Which of the following is probably least at risk for geologic hazards?
on gentle slopes away from mountains
Which of the following is a way geology can help us learn about Earth's past?
all of the above:
why continents have different regions
why a landscape looks the way it does
how life in the past was different than today
how global climate has changed since the ice ages
Compared to oceanic crust, typical continental crust is:
lighter in color
Which of the following is the best description of what the lithosphere contains?
both types of crust and the uppermost mantle
Based on this topographic profile across the central U.S., which region probably has the thickest crust?
Colorado Rockies
Which of the following is NOT one of the main families of rocks?
meteorites
What type of rock would the materials shown in this photograph produce?
sedimentary
Which of the following surface environments is the most likely site for deposits in this photograph?
steep mountain front
According to the rock cycle, sediment that is being transported by a river could become a metamorphic rock after:
deposition and burial
Which of the following is NOT an environment in which an igneous rock forms?
intense squeezing from tectonic forces
Why does the Tibetan Plateau, shown in this figure, have a high elevation?
continental collision
How did the Red Sea, shown between Arabia and Africa in this figure, form?
continental rifting followed by seafloor spreading
Which of the following statements is true?
earthquakes are more widespread than volcanoes or high mountains
What type of feature is depicted in this figure?
continental rift
Which way are plates moving in this figure?
away from each other
Which feature on this figure is formed by melting of mantle above the slab?
D
On this figure of a continental collision, which continent would have had subduction-related magmatism before the collision?
B. the continent on the right
On the accompanying figure, what type of feature is located in the area of number 2?
transform fault
How fast do plates move relative to one another?
centimeters per year
On the accompanying figure, which letter is over the oldest oceanic crust?
A
Which of the following is a mineral?
Ice
What are the two main ways that minerals are put together in rocks?
crystalline versus clastic
Which of the following is true about tests we can perform on a mineral?
None of the above
A crystal with a well-defined shape, such as a cube, probably:
None of the above
If a mineral fractures, how many directions of cleavage does it have?
no directions of cleavage
Which of the following is NOT a major class of rock-forming minerals?
argonites
How do silica tetrahedra bond in silicate minerals?
all of the above
A mineral is light colored, transparent, has a hardness of seven, and fractures rather than cleaves. What mineral is it?
Quartz
Which of the following pairs of minerals is NOT part of the same nonsilicate mineral group?
plagioclase feldspar and potassium feldspar
Which of the following is NOT composed of calcium carbonate?
pyrite
The site on the accompanying figure that would most likely form a rock with large crystals is:
A-mantle
Which of the following photographs depicts an igneous rock where the magma cooled slowly at first and then had fast cooling?
D-small rocks with big pieces
How could a rock at point C be melted?
All of the above:
increase in temperature
decrease in pressure
increase in temperature accompanied by a decrease in pressure
The main cause of melting along subduction zones is the:
release of water from the subducting plate
Hot spots in oceanic settings typically produce:
lines or clusters of volcanic islands
Which of the following causes a magma to be less viscous?
fewer silicate chains in the magma
Which of the following igneous rocks would be formed by the fastest cooling?
volcanic glass
The igneous feature shown in this photograph is a:
batholith
A volcanic neck can form by:
a and b only:
erosion of the volcano, leaving behind the solidified conduit inside the volcano
erosion of overlying rock layers exposing the conduit below the volcano
The vertical igneous feature shown in this photograph is a:
dike
Which of the following is least likely to be a volcano?
a hill capped by volcanic rocks
Which of the following are ways that viscosity affects gases in magma?
a and b only:
viscous magma prevents gas from escaping easily
gas builds up in viscous magma and can cause explosive eruptions
What type of eruption formed the volcano in this photograph?
lava fountain
What types of rocks would be most common in the volcano shown in this photograph?
basalt mostly formed in lava flows
What are some factors that could allow flood basalts to have high-volume eruptions?
all of the above:
a large amount of magma is generated in the mantle
magma rises to the surface along thick dikes
the magma is hot and has a low viscosity
Hazards associated with basaltic lava flows and eruptions are:
all of the above:
burial of roads and neighborhoods by lava flows
house fires
floods from catastrophic melting of ice
What types of rocks would be most common in a composite volcano?
felsic and intermediate lava flows and tephra
The main cause of caldera collapse is:
collapse of the roof of a magma chamber as magma erupts
What tectonic setting is interpreted to be the cause of volcanism at Yellowstone?
movement of North America over a mantle plume
Which of the following sites would most likely have less dangerous volcanoes? A is on an island arc, B is in the Andes, C is near Hawaii, D is along a mid-ocean ridge.
C and D
Which of the following sites would have the slowest moving or least energetic current?
lake at E
If a rock is poorly sorted, this means the rock contains:
a wide range in the size of clasts
Which of the following is NOT involved in turning some sediments into sedimentary rock?
metamorphism
Which way was the current (either wind or water) moving during deposition of this section of rocks?
toward the left
Which environment is most likely to deposit a breccia?
debris flow
Which of the following is a characteristic of fine-grained clastic rocks?
the rocks tend to be easily eroded
Which of the following is NOT a type of carbonate rock?
shale
Which of the following is characteristic of a regression?
a and b only:
the seas move out, uncovering more land
sand dunes and river sediments can be deposited over marine deposits
Which of the following is a good interpretation of the environmental significance of an attribute of a sedimentary rock?
graded beds indicate that the strength of the current decreased through time
Which of the following can we understand by studying sedimentary rocks?
all of the above:
how environments shifted in location through time
past changes in climate
past events, such as landslides and earthquakes
migration of deserts and advances of the sea