Geology Test 3 questions and answers – Flashcards
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(1) Why there is an increase in CO2 following a Paleozoic decline? (A) Less extensive mountain building. (B) Increase in calcium carbonate ooze on deep-seafloor (C) Decrease in the rate of weathering. (D) A & B (E) B & C
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D) A&B (Pg. 242)
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(2) Who discovered the Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rockies in 1903? (A) Charles Walcott (B) Louis Agassiz (C) Nicholas Steno (D) John Wesley Powell (E) Iain Stewart
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A) Charles Walcott (google)
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(3) Approximately what proportion of geologic time is represented by the Cryptozoic? (A) 50% (B) 80% (C) 87% (D) 40% (E) 33%
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C) 87% (google)
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Use the images of five fossils above to answer questions 4 to 6. (4) Which fossils are conodont and diatom, respectively? (A) B & F (B) D & E (C) E & F (D) C & D (E) A & C
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E) A&C (google)
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(5) Which is considered to be the oldest fossilized microfossil? (A) B (B) F (C) C (D) A (E) D
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B) F (acritarchs google images)
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(6) Which fossils were not present during the early Paleozoic? (A) E & F (B) B & C (C) A & D (D) C & D (E) F & A
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D) C & D (Lecture 22 Notes)
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(7) Which formation does not represent the carbonate-shale sequence of the Sauk transgression? (A) Davis (B) Derby-Doerun (C) Kimmswick (D) Potosi (E) Gasconade
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C) Kimmswick (Lecture 23)
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(8) What are the three major rock units in Greenstone belts? (A) Upper sedimentary unit, middle volcanic unit, lower volcanic unit (B) Upper volcanic unit, middle volcanic unit, lower sedimentary unit (C) Upper sedimentary unit, middle volcanic unit, lower sedimentary unit (D) Upper volcanic unit, middle sedimentary unit, lower sedimentary unit. (E) Upper sedimentary unit, middle sedimentary unit, lower volcanic unit
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A) Upper sedimentary unit, middle volcanic unit, lower volcanic unit ( Lecture 20 Notes)
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(9) What is an abrupt shift in an isotope ratio called? (A) Upwelling (B) Isotope shift (C) Isotope excursion (D) Isotope inclusion (E) Isotope clump
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C) Isotope excursion (Team 6 presentation notes)
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(10) When did insects first appear? (A) Devonian (B) Silurian (C) Ordovician (D) Mississippian (E) Pennsylvanian
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A) Devonian (Table 9-1 handout)
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(11) What caused the reduction of silica in the ocean during the mid-Cretaceous period? (A) The ocean levels lowered and the silica was evaporated. (B) The organisms that produce silica became extinct. (C) Diatoms and radiolarians extracted most of the silica from the oceans. (D) The increase in ocean salinity overpowered the silica in the water. (E) The silica in the water settled down to the ocean floor and formed sediments.
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C) Diatoms and radiolarians extracted most of the silica from the oceans. (Team 7 Presentation notes)
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(12) Which statement about the Proterozoic eon is incorrect? (A) Laurentia grew rapidly during Proterozoic time as other cratons became sutured to it. (B) In Neoproterozoic time the sun's output of radiation was about 6 percent higher than it is today. (C) The growth of Laurentia was threatened in Mesoproterozoic time by the greatest disturbance of the central North American Craton during the last 1.4 billion years. (D) The Greenville Orogeny built mountains in eastern North America. (E) The supercontinent Rodinia was smaller than supercontinent Nuna.
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B) In Neoproterozoic time the sun's output of radiation was about 6 percent higher than it is today. (textbook)
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(13) Which element(s) commonly form ooids in the ocean? (A) Calcium (B) Magnesium (C) Aragonite (D) A, B & C (E) None
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D) A, B & C (Team 7 Presentation notes)
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(14) What is the point in time at which aerobic organisms and facultative anaerobes adapted to aerobic respiration? (A) Pasture level (B) Chemosynthesis (C) Oxidation level (D) Iron formation (E) Greenstone level
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A) Pasture level ?
