Question 1

What is an epicontinental sea? Why might an epicontinental sea form and then disappear? Are there any examples of such seas today?

Accepted Answer

Epicontinental seas are shallow seas that periodically flooded large regions of continental interiors at various times in the geologic past.Epicontinental seas form when sea level rises and floods low-elevation regions of continental crust; they disappear when sea level drops.There are no widespread epicontinental seas today,although the seas between Australia and New Guinea come close.

Question 2

Toward the end of the Archean Eon,

Accepted Answer

A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record. 
B)  the Earth's continental crust was remelted. 
C)  stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed. 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life. 
A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record. 
B)  the Earth's continental crust was remelted. 
C)  stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed. 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life. C

Question 3

Which of the following is true of the Earth's glacial history?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Earth's climate has remained relatively consistent throughout geologic time. 
B)  An episode of widespread glaciation at the end of the Proterozoic resulted in the Great Oxygenation Event. 
C)  There was a time called Snowball Earth when the Earth's surface was almost entirely covered in glacial ice. 
D)  Increased glaciation at the end of the Cretaceous was partly responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. 
A)  The Earth's climate has remained relatively consistent throughout geologic time. 
B)  An episode of widespread glaciation at the end of the Proterozoic resulted in the Great Oxygenation Event. 
C)  There was a time called Snowball Earth when the Earth's surface was almost entirely covered in glacial ice. 
D)  Increased glaciation at the end of the Cretaceous was partly responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. C

Question 4

Tyrannosaurus rex,one of the largest carnivorous dinosaur species,lived during the ________ Period.

Accepted Answer

A)  Ordovician 
B)  Carboniferous 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous 
A)  Ordovician 
B)  Carboniferous 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous

Question 5

A warm climate and high sea level throughout much of the ________ resulted in a shallow seaway in western North America extending from the Arctic south to what is now the Gulf of Mexico.

Accepted Answer

A)  Ordovician 
B)  Carboniferous 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous 
A)  Ordovician 
B)  Carboniferous 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous

Question 6

From what did the Earth's atmosphere during the Hadean originate?

Accepted Answer

A)  outgassing of volatiles compounds originally incorporated in mantle minerals 
B)  meteorites that collided with the Earth 
C)  evaporation of the Earth's early oceans 
D)  waste products of the Earth's first life forms 
A)  outgassing of volatiles compounds originally incorporated in mantle minerals 
B)  meteorites that collided with the Earth 
C)  evaporation of the Earth's early oceans 
D)  waste products of the Earth's first life forms

Question 7

During the Cenozoic Era,__________ rapidly diversified to fill the ecological niches left by the K-Pg mass extinction.

Accepted Answer

A)  birds 
B)  dinosaurs 
C)  mammals 
D)  crocodiles 
A)  birds 
B)  dinosaurs 
C)  mammals 
D)  crocodiles

Question 8

Stromatolites are layered structures produced by the activity of

Accepted Answer

A)  dinosaurs. 
B)  methanogens. 
C)  cyanobacteria. 
D)  green algae. 
A)  dinosaurs. 
B)  methanogens. 
C)  cyanobacteria. 
D)  green algae.

Question 9

What caused the buildup of oxygen in the atmosphere at roughly 2.5 Ga?

Accepted Answer

Photosynthetic organisms produ

Question 10

The Miocene Epoch saw the spread of which new vegetative zone?

Accepted Answer

A)  grasslands 
B)  angiosperm forests 
C)  gymnosperm forests 
D)  tree fern forests 
A)  grasslands 
B)  angiosperm forests 
C)  gymnosperm forests 
D)  tree fern forests

Question 11

The Taconic,Acadian,and Alleghenian orogenic events all led to uplift in the region of the modern

Accepted Answer

A)  Rockies. 
B)  Appalachians. 
C)  Alps. 
D)  Himalayas. 
A)  Rockies. 
B)  Appalachians. 
C)  Alps. 
D)  Himalayas.

