Geology 101 USC Knapp exam 2 – Flashcards
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What type of rock makes up most of the Hawaiian Islands? A. andesite B. basalt C. granite D. peridotite
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B. Basalt
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Where would you expect to find the largest crystals in a lava flow? A. near the top surface of the flow. B. in the center of the flow. C. near the bottom surface of the flow. D. the crystals would be the same size throughout.
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B. In the center of the flow
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Which of the following igneous rocks has the lowest silica content? A. felsic B. intermediate C. mafic D. ultramafic
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D. ultramafic
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The presence of water will ________ the melting temperature of a rock A. Increase B. Raise C. Decrease D. None of the above
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C. decrease
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Burial of sediments results in __________. A. decreasing pressure and decreasing temperature B. decreasing pressure and increasing temperature C. increasing pressure and decreasing temperature D. increasing pressure and increasing temperature
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D. Increasing pressure and increasing temperature
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What type of sediments are accumulations of solid fragments produced by weathering? A. biochemical sediments B. clastic sediments C. chemical sediments D. all of the above
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B. Clastic sediments
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Which of the following environments is an example of a shoreline environment? A. Alluvial B. Continental shelf C. Deltaic D. Organic reef
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C.Deltaic
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Sedimentary processes take place ________ A. Within the Earth's interior B. Within the Earth's atmosphere C. At or near the Earth's surface D. All of the above
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C. At or near the Earth's surface
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By the time sediments reach the ocean basins, they have become: A. angular and poorly sorted B. very coarse grained C. well rounded and well sorted D. all of these
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C. Well rounded and well sorted
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Which mineral is commonly used to determine a metamorphic P-T path? A. Calcite B. Garnet C. Muscovite D. Quartz
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B. Garnet
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Which of the following tectonic settings will be coolest at 30-km depth? A. Regions of continental extension B. Stable continental lithosphere C. Volcanic arcs D. The temperature in all three tectonic settings above will be the same at 30-km depth
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B. Stable continental lithosphere
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Which of the following rocks represents the highest metamorphic grade? A. Gneiss B. Phyllite C. Schist D. Slate
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A. Gneiss
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Which is the type of metamorphism with the highest pressure and lowest temperature from the choices below: A. Shock B. Burial C. Regional D. Contact
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A. Shock
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Phylite is a rock of which type of metamorphism: A. Low grade B. Intermediate grade C. High grade metamorphism D. None of the above
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A. Low-grade
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The dip of a unit represents the: A. angle at which the bed inclines from the horizontal B. direction of intersection of the rock layer and a horizontal surface C. part of the unit that has been eroded D. tilt of the rock unit before deformation
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A. Angle of which the bed inclines from the horizontal
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What type of material undergoes smooth, continuous plastic deformation? A. brittle B. cataclastic C. ductile D. all of the above
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C. Ductile
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An anticline is a sequence of folded rocks with the youngest rocks on the inside of the fold A. True B. False
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B. False
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The difference between a fault and a joint is that _________. A. faults cut through more than one layer of rock, whereas joints cut through only one layer. B. faults cut through bedrock, whereas joints cut only the upper sedimentary layers C. rocks on either side of a fault have moved, whereas rocks on either side of a joint have remained stationary D. faults form straight lines in map view, whereas joints form zigzag lines
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C. Rocks on either side of a fault have moved, whereas rocks on either side of a joint have remained stationary
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Which of the following statements about rock deformation is false? A. Deep crustal rocks are more likely to deform ductilely than shallow crustal rocks. B. Hotter rocks are more likely to deform ductilely than cooler rocks. C. Rocks under low surrounding pressure are more likely to deform ductilely than rocks under high surrounding pressure. D. Sedimentary rocks are more deformable than igneous rocks.
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C. Rocks under low surrounding pressure are more likely to deform ductilely than rocks under high surrounding pressure.
