GLG 111 Miami University Final Exam DuPont

Which one of these is a low silica rock that cooled slowly, likely having visible crystals? A) Granite B) Rhyolite C) Basalt D) Gabbro E) Biotite

D

The _______ of an earthquake is the point on the faultsurface where seismic energy is first released. A) epicenter B) focus C) scarp D) cognitional node E) amygdala

B

Say there is a Moment magnitude 6 earthquake, that is followed by an aftershock. Further, say we know that the energy released by the aftershock is 1,000 (= 101.5×101.5) times smaller than the energy released by the Moment magnitude 6 earthquake. What is the Moment magnitude of the aftershock? A) 10 B) 4 C) 3.5 D) 5 E) 6

B

Which point in figure (2) represents a magma that, if cooled quickly, would most likely form basalt? A) point XX B) point ZZ C) point AA

B

Suppose you are told that the area where you lived was once ashallow sea which has since evaporated away. What kind of rock is most likely to be left behind by the evaporation of that shallow sea? A) Clastic B) Metamorphic C) Biochemical D) Igneous E) Chemical

E

Which point in figure (2) represents a magma that, if cooled it cooled quickly, would most likely form andesite? A) point XX B) point ZZ C) point AA

A

Decompression melting produces partial melting of rock as that experiences a decrease in pressure (i.e., decompression). This occurs as the rock is being brought closer to Earth's surface, lowering the pressure and thereby lowering the meltingtemperature of some of the minerals in the rock. Which plate tectonic setting produces such de- compression melting? A)Passive margin B)Subduction zone C)Transform Boundary D)Mid-Ocean Ridge E)Continent-continent collision

D

Looking at figure 3, which relative time principle assumes that rock layers I, B, F, and M are older than the igneous intrusion H?A) inclusions B) original horizontality C) superposition D) cross-cutting relationships

D

Suppose you pick up a rock that formed from pieces of weathered rocks. What type of rock have you found? A) Metamorphic B) Chemical C) Biochemical D) Igneous E) Clastic

E

During mountain building, as crustal thickness increases, some of the added thickness goes into deepening the root, and some adds to the height of the mountain range. Approximately how much of an increase in crustal thickness is required to add 200 meters to the elevation of a mountain range? A)10 meters B) 100 meters C) 200 meters D) 500 meters E) 1000 meters

E

In the context of science, how would you classify the following statement? Dinosaurs became extinct because a large asteroid collided with Earth.

Observation

Hypothesis

Theory

No answer text provided.

Hypothesis

In 2005 the United States Congress mandated that NASA find 90 percent of large Near Earth asteroids (NEAs)-those that have the potential to impact Earth-by the year 2020. This mandate was created in response to recent scientific data indicating that large and devastating impact events were common in Earth's geologic past and therefore will likely occur again in the future. Many new NEAs have been discovered as a result of NASA's efforts and research is under way to find ways to stop such impact events from occurring.

Which of the earth scientist's roles is best illustrated in this paragraph?

Ensuring the Future of Human Life

Protecting Against Natural Hazards

Protecting the Health of the Environment

Finding and Sustaining Earth's Resources

ensuring the future of human life

Luis and Walter Alvarez suggested the dinosaurs became extinct when an asteroid collided with the earth. In support of this suggestion they noted that the rare element iridium was present in 65 million year old rock layers around the world. The text between the asterisks (*'s) is an example of a(n)

Theory

Prediction

Hypothesis

Observation

observation

Pluto was discovered in 1930, becoming the 9th planet in the solar system. As telescopes improved, other Sun-orbiting objects were discovered. Some of those were even larger than Pluto. By 2005, it was becoming apparent that many more objects would soon be discovered and that the number of planets in the Solar System could swell to as many as 50. After much debate, scientists in the International Astronomical Union (IAU) concluded that Pluto and the other similar celestial bodies orbiting the Sun should be classified as "dwarf" planets. Since a "planet" must clear the space surrounding its orbit, our Solar system now has 8 planets.

Why weren't the other Pluto-like objects discovered earlier?

Scientific explanations are tentative.

Science is limited by technology.

Scientific explanations make predictions.

