Historical Geology Test 4 Chapters 10-13 (Incomplete)

Partially missing chapters 12 and 13

​William Smith created the world's first geologic map.(T/F)

true

​Africa, Antarctica, and Australia were once part of Gondwana. (T/F)

true

​Orogenesis occurs along mobile belts. (T/F)

true

​By the beginning of the Paleozoic Era, six of the seven continents were present. (T/F)

true

​The Cordilleran mobile belt formed on what is now the east coast of North America (T/F)

false

​During the Cambrian, most of Earth's land was located in the southern hemisphere. (T/F)

true

​The Cambrian sedimentary deposits of the Grand Canyon represent a regressive sequence. (T/F)

false

​Geologic periods are divided based on the chronology of one complete transgressive-regressive cycle. (T/F)

false

​The Cordilleran mobile belt marks the boundary between the United States and Canada. (T/F)

false

​Shields are the exposed portions of cratons that contain igneous and metamorphic rocks. (T/F)

true

​Thick salt deposits have been explained by evaporation in silled (also called "barrier") basins. (T/F)

true

​During the Paleozoic Era, cratons were covered with large bodies of water called epeiric seas. (T/F)

true

Mobile belts commonly are associated with convergent plate margins.​ (T/F)

true

​Rise and fall of sea level in epeiric seas can be partly explained by continental glacial events. (T/F)

true

​Reconstruction of Paleozoic paleogeography is well documented by magnetic stripe data from rocks 600 to 250 million years old on the ocean floor. (T/F)

false

​The eastern margin of North America has always been a passive continental margin. (T/F)

false

Glaciation and tectonic events were the likely causes for transgressions and regressions during the Paleozoic.​ (T/F)

true

​The four Paleozoic cratonic sequences, in order from oldest to youngest, are Tippecanoe, Sauk, Kaskaskia, and Zuni. (T/F)

false

​The Transcontinental Arch and portions of the Canadian shield were above sea level during the Sauk transgression. (T/F)

true

​During a transgressive sequence, sedimentary facies migrate toward the ocean. (T/F)

false

​Thick sections of evaporite deposits that were formed in basins surrounded by large reef complexes are common in the Tippecanoe sequence. (T/F)

true

​The Taconic orogeny was the last of the major mountain building events in the Appalachians. (T/F)

false

​A clastic wedge is a wedge-shaped block of sedimentary rocks bounded by faults that intersect at an acute angle. (T/F)

false

The earliest organic reefs are known from the Ordovician Period.​ (T/F)

false

​During the early Paleozoic, sea levels were higher than they are today. (T/F)

true

​Relatively stable, immobile parts of continents that form the foundation on which Phanerozoic sediments were deposited are ____.
a.
​cratons
b.
​back-arc basins
c.
​orogens
d.
​clastic wedges
e.
​mobile belts

cratons

The ____ Ocean opened along a ____ plate boundary between Laurentia and Baltica.
a.
​Iapetus; convergent
b.
​Atlantic; convergent
c.
​Atlantic, divergent
d.
​Iapetus; transform
e.
​Iapetus; divergent

Iapetus; divergent

A succession of rocks bounded by unconformities is a(n) ____.
a.
​period
b.
​cratonic sequence
c.
​ecosystem
d.
​system
e.
bedding plane​

cratonic sequence

A(n) ____ is an accumulation of detrital sediment adjacent to an uplifted area.
a.
​Craton
b.
​orogenic belt
c.
​clastic wedge
d.
mobile belt​
e.
​organic reef

clastic wedge

What two sequences were deposited in the early Paleozoic?
a.
​Sauk and Tippecanoe
b.
​Zuni and Kaskaskia
c.
​Taconic and Tippecanoe
d.
​Zuni and Acadian
e.
​Taconic and Acadian

Sauk and Tippecanoe

The first major Paleozoic transgression onto the North American craton was the ____ sequence.
a.
​Tippecanoe
b.
​Kaskaskia
c.
​Sauk
d.
​Taconic
e.
​Appalachian

