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If you saw a chain of volcanic islands in the middle of the ocean and you don't know that the plate tectonic setting is, which piece of information can be used to help you determine whether the islands were formed by a hotspot or at a convergent boundary?
a) If a trench is present, it is a convergent plate boundary
b) If all the volcanoes are active, it is a hotspot
c) If a trench is present, it is a hotspot
d) If only one of the volcanoes are active, it is a convergent plate boundary.
a) If a trench is present, it is a convergent plate boundary
b) If all the volcanoes are active, it is a hotspot
c) If a trench is present, it is a hotspot
d) If only one of the volcanoes are active, it is a convergent plate boundary.
Since temperatures in Earth increase with d depth, why is the inner core solid?
a) Temperatures increase to a certain point before leveling of below the melting point of the core.
b) The pressures in the core are immense and keep it in a solid state despite the temperature.
c) Earth's interior does not reach temperatures high enough to melt the material of the inner core.
d) The inner core is shedding the heat so quickly that melting does not have time to occur.
a) Temperatures increase to a certain point before leveling of below the melting point of the core.
b) The pressures in the core are immense and keep it in a solid state despite the temperature.
c) Earth's interior does not reach temperatures high enough to melt the material of the inner core.
d) The inner core is shedding the heat so quickly that melting does not have time to occur.
A ___________ plate boundary is where plates are moving away from each other.
a) convergent
b) shear
c) transform
d) divergent
e) transversed) divergentNew oceanic crust is created along:
a) divergent boundaries
b) continent-continent convergent boundaries
c) transform plate boundaries
d) continent - oceanic convergent boundaries
e) oceanic-oceanic convergent boundariesa) divergent boundariesThe _____________ collectively make up the lithosphere.
a) the crust and the whole mantle
b) the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle
c) the crust and asthenosphere
d) the upper and lower mantle
e) the asthenosphere and the upper mantleb) the crust and the uppermost part of the mantleSea-floor spreading implies that sea-floor rocks should be ________________.
a) the same age throughout
b) youngest on the crest of mid-ocean ridges
c) younger as water becomes colder
d) younger toward the trench
e) youngest on the continental shelfb) youngest on the crest of mid-ocean ridgesWhat is Pangea?
a) the large landmass that all continents are currently forming
b) the large landmass in which all continents once were connected
c) the largest fault found on Earth
d)Earth's inner core
e) the boundary between the lithosphere and the asthenosphereb) the largest landmass in which all continents once were connectedSummed over the entire surface of the Earth, the rate of spreading at divergent boundaries is ____________ lithospheric consumption at subduction zones.
a) faster than
b) slower than
c) equal to
d) unrelated toc) equal toAlternating positive and negative polarity magnetic anomalies in the crust form a stripe-like pattern parallel to _____________.
a) lines of longitude
b) the equator
c) continental margins
d) aseismic ridges
e) mid-oceanic ridgese) mid-oceanic ridgesThe polarity of the Earth's magnetic field in the geologic past is:
a) unknown, but is assumed to have been identical to today's
b) known to have stayed constant through geologic time, as shown by remnant magnetization of iron-rich minerals in rocks.
c) known to have experienced numerous reversals, as shown by remnant magnetization of iron-rich minerals in rocks.
d) known to have stayed constant though time, based on theoretical calculations.c) known to have experienced numerous reversals, as shown by remnant magnetization of iron-rich minerals in rocks.What is the texture of a rock?
a) how the rock feels to the touch
b) the composition of minerals that make up the rock
c) the shape of the rock
d) the size, shape, and/or arrangement of minerals in a rockd) the size, shape, and/or arrangement of minerals in a rockWegener's proposal that the continents had once fit together as a single supercontinent was rejected by geologists at the time because:
a) Wegner could not provide a driving force strong enough
b) the continents did not fit together tightly enough
c) the fossils evidence was inconclusive
d) the distribution of climatic belts did not make sense in that configurationa) Wegner could not provide a driving force strong enoughWater that has trickled down into a joint in a rock can freeze, expand, and _________ .