Scientific hypotheses are falsifiable

science is limited by technology

Within which component of the Earth system do plants and animals belong?

Geosphere

Hydrosphere

Atmosphere

Biosphere

biosphere

Scientists at the National Weather Service are tasked with issuing tornado watches and warnings to the public. This is an example of which of the following roles of an earth scientist?

Ensuring the Future of Human Life

Finding and Sustaining Earth's Resources

Protecting the Health of the Environment

Protecting Against Natural Hazards

protecting against natural hazards

Which of the following is not part of earth science's role of finding and sustaining Earth's resources?

Assessing the total global oil reserves, and how long they might last given their present rate of consumption.

Examining the distribution of economically useful copper deposits across North America.

Implementing policies which will encourage the use of renewal energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines.

implementing policies which will encourage the use of renewal energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines

Which of the following scenarios is an example of inductive reasoning?

Gwyn went fishing and caught 12 smallmouth bass with minnows, and only 2 with worms. Gwyn concludes that most fish prefer eating minnows instead of worms.

Gwyn read a magazine article that said most fish prefer to eat minnows instead of worms. Gwyn concludes that smallmouth bass probably also prefer eating minnows instead of worms.

1

The sun is located approximately 150,000,000 km from Earth. Solar flares travel at the speed of the solar wind, which is roughly 1,600,000 km/hr. If scientists identified a solar flare leaving the sun's surface, how long would it take to affect electrical systems on Earth?

(Hint: just divide the distance by the speed to get the time of travel.)

a handful of milliseconds

a few months

a few (3-4) days

several seconds

several weeks

a few (3-40 days

Place the earth's compositional layers in order from least dense to most dense.

crust, mantle, core

mantle, core, crust

core, mantle, crust

crust, mantle, core

Which of the following sequences of planets is out of order?

Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus, Mercury

Neptune, Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter,

Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars

neptune, venus, mars, earth, jupiter

The Sun is primarily made of

Silicon and Aluminum

Carbon and Chlorine

Hydrogen and Helium

Nickel and Iron

hydrogen and helium

Manicouagan Crater in Canada is approximately 100 km across. A rule-of-thumb is that an impact crater is 10 to 20 times as large as the object which created it. How large was the NEO which created Manicouagan Crater?

A fourteen-story office building (approx. 50 meters)

A city block (approx. 200 meters)

Bowling ball (0.25 meter)

A pickup truck (5-6 meters)

A small city (5-10 km wide)

a small city (5-10 km wide)

How large of an asteroid would likely be required to destroy a large city several km in diameter?

Keep in mind the area of devastation would extend well beyond the diameter of the crater created. The air blast alone will create an area of devastation with a diameter 2-3 times that of the crater.

50-100 meters in diameter

1 meter in diameter

200-300 meters in diameter

1-2 km in diameter

50-100 meters in diameter

Suppose a very large asteroid impacted on the opposite side of the earth from where you live. What characteristic of the impact is probably most threatening to your life?

Fireball

Air blast

Changes in climate

changes in climate

Energy emitted by the Sun is produced by

nuclear fusion

a supernova explosion

radioactive decay

gravitational collapse

the oxidation of iron

nuclear fusion

Which characteristics are true of both planets and asteroids?

The formed 1 to 2 billion years ago.

They both possess moons.

They are both present in the solar system

They are both approximately spherical

they are both present in the solar system

Earth's seasons are primarily the result of

A reduction in energy produced by the Sun during the Winter, and a corresponding increase during the Summer.

The rotational axis of Earth being tilted relative to its orbit. The result is that a particular hemisphere (north or south) is pointed away from the Sun during Winter, and toward the Sun during summer.

Changing fashion.

The sunspot cycle.

Earth being farther from the Sun during the Winter, and closer during the Summer.

rotational axis being tilted

Comets tend to be ________ than asteroids, and it is estimated that there are far ___________ large comets than large asteroids.

slower & fewer

slower & more

faster & fewer

faster & more

faster and more

Approximately how old is the oldest ocean crust scientifically dated to be?

(choose the best answer)

20 million years old

2 thousand years old

2 billion years old

200 million years old

200 million years old

What is a subduction zone?

