Test 1 (Lectures 1-3) pt. 1

Question 1

What is geology?

Answer 1

Study of the solid earth and the environment around it

Question 2

What are some ways geologists study the Earth?

Answer 2

• Formation and composition of the planet
• Monitoring how the Earth evolves through time
• Locating and extracting mineral resources
• Causes/effects of natural disasters (i.e.
  earthquakes, floods, landslides, etc.)
• Evolution of life
• Changing of Earth’s climate through time
• Groundwater flow through the subsurface

Question 3

How old is the Earth?

Answer 3

4.5 billion years old

Question 4

How did life on Earth start?

Answer 4

It came from the life and the death of stars

Question 5

How long ago did the Big Bang theory happen?

Answer 5

13.8 billion years ago

Question 6

All of the elements up to iron can be made in stars in a process called

Answer 6

Stellar nucleosynthesis

Question 7

Stellar nucleosynthesis formed elements up to …?

Answer 7

Iron (Fe; atomic number 26)

Question 8

Elements with atomic number larger than 26 formed during the …..?

Answer 8

Supernovae

Question 9

Most of nebula is formed up on what gases?

Answer 9

Hydrogen and helium

Question 10

What is an accretionary disk?

Answer 10

A disk of things that are starting to stick together

Question 11

What does the word “proto” stand for?

Answer 11

It means before

Question 12

What does the Earth’s internal structure consist of?

Answer 12

• Crust
• Mantle
• Outer Core
• Inner Core

Question 13

What are the four innermost planets called?

Answer 13

The terrestrial planets

Question 14

What does refectory planets move toward?

Answer 14

They move towards the Sun

Question 15

What are the 4 terrestrial planets?

Answer 15

Mercury, Earth, Venus, and Mars

Question 16

What kind of texture do terrestrial planets have?

Answer 16

A rocky texture

Question 17

What are the 4 gas planets?

Answer 17

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

Question 18

How far do you have to dig to get to a tectonic plate?

Answer 18

0; you’re standing on one

Question 19

What drives geologic phenomenon?

Answer 19

Internal and external processes

Question 20

What model seems to have the most evidence regarding the formation of the moon?

Answer 20

The Impactor model

Question 21

How was the Moon formed?

Answer 21

It formed from the debris when a protoplanet collided with Earth

Question 22

The Earth’s atmosphere consists of what kind of gases…?

Answer 22

• 78% of Nitrogen
• 22% of Oxygen

Question 23

Most of iron is found in which part of the Earth?

Answer 23

The core

Question 24

What major elements make up the composition/mass of the Earth?

Answer 24

• Iron
• Oxygen
• Silicon

Question 25

What is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust?

Answer 25

Oxygen followed by silica then aluminum

Question 26

What are most abundant elements in the Earth's mantle?

Answer 26

Magnesium, silicon, and oxygen

Question 27

What is the largest layer of the Earth?

Answer 27

The mantle

Question 28

What is the densest layer of the Earth?

Answer 28

The core

Question 29

All of the crust of the Earth is contained in the .....?

Answer 29

Lithosphere

Question 30

The crust and the upper mantle make up the ......?

Answer 30

Lithosphere

Question 31

The asthenosphere is part of the ....?

Answer 31

Mantle

Question 32

The mantle is mostly....?

Answer 32

Solid

Question 33

Convection in the mantle transfers heat from ____ to the ___

Answer 33

Interior; surface

Question 34

What is an important characteristic when determining what makes up a tectonic plate versus what makes up the layer beneath it?

Answer 34

Whether it breaks or bends

Question 35

The crust and mantle are based on....?

Answer 35

Composition

Question 36

What are the units of density?

Answer 36

Mass is divided by volume. It’s usually either grams divided by centimeters cubed or kilograms divided by mass cubed.

Question 37

The seismic waves of the earth help us understand what...?

Answer 37

It helps us understand what's happening beneath the layers of the Earth

Question 38

What helps generate the magnetic field around the Earth?

Answer 38

Convection in the liquid outer core generates the Earth’s magnetic field

Question 39

What is a theory?

Answer 39

A supposition with evidence to support that argument. It’s essentially a hypothesis that has been tested and validated multiple times

Question 40

What is one of the evidence of continental drift?

Answer 40

Fossils are found in different regions of the earth, which explains the occurrence of the same species on different continents

Question 41

Who initially thought of the idea of continental drift?

Answer 41

Wegner

Question 42

What was a significant event in 1941?

Answer 42

World War II

Question 43

What was one of the technology that came out during World War II?

Answer 43

The use of sonar, which helped map the ocean floor

Question 44

What is the abyssal plane?

Answer 44

It's the flat, deep part of the ocean

Question 45

In the abyssal plane the middle ridge tends to be a little higher than usual, what is that part referred to?

Answer 45

The mid-ocean ridge

Question 46

What are the two different types of crust?

Answer 46

- Continental crust - Oceanic crust

Question 47

Which crust is thicker and less denser?

Answer 47

Continental crust

Question 48

Which crust in thinner and more denser?

Answer 48

Oceanic crust

Question 49

Where are the oldest rocks found?

Answer 49

They're found in Greenland