a) glue the rock more tightly together
b) make the rock harder
c) seal the crack thereby preventing further weathering
d) widen the crack and hastening the rock's disintegration
e) displace surface acids that may weaken the rockd) widen the crack and hastening the rock's disintegrationTo understand geology one must understand how the solid Earth interacts with water, air, and living organisms. For this reason, it is useful to think of Earth as being part of a ______________ .
a) hydrosphere
b) system
c) trend
d) group
e) formationb) systemShield volcanoes have __________ bases and ___________ inclined slopes.
a) broad; steeply
b) broad; gently
c) narrow; steeply
d) narrow; gentlyb) broad; gentlyThe Earth's interior heat engine works because hot buoyant material deep within the Earth ______ while cold denser material ________ .
a) moves upward; moves downward
b) contracts and sinks; expands and rises
c) contracts and rises; expands and sinks
d) expands and sinks; contract and rises
e) the sun is hota) moves upward; moves downwardThe difference between magma and lava is:
a) magma cools more rapidly than lava
b) magma is found at the surface, whereas lava is found below the surface
c) magma is melt underground, whereas lava is melt that has emerged from the surface
d) there is no difference; the two terms mean the same thingc) magma is melt underground, whereas lava is melt that has emerged from the surfaceA(n) ________ is a mix of hot gas and ash emitted by a volcano that is so dense that it hugs the ground and moves very quickly downslope.
a) pyroclastic flow
b) pahoehoe flow
c) obsidian
d) lava flowa) pyroclastic flowWhich of the following best describes the distribution of earthquakes?
a) they tent to occur randomly on the continents
b) they tend to occur randomly in the ocean basins
c) they tend to occur randomly both on the continents and in ocean basins
d) they occur in distinct zonesd) they occur in distinct zonesWhat are the three factors that influence viscosity of a lava?
a) depth of magma, temperature, ease of gas escaping to atmosphere
b) amount of gas, rhyolite, and vesicles in the magma
c) origin of the magma, plate tectonic setting, condensation
d) plate tectonic setting, thickness of the geosphere, amount of gas in the magma
e) silica content, temperature, dissolved gasese) silica content, temperature, dissolved gasesWhich of the following is true of continental lithosphere compared to oceanic lithosphere?
a) continental lithosphere is thicker than oceanic lithosphere
b) continental lithosphere contains more mafic rocks than oceanic lithosphere
c) continental lithosphere is denser than oceanic lithosphere
d) continental lithosphere and oceanic lithosphere have similar compositions, densities, and thicknessa) continental lithosphere is thicker than oceanic lithosphereEruptions of shield volcanoes fed by mafic magma tend _________.
a) to be violent and potentially dangerous events
b) to be explosive but short lived
c) not to be explosive or particularly dangerous
d) to result in the expulsion of vast amounts of tephra
e) to cover the surrounding landscape in ashc) not to be explosive or particularly dangerousWhich of these tends to be darker colored minerals?
a) andesitic
b) felsic
c) granitic
d) maficd) maficBasaltic lavas _________ .
a) have low viscosity and low silica content
b) have high viscosity and high silica content
c) are more viscous than rhyolitic lavas
d) typically contain a greater proportion of trapped volatiles than rhyolitic lavas
e) have a low viscosity and high silica contenta) have low viscosity and low silica contentMinerals that have the same chemical composition but have different crystalline structures exhibit polymorphism.
a) True
b) Falsea) TrueOceanic and continental crust differ in:
a) composition
b) density
c) thickness
d) all of the precedingd) all of the precedingThe major difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks is:
a) where they solidify
b) chemical composition
c) type of minerals
d) all of the abovea) where they solidifyA change in magma composition due to melting of surrounding country rock is called:
a) magma mixing
b) assimilation
c) differentiation
d) partial meltingb) assimilationA porphyritic texture indicates that:
a) there was water in the magma
b) the rock cooled slowly and then quickly
c) the rock broke apart as it flowed
d) the rock cooled quicklyb) the rock cooled slowly and then quicklyMagma is generated at divergent boundaries because of:
a) water under pressure
b) decompression melting
c) magmatic underplanting
d) melting of the lithosphereb) decompression meltingWhich of the following is an example of a shield volcano?
