Dinos Mid Term

Front 1

The principle which states the “disturbed rocks or strata are older than those rocks that cut or disturb them “is the principle of

Back 1

cross-cutting principle

Front 2

The basic rock until defined on the basis of distinctive and easily recognized characteristics is a

Back 2

formation

Front 3

is the sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Back 3

atomic mass

Front 4

Radiometric age dating techniques were used to establish the relative geologic

Back 4

False

Front 5

Which of the following is the oldest?

Back 5

Lower Cretaceous

Front 6

Disturbed rocks or strata are older than those rocks that disturb them or cut through them.

Back 6

True

Front 7

The ______ is a product of placing rocks in their proper sequence of formation to create a composite record of geologic events.

Back 7

relative geologic time scale

Front 8

Radiometric age dating, the basis of the establishment of the absolute geologic time scale , was not possible until after the discovery of radioactivity in the 20th century.

Back 8

false

Front 9

The principle which states that “strata extend in all directions until they thin against edges of the basins they accumulated in “is the principle of

Back 9

original lateral continuity

Front 10

Which of the following is not a period in the Mesozoic Era?

Back 10

Cambrian

Front 11

Radioactive decay is the spontaneous nuclear disintegration of isotopes at constant rates.

Back 11

true

Front 12

History is a sequence of events placed in proper chronological order

Back 12

true

Front 13

An isotope is a species of the same element with the same mass and different atomic number.

Back 13

false

Front 14

Clay and quartz are common products of long-term chemical weathering.

Back 14

true

Front 15

The concentration of nitrogen ions in a solution determines the acidity so the greater the concentration of nitrogen ions the greater the acidity.

Back 15

false

Front 16

Water expands by 25% when it freezes.

Back 16

false

Front 17

Which of the following is not a cause of mechanical weathering?

Back 17

Oxidation (rock expansion litostatic pressure changes and abrasion is)

Front 18

Slabs of rock slip, slide, or break off large rock masses along concentric joints in a process called

Back 18

exfoliation

Front 19

Solution is a major chemical weathering process in regions with large exposures of surficial limestones.

Back 19

true

Front 20

______is the reaction between hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions of water and a mineral’s ions.

Back 20

hydrolysis

Front 21

The processes by which rocks and minerals at the surface of the Earth are broken down into smaller rocks and eventually into soils is collectively referred to as the processes of

Back 21

weathering

Front 22

Running water, wind, and glaciers transport weathered products elsewhere, where they are deposited to form sediments and later become _______ as sedimentary rocks.

Back 22

lithified

Front 23

Mechanical weathering dominates over chemical weathering in warm climates.

Back 23

false

Front 24

Acids produced by decaying plant material and the organisms feeding on it help dissolve cements and rocks

Back 24

true

Front 25

Joints are always pathways for mechanical and chemical weathering and over time can even determine the location of river and drainage systems

Back 25

true

Front 26

Weathering and erosion produce sediments that later form sedimentary rocks.

Back 26

true

Front 27

Claystones do not exhibit fissility but break into blocky masses.

Back 27

true

Front 28

Shale differs from mudstone by breaking into smaller pieces along bedding planes. This breakage characteristic is called

Back 28

fissility

Front 29

Fossils are preserved in sedimentary rocks.

Back 29

true

Front 30

_______sedimentary rocks are formed from the accumulation of minerals and rock fragments eroded from pre-existing rocks (metamorphic, sedimentary, or igneous) or their weathered by-products.

Back 30

Detrital

Front 31

Lithostatic pressure is the pressure resulting from the weight of the overlying rocks.

Back 31

true

Front 32

Which of the following is a poorly-sorted detrital sedimentary rock?

Back 32

a conglomerate

Front 33

Most chemical sedimentary rocks form from precipitation from solution in fresh water (lakes, rivers, caves, springs) or in the sea.

Back 33

true

Front 34

_______ sedimentary rocks form from the organic or inorganic precipitation of minerals from an aqueous solution or the accumulation of organic matter.

Back 34

Chemical

Front 35

Dolomite differs from limestone in that some of the calcium has been replaced by magnesium changing it to magnesium carbonate CaMg (CO3)2

Back 35

true

Front 36

) A ______limestone is composed to a large extent by the skeletal remains of invertebrate fossils (corals, sponges, bryozoans, pelecypods, echinoida, etc.)

Back 36

bioclastic

Front 37

______is a biochemical sedimentary rock composed of combustible material derived from the partial decomposition of plants.

Back 37

Coal

Front 38

A _______is a coarse-grained limestone composed of poorly-cemented shells and shell fragments (often of near-shore species).