Where a continental plate breaks and diverges.

Where one lithospheric plate slides horizontally past another lithospheric plate.

none of the above

Where one lithospheric plate is dragged or pushed beneath another lithospheric plate

where one lithoshperic plate is dreagged under another

When it was first proposed, Alfred Wegener's continental drift hypothesis was heavily criticized by earth scientists. What was one of their primary objections to the continental drift hypothesis?

Wegener used inductive reasoning.

Wegener did not offer a plausible explanation for how the continents move.

Wegener couldn't explain the worldwide distribution of fossil species.

Wegener falsified some of his data.

Wegener did not offer a plausible explanation for how the continents move

The amplitude (size) of the ground motion (seismic waves) generated by a Moment magnitude 6 earthquake is approximately _______ times larger than the amplitude of waves produced by a magnitude 4 earthquake?

(Hint: note that you're being asked about ground motion here, not energy; see Table 5.1 from the textbook.)

2

1000

10

100

4

100

____________ faults are most common at divergent plate boundaries.

strike slip or transform

ductile

normal

reverse

normal

Which type of seismic wave is the slowest, and thus the last to arrive at a location that is some distance from the epicenter of an earthquake?

Surface Waves

S or Shear Waves

P or Primary Waves

surface waves

Which type of seismic wave travels the fastest, and thus arrives first at a location some distance from the epicenter of an earthquake?

P or Primary Waves

Surface Waves

S or Shear Waves

P for primary waves

Say several seismic stations record the seismic waves generated by a particular earthquake. What is the minimum number of those seismic stations required to identify the location of the earthquake?

3

5

2

1

4

3

Jello begins as a liquid mixture of boiling water and flavored gelatin. After it cools it forms a solid (but wobbly) material. This could be seen as an analog for the formation of what type of rock?

Sedimentary

Igneous

Metamorphic

igneous

Rocks that are formed by the crystallization of new minerals in the solid state (i.e. without melting) due to heat and/or pressure are

Igneous rocks

Sedimentary rocks

Metamorphic rocks

metamorphic rocks

Rocks formed at the Earth's surface from the breakup of other rocks, followed by lithification, are:

The sunspot cycle.

Sedimentary rocks

Metamorphic rocks

Igneous rocks

sedimentary rocks

Which of the following cannot be classified as a mineral?

Sugar

Ice

Salt

Diamond

sugar

The different isotopes of a particular element have different numbers of _______ and the same number of _______ in their respective nuclei.

neutrons and protons

protons & electrons

positrons & electrons

protons & klingons

protons & neutrons

neutrons and protons

The three most common elements in continental crust are, from most abundant to least:

Oxygen (O), Silicon (Si), Aluminum (Al)

Krypton (Kr), Magnesium (Mg), Iron (Fe)

Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg), Uranium (U)

Aluminum (Al), Iron (Fe), Oxygen (O)

Potassium (K), Silicon (Si), Iron (Fe)

oxygen, silicon, aluminum

Muscovite, Biotite, Quartz, Feldspar, Pyroxene and Olivine are all part of which mineral group

carbonates

sulfides

oxides

native elements

sulfates

silicates

silicates

Felsic rocks and minerals have relatively more ______ and relatively less ______ & ______ than mafic rocks and minerals.

more calories, less dopamine & diphenhydramine

more silica, less iron & magnesium

more iron, less carbon & nitrogen

more magnesium, less silica & tritium

more silica, less iron and magnesium

Coal is what type of sedimentary rock?

clastic

chemical

biochemical

biochemical

Sandstone is what type of sedimentary rock?

Chemical

Clastic

Biochemical

clastic

The mineral grains of plutonic (or intrusive) rocks are usually small compared to those of volcanic (or extrusive) rocks.

True

False

false

Say you've been driving your car on a long (several hour) road trip, and finally arrive at your destination, at which point you park your car and its engine begins to cool down. How would the viscosity of the motor oil in your car's engine change as the engine cools down over several hours?

Assume your car is a traditional gasoline or diesel-powered vehicle.

