Exam 4 Geo
Approximately what percentage of Earth's surface is exposed above sea level?
29 percent
The Precambrian Eon encompasses what percentage of Earth's total history?
88.2 percent
The energy released by a magnitude 8 quake on the Richter scale is how many times greater than that of a magnitude 6 quake?
992
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.
Which of the following is CORRECT regarding Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift?
He believed that 225 million years ago all the continents were joined together to form Pangaea.
Which of the following is INCORRECT regarding Earth's inner core?
It is the source of Earth's magnetic field
Which of the following is incorrectly matched?
Jurassic - a period of Paleozoic
Which of the following is incorrectly matched?
Mesozoic - Epoch
The transition zone from the upper mantle to the crust is known as the ________ discontinuity.
Mohorovičić
Which of the following can occur when seismic waves encounter a layer in Earth's interior?
Reflection, refraction, absorption, and change in speed
Which of the following is CORRECT?
The age of the sea floor increases with increasing distance from a mid-ocean ridge.
Which of the following is NOT used to rate an earthquake on the moment magnitude scale?
The amount of death and destruction that occurred
Which of the following is an example of a first order of relief?
an ocean basin
Which of the following lists the correct sequence of divisions in the geologic time scale, from largest to smallest?
eon, era, period, epoch
The area at the surface directly above the subsurface location where seismic waves are initiated is termed the:
epicenter
When pressure is removed from overlying rock, the pressure of deep burial is relieved, initiating pressure-release jointing. The joints then separate into curved slabs. This is known as
exfoliation
Sedimentary rocks are more a product of the __________ system whereas metamorphic and igneous rocks are more a product of the __________ system.
exogenic; endogenic
Stream-related processes are termed:
fluvial
The motion of seismic waves is initiated in a subsurface area along the fault plane called the:
focus, or hypocenter
The fact that water expands as much as 9% of its volume as it freezes is the basis of
frost wedging
An active volcano is defined as one that
has erupted at least once within recorded history
In which climates would rocks experience the highest amounts of chemical decomposition and decay?
hot and wet
Volcanic activity located away from plate boundaries is associated with
hot spots
________ are sites of upwelling of magma from the mantle independent of plate boundaries.
hot spots
Which of the following is NOT a type of physical weathering process?
hydrolysis
Which of the following is not a type of physical weathering process?
hyrdolysis
Which rock type makes up approximately 90% of Earth's crust?
igneous
Which of the following layers of Earth is liquid and is responsible for producing Earth's magnetic field?
outer core
Rust, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water, is an example of
oxidation
Of the elements in Earth's crusts, ________ makes up the most of Earth's crust by weight.
oxygen (o)
The three most abundant elements in Earth's crust are
oxygen, silicon, and aluminum
The three most abundant chemical elements in Earth's crust are:
oxygen, silicon, and aluminum.
Which of the following is a period of Paleozoic era in Geologic Time Scale?
permian
________ is the theory that describes the motion of Earth's lithosphere.
plate tectonics
Heat energy and new materials are brought to the surface from the interior by the:
tectonic cycle
Areas where plates slide past one another, usually ar right angles to a seafloor spreading are
transform boundaries
Which drainage pattern is produced by folded topography?
trellis
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 is an endogenic process?
volcanism
Hydrolysis involves:
water reacting with minerals
The process that breaks down rock at Earth's surface through disintegration of rocks into mineral particles or dissolving it into water is known as
weathering
Which of the following is an exogenic process?
weathering
Which of the following lists of processes are in the correct sequence as to their occurrence in nature?
weathering, erosion, transport, deposition
Which of the following is matched correctly?
Aesthenosphere - plastic
Which of the following is incorrect regarding floodplains?
They are characterized by rapids and low waterfalls.
"The present is the key to the past" summarizes a geologic principle known as:
Uniformitarianism
Orogenesis refers to:
a general term for a mountain-building episode that thickens continental crust.
A hypsographic curve is defined as:
a generalized curve showing Earth's surface by area and elevation in relation to sea level.
The Hawaiian Islands were formed as a result of
a rising plume of magma from the mantle.
