question

Compaction will be the most significant lithification process for which of the following rocks?

answer

Shale

question

T/F: Folding and deformation will produce bituminous coal.

answer

False

question

T/F: The raw material for coal is dead marine organisms.

answer

False

question

Which rock is the most abundant chemical sedimentary rock?

answer

Limestone

question

________ processes such as evaporation and chemical activity can precipitate chemical sediments.

answer

Inorganic

question

________ is a biochemical sedimentary rock that often forms in carbonate reefs.

answer

Limestone

question

________ is the process where calcium ions in limestone are replaced with magnesium or small amounts of iron.

answer

Dolomitization

question

Which rock type can contain fossils?

answer

Sedimentary Rocks

question

________ are fragments of pre-existing materials that have been broken down through the processes of weathering.

answer

Sediments

question

________ is the process where sediments are converted into a sedimentary rock.

answer

Lithification

question

What is diagenesis?

answer

The textural, compositional, and other changes that occur to sediments after deposition

question

Which of the following mudstones displays fissility?

answer

Shale

question

Which environment would be likely to produce a black shale?

answer

Swamp

question

Which of the following best describes the appearance and composition of a conglomerate?

answer

Rounded fragments; poorly sorted

question

T/F: Volcanic activity in the early history of the Earth is believed to be responsible for much of the CO2 found in the atmosphere.

answer

True

question

Which of the following represents the single most common and characteristic feature of sedimentary rocks?

answer

Strata

question

A ________ marks the end of one episode of sedimentation and the beginning of another.

answer

Bedding plane

question

T/F: Graded bedding will display particle that are fine near the bottom of the layer and get progressively coarser toward the top.

answer

False

question

A ________ describes how, when a sedimentary layer is examined in cross-section laterally, various parts of the layer consist of different sediments accumulating next to each other in different environments of deposition.

answer

Facies

question

The primary basis for classifying detrital rocks is ________ whereas the primary basis for classifying chemical rocks is ________.

answer

Particle size; mineral composition

question

________ is the process where a rock changes form or mineral content as a result of environmental changes such as heat and pressure.

answer

Metamorphism

question

Which of the following is the parent rock for quartzite?

answer

Sandstone

question

If clay minerals were buried at a depth where subsurface temperatures exceed 200°C, which mineral are they likely to become?

answer

Muscovite

question

Which of the following lists of metamorphic rocks places the rocks in order from lowest metamorphic grade to highest?

answer

Slate, Phyllite, Schist, Gneiss

question

Which of the following rocks represents the highest grade of metamorphism?

answer

Gneiss

question

T/F: The geothermal gradient represents a decrease in interior temperature with decreasing distance from the surface.

answer

True

question

What kind of force will create foliation in metamorphic rocks?

answer

Compression

question

T/F: One possible parent rock for gneiss is granite.

answer

True

question

Which style of metamorphism will be generated by a mantle plume?

answer

Contact

question

________ metamorphism tends to occur in regions where massive amounts of sedimentary or volcanic materials accumulate in a subsiding basin.

answer

Burial

question

In which geologic setting is the most widespread occurrence of hydrothermal metamorphism?

answer

Along the axis of a mid-ocean ridge system

question

________ is a widespread type of metamorphism typically associated with mountain building.

answer

Regional metamorphism

question

Which tectonic boundary is associated with regional metamorphism?

answer

Convergent

question

T/F: Hydrothermal metamorphism is responsible for the emplacement of metallic ore veins.

answer

True

question

T/F: Water for hydrothermal metamorphism can be groundwater that has percolated down from the surface, which gets heated and circulated to assist metamorphism in high depth, high temperature environments.

answer

False

question

________ are materials that are good indicators of the metamorphic environment in which they formed and can be used to distinguish between various zones of metamorphism.

answer

Index minerals

question

What is a metamorphic facies?

answer

An assemblage of minerals that form in very similar metamorphic environments

question

Along which type of tectonic boundary will greenschists and blueschists form?

answer

Convergent

question

A(n) ________ facies is associated with a high pressure, low temperature environment.

