geo practice test 3 – Flashcards

Stalagtites from as a result of: a. precipitation of calcium carbonate in shallow surface water b. precipiation of calcium carbonate from water in cave air c. precipitation of calcium carbonate in deep ocean d. precipitation of calcium carbonate around hot springs e. precipitation of silica from water in caves

During retrograde metamorphism rocks generally do not return to their original, pre-metamorphic state because: a. fluids, such as water, are lost b. the get hotter c. they melt d. fluids, such as water, are added e. the pressure increases

Sedimentary rocks can usually not be dated by radiometric methods. This is so because: a. They do not contain any datable minerals b. They do not contain any radioactive elements c. They are generally too old to be dated with current radiometric methods d. Newly formed minerals (authigenic) are not datable e. They are too young to be dated with current radiometric methods

A sediment on the oceanfloor accumulates at rate of 1 mm every 10,000 years. How long would it take for a 1 cm layer to build up? (1 cm = 10 mm). a. there is no way of calculating it b. 100,000 years c. 1 million years d. 1 year e. 10,000 years

What are the white mineral deposits that form in and around geothermal areas called? Travertine Limestone Silica Calcite Geyserite

The father of modern geology is generally considered to be: a. Charles Darwin b. Alfred Wegener c. James Hutton d. Charles Lyell e. Lord Kelvin

Which physicist estimated the age of the Earth based on a mathematical construct to be no older than 100 million years and no younger than 10 million? a. Sir Issac Newton b. Lord Kelvin c. Enrico Fermi d. Robert Oppenheimer e. Albert Einstein

We know little about Earth's history past the: a. Paleozoic b. Quarternary c. Creataceous d. Mesozoic e. Tertiary

In order for caves and cave deposits to form which of the following conditions must be met? a.cave hole must form above the groundwater table followed by deposition when the cave is immersed in groundwater b.dissolution must take place below groundwater table followed by deposition when the cave is above the groundwater table c. the rocks must be below the groundwater table the entire time of cave formation d. the rocks must be above the groundwater table the entire time of cave formation e. groundwater table must fall allowing air into the cave

Typical rates of flow for groundwater are: a. cm/day b. mm/year c. km/year d. m/day e. cm/minute

Of Earth's water, approximately what percent is not ocean or glacial? a. 2.0 b. 0.5 c. 2.8 d. 27 e. 0.8

The recycling of water on Earth is described in? a. the life cycle b. the recycle c. the hydrous cycle d. the watery cycle e. the hydrologic cycle

A sample currently contains 20 parent atoms and 60 daughter atoms. Given that the half-life is 2,000 years how old is the sample? a. 6,000 b. 2,000 c. 1,000 d. 4,000 e. 8,000

The type of mass wasting responsible for the greatest number of amount of property damage is: a. creep b. avalanche c. rock slides d. mud flows e. sinkhole collapse

Which of the following used the Bible to arrive at an age for the Earth? a. Bishop Ussher b. John the Baptist c. Lord Kelvin d. Charles Darwin e. John Joly

Which of the following is a metamorphic rock? a. granite b. basalt c. marble d. shale e. limestone

Most block glides occur in the areas where: a. the rock fractures are perpendicular to the glide b. the strata and the slope dip in the same direction c. the strata dip more steeply than the slope d. the rock fractures are perpendicular to the slope e. the strata dip the direction opposite to the slope

Most major landslides: a. are caused by volcanic eruptions b. are due to human activity and poor engineering c. are caused by earthquakes d. have natural causes e. are caused by heavy rains

Which of the following statments about the half-life is wrong? a. 50% of the original parent atoms will decay in one half-life b. the actual length of a half-life is distinct for each parent atom c. atoms with short half-lives decay faster than those with long half-lives d. half-lives vary for the same atom according to their physical state (solid, liquid, gas) e. no two half-lives span the same period of time

The local aquifer is called the _____? Ogallala O'Hara Thirsty Caprock Special Red Raider