Plate tectonic boundaries (margins) are associated with:
all of the above
The rate at which rocks weather depends upon:
all of the above
The variety of surface features on Earth results from:
all of the above
The San Andreas fault system in California is an example of a:
all of these are correct
Which of the following is NOT a criteria to be classified as a mineral?
anthropogenic
Volcanoes formed from silica (Si, O)-rich magma:
are highly explosive and dangerous
Volcanic activity generally does not occur:
around the perimeter of the Atlantic Ocean basin
The plastic layer in the mantle from about 70 to 250 km (43 to 155 mi) in depth is known as the
asthenosphere
If Earth did not experience endogenic processes, the landscape would:
be of very low relief as a result of weathering and erosion in the absence of uplift
Intrusive igneous cooled and hardened ________ Earth's surface, resulting in ________ grained rocks.
beneath; coarser
Limestone formed from the shells of marine organisms is an example of ________ sedimentary rock.
biochemical
The geologic cycle is fueled by
both solar energy and Earth's internal heat.
A brittle rock is likely to respond to stress by __________, whereas a ductile rock is likely to respond by __________.
breaking; bending
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
When rock is broken down and disintegrated in the presence of water and with chemical alterations to the rock, the process in operation is
chemical weathering
Convergent plate boundaries are characteristic of
collision zones between plates
Explosive eruptions tend to build up
composite volcanoes
Which of the following gives the correct sequence of layers in Earth, from the surface to the center?
crust, aesthenosphere, lower mantle, core
Knowledge of the Earth's interior layers is derived from:
indirect evidence involving the analysis of seismic waves.
The majority of Earth's volume is within the
mantle
Which of the following is matched correctly?
marble - metamorphic
The downslope movement of a body of material made up of soil, sediment, or rock propelled by the force of gravity is known as
mass movement
Earth's interior is layered because
materials became sorted based on density as Earth solidified.
A rock transformed from any other rock through extreme heat and or pressure is referred to as
metamorphic
Tensional stress along a fault can result in a dropped hanging-wall block relative to the footwall side, producing a:
normal fault
The Basin and Range Province in the western United States is a result of ________ faulting produced by ________ forces.
normal; tensional
Which of the following is INCORRECTLY matched?
point bar - area of substantial erosion
Which of the following is INCORRECTLY matched?
radioactive decay heat-exogenic energy source
An assemblage of minerals bound together is called a:
rock
Factors influencing the weathering process include
rock composition and structure, climate, and vegetation
The continuous alteration of Earth materials from one rock type to another is known as the
rock cycle
Three types of rock-forming processes comprise the:
rock cycle
The ultimate base level for a river system is:
sea level
Divergent plate boundaries are characteristic of
sea-floor spreading centers
The history of life on Earth is preserved as fossils in which type of rock?
sedimentary
What type of rock is derived from the bits and pieces of former rocks?
sedimentary
An instrument used to record vibrations (earthquakes) in the crust is called:
seismograph
Which of the following is incorrectly matched?
shearing- stretching or faulting
Stream transport involves all of the following except:
sheet flow
If you were paranoid of earthquakes, which of the following areas would be the safest to live?
shield
A gently sloping mountain landform built from effusive eruptions is known as a
shield volcano.
Which of the following is NOT a class of mass movement?
slip
The most common type of mass movement in a moderately sloped and dry environment is:
soil creep
The process whereby one portion of the lithosphere beneath another and dives downward into the mantel is called
subduction
In terms of dating of specific rocks, structures, or landscapes, numerical age refers to
the age of geological features based on isotopic dating techniques
In terms of dating of specific rocks, structures, or landscapes, relative age refers to
the age of one feature with respect to another within a sequence of events and deduced from the positions of rock strata above and below one another.
Fault types are defined by:
the relative motion of the hanging wall and footwall.
The major rocks of Earth's crust are classified into three principal types based on:
three specific rock-forming processes; i.e., the manner in which they formed.
Which of the following landforms is incorrectly matched with a drainage pattern?
topographically disrupted areas - parallel
