Which of the following is not an example of an age-relationship based on absolute dating?
The Coconino formation in the Grand Canyon is older than the Kaibab formation.
Which of the following gives the correct sequence of layers in the Earth, from the surface to the center?
crust, aesthenosphere, lower mantle, core
How have we gained knowledge of Earth's internal structure?
A and C, studying shock waves from earthquakes and underground nuclear tests + analysis of seismic waves passing through Earth's layers
The aesthenosphere can best be described as
plastic-like
The density of material below the Moho is __________ that above it.
greater than
Earth's crust is primarily made up of
at least 14 plates capable of movement
The thickness of Earth's crust ranges from
5 km to 60 km (3 mi. to 37 mi)
The majority of the Earth's crust is composed of __________ rock.
igneous
Heat energy and new materials are brought to the surface from the interior by the
tectonic cycle
Which of the following is not part of the hydrologic cycle?
radioactive decay
The major rocks of Earth's crust are classified into principal types based on
three specific rock-forming processes; i.e., the manner in which they formed.
If you were driving down the highway and saw mountains composed of layered strata, you could be confident that you were looking at
sedimentary rocks.
Salt is an example of __________ rock.
sedimentary
Which of the following is true regarding continental shift?
The term "continental drift" refers to crustal plate movement.
Ocean floor subducts under continents because
the ocean floor is made of mafic material and is therefore more dense than continental material.
Which of the following is true of divergent plate boundaries?
Tensional forces exist there. Rifting occurs there. New ocean crust can be created there. = D) all of the above
The variety of surface features on the Earth results from
weathering and erosion. gravity. tectonic activity. = D) all of these
High mountains consisting of tightly folded and overthrust sedimentary rock layers, as well as metamorphic rocks, are formed
during plate collisions
Normal faults are associated with
tensional forces
The most active tectonic regions of North and South America are on the
Western coasts
The phrase "considerable-to-serious damage to buildings" would be used in the __________ scale
Mercalli
Which of the following is incorrect relative to the principal locations of volcanic activity?
They occur around the perimeter of the Atlantic Ocean basin
Explosive eruptions tend to build up
composite volcanoes
Volcanoes formed from silica-rich magma
are highly explosive and dangerous
The eventual catastrophic eruption of Mount Saint Helens was
related to seafloor subduction at the west coast of North America
All processes that cause reduction and rearrangement of landforms are included in the term
denudation
in reality, a landscape behaves as
an open system
After a threshold is crossed, the landscape
adjusts to a new equilibrium condition
The disintegration and dissolving of surface and subsurface rock is called
weathering
Hydration involves
swelling and stress within a rock with the addition of water
Which of the following are the principal active agents involved in chemical weathering
water oxygen carbon dioxide
Chemical weathering processes are particularly effective on limestone landscapes, forming
karst topography
Landslides occur when
the internal friction is overcome by the force of gravity. a threshold is reached. driving forces exceed resisting forces. D ALL OF THE ABOVE
The most common type of mass wasting in a slightly hilly environment is
soil creep
When a dam and reservoir are constructed, the natural response of the river and its channel gradient come under the control of
a local, or temporary, base level
Watersheds are defined by
drainage divides
Which drainage pattern is produced by folded topography?
trellis
Bed load is moved by
saltation, suspension. A AND B ONLY
The total possible load a stream can transport is its _________, whereas a stream's ability to move particles of specific size is its __________
capacity; competence
A cutoff on a meandering stream results in the formation of
an oxbow lake