Back 38

coquina

Front 39

Sediments are converted to sedimentary rocks and account for 75% of exposed rocks on the Earth’s surface.

Back 39

true

Front 40

Chert has a concoidal fracture pattern, making it easy to work into tools and projectiles (arrowheads, scrapers, etc.)

Back 40

true

Front 41

The process of binding the grains together is ________ where minerals are precipitated in the pore spaces.

Back 41

cementation

Front 42

Some sedimentary rocks begins as the weathered products of existing rocks.

Back 42

true

Front 43

A conglomerate is composted predominantly of rounded to subrounded clasts, a significant proportion being gravel size.

Back 43

true

Front 44

Sorting refers to the range of particle density in a clastic sediment or sedimentary rock.

Back 44

false

Front 45

The sphericity of a particle is the degree to which the shape of the particle approaches the form of a sphere.

Back 45

true

Front 46

______ is a detrital sedimentary rock formed by cementation of individual grains ranging in size from 1/16 to 2 mm.

Back 46

Sandstone

Front 47

The White Cliffs of Dover are composed of this type of sedimentary rock made up of the calcium carbonate skeletal remains of microscopic marine algae.

Back 47

chalk

Front 48

_______ is the most common chemical sedimentary rock.

Back 48

limestone

Front 49

Unconsolidated sediments (mud) are turned into sedimentary rocks (shale) by a process called

Back 49

lithification

Front 50

_______ are finely-bedded sedimentary rocks (usually claystone to siltstones) often alternating between carbon-rich and carbon-poor beds.

Back 50

Varves

Front 51

Tracks and trails of organisms can be preserved in sediment and are considered a type of trace fossil.

Back 51

true

Front 52

Marine vertebrate fossils in Mesozoic sedimentary rocks include turtles, fish, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, icthyosaurs. All were nektonic (free swimming) and had global distribution.

Back 52

true

Front 53

A________ refers to the accumulation of deposits that exhibits specific characteristics, reflecting a specific environment, and grading into other sedimentary accumulation formed at the same time but with different characteristics.

Back 53

Sediemtary facis

Front 54

Microscopic fossils of algal plants and protozoans can be used to estimate such parameters as: sea surface temperature, water depth, salinity, water clarity, etc.

Back 54

true

Front 55

Sedimentary rocks rich in volcanic ash tend to have light greenish to blueish-green hues.

Back 55

true

Front 56

Deltas are large bodies of sediment deposited where streams of rivers empty into lakes or the sea.

Back 56

true

Front 57

Distrubed beds are usually mixed or contorted in some manner. They indicate proximity to unstable sediment sources or disturbances by earthquakes and volcanoes.

Back 57

true

Front 58

Dinosaur remains are commonly found in eolian-derived sedimentary rock.

Back 58

false

Front 59

Invertebrate fossils are less common from the marine realm than from the terrestrial environments.

Back 59

false

Front 60

The colors of sedimentary rocks are reflections of the climate and environments they form in and the composition of the sediments within them.

Back 60

true

Front 61

Spores and pollen can be found in the fossil excrement of dinosaurs (called coprolites).

Back 61

true

Front 62

_______ sediments are usually fine-grained and converted into shales and siltstones, sandstones, and coal.

Back 62

Deltaic

Front 63

Sediemntary rocks formed in fluvial or river environments have produced the greatest number of dinosaur remains.

Back 63

true

Front 64

Current ripples are asymmetrical.

Back 64

true

Front 65

__________ are essentially little waves of sand that develop on a depositional surface.

Back 65

Ripple marks

Front 66

_________ occur on the base of beds (usually siltstone of sandstone) and represent a filling of a groove, track, or depression of the underling bed.

Back 66

Sole marks

Front 67

_________ are sub-polygonal shrinkage cracks produced by the drying of clay-rich sediment.

Back 67

Mud cracks

Front 68

Correlations of ancient or fossil tracks, trails, and burrows with those in modern environments have allowed scientists to use these trace fossils to interpret such ancient environmental factors as diverse as water and sediment oxygen levels.

Back 68

true

Front 69

________ describes beds at an inclination to the horizontal.

Back 69

Cross-bedding

Front 70

Current ripples are symmetrical with gentile slopes in the upwind or upstream direction and steeper downwind or downstream slopes.

Back 70

false

Front 71

________ occur where there is an even back-and-forth motion of water or air, as offshore just outside the surf zone.

Back 71

Oscillation ripples

Front 72

________ is a clay formed by the alteration of volcanic ash.

Back 72

Bentonite

Front 73

_____ is a viscous hydrocarbon that escapes through fractures or faults from underground hydrocarbon sources.

Back 73

Tar

Front 74

Hillsides are good for fossil collecting, particularly where there is erosion.