answer

Blueschist

question

Metamorphic rocks can sometimes contain unusually large grains surrounded by a fine-grained matrix of other minerals. These large crystals are called ________.

answer

Porphyroblasts

question

What is a fossil?

answer

Evidence of past life that can include skeletal as well as trace material

question

A mammoth frozen in the Arctic tundra of Siberia would be an example of which type of fossilization?

answer

Mummification

question

A worm burrow is an example of which type of fossilization?

answer

Trace Fossil

question

T/F: In cast and mold fossilization, the cast is the hollow space in the rock that subsequently becomes filled with mineral matter.

answer

False

question

T/F: Rapid burial is an important condition favoring preservation.

answer

True

question

T/F: The fossil record is biased toward preserving organisms with hard parts.

answer

True

question

What is correlation?

answer

Matching up rocks of similar age in different regions

question

When correlating rock between widely separated areas or between continents, what feature do geologists rely on the most?

answer

Fossils

question

What is an index fossil?

answer

Organisms that were geographically widespread but limited to a short span of geologic time

question

What is an isotope?

answer

An atom that has more or fewer neutrons than it should

question

Which era are we currently in?

answer

Cenozoic

question

________ is a term used to define 88% of Earth's history prior to the start of the Paleozoic Era.

answer

Precambrian

question

T/F: The first life on Earth developed during the Cambrian Period.

answer

False

question

What is the definition of relative dating?

answer

Putting events in order from first to last

question

Match the relative dating principles with the correct definition. Superposition

answer

The oldest is on the bottom, the youngest on top

question

Match the relative dating principles with the correct definition. Original Horizontality

answer

Sedimentary layers/lava flows are deposited in flat layers

question

Match the relative dating principles with the correct definition. Lateral Continuity

answer

Rock extend in all directions until they reach the edge of a basin or pinch out

question

Match the relative dating principles with the correct definition. Cross-Cutting Relationships

answer

Faults, fractures are younger than the rocks they cut through

question

Match the relative dating principles with the correct definition. Unconformities

answer

Missing time

question

Match the relative dating principles with the correct definition. Inclusions

answer

Chunks of weathered rock are older than the rock they are contained in

question

T/F: Dip will always be 90° away from strike.

answer

True

question

________ is the compass direction of the line produced by the intersection of an inclined rock layer with a horizontal plane.

answer

Strike

question

________ is the angle of inclination of the surface of a rock unit measured from a horizontal plane.

answer

Dip

question

Which tectonic boundary would have many normal faults associated with it?

answer

Divergent

question

A ________ fault is created when the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall.

answer

Reverse

question

Faults that exhibit both dip-slip and strike slip movement are called ________ faults.

answer

Oblique-slip

question

________ refers to the changes in shape or position of a rock body in response to differential stress.

answer

Deformation

question

Which tectonic boundary is associated with compressional stress?

answer

Convergent

question

Match the type of stress to the correct definition. Tension

answer

Forces pull apart from each other

question

Match the type of stress to the correct definition. Compression

answer

Forces move toward each other

question

Match the type of stress to the correct definition. Shear

answer

Forces slide past each other

question

T/F: Shearing produced fault zones in the deep crust and folding in the upper crust.

answer

False

question

Match the deformation with the correct definition. Elastic Deformation

answer

Rocks will change shape due to pressure, but return to their original state when pressure is released

question

Match the deformation with the correct definition. Ductile Deformation

answer

Rocks will change shape permanently due to pressure

question

Match the deformation with the correct definition. Brittle Deformation

answer

Rocks will shatter due to pressure

question

A ________ is a circular fold where the youngest layers are in the middle and the oldest layers are on the outside.

answer

Basin

question

How will the outcrop pattern of a plunging syncline be oriented?

answer

The layers will open up in the direction of plunge

question

A(n) ________ fold has limbs that are tilted beyond the vertical to the point that the axial plane is horizontal.

answer

Recumbent

question

Which of the following best describes the age relationship of the layers in an anticline?

answer

Oldest on the inside of the fold, youngest on the outside

question

T/F: The geological structures of a region will influence the topography of a region.

