Exam 1 Chapters 1-5 Flashcards
Scientists seek to understand the _____ that explain natural _____ and _____.
- fundamental principles
- patterns
- processes
Science is more than just a body of knowledge. Scientists do which of the following? (choose all that apply)
- evaluate and create new knowledge with bias
- use subjective evidence over objective evidence to reach logical conclusions
- use objective evidence over subjective evidence to reach logical conclusions
- evaluate and create new knowledge without bias
- use objective evidence over subjective evidence to reach logical conclusions
- evaluate and create new knowledge without bias
Scientists work to avoid bias is by using which of the following? (choose all that apply)
- qualitative measurements whenever possible
- subjective evidence
- objective evidence
- quantitative measurements whenever possible
- objective evidence
- quantitative measurements whenever possible
An explanation that cannot be tested or does not meet scientific standards is considered
- paganism
- pseudoscience
- science
- falsifiable
- pseudoscience
Which of the following is an objective statement?
- I observed rain yesterday
- Geology is an important science
- Green cupcakes always taste better
- Everyone should take a geology class
- My father is a good man
- I observed rain yesterday
Why is science normally a slow process?
- The process of weeding out misinformation and verifying results takes time.
- Because their work is intense, scientists require lengthy vacations.
- Arguing with pseudoscientists consumes scientists.
- Scientific meetings are usually drawn out arguments.
- All experiments take a long time to complete.
- The process of weeding out misinformation and verifying results takes time.
In the scientific method, which of these steps would normally follow experimentation and sharing of results? (choose all that apply)
- Hypothesis creation
- Observation
- Hypothesis development
- Peer review
- Theory development
- Hypothesis creation
- Observation
- Hypothesis development
- Peer review
Which of the following best matches the word theory?
- A concept widely tested and accepted
- An idea whose experimental results agree with the hypothesis
- An idea based on observations
- A conclusion subjected to peer review
- An idea undergoing experimentation
- A concept widely tested and accepted
What evidence was found by Galileo that proved the Earth could not be the center of the universe?
- Moons orbiting around Jupiter
- Orbit of Saturn
- Comet return time
- Asteroid belt
- Craters on the moon
- Moons orbiting around Jupiter
The idea that the Sun was the center of the Solar System was first proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus in 1543 and is known as the ______.
- Suncentric model
- Heliocentric model
- Geocentric model
- Solar Orbital model
- Heliocentric model
What simple scientific technique did geologists like Hutton, Steno, and Lyell use to draw fundamental geologic conclusions?
- Performing experiments to replicate the rock record
- Digging underground to observe three-dimensional structures
- Studying gems and metal deposits to understand their geology
- Comparing ancient rocks/fossils to modern counterparts
- Analyzing the chemistry of the rock record
- Comparing ancient rocks/fossils to modern counterparts
Which of these is NOT consistent with uniformitarianism?
- Erosion occurs in the valley every spring when the rains come. By this logic, the valley will be getting deeper every year.
- Volcanic eruptions on the sea floor produce islands. Sea floor volcanism will produce more islands
- Each year, a layer of sediment is laid down. Eventually, a large thickness is made.
- A large asteroid hit the Earth and caused devastation which killed many species, like the dinosaurs
- An earthquake moved the ground upward 6 inches. After millions of years, the mountain grew taller.
- A large asteroid hit the Earth and caused devastation which killed many species, like the dinosaurs
Which layer of the Earth is liquid?
- Asthenosphere
- Outer core
- Mantle
- Inner core
- Lithosphere
- Outer core
Igneous rocks form by ___________.
- lithification
- erosion
- melting
- heat and pressure
- crystallization
- crystallization
Science deniers commonly use three rhetorical arguments. What is the one they don’t generally use?
- Attack the scientists personally
- Present alternative scientific data to disprove scientific conclusions
- Claim the scientific methods are flawed
- Demand equal time for “balanced” view
- Present alternative scientific data to disprove scientific conclusions
What paradigm shift in geology most changed the way geologists look at the world?
- Deep time
- Evolution
- Plate tectonics
- Uniformitarianism
- Extinction
- Plate tectonics
Which of the following are evidence for continental drift, and which are evidence for plate tectonics? Select the words “continental drift” or “plate tectonics”
- Matching fossils and rocks
- GPS measurements
- Mid-ocean ridge found
- Ocean trenches found
- Matching coastlines
- Lined-up earthquakes
- Warm places glaciated
- Cooler places with tropical fossils
- Paleomagnetism showing moving rocks
- Matching fossils and rocks (continental drift)
- GPS measurements (plate tectonics)
- Mid-ocean ridge found (plate tectonics)
- Ocean trenches found (plate tectonics)
- Matching coastlines (continental drift)
- Lined-up earthquakes (plate tectonics)
- Warm places glaciated (continental drift)
- Cooler places with tropical fossils (continental drift)
- Paleomagnetism showing moving rocks (plate tectonics)
How did scientists first figure out plates could sink into the interior of the planet, since no one can see this happening?
- Isostasy states that as mountains move upwards, land must also sink elsewhere
- Lines of progressively-deeper earthquakes near arcs and trenches
- Earthquake waves mapped the liquid interior of Earth and showed movement
- It was an inference based on expansion around mid-ocean ridges
- Measurements via GPS showed ocean basins closing rapidly
- Lines of progressively-deeper earthquakes near arcs and trenches
Which of the following are NOT evidence Wegener used to construct the idea of Continental Drift?
- Earthquake locations lined up with crustal features
- Matching the edges of the continental shelves
- Matching fossils across the ocean
- Matching mountain belts of similar age and rock ty
- Evidence of drastic climate shifts in the geologic record
- Earthquake locations lined up with crustal features
Match the layer of the Earth with the description that fits it best!