Back 74

true

Front 75

Silica replacement of marine fossils is relatively uncommon.

Back 75

false

Front 76

Leaves, crustaceans, fish, and insects are often carbonized.

Back 76

true

Front 77

Common microfossils made of silica are ___.

Back 77

Diatoms and radiolarians

Front 78

A fossil is any evidence, direct or indirect, of the existence of organisms in prehistoric time.

Back 78

true

Front 79

_____ are the fossilized solid excretory products of animals.

Back 79

Coprolites

Front 80

Ice age mammoths and rhinoceroses found frozen in Siberia are not considered fossils

Back 80

false

Front 81

If a leaf falls into wet concrete and leaves an impression, this impression would be an example of a ___.

Back 81

external mold

Front 82

Permineralization makes fossil bone denser than living bone.

Back 82

true

Front 83

Each of the following are factors that inhibit preservation except _____.

Back 83

Anaerobic

Front 84

____ or dessication of fossils results from a drying out of tissues prior to complete decomposition.

Back 84

Mummification

Front 85

In the process of replacement the original microstructure is usually destroyed.

Back 85

false

Front 86

An external mold is formed by dissolution of the shell of the former interior and shell area with sediment or minerals.

Back 86

false

Front 87

Most ____ is the hardened resin of conifer trees.

Back 87

Amber

Front 88

Each of the following are factors that enhance preservation except ___.

Back 88

High acid content

Front 89

Pyritization is the process where the original material of the skeleton or sometimes soft tissue becomes replaced or coated with pyrite during fossilization.

Back 89

true

Front 90

Most dinosaur bones are carbonized

Back 90

false

Front 91

Vertebrate fossils are never found in peat.

Back 91

false

Front 92

Dinosaur footprints are not considered fossils.

Back 92

false

Front 93

A fossil is any evidence, direct or indirect, of the existence of organisms in prehistoric time.

Back 93

true

Front 94

Teeth are commonly made of ____ and are often preserved in their unaltered mineralogy.

Back 94

Calcium phosphate

Front 95

Pleistocene vertebrates have been recovered from the tar pit at this site.

Back 95

Rancho la Brea of Los Angeles

Front 96

____ is the process of removal of the original skeletal material and simultaneous atom-by-atom secondary replacement of another mineral.

Back 96

Replacement

Front 97

___ is the process by which the soft tissue is preserved as a carbon film by volatilization of the hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Back 97

Carbonization

Front 98

Oceanic crustal ages are the youngest near ridges and progressively older away from them

Back 98

true

Front 99

Trenches are zones of high heat flow

Back 99

false

Front 100

Major zones of earthquakes occur near trenches where a zone of dipping shallow, intermediate and deep earthquakes defines a ______ of seismicity.

Back 100

Benioff Zone

Front 101

Zones of Oceanic crust with normal polarity produce positive magnetic anomalies and zones with reverse polarity produce negative anomalies

Back 101

True

Front 102

Fracture zones on the sea floor are parallel to the direction of plate motion

Back 102

true

Front 103

Deep sea trenches are long narrow and deep bathymetric depression associated with volcanic arcs that together mark a collisional zone where one _____ plate is subducted under another.

Back 103

lithospheric

Front 104

Modern reefs are generally restricted between 30 degrees north and south latitudes in water warmer than 70 degrees F

Back 104

true

Front 105

When magma cools to form a volcanic rock, it aquires the magnetic signature of the current magnetic field of today. The magnetic field of today has _______ polarity

Back 105

normal

Front 106

A _______ is a boundary between two plates that are moving toward one another

Back 106

convergent plate boundary

Front 107

109) J. Tuzo Wilson hypothesized that the Pacific Plate was moving over a stationary______ in the mantle where there was a localized source of heat energy. (thermal or mantle plume)

Back 107

Hot spot

Front 108

Ice sheets deposit unique deposits of unsorted rocks called_______.

Back 108

glacial till

Front 109

Zones of similar geologic history and age occur on opposite margins of the Atlantic in conjugate positions

Back 109

true

Front 110

Oceanic ______ are the deepest regions of the oceanic basins.

