Multiple Choice Questions Flashcards
What is the most abundant element on Earth?
oxygen
What is the rigid outer layer of the Earth that is divided into tectonic plates?
lithosphere
What is the name of the region along which earthquakes tend to occur in subduction zones?
Benioff-Wadati zone
What is the mechanism that causes melting at divergent plate boundaries?
decompression
What is the mechanism that causes melting along convergent plate boundaries (in subduction zones)?
flux/dewatering
What location on Earth did we discuss in class where a mid-ocean ridge system is exposed on land?
Iceland
What type of boundary is originally associated with the youngest oceanic crust?
mid-ocean ridge
What specific type of plate boundary is associated with large mountain belts and no volcanic activity?
continent-continent collision
What specific type of plate boundary is associated with deep trenches immediately adjacent to high mountains?
ocean-continent subduction zone
What type of plate boundary is expected to be the future site of an ocean basin?
continental rift zone
What class of minerals makes up most of the Earth’s crust (and lithosphere)?
silicates
Which of the following is NOT a criterion for a substance to be considered a mineral?
contains silica tetrahedra
In what type of igneous rock would you most likely find quartz?
granite
In what type of sedimentary rock would most likely find quartz?
sandstone
What rock texture is most commonly associated with plutonic (intrusive) igneous rocks?
phaneritic
According to Bowen’s reaction series, which mineral should crystallize from a magma first?
olivine
What type of sedimentary rock would you be most likely to find in an ancient beach environment?
shale
What rock is best described as a mafic, plutonic rock?
gabbro
What type of sedimentary rock would you most likely find in an ancient lagoon environment?
limestone
In what tectonic setting is regional metamorphism most common?
continental collision
In what volcanic setting would you NOT expect of find felsic igneous rocks?
mid-ocean ridge
What volcanic setting is most closely associated with flood basalt eruptions and large igneous provinces (LIPs)?
hot spots
What composition of magma is the LEAST viscous?
mafic
What component of magma is associated with explosive eruptions?
gases
What volcanic hazard is typically the least threatening to human life?
laval flows
What hazard was responsible for triggering the Mount St. Helens eruption? (hint: lateral blast)
landslide
Although they only impact populations close to an eruption, what are the deadliest volcanic hazards?
pryoclasitc density currents
What composition magma typically generates Plinian eruptions?
felsic
What is the most abundant gas released from magma?
H2O (water vapor)
What type of seismic wave travels the fastest?
P wave
What earthquake hazard of greatest concern in places where the ground is unconsolidated?
liquefaction
What is the most likely earthquake hazard a mountain community would face?
landslides
What earthquake hazard is usually of highest concern in densely populated (urban) areas?
building collapse
Refer to the diagram below from Dr. Morgan’s guest lecture. At which point on the diagram do earthquakes occur?
C
What type of seismic wave is most destructive?
surface waves
In a set of stacked horizontal layers, what stratigraphic principle states the the oldest layer is on the bottom?
superposition
What can an unconformity between rock layers indicate?
regression, gap in the stratigraphic recored, and period of erosion or non-deposition
What stratigraphic would allow us to correlate the rocks on either side of the Grand Canyon?
lateral continuity
Approximately how old are the oldest known rocks on Earth?
4.0 Ga
Approximately how old is the Earth?
4.6 Ga
What geological period marks the appearance of multicellular life with hard parts (skeletons and shells)?
Cambrian
In what era did terrestrial (land) animals and plants first evolve?
Paleozoic
In what period were conditions favorable for widespread coal formation?
Carboniferous
What age did the genus “Homo” first appear?
2.5 Ma
In what period were the Appalachians fully assembled to create the supercontinent Pangea?
Permian
Which of the following materials can cause wedging in rocks at or near Earth’s surface?
ice, roots, and salt
Which of the following atmospheric constituents plays a significant role in chemical weathering?
water
Which of the following minerals is most susceptible to dissolution?
calcite
Which of the following minerals is most susceptible to oxidation?
olivine
What group of minerals form from hydrolysis of silicates?
clays
How do lithotrophs derive their energy?
breaking chemical bonds in minerals
Which of the following minerals is a product of chemical weathering?
hematite
Which of the following common rock-forming minerals essentially does NOT chemically weather?
quartz
What type of climate is expected to produce the deepest soils?
tropical
What type of climate is most suitable for producing fertile soil?
temperate
What type of mass wasting feature consists of a spoon-shaped failure surface with a head scarp that is susceptible to future mass wasting?
slump
Which of the following is most likely to trigger a landslide?
heavy rainfall
What is the. most common cause of deep subsidence?
groundwater extraction
What was the main cause of subsidence in Houston’s earliest history?
oil and gas extraction
Where is the Houston-Galveston area is the highest amount of subsidence currently happening?
North and west suburbs