- The lowest density layer
- The highest density layer
- The only liquid layer
- The largest layer by volume
- The layer plates are made from
- The layer that moves the plates around
- crust
- inner core
- outer core
- mantle
- lithosphere
- asthenosphere
Which layer of the Earth can move internally or flow to allow the plates to move around on it?
- Lithosphere
- Outer core
- Inner core
- Mantle
- Asthenosphere
- Asthenosphere
What makes continental plates different than oceanic plates?
- Oceanic plates are thicker
- Oceanic plates are more permanent
- Oceanic plates are older
- Continental plates have more volcanoes
- Continental plates are ductile
- Continental plates are ductile
What term is used for a boundary between a continent and an ocean basin without relative motion between them?
- Divergent
- Passive
- Convergent
- Active
- Transform
- Transform
What feature is associated with crustal divergence?
- Volcanic arc
- Largest earthquakes
- Trench
- Mid-ocean ridge
- Tsunamis
- Mid-ocean ridge
Why do continents generally not subduct?
- Continents are too low in density to subduct
- Continents are too strongly attached to ocean plates to subduct
- Ocean plates move faster and do not allow continents to subduct
- Continents are too ductile to subduct
- Continents are pushed up by mantle convection, preventing subduction
- Continents are too low in density to subduct
Examine the image. It shows ________, a freshwater reptile whose fossils Alfred Wegener cited as evidence of continental drift.
- Lystrosaurus
- Glossopteris
- Tyrannosaurus
- Mesosaurus
- Mesosaurus
What happens as newly formed oceanic crust moves away from the mid-ocean ridge?
- The crust gets colder
- The crust thickens
- Sediment gets thinner
- The seafloor increases in height
- The crust gets warmer
- The crust gets colder
Other than midocean ridges, where on Earth can a person view the best example of current (active) rifting?
- Mariana Trench
- East Africa
- Japan
- Andes
- Central Australia
- East Africa
As a rift forms on a continent, what feature can form next?
- Supercontinent
- Subduction zone
- Transform fault
- Ocean basin
- Collision
- Ocean basin
What famous transform fault is known for being the boundary between the Pacific Plate and North American Plate in California?
- Garlock fault
- Altyn Tagh fault
- Alpine fault
- Denali fault
- San Andreas fault
- San Andreas fault
What makes transform boundaries different than other boundaries?
- Transform are older
- Transform are less common
- Transform makes more mountains
- Transform has less earthquakes
- Transform has less volcanoes
- Transform has less volcanoes
The ________ is a layer in Earth’s interior that is in a liquid state.
- crust
- mantle
- outer core
- inner core
- outer core
What makes the Hawaiian hot spot different than the Yellowstone hot spot?
- Yellowstone’s higher elevation
- Different types of tectonic plates
- Different type of mantle below
- Yellowstone is colder
- Hawaii has more places for magma to come up
- Different types of tectonic plates
According to the Wilson Cycle, what feature or process is most likely to occur after collision and formation of a supercontinent?
- Ocean-continent subduction
- Rifting
- Mid-ocean ridge
- Transform faults
- Ocean-ocean subduction
- Rifting
What features or processes are common in hot spots?
- Volcanism
- Earthquakes
- Trenches
- Rifts
- Arcs
- Volcanism
Which plate boundary has the largest and deepest earthquakes?
- Divergent rift
- Subduction
- Mid-ocean ridge
- Transform
- Collisional
- Subduction
Why are there not as many earthquakes or volcanoes on the east coast of North America as the west coast of North America?
- The plate boundary on the east coast is purely transform.
- It is not close to a plate boundary (passive margin).
- The Atlantic side of the continent moves slower than the Pacific side
- The crust on the east coast is too thick to allow volcanoes.
- The crust on the east coast is too thick to allow earthquakes.
- It is not close to a plate boundary (passive margin).
Why did Alfred Wegener never get the support of the scientific community for his hypothesis of continental drift during his lifetime?
- He could not provide a mechanism for how continents moved is a measure of how much energy is released by the earthquake, but magnitude is a rough measure of local shaking.
- GPS had not been invented yet to show movement
- He could not disprove the idea of land bridges
- He had no evidence for his idea
- He had an abrasive personality which made people not support him
- He could not provide a mechanism for how continents moved is a measure of how much energy is released by the earthquake, but magnitude is a rough measure of local shaking.
We are not able to get rocks from deep within the Earth. What is the most direct source of information that allows us to draw conclusions about the interior?
- Volcanic eruptions
- Seismic waves
- Gas measurements
- Diamond inclusions
- Drilling
- Seismic waves
Which the following are the positively charged particles in an atom’s nucleus?
- electrons
- protons
- neutrons
- ions
- protons
The resistance of a mineral to scratching or abrasion is known as ________.
- streak
- cleavage
- luster
- hardness
- hardness
Atoms that have an electrical charge due to a gain or loss of electrons are called ________.
- isotopes
- isochrons
- neutrons
- ions
- ions
All of the atoms making up any given element have the same number of ________.
- electrons in the nucleus
- neutrons in the outer nuclear shell
- protons in the nucleus
- electrons in the outermost valence shell
- protons in the nucleus
Minerals have a crystalline structure. What does this mean?
- That the atoms are arranged in random order but definite chemical composition.
- That the atoms are arranged in an orderly, repetitive manner.
- That the minerals are generally inorganic and not made from life.
- That the minerals have a definite chemical composition and are made of the same elements.
- That all minerals form beautiful, visible crystals in the right conditions.
- That the atoms are arranged in an orderly, repetitive manner.