Quizzes Chapters 1-9 Flashcards
The regular spacing of planets in our Solar System requires a planet be present between Mars and Jupiter. Why isn’t one there?
The gravitational pull of Jupiter prevented one from forming.
What is the Geocentric Universe Concept?
That everything orbits the Earth
Nebular Theory explains why:
All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction and in the same direction the Sun spins
In the expanding Universe, why do nebulae form?
Gravitational attraction of particles
When does a protostar become a star?
When nuclear fusion reactions begin
When does a Supernova occur?
When pressures are so great, electron and protons combine to form neutrons
Which of the following is NOT necessarily true of a planet?
It has one or more moons.
Differentiation of the core from the mantle early in the Earth’s history was possible because the planet was __________ at the time.
very hot
During ancient times, Eratosthenes measured the difference in angles of the Sun’s rays in two different locations in Egypt at the same time to calculate the __________.
circumference of the Earth
Our Solar System belongs to a galaxy known as __________.
the Milky Way
Which of the following statements about moons is correct?
All moons orbit a planet.
By far the most common elements in the Universe and in our Solar System are __________.
hydrogen and helium
The Big Bang theory states that __________.
all matter in the Universe was once confined to a single point
Which of the following bodies is the smallest?
planetesimal
Which planet in our Solar System has the highest mass?
Jupiter
The Earth’s magnetic field is generated by:
Convection currents in the outer liquid core
Silicate minerals are dominated by two elements. What are they?
Silicon and Oxygen
Which rock type dominates the Earth’s mantle?
Peridotite
The part of the atmosphere responsible for our weather is the
Troposphere
The boundary between the crust and mantle is called the
Mohorovicic discontinuity
Earth’s atmosphere is dominated by
Nitrogen
The most abundant element in the Earth is
Iron
The region of space shown below as a gray oval that represents the outer reach of solar winds is termed the __________.
Heliosphere
From left to right, correctly label each section of this slice of the Earth. Note that 1 starts at the surface of the Earth and 6 ends at the center of the Earth.
crust, upper mantle, transition zone, lower mantle, liquid outer core, solid inner core
The density of rocks is generally related to composition; rocks with higher silica content tend to be less dense. Which of the following places rock compositions in order of increasing density?
felsic, intermediate, mafic, ultramafic
Which of the following lists compositions in increasing order of silica content?
ultramafic, mafic, intermediate, felsic
As compared to the asthenosphere, the lithosphere is __________.
cooler and less able to flow
If one were to ride a hot-air balloon into the atmosphere, one would experience the concentration of gases __________.
decreasing
Is it less strenuous to go for a jog in San Diego (at sea level) than in Denver (at an altitude of 1 mile)? Note: Please base your answer on elevation alone; assume all other factors are equal.
True
The atmosphere is divided into several distinct layers. In order from the ground up, they are __________.
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere
What is polar wandering?
The apparent movement of the poles of the Earth over geological time
What does paleomagnetism record?
Normal and reversed magnetic fields,
Relative position of the rock to the poles at time of formation,
Magnetic inclination,
and the rate of seafloor spreading
Magnetic reversals are recorded in ocean crust as
Positive and negative magnetic anomalies
What distinguishes fracture zones from transform faults along a mid-ocean ridge?
Fracture zones do not exhibit differential movement, transform faults do
Which of these is NOT the result of plate tectonics?
convection in the outer core
If a geologist discovered coal deposits in a modern-day cold, snowy location, he or she could conclude that
the area was once covered with swamps and/or jungles
If you were using both a compass and a map marked with latitude and longitude to navigate, you might note the angle difference between your compass and what is marked on the map, called
magnetic declination
What does an ordinary compass indicate?
magnetic north
The oldest basalts on the ocean floor are about ________ years old.
200 million
Spreading rates along mid-ocean ridges have ________.
changed through time, and today vary between 1 and 10 cm/yr
Wegener’s proposal that the continents had once fit together as a single supercontinent was rejected by geologists at the time because __________.
Wegener could not provide a driving force strong enough
Evidence that glaciers once covered an area might include __________.
till and striations
All deep-sea trenches border __________.
volcanic arcs
Which of the following best describes the global distribution of earthquakes?
They occur in distinct zones.
The broad, flat regions that occupy most of the ocean floor are called __________.
abyssal plains
Identify the FALSE statement. A subducting plate:
Can be either continental or oceanic lithosphere
Which of the following is NOT true about Earth’s tectonic plates?
Some tectonic plates contain only continental lithosphere.
Earth’s lithosphere will not flow because it ________.
is too cool
Which of the following statements is true concerning rock produced at mid-ocean ridges?
Basalt is produced at shallow depths and gabbro at deeper depths.
The oceanic lithosphere is typically coated in a layer of sediment. Which of the following is NOT true about this sediment?
All of the sediment is eventually subducted along with the lithosphere into the mantle.
The global occurrence of earthquakes reveals that:
they usually occur on the boundaries of plates or at hot spots
Sediments associated with subducting plates give rise to:
the accretionary prism
Continental lithosphere ________.
is thicker than oceanic lithosphere
In a hot-spot volcanic island chain, such as the Hawaiian Islands, which of the following is true?
The ages of and distance between volcanoes can be used to calculate plate velocities.