The removal of water from the zone of saturation is known as: a. discharge b. depletion c. withdrawal d. recharge e. removal

What is karst? Selected Answer: Incorrect [None Given] Answers: a. a type of water b. a type of rock c. a type of mineral d. a type of landscape e. a name for certain mineral deposits in China

Which of the following is an example of non-point source pollution? a. acid rain b. landfill c. chemical plant d. gas station e. nuclear waste storage

Approximately what portion of Earth's water occurs in streams, lakes and groundwtater? a. 1 % b. 2 % c. 97 % d. 10% e. 5 %

Modern geology uses two methods of dating, namely: a. relative dating and absolute dating b. pre-dating and post-dating c. radiometric dating and absolute dating d. accurate dating and inaccurate dating e. relativity dating and absolute dating

When a mineral formed it contained 120 radioactive parent atoms. How many remain after 3 half-lives? a. 15 b. 30 c. 60 d. 120 e. 0

Foliation in metmorphic rocks results from: a. increase in temperature b. confining pressure c. hydrostatic pressure d. directed pressure e. increase in pressure

Water vapor that reenters the atmosphere from a. transportation b. evaporation c. transmigration d. transpiration e. perspiration

Which of the following metamorphic rocks forms when a limestone is metamorphosed? a. hornfels b. quartzite c. marble d. gneiss e. slate

The break-through in terms of dating the Earth accurately came when: a. the rate of salt accumulation in the oceans could be determined precisely b. cooling rate of metallic spheres could be accuartely modelled c. fossil were discovered d. radioactivity was discovered e. sediment rates were determined precisely

Self-cleaning of groundwater has the benefit that it: a. removes all water-soluable chemicals b. removes radioactive nuclei c. removes all the pollutants d. removes harmful acids e. removes disase-bearing bacteria

Debris flows differ from mudflows in that: a. debris flows pick up and carry many objects in their paths b. mudflows flow on sheets on steep slopes c. mudflows are more viscous d. debris flows contain material of larger grain size e. mudflows flow more slowly

Contact metamorphism is the result of: a. contact of rock along subduction zones between converging plates b. contact of rocks with each other c. contact of rock with magma and magmatic fluids d. contact of rocks along fault planes e. contact of rocks along zones of differential pressure

When groundwater reaches the water table, most of it flows: a. to the base of the aquiclude b. along downward curving paths c. along the water table surface d. vertically downward e. to the base of the aquifer

What kind of rock type was initially used to construct the geologic time scale? a. metamorphic rock b. none of the above c. volcanic rock d. igneous rock e. sedimentary rock

Mass movement is classified on the basis of? a. type of material b. rate and type of movement and type of material c. rate and type of movement d. type of material and type of movement e. cause of movement

Roughly what percentage of the original amount of the High Plains Aquifer remains today? 50 90 30 80 0

The fundamental cause of mass wasting is: a. sudden rain causing instablity b. a sudden shock to the ground c. gravity overcoming the slope's resisting force d. the slope's resisting force overcoming the graviational force e. material which is inherently unstable

What is the origin of geothermal water in places such as Iceland? a. Its of unknown orgin b. Its from the mantle c. Its recycled precipitation d. Its heated seawater e. Its from comets

Fluids are important in metamorphism because when present they: a. lengthen the time it takes to metamorphose a rock b. cool down the rocks c. increase the pressure on the rocks d. slow down chemical reactions e. speed up chemical reactions

Igneous and metamorphic rocks are transformed into metamorphic rocks due to: a. increases in both temperature and pressure b. flow of fluids through the rocks without any changes in pressure or temperature c. melting d. decreases in both pressure and temperature e. weathering

Very slowly moving mass wastage is known as: a. microwastage b. seep c. solifluction d. flow e. creepy

Which of the following rocks is the MOST metamorphosed? a. gneiss b. schist c. shale d. phyllite e. schist