Back 110

Trenches

Front 111

Positive magnetic anormalies are placed where the magnetic field intensity is lowest

Back 111

false

Front 112

Coal and oil deposits form from terrestrial and oceanic organic carbon deposits

Back 112

true

Front 113

______ was a synapsid plant-eater and is found in Permian rocks in Africa, Madagascar, India, and Antarctica.

Back 113

lystrosaurus

Front 114

Sediment thickness decreases away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and reaches minimum thickness along the adjacent continental margins.

Back 114

false

Front 115

When lithosphere with oceanic crust meets lithosphere with continental crust, a trench forms and the denser oceanic lithosphere is subducted.

Back 115

true

Front 116

________ was a small fresh water reptile from the early Permian of coastal Brazil and West Africa.

Back 116

Mesosaurus

Front 117

The ________ is the ridged outer layer from the earth’s surface down to the Asthenosphere.

Back 117

Lithosphere

Front 118

Dead coral reefs on guyots (flat-top volcanic seamounts believed to be wave-cut) occur well below present sea level.

Back 118

true

Front 119

The greatest global concentration of volcanoes is around the rim of the Pacific where there concentration is referred to as the _________.

Back 119

Ring of fire

Front 120

Heat-driven convection in the asthenosphere, or the entire mantle, is a fundamental cause of plate motion.

Back 120

true

Front 121

The concept of___________ was introduced to account for the origin and pattern of magnetic anomalies.

Back 121

Seafloor spreading

Front 122

The direction of plate motion is parallel to the ridge crest generating the plate.

Back 122

false

Front 123

A___________ is where new crust is created as plates move apart.

Back 123

Divergent plate boundary

Front 124

After the disappearance of the late Paleozoic ice sheets in the southern hemisphere, an assemblage of seed ferns spread throughout portions of south America South Africa Australia India and Antarctica. This flora is known as the _______ flora.

Back 124

Glossopteris

Front 125

_________ refers to the force imparted on a plate by the gravity-driven subduction of a cold dense slab of lithosphere surrounded by warmer asthhenosphere, thus pulling the rest od the plate along as it descends into the athenosphere.

Back 125

Slab Pull

Front 126

_______ is the name of the supercontinent that exists during the late Paleozoic- early Mesozoic, comprising all of the present continents.

Back 126

Pangea

Front 127

Oceanic __________ are the largest bathymetric features in the ocean basins.

Back 127

ridges

Front 128

During the Late Cretaceous, Antarctica began separating from Australia.

Back 128

true

Front 129

During the Late Jurassic, North America separated from South America as the ______ began forming.

Back 129

Gulf of Mexico

Front 130

_______ was comprised of Europe, part of Asia, Greenland, and North America.

Back 130

Laurasia

Front 131

By the Late Jurassic, the Atlantic had not yet formed north of Spain

Back 131

True

Front 132

During the ________ the South Atlantic Ocean widened rapidly.

Back 132

Cretaceous

Front 133

The large Pangaean supercontinent, with only a few stray landmasses unassembled, extended from pole to pole.

Back 133

true

Front 134

An east-west indentation into Pangaea, called the ______ began to form during the Early Triassic.

Back 134

Tethys Sea

Front 135

Most of Australia’s separation from Antarctica occurred during the ________.

Back 135

Cenozoic

Front 136

The Australian plate still moves northward today. This northward motion is being accommodated by subduction under ________, causing the mountainous terrain, high seismicity, and volcanism.

Back 136

Indonesia

Front 137

At the beginning of the ________ Period (245 million years ago), all landmasses were assembled into a single continent called Pangaea.

Back 137

Triassic

Front 138

During the Late Triassic, _________ began to split portions of Pangaea apart.

Back 138

rifting

Front 139

The ________ ended about 65 million years ago with the mass extinction that ended the reign of dinosaurs.

Back 139

Cretaceous

Front 140

During the Cretaceous, North America was still connected to Europe and Asia.

Back 140

True

Front 141

Europe separated from Greenland before or after the age of dinosaurs?

Back 141

After

Front 142

Late Cretaceous rifting and seafloor spreading also began to separate Greenland from North America by formation of the ___________.

Back 142

Labrador Sea

Front 143

Enormous rift systems began splitting up some of the Pangaean supercontinent late in the _______ period.

Back 143

Triassic

Front 144

During the cretaceous Period Indian separated from Madagascar and began moving north (from Antarctica) to collide with Asia after extinction of dinosaurs.

Back 144

true

Front 145

147) The ______ Era includes that interval of time since the extinctions that ended the Mesozoic

Back 145

Cenozoic

Front 146

Pangea was surrounded by the _______ Ocean.

Back 146

Panthalassa

Front 147

During the Cretaceous, South America was completely disconnected from Antarctica as a large island continent.

Back 147

false