a) Mount St. Helens, Washington State
b) Mount Merapi, Indonesia
c) Mauna Loa, Hawaii
d) Cerro Negro, Nicaraguac) Mauna Loa, HawaiiThe most common element in Earth's crust:
a) silica
b) hydrogen
c) magnesium
d) iron
e) oxygene) oxygenTo obtain a more stable configuration, atoms may share electrons in their outer energy level in _____ bonding.
a) metallic
b) ionic
c) covalentc) covalentThe sliding of the sea floor beneath a continent or island arc is called:
a) rotation
b) tension
c) subduction
d) polar wanderingc) subductionA typical rate of plate motion is:
a) 3-4 meters per year
b) 1 kilometer per year
c) 1-10 centimeters per year
d) 1,000 kilometers per yearc) 1-10 centimeters per yearThe basic idea of ______ is that the Earth's surface is divided into a few large plates that move slowly relative to one another.
a) continental drift
b) sea floor spreading
c) mantle plumes
d) plate tectonics
e) isostasyd) plate tectonicsWhat was the primary reason that other scientists did not accept the continental drift hypothesis?
a) Wegner did not have enough evidence
b) Wegner's explanation for how the continents moved was weak
c) They didn't know about the hypothesis because Wegner was too poor to publish
d) Evidence for the alternative hypothesis of land bridges was much strongerb) Wegner's explanation for how the continents moved was weakThe oldest ocean crust is located ____________.
a) in the middle of ocean basins
b) next to passive continental margins
c) along mid-ocean ridges
d) on top of oceanic hot spotsb) next to passive continental marginsWhat is a volatile?
a) a quartz vein
b) solid mineral crystals in a melt
c) fluids that vaporize at surface pressures
d) the liquid portion of a magmac) fluids that vaporize at surface pressuresWhat magma properties would most likely lead to the formation of a shield volcano?
a) Low viscosity and mafic composition
b) High viscosity and felsic composition
c) Any magma composition as long as it contains a large portion of dissolved volatiles
d) an intermediate composition magma that encounters seawater in the magma chambera) low viscosity and mafic compositionWhich of the following magma compositions are most commonly erupted at ocean-continental convergent plate boundaries.
a) basalt
b) andesite
c) rhyoliteb) andesiteWhy are the mid-ocean ridges higher in elevation than the surrounding ocean floor?
a) the force of magma extruding from the fissure pushes the seafloor up
b) warmer material near the ridge is less dense, so it is more buoyant on the mantle
c) the collision of the tectonic plates is forcing material higher
d) thermal springs developing in stress fractures are depositing large volumes of material, increasing the heightb) warmer material near the ridge is less dense, so it is more buoyant on the mantleWhat is the major difference between oceanic-continental convergence and oceanic-oceanic convergence?
a) oceanic-oceanic convergence is the only one of the two that produces a trench
b) oceanic-continental convergence is the only one of the two that produces a trench
c) oceanic-oceanic convergence is the only one of the two that produces a volcanic island arc
d) oceanic-continental convergences is the only one of the two that produces a volcanic island arc.c) oceanic-oceanic conve4rgence is the only one of the two that produces a volcanic island arc.How can hot spots leave evidence of plate motion?
a) hot spots are always found at plate boundaries
b) hot spots move, indicating plate tectonics is occurring
c) polar wandering creates hot spot patterns, showing plate motion
d) hot spot tracks of volcanic islands are created as plates move over mantle plumesd) hot spot tracks of volcanic islands are created as plates move over mantle plumesOf the primary forms of volcanoes, __________ consist of a cone-shaped pile of pyroclastic debris often formed in a single eruption that is short-lived.
a) stratovolcanoes
b) cinder cones
c) shield volcanoes
d) fissure volcanoesb) cinder conesMudflows are ______ likely to occur in areas not protected by vegetation.
a) more
b) less
c) just as
d) Mudflow occurrence is not related to average rainfall or vegetative cover.a) moreAssuming that all other conditions are identical, a slope that is _______ is more stable.
