Earth's overall density is calculated to be 5.52 grams per cubic centimeter. However, crustal rocks only give densities around 2.9 grams per cubic centimenter. Where is the excess density?
Iron in Earth's core
Which of the following statements regarding heat flow on Earth is TRUE?
Heat flow, as measured on Earth's surface, is higher along mid-ocean ridges and other volcanically active regions but lower within the interiors of stable continents.
For the figure below, which letter corresponds to the epicenter of the earthquake?
Site B
The figure below illustrates the motion of ____________
P-waves
The bending of seismic waves when passing through Earth's interior is called _________
Refraction
The bending of seismic waves when passing through Earth's interior is due to changes in wave ____________ when encountering different Earth materials.
Velocity
The Moho is the boundary between the ________ and _________
Crust/upper mantle
What happens to S-waves as they pass through the asthenosphere?
S-waves slow down because of the presence of a few percent partial melt
What happens to P- and S-waves when encountering transition zones at 400 km and 700 km depths?
They speed up due to density increases in mantle rock resulting from phase changes in minerals.
What changes in P- and S-waves occur when encountering the outer core that lead scientists to conclude that this layer is composed of liquid iron?
S-waves cannot pass through the outer core while P-waves slow down significantly when passing through this layer.
The upper mantle is composed largely of a rock called ___________
Peridotite
P-wave shadow zones are regions on Earth's surface where...
No P-waves are detected by seismometers.
Circulation of liquid iron in the outer core is thought to be responsible for Earth's _____________
Magnetic field
Wegener assembled the continents like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle into a giant supercontinent called...
Pangea
Weird ice-flow directions of ancient glaciers, as evidenced today on the continents of South America, Africa, India, and Australia, make sense if we...
Assemble these continents into a giant supercontinent.
Which of the following does NOT constitute evidence for continental drift?
A cooling, shrinking Earth.
Which of the following statements regarding mid-ocean ridges is FALSE?
Lithospheric plates converge along mid-ocean ridges.
Which of the following statements regarding reversals in Earth's magnetic field is TRUE?
The Geomagnetic Time Scale indicates numerous reversals in Earth's magnetic field over the last 5 million years.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Polarity reversals in Earth's magnetic field only affect the magnetic inclination, but not the declination, of ancient rocks.
What is going on in the following illustration?
Magnetization of ancient rocks point to various pole positions in the past that are artifacts of continental drift and not because poles actually migrated.
Studies of the ocean floor indicate that oceanic crust varies in age from place to place. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Answer
Oceanic crust becomes progressively older as we approach a mid-ocean ridge.
Where would you least expect to find active volcanoes?
Transform plate boundary
What constitutes the plates of plate tectonics?
Crust and solid upper portion of the mantle directly above the asthenosphere
Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a plate boundary?
Oceanic hot spot
Which of the following statements regarding convergent plate boundaries is FALSE?
Only occurs where a continental plate meets an oceanic plate
A principle driving force for the movement of lithospheric plates is/are...
Mantle convection
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Plate tectonics is a process by which lithospheric plates are created along mid-ocean ridges and afterwards recycled back into the mantle along subduction zones.
With regard to the Wilson Cycle, which of the following is an example of opening of an ocean basin?
Atlantic Ocean
Which of the following statements is true for minerals?
A given mineral has a specific crystal structure and chemical composition.
Which of the following statements regarding silicate minerals is false?
Silicate tetrahedra can bond with cations but not with other tetrahedra.
Which of the following is NOT a silicate mineral?
Hematite
The mineral calcite belongs to which of the following mineral groups?
Carbonates
What distinguishes the native element minerals from the other mineral groups?
Native element minerals are comprised of only one element
Which of the following pairs of minerals belong to the same mineral group?
Gypsum and anhydrite
According to the Rock Cycle, which of the following is the first stage in converting a metamorphic rock into a sedimentary rock?
Uplift and exposure
Which of the following statements regarding the Rock Cycle is FALSE?
Only igneous rocks can be uplifted and exposed to weathering.
Which of the following statements regarding cooling rates of magma is TRUE?
Magma crystallizing deep in the crust cools slowly and forms large crystals.
What are the two dominant igneous intrusions illustrated below?