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(15) Which of the following were the dominant index fossils during the Cambrian and Silurian periods, respectively? (A) Brachiopods & corals (B) Bryozoans & acritarchs (C) Trilobites & graptolites (D) Fish & conodonts (E) Gastropods & algae
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C) Trilobites and graptolites (lecture 22 notes)
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(16) Of the eight classes in the phylum Mollusca, which three important classes are shown below, from left to right? (A) Gastropoda, Cephalopoda, Bivalvia (B) Aplacophora, Cephalopoda, Gastropoda (C) Gastropoda, Monoplacophora, Scaphopoda (D) Cephalopoda, Polyplacophora, Gastropoda (E) Gastropoda, Scaphopoda, Bivalvia
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A) Gastropoda, Cephalopoda, Bivalvia (lecture 22 notes and image)
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17) Which fact is false about Tiktaalik? (A) It is considered the missing link between fish and amphibians. (B) It had finger like bones in its front fins. (C) Only had lungs. (D) Had flexible neck and wrist bones. (E) It evolved in the Late Devonian period.
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C) Only had lungs (lecture 24 notes)
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(18) Which statement below wrongly explains an early Paleozoic event in North America? (A) Deep marine sediments were deposited in the open ocean. (B) Taconic orogeny began in the east during Ordovician. (C) A shallow epicontinental sea resulted in carbonate deposition on the craton. (D) Tippecanoe transgression began during the Early Ordovician. (E) Clastic wedges developed on top of deep marine sediments.
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D) Tippecanoe transgression began during the Early Ordovician. (lecture 23 notes)
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(19) Which of the following statement(s) is/are related to the positive feedbacks that influence the carbon cycle? (A) Climatic warming increases the respiration rate of marine bacteria, increasing concentration of CO2 in the environment. (B) Methane released from frozen methane hydrates as a result of global warming accelerates greenhouse warming. (C) The warming effect accelerates chemical weathering, increasing the rate at which this process extracts CO2 from the atmosphere. (D) A & C (E) A and B
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E) A and B (Team 5 Presentation Handout)
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(20) Which of the following correctly describes the Nebular theory of solar system formation? (A) The sun and planets condensed from a rotating cloud or disk of interstellar (cold) gas. (B) Nebulae collided with each other, forming the solar system (C) As the nebula heated up, the sun accreted and then the planets were pulled into orbit from far away (D) An encounter between the sun and another star caused matter to be pulled away from the sun. The matter then formed planets. (E) The sun melted the surrounding dust and gasses which combined into planets.
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A) The sun and planets condensed from a rotating cloud or disk of interstellar (cold) gas. (lecture 20 Notes)
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(21) When did the major intracratonic basins begin to develop? (A) Cambro-Ordocvician (B) Cambrian (C) Ordovician (D) Middle Ordovician (E) Precambrian
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A) Cambro-Ordocvician (lecture 23 notes)
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(22) Eurypterids were characterized by these impressive structures. (A) Wings (B) Bone Structure (C) Pincers (D) Complex Eyes (E) Spiked tails
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C) Pincers (lecture 24 notes)
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(23) Which of the following describes Earth's initial atmosphere? (A) Basic and acidic (B) Basic and reducing (C) Acidic and reducing (D) Acidic and oxidizing (E) Basic and oxidizing
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C) Acidic and reducing (lecture 20 Notes)
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(24) Which of the following compounds were produced in a 1953 experiment by Stanley Miller to simulate the early atmosphere? (A) DNA (B) Polymers (C) Amino acids (D) Euryarchaeota (E) RNA
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C) Amino acids (lecture 20 Notes)
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(25) What causes the Mg2+/Ca2+ ratios of seawater to rise and fall? (A) Altered by the rates of change in seafloor spreading and mid-Atlantic ridges (B) Changed by the amount of Calcium deposited through the crust (C) The change in atmospheric pressure (D) Altered by the population of sea creatures being born (E) Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio can become non-existent with smaller amounts of oxygen
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A) Altered by the rates of change in seafloor spreading and mid-Atlantic ridges (Team 7 presentation handout)
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(26) When did flowerless seed plants appear? (A) Early Silurian (B) Late Silurian (C) Early Devonian (D) Late Devonian (E) Late Paleozoic
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D) Late Devonian (lecture 24 notes)
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(27) Which statement is not true about coccolithophores? (A) They are abundant when the ocean has a high Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio. (B) They are a type of nannoplankton. (C) They were prominent during the Cretaceous period. (D) They produce chalk deposits. (E) Several species of coccolithophores inhabit our oceans today.