Viscosity would stay the same

Viscosity would increase

Viscosity would decrease

viscosity would increase

With the concept of isostasy in mind, how would the elevation of mountains differ if Earth's crust were composed of less dense rocks? Mountains would be

Lower

Unchanged

Higher

higher

Magma A has low viscosity and magma B has high viscosity. Which magma is more likely to result in a violent (explosive) eruption?

Magma B because gases cannot easily escape.

Magma B because gases can easily escape.

Magma A because gases cannot easily escape.

Magma A because gases can easily escape.

Magma B because gasses can easily escape

What type of volcano is Mount St. Helens?

Cinder cone

Shield volcano

Stratovolcano

Mud volcano

stratovolcano

What happens to the depth of a mountain root as erosion removes material from the summit?

It becomes more shallow (less deep) - as the summit is eroded down, the root of the mountain floats higher (becomes more shallow).

It becomes deeper - as the summit is be eroded down, the root of the mountain sinks deeper into the mantle.

It stays the same - the depth is unchanged even though the elevation of the mountain summit is being reduced by erosion.

it becomes more shallow (less deep) as the summit is eroded down, the root of the mountain floats higher (becomes more shallow)

Hawaii is an example of this type feature.

Stratovolcano

Divergent plate boundary

Cinder cone

Shield volcano

shield volcano

What evidence indicated that Mount St. Helens was going to erupt in 1980?

Gas emissions

Earthquakes

All of the other choices are correct.

Changing shape

all of the above

Adding water, a so-called volatile, to a rock tends to lower the melting temperature of its minerals, and thus may allow it to melt if it is sufficiently warm.

True

False

true

Decompression melting is produced by reducing the pressure on hot rock, usually by moving that rock closer to the surface of Earth's crust. The underlying reason why decompression can lead to melting is that decreasing the pressure on a rock tends to _____ its melting temperature.

lower

raise

lower

Imagine that it rained continuously all over the world for a month. If we were to measure sea level over a five day period near the end of the month, what would we observe?

Sea level rises steadily

Sea level falls steadily

Sea level remains unchanged

sea level remains unchanged

A 50 year flood occurs this year in a stream near where you live. How likely is that a 50 year will occur next year?

Not likely for the next 50 years.

Just as likely as it was this year.

More likely than this year.

just as likely as it was this year

Two rivers have the same depth and discharge. Stream B is half as wide as stream A. Which stream has the greater velocity?

[Hint: remember that discharge = velocity x cross-sectional area = velocity x (depth x width). If both rivers have the same discharge and depth, but one is narrower than the other, what must be true of the narrower stream's velocity?]

Stream A

Stream B

Neither, the velocity is the same.

stream B

What is a river's base level?

the lowest elevation to which a stream can flow to or erode its bed. The ultimate base level is usually sea level.

the location in a river where water is continuously present and the main current flows

an area where surface runoff from rain flows together towards lower areas

the amount of water flowing in a river at any given time

where tributaries merge into a watershed's main river

the lowest elevation to which a stream can flow to or erode its bed. the ultimate base level is usually seal level.

What is the impact on a major stream's maximum annual discharge when flood-control dams are constructed?

Increase

Decrease

Stays the same

decrease

Where would gravel normally be carried in a stream: as part of the dissolved load, suspended load, or bed load?

Dissolved load

Suspended load

Bed load

bed load

Identify where salt would be carried in a stream: as part of the bed load, suspended load, or dissolved load.

Bed load

Suspended load

Dissolved load

dissolved load

House A and House B are identical in terms or their size, features, and price. House A is located on the cut-bank side of a meandering stream. House B is located on the point-bar side of the same stream. Which house would be the better long-term investment?

House A

House B

Both houses have the same long term value.

house B

What does the "stage" of a river mean?

the amount of vegetation cover around a river

how high the upper surface of the river water is, relative to some fixed height called a datum

how wide the river is

how long the river is

the volume of water in the river

how high the upper surface of the river water is, relative to some fixed height called datum

The boundaries between watersheds (or drainage basins) of all sizes are elevated areas called:

flood plains

divides, or drainage divides

tributaries

channels

runoff

meanders

divides or drainage divides

A cut-off meander is known as a(n)

delta

natural levee

oxbow

flood plain

cut bank

oxbow

Within most of the temperature range that we find liquid water on Earth, what happens to the density of that water as its temperature decreases?