Sill and dike
A magma rich in dissolved gases will produce...
explosive eruptions and volcanic ash.
A light-colored igneous rock with abundant quartz and potassium feldspar is probably ________ in composition.
Felsic
A low-viscosity magma most likely...
Has low silica content
Which of the following is NOT a direct product of weathering?
Water
Detrital (clastic) sedimentary rocks...
Are composed of particles of pre-existing rocks.
Which of the following is NOT a sedimentary environment where sediments accumulate?
Uplifted bedrock undergoing weathering and erosion
How does breccia differ from conglomerate?
Particles in breccia are angular, while particles in conglomerate are rounded.
Which of the following chemical sedimentary rocks will most likely contain fossils?
Limestone
_________ metamorphism is directly associated with the margins of igneous intrusions?
Contact
Hydrothermal metamorphism will most likely occur...
Near mid-ocean ridges
Which of the following is NOT a foliated metamorphic rock?
Sandstone
Which of the following statements is an example of foliation in metamorphic rocks?
Alignment of platy minerals like micas in a common direction due to direct pressure during metamorphism.
Hornfels are most commonly associated with ___________ metamorphism.
Contact
Quartz sandstone is metamorphosed into ___________.
Quartzite
With regard to the following figure, which of the statements below is TRUE?
Most of Earth's surface is covered by water
Which of the following features exhibits the greatest relief?
Mountains
Which of the following is NOT characteristic of a craton?
Only consists of undeformed sedimentary rocks younger than 500 million years
One way by which continents grow is through addition of igneous material along _______.
Convergent plate boundaries
The following figure illustrates how the root zones of ancient mountain ranges consisting of igneous and metamorphic rocks eventually reach the surface. These ancient root zones are most likely exposed today...
Within the shield areas of cratons
Which of the following most likely causes a supercontinent to break apart?
Supercontinent prevents heat in the underlying mantle from escaping, thus generating upwelling mantle plumes that break the supercontinent apart.
____________ stress and strain most likely occur along a divergent plate boundary.
Tensional
Horizontally-layered sedimentary rocks can be folded into arches called _________ and troughs known as ____________.
Anticlines/synclines
The following figure illustrates a ____________ fault that forms due to ___________ stress.
Normal/tensional
Which of the following is (are) LEAST LIKELY associated with a convergent plate boundary?
Tensional stress
Which of the following steps is NOT consistent with the Elastic Rebound Theory for generating an earthquake?
A persistent earthquake causes the strain around the locked fault to build up (increase) even more
Which of the following LEAST LIKELY forms in response to compressional stress?
Rift valley
Which of the following types of magma will most likely result in fluid, basaltic lava flows and mild eruptions?
Low silica and gas-poor magma
Where would composite volcanoes most likely form?
Convergent plate boundary
Which of the following is LEAST LIKELY an environmental effect of an explosive volcanic eruption (see Fig. 1.7 in textbook)?
Net increase in solar radiation at Earth's surface
Cinder cones...
Are generally small and constructed of pyroclasic material
Which of the following statements LEAST-LIKELY applies to landscapes?
A landscape is in steady-state equilibrium and never changes with time if all the input variables remain the same
_________involves the mechanical breakdown of rocks into smaller particles without changing the overall composition of the minerals.
Physical weathering
Which of the following minerals is LEAST susceptible to chemical weathering and most likely to be altered or destroyed?
Calcite
Each of the following are reactants in the weathering process except for _______, which is a product of weathering.
Rock fragments
Which of the following is an erosional agent that removes weathered products from the site of weathering?
All of the above
Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding drainage systems and basins?
Only a large area covering several states can be considered a drainage basin.
What type of drainage pattern is depicted in the following illustration?
Dendritic
Which of the following characterizes a stream that has reached base level?
Wide flood plain
A stream terrace represents...
A former flood plain occurring along the sides of a valley above the elevation of the present stream
Within limestone bedrock undergoing dissolution by slightly acidic groundwater, ________ form below the water table within the zone of saturation while ___________ form above the water table within the zone of aeration.
Caves/stalactites
Which of the following can have the greatest angle of repose?
Moist sand
Which of the following types of slope failure is the fastest?
Rock fall
What type of mass movement is depicted in the figure below?
Rotational slide