Geology Test 1

Front 1

What are the basic differences between the disciplines of physical and historical geology?

Back 1

historical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and geological evens, utilizing the geological time scale as a reference; physical geology includes the study of how rocks form and how erosion shapes the land surface

Front 2

Compared to the age of Earth accepted as correct today, how did 17th & 18th century proponents of catastrophism evision the Earth’s age?

Back 2

they believed Earth to be much younger than current estimates

Front 3

The currently accepted age of Earth is how many years?

Back 3

4.6 billion

Front 4

Which of the following best describes the fundamental concept of superposition?

Back 4

any sedimentary deposit it accumulates on older rock or sediment layers

Front 5

A is a well-tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain scientific observations.

Back 5

Theory

Front 6

During the late 19th & early 20th centuries, direct observation showed that a glacier in Switzerland flowed forward in the downhill direction while its snout (terminus) was retreating higher up the valley? Which of the following explains these observations in a rational, scientific way?

Back 6

the melting rate of ice in the glacier exceeded the rate at which new snow and ice were added to the glacier

Front 7

The refers to the sum total of all life on earth.

Back 7

biosphere

Front 8

A system is one in which energy moves freely in & out, but no matter enters or leaves the system.

Back 8

closed

Front 9

The composition of the core of Earth is thought to be

Back 9

solid iron-nickel alloy

Front 10

The is the thinnest layer of the Earth.

Back 10

crust

Front 11

*Define a mineral & a rock in the best way:

Back 11

in a mineral the consituent atoms are bonded in a regular, reptitive, internal structure; a rock is a lithified or consolidated aggregate of different mineral grains

Front 12

Atoms of the same element, zinc for example, have the same number of:

Back 12

protons in the nucleus

Front 13

*Accurately Describe Ionic Bonding:

Back 13

atoms of different elements, having gained or lost electrons, form a negative & positive ions that are bonded together by attractive forces between ions with opposite charges

Front 14

Which of the following is correct for isotopes of the same element?

Back 14

the atoms have different numbers of neutrons and the same number of protons

Front 15

What mineral is the hardest known substance in nature?

Back 15

diamond

Front 16

Which mineral is composed of silicon dioxide (Si02)?

Back 16

quartz

Front 17

Which one of the following is a sodium and calcium feldspar with twinning striations?

Back 17

plagioclase

Front 18

Which of the following best characterizes ferromagnesian silicates?

Back 18

they are black to dark green, silicate minerals containing iron and magnesium

Front 19

Which one of the following is a typical product of weathering?

Back 19

clays

Front 20

Which one of the following describes a minerals response to mechanical impact?

Back 20

cleavage

Front 21

Lava flows are typically finer grained than intrusive igneous rocks. Why?

Back 21

the extrusive magma cools quickly so the mineral grains do not have time to grow

Front 22

The sizes, shapes, & arrangements of mineral grains in an igneous rock are known as:

Back 22

texture

Front 23

A is an open cavity in a volcanic rock that was filled by a gas bubble when the lava was still mainly liquid.

Back 23

visicle

Front 24

Which of the following is igneous rocks exhibit aphanitic texture?

Back 24

andesite, rhyolite

Front 25

In a porphyritic volcanic rock, which mineral grains are the last to crystallize?

Back 25

matrix or groundmass

Front 26

Visible quartz and potassium feldspar grains are the main constituents in a .

Back 26

granite

Front 27

which of the following igneous rocks has a pyroclastic texture?

Back 27

rhyolitic tuff

Front 28

28. Which igneous rocks & environments would you expect to find unusually high concentrations of rare elements such as lithium, beryllium, and boron?

Back 28

pegmatite; crystallized from a water-rich, highly differentiated, residual magma

Front 29

What do pumice and obsidian have in common?

Back 29

glassy texture

Front 30

An texture would be most unlikely to occur in an extrusive igneous rock.

Back 30

aphanitic

Front 31

Which igneous rock or magma has the lowest silica (SiO2) content?

Back 31

basalt

Front 32

Which type of basaltic lava flow has a fairly smooth, un-fragmented, ropy surface?

Back 32

pahoehoe

Front 33

what Is a major dissolved volatile constituent in both magmas and volcanic gases?

Back 33

water

Front 34

Magma is the most abundant type of erupted at oceanic spreading centers.

Back 34

basaltic

Front 35

The ocean basin is rimmed by the most subduction zones.

Back 35

Pacific

Front 36

Why would a plume of solid silicate rock rising slowly from deep in the mantle begin melting as it neared the base of the lithosphere?

