exam 1 geology questions

virtually all geologist accept that the age of the Earth is approximately ____ years.

4.6 billion

the correct order of the major units forming the Earth, from the center outward, include

inner core, outer core, mantle, crust

(T/F)Catastrophism, the belief that Earth's landscapes have been shaped primarily by great catastrophes like the great flood, is the most widely accepted philosophy in geology

false

which of the following best describes the fundamental concept of superposition

any sedimentary deposit accumulates on top of older rock or sediment layers

the ____ forms the relatively cool, brittle plates of plate tectonics

Lithosphere

The rock cycle

describes how rocks are formed and recycled by melting, erosion, and pressure

the lithosphere includes

all fo the crust and the uppermost mantle

the ____ is the thinnest layer of the earth

crust

the San Andreas Fault in California is a good example of a _____ plate boundary

transform

which of the following would not be expected to occur near at a converging plate boundary?

creation of oceanic lithosphere

______ rocks form by crystallization and consolidation of molten magma

igneous

(T/F) earth's mantle is a shell of molten metal surrounding a rocky core

false

(T/F) Protons, neutrons and electrons comprise the nucleus of an atoms

false

what occurs in an atom to produce and ion

the atom agains or loses and electron

the fundamental "building block" of most rock-forming minerals in the crust is

(Si04)

linear, magnetic patterns associated with mid-ocean ridges are configured as

normal and reversed magnetized strips roughly parallel to the ridge

atoms of the same element, zinc for example, have the same number of ____

protons in the nucleus

(T/F) graphite and diamond have the same chemical composition but different crystalline structures

true

the group of minerals called the micas (muscovite) always breaks preferentially along the one plane of cleavage- why?

chemical bonds between the constituent atoms are the weakest in the plane

which group or family of minerals is the most abundant in Earth's crust

silicates

which of the following best defines a mineral

a naturally occurring, inorganic crystalline solid with a definite chemical composition

which of the following is not true for minerals

they can be a solid, liquid or a gas

in which type of chemical bonding are electrons shared between adjacent atoms

covalent

lava is a magma that has

been extruded onto the earth's surface

which of the following is not true concerning an porphyritic igneous rock that is composed of large feldspar crystals embedded in a very fine-grained matrix (groundmass)

the rock texture records a long history of steady cooling and magma crystallization

(T/F) once a mass of magma is created, the composition of the melt cannot be changed.

false

what is the difference in chemical composition between granite and rhyolite

none

_____ is a felsic igneous rock characterized by extremely large crystals

pegmatite

____ is the dominant rock type being erupted as lava flows at the oceanic ridges, the locations where new oceanic crust is being created

basalt

how can hot yet solid mantle rocks at depth be caused to melt and create magma

reduce the confining pressure on the hot rocks

which of the following igneous rocks has a pyroclastic texture

a rhyolitic tuff

Bowen's reaction series predicts the sizes of the different mineral grains that grown during the crystallization of magma

false

the most abundant volatile present in most magma is _____

water

rocks formed from the most viscous lava to the least viscous lava, the correct order is

rhyolite, andesite, basalt

which type of basaltic lava flow is characterized by a ropy surface texture

pahoehoe

what type of volcanic material would you expect to find erupted at the crest of an oceanic ridge system

Basalt and pillow lavas

which of the following mineral crystalizes early in Bowen's reaction series

Olivine

Volcanic bombs originate

as erupted magma blobs that partly congeal before falling to the ground

____ is a classic example of a shield volcano

mauna Loa, Hawaii

which of the following is the most dangerous type of volcanic activity

pyroclastic flows

the largest masses of igneous intrusive rocks exposed at Earth's surface are ______ composed of granite

plutons and batholiths

which of the following is associated with deep mantle hot spot?

the volcanoes of Hawaii and the recent activity in yellowstone national Park

the Hawaiian volcanoes are formed above ______

a mantle "hot spot" located within the interior of the large Pacific plate

(T/F) Feldspars tends to weather quickly into aluminum-rich clay minerals

true

which of the following is not a fundamental particle found in atoms

selectron

which factors is not important in determining the violence of volcanic eruptions

oxide content

an _____ texture represents a single, long period of cooling and crystallization

phaneritic

which of the following is an accurate description of ionic bonding

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

the ion at the center of a silicate tetrahedron is surrounded by ____

4 oxygen ions

which kind of eruptive activity is most likely to be highly explosive

eruptions of big, continental margin, composite cones or stratovolcanoes

which of the following is not a volcanic hazard

granitic intrusion

_____ has the same mineral composition as rhyolite

granite

which of the following statements is not true

when magma reaches the surface, its dissolved gas content increases