a) more nearly vertical
b) more steeply inclined
c) more gently inclined
d) slope angle has nothing to do with slope stabilityc) more gently inclinedWhat is the controlling force of mass wasting?
a) water
b) gravity
c) friction
d) hydrationb) gravity________ is the shift to a tighter packing of sediment grains due to the weight of overburden.
a) cementation
b) recrystallization
c) preservation
d) compaction
e) depositiond) compactionWhat type of sediment is typically found in lake bottoms?
a) gravel
b) sand
c) silt
d) clay/mud
e) basaltd) clay/mudHow is stress different from strain?
a) strain is a measure of the total displacement on a fault
b) stress is the change in shape of a rock due to applies strain
c) strain is the change in shape of a rock due to applied stress
d) they are not different: stress and strain are synonymousc) strain is the change in shape of a rock due to applied stressWeathering results in:
a) larger, less-rounded pieces
b) larger, more-rounded pieces
c) smaller, less-rounded pieces
d) smaller, more-rounded piecesd) smaller, more-rounded piecesWhich of the following are most likely to preserve conditions of ancient environments on the Earth?
a) intrusive igneous rocks
b) metamorphic rocks
c) extrusive igneous rocks
d) sedimentary rocksd) sedimentary rocksIn what type of plate tectonic environment are you most likely to find regional metamorphism occurring?
a) continent - continent convergent boundary
b) mid-ocean ridge divergent boundary
c) transform boundarya) continent - continent convergent boundaryBroadly, metamorphism involves
a) the settling of crystals in a melt as it cools
b) the sorting of grains by size, as accomplished by rivers and beach waves
c) the cementation of loose grains and the precipitation of new minerals into pore spaces
d) changes in mineralogy and texture in response to heat and stressd) changes in mineralogy and texture in response to heat and stressWhat is the definition of a parent rock?
a) the rock that was altered by metamorphism
b) the resulting precipitate when water dissolves mineral matter
c) the rock produced by metamorphism
d) the igneous rock forming through solidification of magmaa) the rock that was altered by metamorphismWhich rock type make up the majority of Earth's outermost solid surface?
a) igneous rocks
b) sedimentary rocks
c) metamorphic rocksb) sedimentary rocksFoliation results from:
a) mineral alignment perpendicular to an applied force
b) increased geothermic temperatures
c) growth of porphyroblastic minerals
d) initial crystallization of a molten materiala) mineral alignment perpendicular to an applied forceWhich of the following lists of metamorphic rocks places the rocks in order from lowest metamorphic grade to highest?
a) Gneiss, slate, phyllite, schist
b) anthracite, hornfels, quartzite, marble
c) slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss
d) ironstone, sandstone, slate, gneissc) slate, phyllite, schist, gneissGenerally speaking, how does the chemical composition of most metamorphic rocks compare to that of the parent rock?
a) their chemical compositions are nearly the same
b) in order to be a metamorphic rock, the chemical composition much change by 50% with metamorphism
c) there will be a complete compositional change
d) known the chemical composition is not necessary to understand metamorphic rocks.a) their chemical compositions are nearly the sameUniformitarianism is succinctly summarized by which phrase?
a) the future is key to the present
b) the present is the key to the past
c) the past is the key to the present
d) the present is the key to the futureb) the present is the key to the pastIf a basalt body cuts across a fault, what are the relative ages of the basalt and fault?
a) the fault must be older, according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships
b) the basalt must be older, according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships
c) the basalt must be older, according to the principle of original horizontality
d) their relative ages cannot be determined from the information givena) the fault must be older, according to the principle of cross-cutting relationshipsThe principle of _________ explains the occurrence of older rock within a newer rock.
a) baked contacts
b) cross-cutting relationships
c) original horizontality
d) inclusionsd) inclusionsThe surface below sedimentary rock that overlies igneous or metamorphic rock is termed a(n)
a) disconformity
b) angular unconformity
c) nonconformity
d) marker bedc) nonconformityTwo atoms of a single element that differ in number of neutrons are said to represent two distinct _________ of that element
a) isomers
b) isotopes
c) isotherms
d) atomic speciesb) isotopesHow is the half-life of a radioactive parent isotope defined?