The density increases

The density remains unchanged

The density decreases

the density increases

Ocean tides are driven by

Cosmic radiation

The amount of sunlight arriving at the top of the atmosphere

The accumulated influence of all stand-up paddle boarders on Earth

The gravitational pull of the moon, and to a lesser extent, the gravitational pull of the sun.

the gravitational pull of the moon, and to a lesser extent, the gravitational pull of the sun

What is the primary cause of the major ocean gyres, the circular patterns of flow within the upper portion of various ocean basins?

Movement of tectonic plates

Ocean bathymetry

Differences in seawater density

Global wind patterns

global wind patterns

Suppose you are traveling in a submersible that is diving from the ocean surface toward the seafloor at a depth of 4000 meters. What would you observe on the submersible's instrument panel as you descended through the thermocline?

The temperature of the surrounding water would increase rapidly

The pH of the surrounding water would increase rapidly

The salinity of the surrounding water would decrease rapidly

The temperature of the surrounding water would decrease rapidly

the temperature of the surrounding water would decrease rapidly

The Coriolis effect, produced by the rotation of the planet, tends to deflect motion to the _____ in the southern hemisphere.

Right

Left

left

The flow of water in the deep ocean is driven by

respiration.

density differences, which are in turn produced by differences in temperature and salinity.

global wind patters.

the movement of tectonic plates.

density differences, which are in turn produced by differences in temperature and salinity

The average salinity of the oceans is close to

3.5%, or 35 per mil (‰)

1%, or 10‰

50%, or 500‰

3.5%, or 35 mil (%)

What does the Gulf Stream do?

Brings cold, low salinity water to the northern North Atlantic Ccean.

Carries heat northward within the North Atlantic Ocean.

Brings heat to the South Atlantic Ocean.

carries heat northward within the north Atlantic ocean

What three elements make up most of the atmosphere?

nitrogen, oxygen, argon

water, nitrogen, methane

carbon dioxide, argon, and kryptonite

nitrogen, oxygen, nitrous oxide

nitrogen, oxygen, argon

Without the greenhouse effect, Earth's average temperature would be

Would be about the same as it is today (59-64ºF, 15-18ºC).

A little cooler (close to 50ºF, 10ºC

Very cold (close to 0 ºF, -18ºC)

very cold (close to 0F)

What happens to the relative humidity of an isolated, unsaturated parcel of air as its temperature decreases?

relative humidity decreases

relative humidity increases

relative humidity remains unchanged

relative humidity increases

What happens to air as it rises in the troposphere?

Temperature decreases, pressure decreases

Temperature decreases, pressure increases

Temperature increases, pressure increases

Temperature increases, pressure decreases

temperature decreases, pressure decreases

Which surface would have the lowest albedo?

Fresh snow

Desert

Rainforest

rainforest

How would the temperature of Earth differ if, on average, there were 50% more clouds in the troposphere?

Earth would be warmer

Earth would be cooler

There would be no change in temperature

earth would be cooler

What type of air changes temperature more slowly as it rises?

Hint: saturated air is at its dew point - any further cooling will cause condensation. Unsaturated air has not yet cooled to its dew point, and thus cooling will not (yet) produce condensation.

The rate of change is the same for both types of air

Saturated air

Unsaturated air

saturated air

What is an adiabatic temperature change?

One associated with a gain of energy to surrounding air

One associated with a loss of energy to surrounding air

One associated with no exchange of energy with surrounding air

one associated with no exchange of energy with surrounding air

The reason it is difficult to breath at high elevations is because there is less oxygen available to breath at these elevations, compared to, say, sea level. The reason there is less oxygen at high elevations is because

the air pressure is lower, which results in a lower density of air in general, with the relative proportion of oxygen remaining the same as at lower elevations.

the proportion of oxygen, relative to the other atmospheric gases, is lower than at lower elevations.

the air pressure is lower, which results in a lower density of air in general with the relative proportion of oxygen remaining the same as at lower elevations

Why does precipitation form when air is forced to flow up a mountain slope?