Sauk

​The Grand Canyon formed due to ____.
a.
​fault block basin development
b.
​lateral accretion
c.
​erosion
d.
​Rifting
e.
​a divergent plate boundary

erosion

​Limestone structures constructed in the marine environment by some skeletal material of living organisms are ____.
a.
​mobile belts
b.
​organic reefs
c.
​ophiolites
d.
​evaporites
e.
​clastic wedges

organic reefs

Long linear limestone masses composed of skeletal material and forming a barrier between a shallow platform on one side and a comparatively deep marine basin on the other side are ____.
a.
​ophiolites
b.
​alluvial fans
c.
​Beaches
d.
​barrier reefs
e.
​barrier islands

barrier reefs

Conical marine organisms that lived during the Cambrian and were the earliest builders of reef-like structures are known as ____.
a.
​sponges (porifera)
b.
​brachiopods
c.
​archaeocyathids
d.
​protists
e.
​cyanobacteria

archaeocyathids

What was the first orogeny to affect the Appalachian mobile belt?
a.
​Acadian
b.
​Alpine
c.
​Taconic
d.
​Cordilleran
e.
​Caledonian

Taconic

Clastic wedges can be identified by ____.
a.
​their fossil content
b.
​their associated evaporite deposits
c.
​underwater volcanism
d.
​a homogenous thickness of sediments
e.
​the gradation of sediments from thick and coarse to thin and fine

the gradation of sediments from thick and coarse to thin and fine

Why are Mesozoic and Cenozoic paleogeographic reconstructions more accurate than reconstructions for earlier time intervals?
a.
​Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks are better preserved on ocean floor
b.
​Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks have not experienced erosion.
c.
​Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks have not been destroyed by subduction
d.
​Very few tectonic events have occurred since Mesozoic and Cenozoic time.
e.
​Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks were deposited underwater.

Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks have not been destroyed by subduction

Silled basins are thought to be the site of deposition of thick ____ deposits.
a.
​metamorphic
b.
​fossil
c.
​evaporite
d.
​ash
e.
​clastic

evaporite

The stable nucleus of a continent consisting of a Precambrian shield and a platform of buried ancient rocks is a(n) ____.
a.
​mobile belt
b.
craton​
c.
​benthos
d.
​orogenic belt
e.
​basin

craton​

What is a broad shallow sea that covers part of a continent?
a.
​magma ocean
b.
​cumulus
c.
​epeiric (epicontinental) sea
d.
​labyrinthodont
e.
​archaeocyathid

epeiric (epicontinental) sea

The presence of a reef indicates which kind of past environment?
a.
cool, shallow sea​
b.
​warm, shallow sea
c.
​warm, deep sea
d.
​cool, deep sea
e.
​cool, lagoon

warm, shallow sea

Each of the major continents at the beginning of the Paleozoic can be divided into two major components, a(n) ____.
a.
​trough and a range
b.
craton and a mobile belt​
c.
​immobile belt and a rift margin
d.
​craton and an ocean basin
e.
​immobile belt and a mobile belt

craton and a mobile belt​

During the early Paleozoic, North America was located near the ____.
a.
​mid-Southern latitudes
b.
​South Pole
c.
​paleoequator
d.
​in its present day location
e.
​North Pole

paleoequator

A transgression is represented in the rock record, from bottom to top (oldest to youngest), by ____.
a.
​sandstone, limestone, and shale
b.
​limestone, shale, and sandstone
c.
​limestone, sandstone, and shale
d.
​sandstone, shale, and limestone
e.
​shale, sandstone, and limestone

sandstone, shale, and limestone

What happened to the mountains formed during the Taconic orogeny?
a.
​They were isostatically uplifted.
b.
​They were buried under volcanic ash.
c.
​They were subducted during the closure of the Iapetus ocean.
d.
​They were subducted when the Iapetus ocean opened.
e.
​They were eroded into the Queenston Delta.

They were eroded into the Queenston Delta.

Which eon directly follows the Precambrian?
a.
​Hadean
b.
​Paleozoic
c.
​Cambrian
d.
​Proterozoic
e.
​Phanerozoic

Phanerozoic

The early Paleozoic history of continents involves ____.
a.
​subduction and emplacement of batholiths
b.
​stable plate positions
c.
​widespread glaciation
d.
​mountain building and marine transitions/regression.
e.
​extensive volcanism

mountain building and marine transitions/regression.

A cratonic sequence is ____.
a.
​short-lived
b.
​determined by the fossil content of a craton
c.
​large-scale
d.
​localized
e.
​when cratonic rocks are ordered via numerical dating

large-scale

​Sequence boundaries are bounded by ____ and formed during ____.
a.
​unconformities; a sea level drop
b.
​unconformities; transgressions
c.
​faults; subduction
d.
​faults; divergence
e.
​unconformities; a sea level rise

unconformities; a sea level drop

​Cyclothems are the same as sequences. (T/F)

false

​Panthalassa was a global ocean surrounding Pangaea. (T/F)

true

​Anthracite is a bituminous coal that has not been exposed to very much heat or pressure. (T/F)

