The breakdown of exposed rock into small fragments and dissolved ions is termed:
a. deposition
b. erosion
c. weathering
c. weathering
The removal of detritus from weathered rock at an outcrop is termed:
a. deposition
b. erosion
c. weathering
b. erosion
The majority of the rocks that occur at the surface of the Earth are:
a. intrusive igneous rocks
b. extrusive igneous rocks
c. sedimentary rocks
d. metamorphic rocks
c. sedimentary rocks
Geologically, medium sized sediment refers to:
a. cobbles
b. pebbles
c. sand
d. silt
c. sand
Frost wedging, root wedging, and salt wedging are all examples of:
a. erosion
b. chemical weathering
c. physical weathering
d. deposition
c. physical weathering
Hydrolysis, oxidation, and hydration are all examples of:
a. erosion
b. chemical weathering
c. physical weathering
d. deposition
b. chemical weathering
Chemical weathering takes place most rapidly in environments that are:
a. cool and dry
b. cool and wet
c. warm and dry
d. warm and wet
d. warm and wet
Rapid physical weathering:
a. does not affect the rate of chemical weathering in the same rock
b. tends to reduce the rate of chemical weathering in the same rock
c. tends to increase the rate of chemical weathering in the same rock
c. tends to increase the rate of chemical weathering in the same rock
Rapid chemical weathering:
a. does not affect the rate of physical weathering in the same rock
b. tends to reduce the rate of physical weathering in the same rock
c. tends to increase the rate of physical weathering in the same rock
a. does not affect the rate of physical weathering in the same rock
Grains become rounded primarily during:
a. weathering at outcrop
b. erosion
c. transportation
d. deposition
c. transportation
The chemical reaction that transforms feldspar into clay is an example of:
a. hydrolysis
b. hydration
c. dissolution
d. oxidation
a. hydrolysis
The rusting of iron and iron-rich minerals is an example of:
a. hydrolysis
b. hydration
c. dissolution
d. oxidation
d. oxidation
Swelling of certain minerals due to incorporation of water into their crystal lattice is termed:
a. hydrolysis
b. hydration
c. dissolution
d. oxidation
b. hydration
On Earth, loose sediment which covers bedrock and has been chemically altered by reactions with rainwater and the addition of organic matter by the biosphere is termed:
a. soil
b. loess
c. regolith
d. caprock
c. regolith
Spheroidal weathering occurs when:
a. physical weathering predominates and there is little chemical weathering
b. physical weathering breaks boulders directly into spherical cobbles and pebbles
c. chemical weathering attacks corners and edges of rock more
c. chemical weathering attacks corners and edges of rock more rapidly than its interior
Prolonged drought can lead to greatly increased rates of soil erosion:
a. true
b. false
a. true
Caliche is most commonly found in which type of environment?
a. temperate forests
b. tropical rain forests
c. deserts
d. grasslands
c. deserts
Laterite soils are most commonly found in which type of environment?
a. temperate forests
b. tropical rain forests
c. deserts
d. grasslands
b. tropical rain forests
Lithified detritus (breakdown products of preexisting rocks) forms which kind of sedimentary rock?
a. biochemical
b. chemical
c. clastic
d. organic
c. clastic
Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?
a. biochemical
b. clastic
c. organic
a. biochemical
Physical precipitation of gypsum due to evaporation of seawater produces which kind of sedimentary rock?
a. biochemical
b. chemical
c. clastic
d. organic
b. chemical
Clastic sedimentary rocks are primarily classified on the basis of:
a. grain size
b. degree of sorting
c. angularity
d. mineral composition
a. grain size
If water is the transport medium of sediment, the grain size of sedimentary deposits most closely indicates the:
a. geographic extent of the weathering source rock at outcrop
b. average velocity of the water from the time of the erosion until deposition
c
c. velocity of the water at the moment the sediment settled to the bottom
Compaction and cementation of grains occurs during:
a. erosion
b. lithification
c. transport
d. weathering
b. lithification
Which transport medium carries the largest particles?
a. ice
b. water
c. wind
a. ice
It is unusual for ______ to carry grains larger than sand.
a. ice
b. water
c. wind
c. wind
The difference between breccia and conglomerate is that conglomerate:
a. is finer grained than breccia
b. is coarser grained than breccia
c. possesses more angular grains than breccia
d. possesses more rounded grains than breccia
d. possesses more rounded grains than breccia
As compared to arkose, quartz sandstone:
a. is more mature
b. does not contain significant amounts of feldspar
c. is likely to be found farther away from weathering granitic source rock
d. all of the above
b. does not contain significant amounts of feldspar
Sedimentary deposition is a continuous process; rivers, lakes, and the ocean deposit sediments nonstop at a fairly constant rate.