Temperatures increase, causing evaporation.

Temperatures decrease, causing evaporation.

Temperatures decrease, causing condensation.

Temperatures increase, causing condensation.

temperatures decrease, causing condensation

Identify the correct order of atmospheric layers, from the lowest, where we mostly live, to the highest, verging on outer space.

troposphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, stratosphere

stratosphere, troposphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

thermosphere, stratosphere, troposphere, mesosphere

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

The Earth's orbit around the Sun varies from more circular to more elliptical and back again through time. What is the name for the measure of elliptical character that the orbit possesses, and over what timescale does it vary?

Eccentricity, which varies over a 100 thousand-year cycle

Eccentricity, which varies over a 23 thousand-year cycle

Obliquity, which varies over a 41 thousand-year cycle

Precession, which varies over a 23 thousand-year cycle

eccentricity, which varies over a 100 thousand-year cycle

The Sun emits the most of its electromagnetic radiation (light) in the ________ band, while the outgoing radiation from Earth is in the ______ band.

Infrared (Sun) & Radio (Earth)

Infrared (Sun) & x-ray (Earth)

Visible (Sun) & x-ray (Earth)

Visible (Sun) & Infrared (Earth)

visible(sun) and infrared(earth)

Greenhouse gasses, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, absorb radiation in which band of the electromagnetic spectrum?

Visible

x-ray

Infrared

Ultraviolet

infrared

____ indicators provide indirect records of past climate change that extend well beyond the historical record.

Proxy

Diluvian

Philatelic

Quixotic

proxy

Broadly speaking the Keeling curve shows the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since 1958. However, it also shows seasonal variations in atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentration. What causes those seasonal variations?

Variations in solar energy output

Variations in volcanic degassing

Variations in fossil fuel use

Growth and decay of leaf material on or from deciduous trees, mostly in the Northern Hemisphere

growth and decay of leaf material on or from deciduous trees, mostly in the northern hemisphere

What happened to ocean 18O/16O between last glacial maximum (LGM, about 20 thousand years ago) and the present time

It decreased

It remained unchanged

It increased

it decreases

When analyzing temperature anomaly data from a set of climate proxies you notice a change in temperatures over a 41,000 year cycle. Which natural climate change cycle is most likely responsible for such a change?

Eccentricity

Obliquity (tilt angle)

Recession

Opacity

Precession

obliquity (tilt angle)

The combination of fossil fuel use and deforestation has emitted approximately 480 Gigatons of carbon over the last century, but the amount of carbon in the atmosphere has only increased by approximately 190 Gigatons. About 110 Gigatons of this "missing" carbon went into which reservoir of the carbon cycle?

Deciduous leaf material

the ocean (mostly in the surface portion, but some in the deep ocean)

Carbonate Rocks

newly created fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas)

the ocean

The assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is that over the next century we should expect a globally averaged temperature rise of approximately _____ oC.

10-15

8-10

2-4

0.2-0.4

2-4

Beyond the global warming expected as a consequence of anthropogenic enhancement of the greenhouse effect, global sea level is expected to rise because of

all of the other answers are correct

melting of ice sheets

melting of alpine (mountain) glaciers

thermal expansion of ocean water

all the other answers are correct

Given the anticipated rise in global temperature, where should we expect a larger warming?

higher latitudes and over land

tropics and over the ocean

higher latitudes and over land

The modern (2017) atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is approximately ____ , and the concentration prior to the beginning of the industrial revolution in the mid- nineteenth century was approximately _____.

280 ppm (modern) & 190 ppm (pre-industrial)

400 ppm (modern) & 280 ppm (pre-industrial)

300 ppm (modern) & 200 ppm (pre-industrial)

190 ppm (modern) & 280 ppm (pre-industrial)

200 ppm (modern) & 300 ppm (pre-industrial)

400 ppm (modern) and 280 ppm (pre-industrial)

In what layer of the atmosphere does the Antarctic ozone hole occur?

stratosphere

heliosphere

thermosphere

troposphere

Asthenosphere

stratosphere