a) the time it takes for half of the parent isotope to decay
b) half the time it takes for the parent isotope to completely decay
c) the time it takes the parent isotope to go through half the decay steps necessary to produce a stable daughter isotope
d) half of the average rate of decay of the parent isotopea) the time it takes for half of the parent isotope to decayWhy is radiocarbon dating rarely applied in geological work?
a) no substances on the Earth contain significant amounts of carbon-14
b) the half-life of carbon-14 is so long that it is effectively a stable isotope
c) the half-life of carbon-14 is so short that it can only be used to date materials that are less than 70,000 years old
d) carbon-14 is destroyed by the heat of magmac) the half-life of carbon-14 is so short that it can only be used to date materials that are less than 70,000 years oldA body of rock affected by compressive stress will likely undergo ________.
a) shortening
b) stretching
c) shear strain
d) rotationa) shortening___________ stress results in a stretching or extension of material
a) compressive
b) oblique
c) tensional
d) horizontal
e) parallelc) tensionalRocks typically exhibit _____ behavior at or near the surface where temperatures and pressures are low.
a) extensional
b) elastic
c) compressive
d) brittle
e) plasticd) brittleNormal and reverse faults are the most common types of ___________.
a) dip-slip faults
b) strike-slip faults
c) tensional faults
d) compressional faults
e) grabensa) dip-slip faultsIn a _______ fault the hanging wall block moves down relative to the footwall block
a) thrust
b) reverse
c) normal
d) strike-slip
e) compressionalc) normalDescribe a left-lateral faultIf a rock is buried, then exposed and eroded, and the sediment is then lithified, after which the rock is melted and solidified, what type of rock is the end result?
a) igneous
b) sedimentary
c) metamorphic
d) clastica) igneousThe distinction between joints and faults is that ___________ .
a) faults are joints that are greater than one square meter in areal extent
b) faults are fractures along which displacement has occurred; displacement does not occur along joints
c) joints are fractures along which displacement has occurred; displacement does not occur along faults
d) there is no distinction; the two terms are synonymousb) faults are fractures along which displacement has occurred; displacement does not occur along jointsDescribe an anticlineWhat does the image depict?
a) anticline
b) dome
c) basin
d) syncline
e) monoclineAlong a large cone-shaped volcano, a __________ drainage network is expected
a) dendritic
b) rectangular
c) radial
d) trellis
e) parallelc) radialA stream is _______.
a) flowing water confined to a channel
b) a small river found near its headwaters
c) a small river near the mouth
d) a large river near its sourcea) flowing water confined to a channelWater in a stream flows from its ___________ to its ____________
a) mouth, headwaters
b) mouth, source
c) source, headwaters
d) headwaters, mouthd) headwaters, mouthUrbanization of a drainage basin is most likely to result in ____________ .
a) increased infiltration of rainwater
b) an increase in the volume of water entering streams after rainfall
c) a longer lag time between storms and the onset of flooding
d) a decrease in the likelihood of flash floodingb) an increase in the volume of water entering streams after rainfallI a fault plane is greater than 35* from horizontal and the hanging-wall block moves upward relative to the footwall block, the fault is called a _________ fault.
a) detachment
b) reverse
c) normal
d) thrustb) reverseRunning water dissolves soluble minerals. This material is most likely to be transported by a stream as _________.
a) suspended load
b) dissolved load
c) bedload
d) discharge
e) siltb) dissolved loadWhat is the angle of repose?
a) the angle of the slip plane from a slide
b) the steepest angle at which a material remains at rest
c) the angle of an inclined rock layer measured from a horizontal line
d) the angle of plunge into the interiorb) the steepest angle at which a material remains at restFaulting and earthquakes are examples of ________ and generally occur when rocks are relatively __________.
a) brittle deformation; cold
b) brittle deformation; hot
c) ductile deformation; cold
d) ductile deformation; hota) brittle deformation; coldThe point within the Earth where an earthquake originates is termed the
a) hypocenter (focus)
b) eye of the fault
c) epicenter
d) vertexa) hypocenter (focus)Surface waves
a) travel more rapidly than body waves
b) produce most of the damage to buildings during earthquakes
c) are the first waves produced in an earthquake
d) are the first waves to arrive at the seismograph station after an earthquakeb) produce most of the damage to buildings during earthquakesThe stream gradient of most rivers ______________.
