GEOL-1200

The composition of the core of the Earth is thought to be ___

solid iron-nickel alloy

_ rocks always originate at the surface of the solid Earth.

sedimentary

The is the thinnest layer of the Earth.

crust

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

any sedimentary deposit accumulates on older rock or sediment layers

The most prominent feature on the ocean floor are the

oceanic ridges

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

Historical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and geologic events, utilizing the geologic time scale as a reference; physical geology includes the study of how rocks form and of how erosion shapes the land surface.

sedimentary rocks cannot weather to

igneous rocks

was the highly influential, ancient Greek philosopher noted for his writings and teachings on natural philosophy and on the workings of the Earth.

Aristotle

In the early part of the twentieth century, argued forcefully for continental drift.

Alfred Wegener

Which one of the following is an important fundamental assumption underlying the plate tectonic theory?

Earth's diameter has been essentially constant over time.

was never proposed as evidence supporting the existence of Pangaea.

Islands of Precambrian rocks along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

A typical rate of seafloor spreading in the Atlantic Ocean is .

2 centimeters per year

The late Paleozoic supercontinent is known as __.

Pangaea

What are the lightest or least massive of the fundamental atomic particles?

electrons

Which common non-silicate mineral is used in wallboard?

gypsum

__, a popular natural philosophy of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, was based on a firm belief in a very short geologic history of Earth.

Catastophism

A(n) _ system is one in which energy moves freely in and out,but no matter enters or leaves the system.

closed

Deep ocean trenches are surficial evidence for _.

sinking of oceanic lithosphere into the mantle at a subduction zone

Deep-oceanic trenches are most abundant around the rim of the ____ ocean basin.

Pacific

Pull-apart rift zones are generally associated with a _ plate boundary.

divergent

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

oxygen

The temperature below which magnetic material can retain a permanent magnetization is called the __.

curie point

The currently accepted age of the Earth is _ years.

4.6 billion

The continental shelf is located .

landward of the continental slope

In sedimentary rocks lithification includes _.

compaction and cementation

Which of the following most accurately describes the volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands?

shield volcanoes fed by a long-lived hot spot below the Pacific lithospheric plate

In atoms, which electrons are involved in chemical bonding?

valence electrons

The _ is the relatively rigid zone above the asthenosphere that includes the crust and upper mantle.

lithosphere

Who coined the statement, "the present is the key to the past?"

Hutton

The thin, outer layer of Earth, from 7 to 40 km in thickness, is called the _.

crust

The convective flow of liquid, metallic iron in the is thought to generate Earth's magnetic filed.

outer core

The _ today marks the location of the rift along which Africa separated from South America.

mid ocean ridge

A(n) is a long-lived, stationary magma source deep in the mantle, well below the base of the lithosphere.

plume

What physical property denotes the color of a powdered mineral?

streak

The physical property denoting a mineral's tendency to crack along parallel, planar surfaces is known as what?

cleavage

What is the hardest mineral known?

diamond

What type of rock comprises most of the exposed surface of Earth (roughly 75%)?

sedimentary

What mineral group forms by the breakdown and weathering of rock-forming silicate minerals and are important constituents of soils?

clay

Most glasses and some minerals exhibit a type of fracture characterized by nested and curved, cracked surfaces. What term describes this property?

conchoidal

What is the dominant form of chemical bonding exhibited by minerals such as native gold, native copper and copper-rich sulfides?

metallic

Divergent plate boundaries form_

the mid-atlantic ridge

Transform plate boundaries form _

a boundary normally devoid of volcanism

Convergent plate boundaries form _

arcs of stratovolcanoes and deep-ocean trenches

In order, what are the Eon, Era, Period, and Epoch that describe the present?

Phanerozoic, Cenozoic,Quaternary, Holocene/Anthropocene

What is used as the criteria that scientists attribute to the establishment of the Anthropocene Epoch?

layer of radioactively contaminated rock/dirt/soil and prevalence of plastics

Diaphaneity describes how _ passes through a mineral.

visible light

Quartz exhibits many different colors in nature yet maintains the same chemical formula: SiO2. How can you explain the color variations of quarts?

trace elements/elements in small quantities

This mountain range makes up the thickest part of the Earth's crust.

