Landforms Quiz 2

34. Uniformitarianism holds that all geologic change affecting Earth's surface requires immense amounts of time to occur. a. True b. False

*b. False

36. Earth's magnetic field is generated from within the entire planet, rather than in a specific region of Earth's interior. a. True b. False

*b. False

17. Which of the following is not a member of the silicate family of minerals? a. quartz b. calcite c. feldspars d. clay minerals

*b. calcite

25. The ancient roots of mountains are usually composed of __________ rocks. a. sedimentary b. metamorphic c. igneous

*b. metamorphic

24. Coal is a fossil fuel formed from a. dead marine organisms. b. plant remains c. metamorphosed mafic minerals. d. blue-green algae.

*b. plant remains

26. Which of the following is the fuel for continental drift and plate tectonics? a. nuclear fusion b. radioactive decay c. solar energy d. chemical reactions in Earth's core

*b. radioactive decay

2. Which of the following lists is in the correct sequence from younger to older? a. Holocene, Pleistocene, Pliocene, Miocene b. Holocene, Precambrian, Cenozoic c. Paleozoic, Cenozoic, Mesozoic d. Tertiary, Quaternary, Cretaceous

a. Holocene, Pleistocene, Pliocene, Miocene

40. The deepest places in the ocean are those in which rifting occurs. a. True b. False

b. False

4. Who first proposed the theory of uniformitarianism? a. Plato b. James Hutton c. Charles Darwin d. Albert Wegner

b. James Hutton

5. The heat that drives the tectonic cycle is derived from a. nuclear fusion. b. radioactive decay. c. chemical reactions. d. sunlight.

b. radioactive decay.

3. When geologists or archaeologists dig downward into a unit of rock or sediment, they are digging "back in time." This fact is based on the principle of __________. a. uniformitarianism b. superposition c. catastrophism

b. superposition

30. Which of the following is not true of geothermal energy? a. It could be used everywhere. b. It's in use in Iceland, Japan, and California. c. Loss of aquifer pressure and groundwater drawdown can reduce production over time. d. It can be used to produce both heat and electricity.

*a. It could be used everywhere.

31. Endogenic processes cause warping, folding, faulting, and uplift of Earth's surface. a. True b. False

*a. True

32. The oldest rocks on Earth are between 3.96 and 4.3 billion years old. a. True b. False

*a. True

37. Earth's magnetic field has reversed nine times in the last four million years. a. True b. False

*a. True

35. According to currently accepted scientific theories, Earth is never affected by catastrophes. a. True b. False

*b. False

12. Which of the following is matched correctly? a. 3.0 grams per cubic centimeter - granitic crust b. 4.7 grams per cubic centimeter - upper mantle *c. 3.3 grams per cubic centimeter - asthenosphere *d. 3.0 grams per cubic centimeter - oceanic crust

*c. 3.3 grams per cubic centimeter - asthenosphere *d. 3.0 grams per cubic centimeter - oceanic crust

8. Which of the following is true? a. The age of the sea floor is the same in most areas of the ocean. b. The age of the sea floor does not follow a discernable pattern. c. The age of the sea floor increases with increasing distance from a midocean ridge. d. The age of the sea floor increases with increasing distance from a trench. e. The oldest sea floor material is several billion years in age.

*c. The age of the sea floor increases with increasing distance from a midocean ridge.

14. 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 a. magnetism. b. Moho effect. c. isostasy. d. orogenesis.

*c. isostasy.

20. Which of the following is matched correctly? a. granite - metamorphic b. basalt - sedimentary c. marble - metamorphic d. sandstone - igneous

*c. marble - metamorphic

18. Which of the following is not a felsic mineral? a. quartz b. feldspar c. peridotite d. orthoclase

*c. peridotite

27. Which of the following supports the continental drift concept? a. magnetic field patterns preserved in the rocks b. plant and animal fossil records c. radiometric dating of rocks on either side of a spreading center d. All of these support the theory. e. None of these is valid evidence of continental drift.

*d. All of these support the theory.