On either side of a mid-ocean ridge, the lithosphere begins to __________, because __________.
sink; it cools and contracts
Broad, sediment-covered continental shelves are found along __________.
passive margins
At transform plate boundaries, __________.
earthquakes are common but volcanoes are absent
Major fisheries of the world are concentrated along __________.
continental shelves
Large, thick-crusted, nonvolcanic mountain belts like the Himalayas are associated with __________.
continent-continent collisions
Which of the following is NOT a mineral?
quartz
diamond
petroleum
gold
Minerals are all naturally occurring solid substances with a definable chemical composition. They must also possess ________.
a fixed crystalline structure (spatial arrangement of atoms and ions)
When two different minerals have the same chemical formula but different crystal structures, they are said to be ________.
polymorphs
Which of the following is a mineral?
tar
cubic zirconia, which is a synthetic diamond substitute
- ice*
obsidian, a type of volcanic glass
The most recently formed portion of any crystal is always found ________.
on the outer edges
A covalent bond is one where
Electrons are shared
On Moh’s Hardness scale, which mineral has a hardness of 3?
Calcite
On Moh’s Hardness scale, which mineral has a hardness of 7?
Quartz
Which of the following choices lists atoms and atomic components in order from smallest to largest?
electron, proton, nucleus, atom
Which of the following is true about minerals?
Almost all minerals are inorganic.
SiO44−, S2−, and CO32− are all examples of __________.
anionic groups
Diamond and graphite are both polymorphs of __________.
carbon
Minerals that do not possess cleavage are said to possess __________.
fracture
The image below shows a mineral specimen of pyrite. What is the term for the thin parallel corrugations or stripes shown on its crystal faces?
striations
Trace amounts of impurity can produce significant differences in __________ among individual crystals of a mineral species.
color
Which of the following would be considered a rock?
a chunk of obsidian
Imagine you are holding a rock composed of sand grains cemented together. What subclassification of sedimentary rock is this?
clastic
What type of rock forms from the freezing (solidification) of a melt?
igneous
Weathering results in _____________.
smaller, more-rounded pieces
Hydration occurs when minerals _____________.
absorb water and expand
Which soil horizon contains the most organic material?
O
Why does physical weathering speed up the processes of chemical weathering?
Physical weathering produces fresh surfaces for chemical weathering to attack.
Why is the rock cycle important?
because it explains how rocks are constantly changing from one type to another
What is the progression of rock types if the steps of a process are as follows?
melting and crystallization → erosion, deposition, and lithification → burial in high temperature conditions
igneous → sedimentary → metamorphic
If a rock is buried and subjected to high heat and pressure, then uplifted, exposed eroded away, and deposited, what rock types were involved in the sequence?
metamorphic and sedimentary
What type of rock is formed after erosion, deposition, and lithification?
sedimentary
The rock cycle is driven by __________.
the Earth’s internal and external sources of energy
Extrusive igneous rocks that are glassy reflect
Rapid cooling rate
Bowen’s Reaction Series:
Allows a geologist to predict what minerals will be found in a given igneous rock
A fast-moving wet slurry consisting of a mixture of water and volcaniclastic debris is termed a
lahar
Which of the following does NOT influence whether an eruption will produce “quiet” lava flows or “violent” pyroclastic debris?
depth and residence time of magma
What mainly determines the viscosity of a magma?
Silica content and magma temperature
What causes the mantle to melt?
Release of pressure ,
Increase of temperatures ,
Increased water pressure ,
A mixture of minerals
The difference between magma and lava is __________.
magma is melt underground, whereas lava is melt that has emerged from the surface
Volatiles refer to substances that __________.
evaporate easily and exist as gases
Which type of magma has the greatest Silica (SiO2) content?
felsic
Intrusive rocks that form deep within the Earth __________ than intrusive rocks that cool near the surface.
cool more slowly
Because of its physical properties, magma tends to __________.
move upward, away from where it formed
An igneous rock with a mixed texture consisting of coarse crystals (phenocrysts) surrounded by fine crystals (groundmass) is termed __________.
porphyritic
Granite, an intrusive igneous rock, is most similar in mineral composition to which extrusive equivalent?
rhyolite
In 79 c.e., the citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the Roman Empire were buried by pyroclastic debris derived from an eruption of __________.
Mt. Vesuvius
What was unusual about the 1986 volcano-related disaster near Lake Nyos in Cameroon?
Volcanically derived carbon dioxide gas bubbled from the lake and suffocated people and animals nearby.
The pillow basalts in the photo below most likely formed __________.
underwater at a mid-ocean ridge
The Columbia River Plateau is an example of a __________.
flood basalt
The vertical features preserved in the basalt flow in the image below formed because the lava __________.
shrank as it cooled, forming tall polygonal-shaped fractures
A fast-moving wet slurry consisting of a mixture of water and volcaniclastic debris is termed a __________.
lahar
As compared to subaerial basaltic lavas, submarine basaltic lavas differ in that they __________.
form pillow-like mounds because they cannot flow as far from their source
Which of the following is NOT true? Hot-spot volcanoes __________.
only produce mafic lava flows
Of the three primary forms of subaerial volcanoes, __________ are large cone-shaped mountains that consist of alternating layers of tephra and solidified lava.
stratovolcanoes
If you were camping in the area of Mt. Rainier volcano in Washington, which geologist’s tool would be most useful in choosing the safest location to pitch a tent?
volcanic hazard map
The characteristic “rotten egg” smell of many active volcanoes is derived from __________.
hydrogen sulfide gas
A large, violent, explosive eruption is termed a __________ eruption.
Plinean
Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in our Solar System, is found on __________.
Mars
If a volcano lies along a convergent boundary but has not erupted in over 1,000 years, the volcano is considered __________.
dormant
Basaltic lavas __________.
have low viscosity and low silica content