Himalayas

This type of bonding occurs between the silicon and oxygen in quartz and is responsible for quartz's resistance to being scratched.

covalent

Describe how the Appalachian Mountains were created.

continental-continental convergent plate boundary

What is the part of the Earth's interior that is liquid and heavily enriched in iron and nickel?

outer core

Rocks that have been weathered often break apart into smaller fragments called ?

clasts

What is the term used of the sum of the protons and neutrons in an atom?

atomic mass

If a sedimentary rock is dragged into the mantle at a subduction zone and melts, what type of rock is formed when that melted rock cools into a solid?

igneous

What did Charles Lapworth do?

discovered the Ordovician Period using index fossils (fossils that are easily recognizable, geology widespread, and had a short geological period living on Earth)

How were the Hawaiian and Aleutian Islands made?

Hawaiian: hot spot

Aleutian: subduction

Which of the following best describes Shiprock, a famous volcanic feature in New Mexico?

the eroded remains of a volcanic pipe and radiating dikes

Kilauea and Mauna Loa are __

basaltic shield volcanoes

What are the factors that affect the generation of magma?

heat, volatiles, pressure

Which of the following best describes volcanism in the Cascade Range, northwestern United States?

related to plate subduction

The sizes, shapes, and arrangements of mineral grains in an igneous rock are known as _

texture

Most of our knowledge about Earth's interior comes from

seismic waves

On a typical seismogram, __ will show the highest amplitudes.

surface waves

Which one of the following shows the correct order (left to right) of decreasing magma viscosity?

rhyolite, andesite, basalt

The last minerals to crystallize on Bowen's Reaction Series result in igneous rocks with a composition.

felsic

Changing the composition of magma by incorporating surrounding host rock is known as ___

assimilation

Which one of the following is TRUE regarding tsunamis?

They occur in the open ocean, wavelengths are many miles or kilometers and wave heights are only a few feet.

Which type of basaltic lava flow has a fairly smooth, unfragmented, ropy surface?

pahoehoe

Which one of the following statements concerning mechanical weathering is NOT true?

It involves a major change in the mineral composition of the weathered material.

refers to the tendency for a foundation material to lose its internal cohesion and fail mechanically during earthquake shaking.

liquefaction

The 1991 Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines caused brilliantly colored sunrises and sunsets to be seen for the next few years. What caused this phenomenon?

Sulfur dioxide and other erupted gases formed aerosols in the stratosphere.

Overall, this type of seismic wave is the most destructive.

surface wave

A(n) texture represents a single, long period of cooling crystallization.

phaneritic

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

granite

The (geologically) recent volcanic activity in Yellowstone National Park is _

related to intraplate, hot spot volcanism

The distance between a seismological recording station and the earthquake source is determined from the _

arrival time of P and S waves

_ has the same mineral composition as andesite.

Diorite

What volcanic events formed Crater Lake, Oregon? When did they take place?

Caldera collapse followed major ash and pyroclastic-flow eruptions; 6000 years ago

Which one of the following statements concerning volcanic blocks and bombs is TRUE?

bombs are ejected as magma lumps; blocks are ejected as solid fragments

__ have the highest velocities.

primary waves

The record of an earthquake obtained from a seismic instrument is a(n) ___

seismogram

Which one of the following is an important, mechanical weathering process for enlarging fractures and extending them deeper into large boulders and bedrock?

frost wedging

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

chemical

The position on Earth's surface directly above the earthquake source is called the __

epicenter

is a major dissolved volatile constituent in both magmas and volcanic gases.

water

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

the edges and corners

In 1980, was the first Cascade Range volcano to erupt since Mt. Lassen, California in 1915-16.

Mt. St. Helens

Why do magmas rise toward Earth's surface?

Magmas are mainly liquid and contain dissolved fluids such as water; most are less dense than the adjacent solid rock.

Major earthquakes are often followed by somewhat smaller events known as .

aftershocks

Approximately what percentage of fresh water is frozen in ice sheets, glaciers, permanent snow cover, and permafrost?

70%

__ is the maximum possible damage designation on the Mercalli scale.

XII

___ tend to increase the explosive potential of a magma body beneath a volcano.

high viscosity and dissolved gas

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

aa

The mechanism by which rocks store and eventually release energy in the form of an earthquake is termed .

elastic rebound

_ is the tought to be common in the Earth's mantle but rare in the crust.

peridotite

Which of the following igneous rocks exhibit aphanitic texture?

andesite, rhyolite

Mount St. Helens is

an explosive stratovolcano

The amount of destruction caused by earthquake vibrations is affected by _.

intensity and duration of the vibrations, nature of the surface material, design of the structures

The __ earthquake was accompanied by extensive fire damage.

San Francisco, 1906