false

​The Carboniferous coal deposits of North America probably were derived from plants that grew in temperate climates. (T/F)

false

​Black shales are especially abundant from the Late Devonian to Mississippian in North America. (T/F)

true

​Coal is a detrital (clastic) sedimentary rock. (T/F)

false

​During the Devonian period, North America was largely covered by an epeiric sea. (T/F)

true

​The Middle to Late Devonian was a time of major reef-building worldwide. (T/F)

true

​During parts of the Late Paleozoic the northern hemisphere continental masses were glaciated. (T/F)

true

​The Pennsylvanian and Permian periods in North America, correspond to the Carboniferous period in Europe and the rest of the world. (T/F)

false

Worldwide cyclothem activity in the late Paleozoic was likely a consequence of glacial and interglacial cycles on Gondwana.​ (T/F)

true

​During the Cambrian Period, the Ancestral Rocky Mountains and associated basins began to form in the western part of North America. (T/F)

false

​Deltas prograde, or grow, when sea level regresses. (T/F)

true

​Global warming is caused in large part by the use of nuclear energy. (T/F)

false

​The Ancestral Rockies formed via continental-continental collision along the western margin of North America. (T/F)

false

​Late Paleozoic limestones are used for manufacturing cement. (T/F)

true

The Caledonian orogeny closed the Iapetus Ocean and merged Baltica with Laurentia.​ (T/F)

false

​The Acadian orogeny was accompanied by the closing of the Iapetus Ocean. (T/F)

true

​The Iapetus could be considered the proto-Pacific Ocean. (T/F)

false

​Laurentia and Baltica collided to form Laurasia during the Late Paleozoic. (T/F)

true

​Devonian barrier-reef complexes were associated with evaporite deposition in the back reef platform. (T/F)

true

​The coal deposits of Siberia were probably derived from plants that grew in arctic climates. (T/F)

false

​The end of a cyclothem cycle is marked by an erosional unconformity on marine sediments. (T/F)

true

​The characteristic type of sedimentary rock shed off of the Ancestral Rockies uplift blocks was black shale. (T/F)

false

​Erosion of the Precambrian igneous and metamorphic core of the uplifted Ancestral Rockies produced thick fans of arkose and conglomerate. (T/F)

true

​Continental Permian sediments indicate that Pangaea can best be characterized as a ____.
a.
​lush and humid tropical rainforest
b.
​a mix lowlands and rivers
c.
​landmass completely covered by glaciers
d.
​landmass covered by an epeiric sea
e.
​mix of arid and semiarid conditions

mix of arid and semiarid conditions

​The Catskill Delta has three times more sediment than the Queenston Delta. This indicates that ____.
a.
​the Acadian orogeny was more intense than the Taconic orogeny
b.
​the Taconic orogeny was more intense than the Acadian orogeny
c.
​the Acadian Highlands was well protected from weathering and erosion-
d.
​Pangaea was not fully formed when the Catskill Delta developed
e.
​the Early Paleozoic Appalachians were taller than the Late Paleozoic Appalachians

the Acadian orogeny was more intense than the Taconic orogeny

The three major mobile belts in North America during the Late Paleozoic were the ____.
a.
​Appalachian, Silurian, and Cordilleran
b.
​Kaskaskia, Silurian, and Cordilleran
c.
​Appalachian, Ouachita, and Taconic
d.
​Kaskaskia, Ouachita, and Cordilleran
e.
​Appalachian, Ouachita, and Cordilleran

Appalachian, Ouachita, and Cordilleran

Long scratches formed on bedrock when a glacier moves over a land surface are ____.
a.
​moraines
b.
​striations
c.
​drumlin
d.
​tillites
e.
​cirques

striations

During the Permian Period, the Permian Basin in west Texas was distinguished by____.
a.
​coal beds
b.
​orogenies
c.
​very deep water conditions
d.
​volcanoes
e.
​barrier reefs

barrier reefs

​Throughout the Late Paleozoic, Gondwana was located ____.
a.
​at the equator
b.
​in the Southern Hemisphere
c.
​spans the Northern Hemisphere and equator at the South Pole
d.
​in the Northern Hemisphere
e.
​at the North Pole

in the Southern Hemisphere

​The sedimentary environment from which coal most commonly is derived is ____.
a.
​shallow marine
b.
​desert
c.
​swamp
d.
​Arctic glacial
e.
​organic reef

swamp

What is the order of Paleozoic sequences, from oldest to youngest?
a.
​Sauk, Absaroka, Kaskaskia, and Tippecanoe
b.
​Sauk, Tippecanoe, Kaskaskia, and Absaroka
c.
​Sauk, Kaskaskia, Taconic, and Absaroka
d.
​Sauk, Taconic, Kaskaskia, and Absaroka
e.
​Tippecanoe, Kaskaskia, Absaroka, and Sauk

