Exam 1 Flashcards
How old is the earth?
4.5 billion years
The earth’s core is primarily made up of_____
iron
What powers the earth’s external heat engine?
solar energy
The Principle of Catastrophism views the development of earth as______
a series of sporadic, cataclysmic events
New oceanic crust is created at________
mid-ocean ridges
Which of the following relationships is correct?
lithosphere= crust + upper mantle
continental crust differs from oceanic crust in which of the following characteristics?
thickness, density, composition
What drives plate tectonics?
mantle convection
Which of the following mountain ranges is the product of ocean-ocean convergence?
the Japanese islands
Which of the following statements about subduction zones is true?
all subduction zones occur at convergent plate boundaries
What drives plate tectonics?
mantle convection
A divergent plate boundary like the East African Rift is a result of _______ stresses within the crust.
tensional
ocean going under continent?
subduction zone
Oceanic crust that records negative magnetic anomalies formed when the earth’s magnetic field was ________
reversed from what it is today
On a map of the seafloor, the boundaries between normally magnetized oceanic crust and reversely magnetized oceanic crust are called __________.
isochrons
Evidence for magnetic reversals has been primarily preserved in:
extrusive igneous rocks associated with mid-ocean ridges
Mantle plumes (hot spots) form at ______
the core mantle boundary
Isotopes of an element have different numbers of _______
neutrons
What is the most common type of bonding in minerals?
ionic bonding
Sodium has an atomic number of 11. How many electrons will the sodium ion Na+ have?
10
The mineral property “cleavage” refers to __________.
the splitting of a mineral along planar surfaces
Diamond is an example of what type of bonding?
covalent bonding
What is the hardest mineral?
Diamond
Which of the following processes occurs during lithification?
recrystallization of unstable minerals
compaction
cementation
True or False: Ultimately, any rock type (igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic) can be turned into any other rock type via the processes of the rock cycle.
True
Intrusive igneous rocks form ________
Inside the earth’s crust
What type of rock makes up most of the Hawaiian Islands?
Basalt
Where would you expect to find the largest crystals in a lava flow?
in the center of the flow
Which of the following igneous rocks has the lowest silica content?
ultramafic
The presence of water will ________ the melting temperature of a rock
Decrease
The motion of a flowing material where hot matter rises from the bottom and cool matter sinks from the surface is called ____________ .
Convection
What are the “plates” of plate tectonics made up of?
lithosphere
The east coast of North America is______
not a plate boundary
Which of the following elements tends to share electrons?
carbon
In order to make a sodium (Na) chlorine (Cl) bond in NaCl, __________.
one electron is transferred from the sodium atom to the chlorine atom
What is limestone made of?
calcite
Which of the following is the least reliable physical property?
color
Large crystals with well-formed crystal faces tend to form when ____ .
minerals have space to grow
How fast do magmas rise through the crust?
a few meters per year
Magnetic reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field occur when:
the earth’s magnetic poles flip
What is the approximate silica content of a granite?
70%
Large igneous bodies that form at depth in the Earth’s crust are called ______.
plutons
Large igneous bodies that form at depth in the Earth’s crust are called ______.
batholiths
The main difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks is _______.
where they solidify
Which of the following igneous rocks crystallizes at the Earth’s surface?
basalt
Which of the following elements is more abundant in the Earth’s crust as compared to the Earth as a whole?
silicon
Which of the following tectonic settings has the greatest range in magma compositions?
convergent plate boundaries
Burial of sediments results in __________.
increasing pressure and temperature
What type of sediments are accumulations of solid fragments produced by weathering?
clastic sediments
Which of the following environments is an example of a shoreline environment?
Deltaic
Sedimentary processes take place ________
at or near the earth’s surface