Scientists have concluded that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old. Which dating method was used to obtain this age? a. stratigrahic relationships such as superposition and cross-cutting b. dendrochronology c. carbon-14 dating (half-life: 5,730 years) d. measurement of the salt content of the oceans e. uranium-lead dating (half-life: 4.5 billion years)

Porosity is: a. the inter-connectedness of pores within a rock or sediment b. the percentage of pore space not containing water c. the percentage of pore space filled with water d. the size of pores within a rock or sediment e. the percentage of the rock or sediment that is open space

Metamorphic rocks may form from: a. any of the major rock groups b. other metamorphic rocks c. igneous rocks d. sedimentary rocks e. sediments

Which city in the US recently banned "fracking"? a. Chicago, Illinois b. Denton, Texas c. Oklahoma City, Okahoma d. Dallas, Texas e. Lubbock, Texas

The zone of metamorphism between country rock and intrusive igneous rock is recognized by: a. large scale melting b. zones of new mineral assemblages c. large recrystallized minrals of the same composition as those in country rock d. large crystals of minerals present in the intrusive rock e. mineral compostions intermediate between the country rock and the intrusive rock

The geologic time scale is constructed from: a. relativity dating and geochronometry b. estimates of the time necessary for certain geologic events to occur c. the principles of radioactive decay and and sequence of geologic and biologic events d. correlation among rock layers from various regions e. the age of meteorites

Fission track is a dating method that is based on: a. marks left in rocks by so-called "fissions" - extinct animals mostly found in France b. the relative age of fossils c. the relative age of rock formations d. mysterious writings or markings made by an ancient, vanished culture e. tracks or scars left minerals by the breakdown of radioactive elements

Which of the following was not among the early attempts to date the Earth? a. The rate of species evolution b. The rate of water accumulation in the oceans c. The rate of cooling of a metal sphere of the Earth's size d. The rate of salt accumulation in the oceans e. The rate of sediment accumulation

A radioactive parent has decayed down to 1/8 of its original amount. Given that the half-live is a 1000 years how much time has passed? a. 1000 years b. 2000 years c. 3000 years d. 500 years e. 1500 years

Avalanches are known to obtain very high speeds due to the presence of trapped air. What role does this air play? a. It cools down the moving mass thus reducing friction b. It decreases friction between grains c. It increases the weight of the mass moving d. It increases friction between grains e. It makes the avalanche more "fluffy"

Metamorphism of a rock does NOT involve one of the following: a. addition of fluids (such as water) b. formation of new minerals c. melting d. breakdown of original minerals e. removal of fluids

"Fracking" is a process whereby fluid is pumped underground under pressure in order to fracture rocks and thereby increase their hydrocarbon production. What sort of rock is it used on? a. Limestone b. Shale c. Basalt d. Gneiss e. Sandstone

Radiocarbon dating of dead organisms is possible because: a. the absolute amount of carbon 14 varies with time b. carbon 14 is on longer being formed in the atmosphere c. life forms stop accumulating carbon 14 when they die d. the amount of carbon 14 in the atmosphere has not changed over time e. all things that lived on Earth fall within the dating range of carbon 14

Which of the following list of metamorphic rock types is arranged according to decreasing intensity of metamorphism in clay-rich parent rocks? a. slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss b. phyllite, gneiss, schist, slate c. gneiss, schist, phyllite, slate d. slate, phyllite, gneiss, schist e. phyllite, slate, schist, gneiss

The boundary between the zone of aeration (or zone of undersaturation) and the zone of saturation is known as the? a. water table b. aquifer c. aquiclude d. zone of accumulation e. artestian-pressure surface

Groundwater returns to the rest of the hydrologic cycle mainly through: a. streams, lakes and the ocean b. streams and lakes c. the ocean d. transpiration e. evaporation

What are the basic methods of dating using radiometric clocks? a. daughter A - daughter B b. parent c. parent, parent-daughter, daughter A - daughter B d. parent A -parent B e. parent-daughter