Oceanography Questions
Passive continental margins are typically associated with what structures?
-Continental Shelf -Shelf break -continental slope -continental rise -submarine canyons -turbidity currents
Active continental margins are typically associated with what structures?
-Deep ocean trenches -continental volcanic arc or volcanic island arc -accretionary wedge
The scientific method:
-Scientist making predictions based on established theories -involves repeated testing and adjustment of hypotheses to explain observations -is an ongoing cycle
Which of the following are examples of pelagic sediments?
-abyssal clay -biogenic ooze -volcanic dust
What is true about the Earth's core?
-composed of two layers that differ in physical properties -core is composed of mainly iron & nickel with some sulfur -the outer core is liquid because it is so hot
What are the characteristics of a deep ocean trench?
-deep, narrow valleys at subduction zones -created a plate boundary due to plates pushing together
What steps are required for calcareous ooze to exist below the CCD?
-deposition of calcite shells ave the CCD -cover of these shells by a non-calcareous material -movement of the sea floor over millions of years
Which of the following are examples of neurotic sediments?
-evaporite deposits -beach sand
What is true regarding hydrogen bonds in water?
-hydrogen bonds are responsible for the high latent heat of vaporization of liquid water to water vapor -hydrogen bonds are responsible for the high heat capacity of water -hydrogen bonds are responsible for the high latent heat of melting of ice to liquid water
Why is ice less dense than liquid water?
-ice crystals are bulky -ice crystals have a hexagonal shape -ice expands as it freezes
Rocks in which layer(s) of Earth are rigid?
-lithosphere -inner core -mesosphere
Where would you expect to find a high concentration of siliceous ooze?
-near the equator in areas of upwelling -surrounding Antarctica -off the coast of Alaska
What do ridges and rises have in common?
-new seafloor is created at each -they are both associated with divergent plate boundaries
Which of the following factors affect the distribution of biogenic oozes on the seafloor?
-seafloor spreading -dissolution -water depth -biological productivity
Which of the following organisms thrive in cold surface waters?
-siliceous organisms -radiolarians -diatoms
Where would you expect to find a high concentration of calcareous ooze?
-surrounding Hawaii -along the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
What are the characteristics of a rift valley?
-wide, long, & deep -crust on either side is uplifted because it is hotter and less dense then the crust farther from the plate boundary -occur above and below water
At what temperature does the density of water decrease dramatically as it cools?
0 degree C
The density of pure water reaches its maximum density, or plateaus, at an approximate temperature of __.
4 degree C
When did the Solar System form?
5 billion years ago
How long did it take Earth's oceans to form?
500 million years
How much heat energy is needed to turn 1 gram of water at 100 degrees Celsius into water vapor?
540 calories of heat energy
How much heat energy is needed to melt 1 gram of ice?
80 calories of heat energy
What is a scientific theory?
A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment.
What is an exampled of a mountain range formed from continental arcs?
Andes & Cascades
Melt from the subducting plate rises to the surface, erupts through the crust on the overriding plate and forms __ on continents, or __ in the ocean.
Continental volcanic arcs/Volcanic island arcs
The state of matter in which water molecules are most energetic.
Gas
What is the first step of the scientific method?
Observation
Subduction zones surrounding the Pacific Ocean give rise to volcanoes. This area surrounding the Pacific Ocean is called the?
Ring of Fire
The state of matter of frost on grass.
Solid
__ are deep valleys at passive continental boundaries. They are likely carved out of __, which occur when sediment-laden water rapidly moves down slope.
Submarine canyons/turbidity currents
What would happen to Earth if ocean floor were created at divergent boundaries at a faster rate than it is destroyed at convergent boundaries?
The Earth would increase in volume
In what way does water behave unusually as it cools?
The density of liquid water increases as it cools; then the density starts to decrease as it freezes.
What is calcareous ooze?
a fine-grained, deep ocean sediment containing the skeletal remains of calcite-secreting microbes
How did our Solar System form?
a large cloud of dust & gas began to contract under the force of gravity
What is a nebula?
a large cloud of dust & gas in space
What is a volcanic arc?
a row of volcanoes that forms not he overriding plate near a subduction zone
Where do most earthquakes occur?
at plate boundaries
Where do magnetic field lines exist the Earth today?
at the South Pole
What is residence time?
average length of time a substance has been on Earth
Sediments derived from the remains of the hard parts of once-living organisms are called __ sediments?
biogenous
Two common types of biogenies sediments are?
calcium carbonate/silica
Which sediment type dominates in the neurotic environment?
course lithogenous sediment, such as sand and small rocks
Where do mantle plumes originate?
deep in the mantle, near the core
Two types of organisms that produce siliceous ooze are?
diatoms; radiolarians
Which type of plate boundary is most closely associated with the formation of new ocean floor?
divergent
Plates move apart at __ boundaries, move together at __ boundaries, and move side-by-side at __ boundaries
divergent/convergent/transform
The state of matter in which water is compressible?
gas
Siliceous ooze is particularly abundant on the seafloor at __________ and at __________.
high latitudes/equatorial upwelling zones
What causes water's density to decrease when it freezes?
hydrogen bonds
What must break in order for water to change from solid to liquid to gas?
hydrogen bonds between water molecules
What makes water a polar molecule?
it has a positive hydrogen side and a negative oxygen side
What do we call the energy used to melt ice once the ice becomes water?
latent heat of water
The state of matter in which water is densest
liquid
The state of matter of steam rising from a hot cup of coffee?
liquid
What is the basis of Earth's physical layers?
material density
What geological features are associated with divergent boundaries?
mid-ocean ridges and continental rift valleys
Which geological features are associated with convergent boundaries?
ocean trenches & volcanoes
Why is the average depth of the ocean much greater than the average height of land?
oceanic crust is more dense than continental crust
Where would you expect to see alternating bands of rock with different magnetic polarities?
on both sides of the mid-ocean ridge
Where on the ocean floor do abyssal clay develop?
on the deep-ocean floor, far from land
How do ridges and rises differ?
riser are broader and more gently sloped than ridges
What triggers outgassing?
rising of low-density gases to the surface
Which of the following sediments would you expect to find in a lagoon?
salt & broken bits of coral
The state of matter in which water molecules vibrate about fixed locations.
solid
The density (mass per volume) of most liquids increases as the __________ is lowered.
temperature
What is the relationship between the crust & lithosphere?
the crust is part of the lithosphere
What does plate boundary mean?
the edge of a plate, where two plates meet each other
What is the calcite compensation depth (CCD)?
the ocean depth below which calcite is unstable and will dissolve quickly
What is bathymetry?
the study & mapping of the ocean floor
Where did the energy of the Sun come from originally?
thermal energy that was converted froth gravitational energy of the original nebula collapse
What factor primary controls the distribution of calcareous ooze?
water depth
How did Earth's early oceans form?
water vapor was expelled into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions, which condensed to form rain that was then collected on Earth's surface
What does the term "asthenosphere" literally mean?
weak sphere