a) is greater near the source than near the mouth
b) is greater near the mouth than near the source
c) does not change significantly as a river flows downstream
d) is greater for a meandering stream than for any other typea) is greater near the source than near the mouthWhich geological setting would you NOT expect to produce a large amount of seismic activity?
a) rift valley
b) collisional mountain belt
c) transform boundary
d) the interior of a tectonic plated) the interior of a tectonic plateMost medium and deep-focus earthquakes occur at
a) convergent-plate boundaries
b) transform-plate boundaries
c) divergent-plate boundaries
d) hot spotsa) convergent-plate boundariesWet and unconsolidated substrates are uniquely susceptible to _________ during an earthquake
a) displacement
b) liquefaction
c) collapse
d) faultingb) liquefactionTsunamis are more destructive than wind-driven storm waves primarily because
a) tsunamis always have larger heights (amplitude)
b) tsunamis have longer wavelengths and thus larger volumes of water are involved
c) the tides that cause tsunamis can be very erratic and unpredictable
d) tsunamis also generate seismic waves that can destroy buildingsb) tsunamis have longer wavelengths and thus larger volumes of water are involvedWhich of the following is NOT true about tsunamis?
a) they can be generated by uplift of the seafloor during an earthquake
b) they can be generated by submarine landslides
c) they are just as dangerous away from the coast where water depths are great
d) they grow taller as they approach coastlines because friction slows the wavec) they are just as dangerous away from the coast where water depths are greatShort-term predictions of earthquake behavior
a) have saved millions of lives in the past decade alone
b) have been largely unreliable
c) are primarily based on the behavior patterns of farm animals
d) are correct approximately 50% of the timeb) have been largely unreliableWhich earthquake scale is used to assess the effects of an earthquake on humans and human-made structures?
a) Richter scale
b) moment magnitude scale
c) Mercalli scale
d) surface-wave magnitude scalec) Mercalli scaleWhat type of metamorphism is caused by igneous intrusions?
a) burial
b) contact
c) regional
d) deformationb) contactThe outer edge of a meander, where material is being eroded, is a(an) _______.
a) meander neck
b) point bar
c) cut bank
d) leveec) cut bankWithin a meander, where is sediment most likely to be deposited?
a) on the outer banks of the meander
b) on the inner banks of the meander
c) uniformly to either side of the meander
d) directly in the middle of the meanderb) on the inner banks of the meanderBraided streams __________.
a) consist of a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sediment
b) have flowing water either episodically or during only a portion of the year
c) have a channel that is highly sinuous (curvy)
d) are those that divert flow from streams they have intersected through stream capturea) consist of a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sedimentUrbanization of a watershed is most likely to result in ________ .
a) increased infiltration of rainwater
b) an increase in the volume of water entering streams after rainfall
c) a longer lag time between storms and the onset of flooding
d) a decrease in the likelihood of flash floodingb) an increase in the volume of water entering streams after rainfallOn a geologic map, it the contacts between sedimentary rock units form a bull's-eye pattern of concentric circles, with the oldest unit in the center, the underlying structure is a(n) __________.
a) anticline
b) dome
c) basin
d) syncline
e) monoclineb) dome_______________ commonly trigger mass wasting events.
a) humans
b) earthquakes
c) hurricanes
d) wind
e) glaciersb) earthquakesThe lowest elevations which a stream can downcut is the ____________.
a) base level
b) stream gradient
c) floodplain
d) thalweg
e) cut banka) base levelDuring weathering, the surface area of the rock exposed will ____________. Because of this, the rate of weathering will ________.
a) increase; decrease
b) increase; increase
c) decrease; decrease
d) decrease; increaseb) increase; increase____________ is the process by which sediment grains are selected and separated according to grain size by agent of transportation.
a) sorting
b) grading
c) distillating
d) selection
e) segregationa) sorting
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