Back 36

temperatures remain high as lowered pressures decrease melting temperatures

Front 37

Which phenomena accompanied the year without a summer, 1816, in parts of North American and northern Europe?

Back 37

snow falls and frost in New England during July and August

Front 38

What are usually the most abundant gases emitted during basaltic volcanism? (38)

Back 38

water and carbon dioxide

Front 39

What tends to increase the explosive potential of magma body beneath a volcano? (39)

Back 39

High viscosity & dissolved gas

Front 40

Which type of basaltic lava flow has its surface covered with sharp-edged, angular blocks and rubble?

Back 40

aa

Front 41

What kind of eruptive activity is most likely to be highly explosive?

Back 41

eruptions of big, continental margin, composite cones or stratovolcanoes

Front 42

A volcano is a very large, gently sloping mound composed mainly of basaltic lava flows.

Back 42

shield

Front 43

Clay minerals formed from gabbro or diorite bedrock illustrate which kind of weathering?

Back 43

chemical

Front 44

Frost wedging is the major weathering process contributing to the formation of which regolith material

Back 44

talus slopes

Front 45

What portion of an angular, fracture-bounded granitic block shows the highest rate of weathering?

Back 45

the edges & corners

Front 46

Clay minerals, silica (SiO2) and dissolved potassium bicarbonate in the soil water are products of which process

Back 46

chemical weathering of orthoclase feldspar

Front 47

What 2 factors speed up rates of chemical reaction and weathering in rocks and soils?

Back 47

warm temperatures; very moist

Front 48

The finely divided, red, brown, & yellow soil-coloring minerals originate by what process?

Back 48

precipitation of iron oxides during the chemical weathering process

Front 49

Which of the following best describes the "Dust Bowl"?

Back 49

areas of severe wind erosion on the Great Plains, 1930's

Front 50

Which of the following best describes sets of fractures in relatively fresh bedrock, such as granite, that are roughly parallel to the land surface

Back 50

sheeting fractures

Front 51

Which one of the following statements best describes erosion?

Back 51

the process by which weathered rock and mineral particles are removed from one area and transported elsewhere

Front 52

Assume that water filling a crack in a rock undergoes cycles of freezing and melting. Which of the following statement is true?

Back 52

water expands as it freezes, casing the crack walls to be pushed apart

Front 53

In which area would weathering by frost wedging probably be most effective?

Back 53

in moist, temperature climates

Front 54

, a common mineral found in igneous rocks, is the most abundant mineral in detrital sedimentary rocks.

Back 54

clays

Front 55

compaction is a very important part of the lithification process for which of the following sediments?

Back 55

mud

Front 56

which of hte following best describes bedded gypsum and halite?

Back 56

evaporates; chemical sedimentary rocks

Front 57

sandstone contains abundant feldspar, suggesting that the sand was derived by weathering and erosion of granitic bedrock

Back 57

arkosic

Front 58

What cement produces bright-red & yellow colors in some sandstone

Back 58

Iron oxide

Front 59

Studies of deep-sea sediment cores have contributed greatly to scientific knowledge of............

Back 59

climatic changes during the last four million years

Front 60

What is the main difference between conglomerate and a sedimentary breccia?

Back 60

breccia clasts are angular; conglomerate clasts are rounded

Front 61

Which type of limestone consists mainly of tiny, marine fossils composed of calcite?

Back 61

Chalk

Front 62

detrital sedimentary rocks are classified (named) cased on the ????

Back 62

grain sizes of the detrital particles

Front 63

flint, Chert, and Jasper are microcrystalline forms of......

Back 63

quartz; (SiO2)

Front 64

Which of the following forms at the highest grade of regional metamorphism?

Back 64

Schist

Front 65

What platy, parallel, mineral grains are the most visual aspect of foliated metamorphic rocks?

Back 65

Micas

Front 66

What major change occurs during metamorphism of limestone to marble?

Back 66

calcite grains grow larger and increase in size

Front 67

Which low-grade metamorphic rock, composed of extremely fine sized mica and other mineral grains, typically exhibits well-developed rock cleavage?

Back 67

Slate

Front 68

.............is a strong, parallel alignment of coarse mica flakes and or of coarse mica flakes of different mineral bands in a metamorphic rock.

Back 68

Foliation

Front 69

Which of the following best describes the conditions of contact metamorphism

Back 69

pressure are fairly low, the rock is in the upper part of the crust, & heat is supplied form a nearby magma body

Front 70

What type of foliation results from the parallel alignment of abundant, coarse-grained, mica flakes in a metamorphic rock?

Back 70

schistosity