is nuclear energy produced to generate electricity?

uranium is split into two smaller particles, releasing heat in the process

Soil is made up of which of these components? (Select four.)

weathered rock water air organic material

The Morrison Formation contains inter-bedded red, yellow, green and white siltstones and claystones, in addition to dinosaur fossils such as stegosaurus and apatosaurus. Which of these is the most likely depositional environment for this rock?

wetlands, lakes, and slow-moving rivers

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