a. true
b. false
b. false
A clastic rock comprised of sand-sized grains deprived from the physical weathering of granite and containing a sizable proportion of feldspar is termed:
a. metasandstone
b. lithosandstone
c. graywacke
d. arkose
d. arkose
A fine-grained clastic rock that splits into thin sheets is:
a. mudstone
b. shale
c. sandstone
d. arkose
b. shale
Because the velocity of the sediment settling (deposition) is positively related to grain size for waterborne sediments, fluvial deposits are more likely than glacial deposits to:
a. be well sorted
b. include coarse grains, such as cobbles
c. include fine
a. be well sorted
A sandstone with a large proportion of feldspar due to physical weathering of granite is more precisely termed:
a. arkose
b. breccia
c. greywacke
d. wacke
a. arkose
Which environment would most likely produce sedimentary deposits characterized by very well sorted, very well rounded grains that are nearly pure quartz?
a. river
b. glacier
c. beach
d. alluvial fan
c. beach
Which environment would most likely produce sedimentary deposits characterized by poorly to moderately sorted, angular to subangular grains that consist of feldspar, quartz, and lithics (rock fragments)?
a. river
b. glacier
c. beach
d. alluvial fan
d. alluvial fan
Chemical and biochemical rocks are classified primarily on the basis of:
a. grain size
b. degree of sorting
c. angularity
d. mineral composition
d. mineral composition
Biochemical limestones are dominated by carbonate mud and fragments of:
a. siliceous shells of planktonic diatoms and foraminifera
b. calcitic and aragonitic skeletons of marine invertebrates
c. the phosphatic bones of fish
d. the organic breakdown produc
b. calcitic and aragonitic skeletons of marine invertebrates
Unlike physically precipitated chert, biochemical chert:
a. is bedded (layered)
b. is made up of the skeletons of radiolaria and foraminifera
c. does not occur as small nodules within bodies of limestone
d. all of the above
a. is bedded (layered)
Flint, once commonly used to form arrowheads, is a:
a. red variety of biochemical limestone
b. black variety of biochemical chert
c. black variety of replacement chert
d. black variety of chemical limestone
c. black variety of replacement chert
Physically precipitated (chemical) limestone that forms in caves is termed:
a. agate
b. dolostone
c. jasper
d. travertine
d. travertine
When limestone becomes chemically altered so that half of the calcium atoms are replaced by magnesium, the resultant rock is termed:
a. agate
b. dolostone
c. jasper
d. travertine
b. dolostone
Stratification refers to:
a. the development of layering within sedimentary rocks
b. the act of deposition of sediment, which will ultimately form sedimentary rock
c. physical and chemical alterations, including compaction and cementation, that occur as s
a. the development of layering within sedimentary rocks
Diagenesis refers to:
a. the development of layering within sedimentary rocks
b. the act of deposition of sediment, which will ultimately form sedimentary rock
c. physical and chemical alterations, including compaction and cementation, that occur as sedim
c. physical and chemical alterations, including compaction and cementation, that occur as sediment is transformed into rock
Sea level rises locally, and marine sediments are deposited on top of terrestrial sediments during events termed:
a. regressions
b. transgressions
c. divarications
b. transgressions
As compared with metamorphism, diagenesis ______:
a. means exactly the same thing
b. takes place at lower temperatures and pressures
c. takes place at higher temperatures and pressures
d. takes place at greater depths that are well within the mantle
b. takes place at lower temperatures and pressures
Most sorting of detrital grains takes place during:
a. deposition
b. erosion
c. transportation
d. weathering
c. transportation
A well-sorted sandstone with asymmetric ripples was most likely deposited as sand by a:
a. river
b. glacier
c. beach
d. alluvial fan
a. river
The small detrital grains are:
a. clay
b. gravel
c. sand
d. silt
a. clay
Which type of sediment settles at greater fluid velocities than sand?
a. clay
b. gravel
c. mud
d. silt
b. gravel
Loose, weathered sediment at the surface that has not been organically altered is termed:
a. soil
b. A-horizon
c. O-horizon
d. regolith
a. soil
As compared with normal precipitation, acid rain would produce _______ rates of chemical weathering
increased