answer

False

question

You are watching TV with a friend when there is a special bulletin about a city in California being devastated by an earthquake. The news anchor reports that the epicenter of the earthquake is 45 miles east of Los Angeles. How would you explain the definition of the epicenter to your geologically impaired friend?

answer

The location on the Earth's surface directly above the point of slippage

question

The elastic rebound associated with earthquakes is an example of ________ deformation.

answer

Elastic

question

________ are smaller earthquakes of lesser magnitude that follow a major earthquake.

answer

Aftershocks

question

Which tectonic boundary is associated with megathrust faults?

answer

Convergent

question

Which tectonic boundary is responsible for the most powerful and destructive earthquakes recorded?

answer

Convergent

question

What is the term used to describe slow, gradual displacement along a fault without the accumulation of significant strain?

answer

Fault creep

question

________ is a measurement of displacement on the fault surface.

answer

Fault slip

question

T/F: Normal faulting is generally not associated with massive earthquakes.

answer

True

question

T/F: Most faults are locked in place, except for brief, abrupt movements when sudden slippage produces earthquakes.

answer

True

question

T/F: Rupture along a fault can stop if there is a large kink in the fault.

answer

True

question

Which seismic wave will be released first during an earthquake?

answer

P-waves

question

Generally speaking, which seismic waves will have the greatest amplitude on a seismogram?

answer

Surface waves

question

T/F: Surface waves will move in all directions away from the focus.

answer

False

question

Match the choices below to the correct description. This body wave is a compressional wave.

answer

P-waves

question

Match the choices below to the correct description. This body wave is a shear wave.

answer

S-waves

question

Match the choices below to the correct description. This surface wave moves from side to side.

answer

L-waves

question

Match the choices below to the correct description. This surface wave moves up and down.

answer

R-waves

question

Liquefaction will ________.

answer

Amplify the power of seismic waves

question

Where is the zone of greatest seismic activity on Earth?

answer

Circum-Pacific Belt

question

Which of the following best describes a seismic gap?

answer

Unusually quiet zones along typically active faults

question

Which physical property is responsible for determining how Earth materials separate out into interior layers?

answer

Density

question

What is a mineral phase change?

answer

Atoms in a mineral are rearranged into a more stable and denser structure

question

T/F: The magnetic north pole is currently moving toward the geographic north pole and the magnetic south pole is currently moving away from the geographic south pole.

answer

True

question

A ________ is when an iron-rich fluid in the core is electrically charged and flowing, which generates a magnetic field.

answer

Geodynamo

question

Which of the following will not result in a seismic velocity anomaly when using seismic tomography?

answer

Magnetism

question

Which of the following materials would cause the greatest gravity anomaly?

answer

Metallic ore

question

How is the shape of the Earth affected by its rotation?

answer

The Equator is further from the center of the Earth than the poles

question

Match the heat transfer mechanisms to the correct description of how heat is transported in or from the Earth. Radiation

answer

Heat is transported away from Earth and into outer space

question

Match the heat transfer mechanisms to the correct description of how heat is transported in or from the Earth. Conduction

answer

Heat flows between two materials in contact with each other

question

Match the heat transfer mechanisms to the correct description of how heat is transported in or from the Earth. Convection

answer

Warm, low-density materials rise and cool, high-density materials sink

question

T/F: Short-lived radioactive isotopes are responsible for the heat generated in the interior today.

answer

False

question

What is the average geothermal gradient in the mantle?

answer

0.3° C/km

question

What is the average geothermal gradient in the crust?

answer

30° C/km

question

Of the three mechanisms of heat transfer, which is the only one that does not operate in the interior of the Earth?

answer

Radiation

question

The ________ is a seismic boundary between the crust and the mantle where there is a dramatic increase in seismic wave velocity.

answer

Moho Boundary

question

Which layer of the Earth makes up more than 82% of the volume of the planet?

answer

Mantle

question

How does water get from the surface to the middle of the mantle?

answer

Subducting oceanic lithosphere

question

What do scientists use to determine the layering of the interior of the Earth?

answer

Seismic waves

question

________ is the process where materials separate into different layers due to density.

answer

Differentiation

question

Where is oceanic crust generated?

answer

Along divergent plate boundaries

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