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A) They are abundant when the ocean has a high Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio. (textbook)
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(28) Members of Tabulata, one of the six orders of Corals, is known as "Honey Comb Corals." What are Rugosa and Sclerctinia known as, respectively? (A) Horn Corals, Hexacorals (B) Flat Corals, Sharp Corals (C) Corn Corals, Flat Corals (D) Hexacorals, Corn Corals (E) Shell Corals, Hexacorals
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A) Horn Corals, Hexacorals (Lecture 22 notes)
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(29) Which region(s) did not experience sediment deposition during the Cambrian period? (A) Appalachian Region, extending northward to Greenland (B) Scotland (C) Tasmania (D) Ouachita Region in Southern United States (E) Ural Region in Western Siberia
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C) Tasmania (lecture 23 notes)
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(30) Why was there is a sharp decline in CO2 during the latter part of the Paleozoic era? (A) A substantial increase in the rate of weathering. (B) A substantial decrease in the rate of weathering. (C) An increase in the rate of burial of organic carbon. (D) A & C (E) B & C
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D) A & C (Team 5 presentation handout)
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(31) What is the process by which water rises up from beneath the surface to replace water pushed away from wind blowing across the ocean's surface? (A) Isotope Shift (B) Methane hydrate (C) Isotope excursion (D) Upwelling (E) Water Inclusion
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D) Upwelling (Team 6 presentation handout)
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(32) When were the majority of banded iron formations (BIFs) deposited on Earth? (A) 5.5 to 5.0 Ga (B) 4.5 to 4.0 Ga (C) 3.5 to 3.0 Ga (D) 2.5 to 2.0 Ga (E)1.0 to 0.5 Ga
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D) 2.5 to 2.0 Ga (lecture 21 notes)
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(33) What gave the Red beds their distinct red color? (A) The earth was till covered in molten rock, which is red. (B) The materials that make up rocks were different then than they are now. (C) They were full of micro plankton fossils which turned them red. (D) Oxidizing conditions resulted in the formation of ferric oxides that stained the sediments red. (E) None of the above.
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D) Oxidizing conditions resulted in the formation of ferric oxides that stained the sediments red. (lecture 21 notes)
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(34) Which statement below is incorrect about the three supercontinents that formed toward the end of the Proterozoic eon? (A) Nuna created failed rifts in Western Laurentia. (B) Laurentia broke off 550 million years ago. (C) The Greenville orogeny resulting from the collision of Laurentia and South America happened after Rodinia. (D) Rodinia united Laurentia to other landmass. (E) Three supercontinents formed and broke off between 2 billion and 0.5 billion years.
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A) Nuna created failed rifts in Western Laurentia (lecture 21 notes)
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(35) Which group below were the first land vertebrates? (A) Reptiles (B) Birds (C) Alligators (D) Amphibians (E) Dinosaurs
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D) Amphibians (lecture 24 notes)
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(36) Which statement is incorrect about acritarchs? (A) They are the oldest fossilized microfossils. (B) They are unicellular. (C) They developed enzyme defense for oxygen. (D) They evolved toward the end of the Proterozoic. (E) They declined during the Late Ordovician because of the evolution of more advanced organisms.