39. Ocean floor is continuously destroyed in rift zones. a. True b. False

b. False

38. Ocean floor is created along midocean ridges. a. True b. False

a. True

9. The layer within Earth that lies directly below the lithosphere, but above the upper mantle, is best described as a. a plastic-like layer that flows in response to heat and pressure. b. a granitic material that weighs an average of 2.7 grams per cm3. c. the core. d. resistant to movement of any type.

a. a plastic-like layer that flows in response to heat and pressure.

11. The density of material below the Moho is __________ that above it. a. greater than b. less than c. the same as

a. greater than

7. The average length of a period during which a given magnetic field polarity exists is about a. 1,000 years. b. 500,000 years. c. 400 million years. d. 1 billion years.

b. 500,000 years.

8. Which of the following is not true regarding Earth's magnetic field? a. It causes magnetic particles in cooling magma to align with magnetic field lines. b. Transition periods, during which reversals occur, last an average of about 4000 to 8000 years. c. Earth's magnetic field will probably reverse in the next few thousand years. d. A given field orientation can last billions of years.

d. A given field orientation can last billions of years.

1. Which of the following plays a role in the shaping of Earth's surface? a. gravity. b. the action of wind, water, and ice. c. the radioactive decay of atoms. d. All of these e. the action of wind, water, and ice and the radioactive decay of atoms only

d. All of these

10. Which of the following is true of the aesthenosphere? a. It contains pockets of increased heat. b. It flows. c. It carries the lithospheric plates. d. All of these are true. e. None of these are true.

d. All of these are true.

33. A guiding principle of modern science is the principle of uniformitarianism-as opposed to catastrophism. a. True b. False

*a. True

19. Mafic minerals are __________ minerals. a. dark colored, high density b. dark colored, low density c. light colored, high density d. light colored, low density

*a. dark colored, high density

15. During the past ice age, landmasses were generally a. pressed down into the asthenosphere by the load of ice. b. elevated, because ice is lighter than rock. c. unaffected by the climatic conditions of the time. d. more exposed to the atmosphere.

*a. pressed down into the asthenosphere by the load of ice.

21. What type of rock is derived from the bits and pieces of former rocks? a. sedimentary b. metamorphic c. igneous d. hydrothermal

*a. sedimentary

22. If you were driving down the highway and saw mountains composed of layered strata, you could be confident that you were looking at a. sedimentary rocks. b. extrusive igneous rock. c. a shield volcano. d. batholiths or laccoliths.

*a. sedimentary rocks.

29. The magma, which fuels and produces the volcanic activity around the Pacific Ring of Fire, is derived from the a. magma extruded from rift zones, which are developing along the Pacific Rim. b. rise of material that was melted in subduction zones along the Pacific margins. c. rise of magma from hot spots, such as those which formed the Hawaiian Islands. d. rise of magma along transform faults.

*b. rise of material that was melted in subduction zones along the Pacific margins.

23. The presence of 180-million-year-old salt domes in the Gulf Coast region of the United States indicates that a. the area was once volcanically active. b. the area was subjected to plate collisions which caused metamorphism to occur. c. subsidence is now occurring due to the withdrawal of magma from the region. d. a sea used to cover the area but subsequently evaporated. e. None of these

*d. a sea used to cover the area but subsequently evaporated.

16. The three most abundant elements in Earth's crust are a. rock, water, and tectonics. b. magnesium, potassium, and oxygen. c. iron, aluminum, and granite. d. oxygen, silicon, and aluminum.

*d. oxygen, silicon, and aluminum.

6. Which of the following is incorrect regarding Earth's inner core? a. It has a density of 13.5 grams per cm3. b. It is solid iron in composition. c. It is the source of Earth's magnetic field. d. It is about 1230 km (760 mi.) thick.

c. It is the source of Earth's magnetic field.

13. The thickness of Earth's crust ranges from a. 5 km to 60 km (3 mi. to 37 mi.). b. 70 km to 250 km (43 mi. to 155 mi.). c. the surface to an unknown depth. d. the surface down to 2900 km (1800 mi.).

a. 5 km to 60 km (3 mi. to 37 mi.).