Sauk, Tippecanoe, Kaskaskia, and Absaroka

​During the Late Paleozoic, the southern part of Pangaea was distinguished by ____ climate conditions.
a.
​arctic
b.
​temperate
c.
​tropical
d. tundra
e.
​arid

arid

The climate over much of Pangaea was ____.
a.
​unable to be determined because the rocks were destroyed during subduction
b.
​warm and moist due to sea breezes
c.
​moist on the interior, but dry and arid along the shorelines
d.
​arid due to a rain shadow effect caused by the position of mountain ranges
e.
​cool and moist due to sea breezes

arid due to a rain shadow effect caused by the position of mountain ranges

Which environments would be represented in a cyclothem?
a.
​deltaic and ocean trenches
b.
​deltaic, fluvial, and continental shelf
c.
​lacustrine and continental shelf
d.
ocean trenches and island arcs​
e.
​lacustrine and fluvial

deltaic, fluvial, and continental shelf

______ commonly contain coal beds.
a.
​Tillites Coelacanths
b.
​Carbonates Placoderms
c.
​Cyclothems
d.
​Abyssal plains
e.
​Evaporites Bryozoa

Cyclothems

​A small lithospheric block with characteristics quite different from those of surrounding rocks is a ____.
a.
​passive margin
b.
​asteroid
c.
​terrane
d.
​cyclothem
e.
​organic reef

terrane

Which mobile belts were involved in the collision between Gondwana and Laurasia during the Carboniferous period?
a.
​Hercynian, Appalachian, Ouachita
b.
​Sonoma, Acadian, Taconic
c.
​Taconic, Hercynian, Ouachita
d.
​Ouachita, Laramide, Sonoma
e.
​Taconic, Appalachian, Hercynian

Hercynian, Appalachian, Ouachita

​Economic mineral deposits of ____ are common in Carboniferous and Permian strata in the northeastern part of the U.S., where they formed as organic sediments (i.e., the remains of plants) deposited in wetland environments west of the Appalachian Mountains.
a.
​coal
b.
​gold
c.
​platinum
d.
​archaeocyathid
e.
​uranium

coal

The Ouachita Mountains are located in ____.
a.
​Oklahoma and Arkansas
b.
​Kentucky and Tennessee
c.
​Nebraska and Wyoming
d.
​Oklahoma and Texas
e.
​Kansas and Texas

Oklahoma and Arkansas

​Erosion of the Acadian highland resulted in deposition of ____.
a.
​limestones
b.
​reefs
c.
​volcanic tuffs
d.
​evaporites
e.
​fluvial sediments

fluvial sediments

With movement of Gondwana over the South Pole, extensive glaciation occurred during the ____.
a.
​Devonian
b.
​Ordovician
c.
​Silurian
d.
​Carboniferous
e.
​Permian

Carboniferous

Throughout the Late Paleozoic, North America was located ____.
a.
​close to its present location
b.
​near the North Pole
c.
​at the South Pole
d.
​at the equator
e.
​in the middle to high Southern Hemisphere

at the equator

​The most abundant rock type deposited during the Kaskaskia sequence was ____.
a.
​the Oriskany Sandstone
b.
​arkose
c.
​carbonates
d.
​igneous
e.
​coal

carbonates

The red color in red rocks usually indicates the presence of ____.
a.
​magnesium
b.
​fossilized blood
c.
​carbon
d.
​silica
e.
​iron

iron

The Ancestral Rockies were unique because they were the only mountain ranges in North America to form ____.
a.
​via intracratonic deformation
b.
​via continental-continental collision
c.
​in a direction parallel to collision
d.
​via volcanism
e.
​in a direction perpendicular to collision

via intracratonic deformation

When geologists identify coal, they know the past environment was a(n) ____.
a.
​mountain
b.
​anaerobic swamp
c.
​shallow sea
d.
​desert
e.
​aerobic swamp

anaerobic swamp

The primary disadvantage of fracking is the ____.
a.
​large-scale nature of shale deposits
b.
​large quantities of water used
c.
​high cost of development
d.
​potential for groundwater pollution
e.
​noise effects of drilling equipment on nearby homes

potential for groundwater pollution

During the Mississippian, an epeiric sea covered part of North America. What type of rock deposit would provide supporting evidence for the sea?
a.
​shale
b.
​schist
c.
​coal
d.
​granite
e.
​slate

shale