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Either A or E I think (lecture 21 notes + textbook)
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(37) Which of the following was not one of the six major orders of Paleozoic brachiopods? (A) Orthida (B) Strophomenida (C) Pentamerida (D) Belemnoidea (E) Rhychonellida
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D) Belemnoidea (textbook)
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(38) Which statement is true about the two glacial episodes during the early and late Proterozoic? (A) They occurred 2.0-2.5 billion years ago. (B) They produced widespread tillites, especially in Antarctica. (C) They occurred in four pulses that resulted in widespread glaciations. (D) They produced successions of quartzite-carbonate shale assemblages. (E) They produced the greenstone belts in North America and Canada.
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C) They occurred in four pulses that resulted in widespread glaciations. (Lecture 21 Notes)
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(39) When did red sandstones and shales first appear in the geologic rcord? (A) 2 million years ago (B) 1.8 billion years ago (C) 3 billion years ago (D) 4.5 billion years ago (E) 1.8 million years ago
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B) 1.8 billion years ago (lecture 21 notes)
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(40) What happens when global climate cools? (A) Large-scale temperature gradients become steeper (B) Polar regions cool to a less degree than the tropics (C) The ratio of carbon 13 to carbon 12 decreases (D) Phytoplankton become less productive (E) Upwelling is weaker
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A) Large-scale temperature gradients become steeper (Team 6 presentation lecture notes)
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(41) Which plants contributed to lowland forests by the end of the Devonian? (A) Flowerless Seed Plants (B) Vascular Plants (C) Ferns (D) Lycopods (E) C & D
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E) C & D (lecture 25 notes)
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(42) The basic difference between the Proterozoic and Archean eons is the style of what? (A) Crustal Evolution (B) Vertebrate Fossilization (C) Rock rate formation (D) Earth tectonic depression (E) Radiological dating
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A) Crustal Evolution (Lecture 21 Notes)
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(43) Which eon or eons are responsible for generation some of the world's greatest economic resources? (A) Archean eon (B) Hadean eon (C) Proterozoic eon (D) A & B (E) A & C
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E) A & C (Lecture 21 Notes)
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(44) The peak of brachiopod diversity and dominance was reached during which time period? (A) Middle Paleozoic (B) Early Devonian (C) Late Mesozoic (D) Early Cretaceous (E) Late Proterozoic
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A) Middle Paleozoic (lecture 22 notes)
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(45) Identify in the correct order the Ordovician invertebrate fossils pictured (right) in A, B, D, E, G, H, I, J, K. (A) Stromatoporoid, Bivalve, Gastropod, Brachiopod, Nautiloid, Bryozoan, Tabulate coral, Rugose coral, Trilobite (B) Bryozoan, Gastropod, Nautiloid, Rugose coral, Brachiopod, Bivalve, Tabulate coral, Trilobite, Stromatoporoid (C) Rugose coral, Stromatoporoid, Gastropod, Trilobite, Brachiopod, Bryozoan, Bivalve, Tabulate coral, Nautiloid, (D) Nautiloid, Trilobite, Gastropod, Brachiopod, Bivalve, Bryozoan, Tabulate coral, Stromatoporoid, Rugose coral (E) Trilobite, Bryozoan, Gastropod, Brachiopod, Tabulate coral, Rugose coral, Stromatoporoid, Nautiloid, Bivalve
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D) Nautiloid, Trilobite, Gastropod, Brachiopod, Bivalve, Bryozoan, Tabulate coral, Stromatoporoid, Rugose coral (textbook)
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Memorize the Cratonic Sequences of North America Handout
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including the time scale, names of the cratonic sequences and the orogenic events (Hercynian orogeny during absaroka sequence)
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What organisms are effected by the late devonion extinction?
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Tabulate corals rugose corals stromataporoids trilobites graptolites brachiopods bryozoans acritarchs (oldest micro fossils) placoderm fish