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Reverse faults form in response to ______ forces. A. Compressive B. Shearing C. Tensional D. Torsional
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A. Compressive
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The study of the layers in sedimentary rock is known as _________. A. Stratigraphy B. Paleontology C. Sedimentation D. Geochronology
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A. Stratigraphy
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The principle of superposition states that __________. A. a fault is younger than the rocks it cuts B. sediments are deposited as essentially horizontal layers C. the present is the key to the past D. undisturbed sedimentary layers get progressively younger from bottom to top
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D. Undisturbed sedimentary layers get progressively younger from bottom to top
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The half-life of a radioactive isotope is ______________. A. half the time it takes all the radioactive atoms to decay B. the time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms to decay C. half of the radioactive atom's "full-life" D. the average life-span of a stable atom
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B. The time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms to decay
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Radiometric dating is possible if a rock contains a measurable amount of ___________. A. daughter atoms B. parent atoms C. both daughter and parent atoms D. either daughter or parent atoms
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C. Both daughter and parent atoms
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Which of the following is the largest division of geologic time? A. Eon B. Epoch C. Era D. Period
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A. Eon
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Under intense pressure and high temperature, hydrogen atoms combine to form helium. This process is called _____________. A. convection B. metamorphism C. nuclear fission D. nuclear fusion
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D. Nuclear Fusion
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The hypothesis that explains the formation of the solar system is referred to as _____. A. Big Bang hypothesis B. origin hypothesis C. nebular hypothesis D. planetesimal hypothesis
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C. Nebular hypothesis
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What caused dust and condensing material to accrete into planetesimals? A. gravitational attraction and collisions B. heating of gases C. nuclear fusion D. rotation of the proto-sun
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A. Gravitational attraction and collisions
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The four inner planets are ________________. A. mostly hot, with heavy, dense atmospheres. B. all similar to the Earth in size, atmosphere, and density. C. larger and less dense than the outer planets. D. small, rocky, and relatively lacking in volatile elements.
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D. Small, rocky, and relatively lacking in volatile elements.
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What mountain chain runs along the eastern margin of North America? A. the Andes B. the Appalachians C. the Caledonides D. the Cordillera
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B. The Appalachians
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What is meant by the tectonic age of a region? A. the oldest rocks in the region B. the oldest major deformation event in the region C. the youngest rocks in the region D. the youngest major deformation event in the region
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D. The youngest major deformation event in the region
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Which of the following sequences describes the Wilson cycle? I. continent-continent collision II. continental rifting III. sea-floor spreading IV. subduction A. I - IV -II -III B. II - III - IV - I C. II - I - IV - II D. IV - II - III - IV
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C. II-I-IV-II
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Cratonic keels are __________. A. thinner under continents than oceans B. of even thickness everywhere C. thinnest under cratons D. thicker under continents than oceans
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D. Thicker under continents than oceans
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What is metasomatism? A. a change in the bulk composition of a rock during metamorphism B. metamorphism caused by nearby magmatic intrusions C. metamorphism caused by tectonic movements along faults D. the parallel alignment of minerals in a metamorphic rock
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A. A change in the bulk composition of a rock during metamorphism
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What type of metamorphism is caused by igneous intrusions? A.burial metamorphism B. regional metamorphism C. contact metamorphism D. shock metamorphism
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C. Contact Metamorphism
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Which of the following processes will cause metamorphism? A. an increase in pressure B. an increase in temperature C. interaction with hydrothermal fluids D. all of the above
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D. All of the above
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At what type of plate tectonic boundary would you expect shearing forces to occur? A. Divergent B. Convergent C. Transform D. None
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C. Transform
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What determines whether a rock deforms in a brittle fashion versus a ductile fashion? A. Temperature B. Rock type C. Rate of deformation D. Temperature, rate of deformation, and rock type
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D. Temperature, rate of deformation, and rock type
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Which of the following is used by geologists to determine the relative ages in a rock sequence? A. Cross-cutting relations B. Fossils C. Stratigraphy D. all of the above
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D.All of the above
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Which is the most likely parent rock of marble? A. sandstone B. shale C. limestone D. granite
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C. Limestone
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Purely tensional stresses associated with a _________ plate boundary will generate a _______ fault. A. convergent; strike-slip B. convergent; normal C. divergent; reverse D. divergent; normal
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C. Divergent; normal
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When considering the effects of faulting on the lithosphere, it is clear that normal faults serve to effectively: A. shorten and thicken the crust. B. thin and shorten the crust. C. thin and extend the crust. D. shorten and thin the crust.
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C. Thin and extend the crust
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When did the Mesozoic era begin? A. 65 million years ago B. 543 million years ago C. 250 million years ago D. 2.5 billion years ago
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C. 250 million years ago
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Which planet is closest in size to the Earth? A. Mars B. Venus C. Mercury D. Jupiter
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B. Venus
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Current evidence indicates that the Moon was produced by: A. simultaneous accretion. B. the eruption of magma into space. C. Earth capturing an asteroid. D. The collision of a Mars-sized body with Earth.
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D. The collision of a Mars-sized body with Earth
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Which list places the four inner planets in order of increasing distance from the Sun? A. Mars, Mercury, Earth, Venus B. Venus, Mercury, Earth, Mars C. Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth D. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
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D. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
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Cratons are made up of: A. orogens and platforms B. platforms and shields C. orogens and shields D. orogens, platforms, and shields
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B. Platforms and shields
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The study of geobiology is defined as _________. A. the study of ancient life forms on Earth B. the study of how organisms influence and are influenced by Earth's environment C. the study of the Earth's environmental changes throughout time D. the study of the organisms lost during mass extinction events
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B. the study of how organisms influence and are influenced by Earth's environment
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The radiation of life at the beginning of the Phanerozoic is known as the _______. A. Cambrian adaptation B. Cambrian explosion C. Precambrian radiation D. Precambrian adaptation
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B. Cambrian Explosion
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Organisms that gain energy from feeding directly or indirectly on "producers" are referred to as ___________. A. autotrophs B. chemotrophs C. phototrophs D. heterotrophs
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D. Heterotrophs
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The pathway through which a chemical element or molecule moves between the biologic and environmental components of an ecosystem is called the _______. A. biogeochemical cycle B. biomicrobial cycle C. geometabolic cycle D. geosynthesis cycle
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A. Biogeochemical cycle
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In which geologic environment would you expect to find thermophiles? A. a mid-ocean ridge B. a continental shelf C. an abyssal plain D. a river
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A. Mid-ocean ridge
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Sedimentary features that form from the interaction of microbes with their environment are called __________. A. nodules B. stromatolites C. branching columns D. laminations
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B. Stromatolites
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Photosynthesis arose in a group of bacteria knows as __________. A. cyanobacteria B. heterobacteria C. photobacteria D. chemobacteria
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A. Cyanobacteria
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Which is older, the intrusion or fault?
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intrusion
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which of the following is used to determine the relative ages in rocks? A. Cross-cutting relations B. Fossils C. Stratigraphy D. all of the above
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D. all of the above
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which principle do you use to identify the oldest rocks unit?
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Superposition
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greater pressure = more
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dense
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divergent plate boundary
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moving apart from each other
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Mineral changes due to an increase in temperature
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Prograde
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convergent plate boundary
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moving toward each other
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Mineral changes due to a decrease in temperature
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Retrograde
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Transform plate boundary
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moving side to side, no lithosphere is created or destroyed
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force applied to a rock per unit area
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stress
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change in shape and/or volume of a rock because of applied stress
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strain
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ability of an object to resist deformation
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strength
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stress that pushes together
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compression
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stress that pulls apart
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tension
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stress that moves sideways
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shearing
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area below a fault
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footwall
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area above a fault
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hanging wall
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epochs
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shortest subdivision
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what type of fault results because of tensional forces
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normal
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what type of fault results because of compressional forces
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reverse
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Sedimentary layers deposited on older igneous and metamorphic rocks
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Nonconformity
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younger sedimentary layers deposited on older, tilted sedimentary rocks
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Angular Unconformities
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younger sedimentary layers deposited on older, horizontal sedimentary layers
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Disconformity
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surfaces where erosion has removed rock layers and creates missing time
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Unconformities
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mountain building process or folding, faulting, magnetism, and metamorphism
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Orogeny
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