Question 12

The fossil fish Tiktaalik made headlines in 2005 because it

Accepted Answer

A)  was preserved with a hook in its mouth and represents the oldest evidence of human fishing. 
B)  was the largest shark ever recovered from the fossil record. 
C)  represents a transitional form between lobe-finned fish and terrestrial vertebrates. 
D)  was found alive in the modern deep ocean; previously,the fish was thought to be extinct. 
A)  was preserved with a hook in its mouth and represents the oldest evidence of human fishing. 
B)  was the largest shark ever recovered from the fossil record. 
C)  represents a transitional form between lobe-finned fish and terrestrial vertebrates. 
D)  was found alive in the modern deep ocean; previously,the fish was thought to be extinct.

Question 13

During the Cretaceous Period there was globally very high sea level at a time of overall warm climates.What is the mechanism for creating this high sea level?

Accepted Answer

A)  very high rates of seafloor spreading at mid-ocean ridges 
B)  the polar ice caps melted in the warm climate 
C)  high rates of comet impacts which melted and added water to the oceans 
D)  the water was displaced by the bodies of huge marine reptiles 
A)  very high rates of seafloor spreading at mid-ocean ridges 
B)  the polar ice caps melted in the warm climate 
C)  high rates of comet impacts which melted and added water to the oceans 
D)  the water was displaced by the bodies of huge marine reptiles

Question 14

Which of the following is the correct abbreviation for "millions of years ago"?

Accepted Answer

A)  ka 
B)  Ma 
C)  Ga 
D)  Myr 
A)  ka 
B)  Ma 
C)  Ga 
D)  Myr

Question 15

There is a record of marine sediment deposition extending back to 3.8 Ga.This means that ______ has/have also existed since that time.

Accepted Answer

A)  oceans 
B)  volcanism 
C)  partial melting 
D)  photosynthetic algae 
A)  oceans 
B)  volcanism 
C)  partial melting 
D)  photosynthetic algae

Question 16

The most recent interval of Neogene glaciation gave way to warmer,interglacial conditions ________ years ago.

Accepted Answer

A)  1 million 
B)  200,000 
C)  75,000 
D)  11,000 
A)  1 million 
B)  200,000 
C)  75,000 
D)  11,000

Question 17

The Great Oxygenation Event was a time in the middle Proterozoic when

Accepted Answer

A)  organisms that produce oxygen first originated. 
B)  oxygen began to accumulate as a gas in the atmosphere. 
C)  the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere reached its present concentration of
21 percent. 
D)  excessively high concentrations of oxygen in the atmosphere caused a mass extinction. 
A)  organisms that produce oxygen first originated. 
B)  oxygen began to accumulate as a gas in the atmosphere. 
C)  the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere reached its present concentration of
21 percent. 
D)  excessively high concentrations of oxygen in the atmosphere caused a mass extinction.

Question 18

The earliest forests containing woody trees appeared during the

Accepted Answer

A)  Late Proterozoic. 
B)  Early Paleozoic (Ordovician). 
C)  Middle Paleozoic (Devonian). 
D)  Late Paleozoic (Permian). 
A)  Late Proterozoic. 
B)  Early Paleozoic (Ordovician). 
C)  Middle Paleozoic (Devonian). 
D)  Late Paleozoic (Permian).

Question 19

The Chicxulub crater is located on which continent?

Accepted Answer

A)  North America 
B)  South America 
C)  Asia 
D)  Africa 
A)  North America 
B)  South America 
C)  Asia 
D)  Africa

Question 20

Which of the following provides evidence of past life and thus helps geologists understand how living things,and the environments in which they lived,changed throughout the Earth's history?

Accepted Answer

A)  igneous rocks 
B)  fossils 
C)  faults 
D)  strata 
A)  igneous rocks 
B)  fossils 
C)  faults 
D)  strata

Exam 11: A Biography of the Earth

What is an epicontinental sea? Why might an epicontinental sea form and then disappear? Are there any examples of such seas today?

Toward the end of the Archean Eon,

Which of the following is true of the Earth's glacial history?

Tyrannosaurus rex,one of the largest carnivorous dinosaur species,lived during the ________ Period.

A warm climate and high sea level throughout much of the ________ resulted in a shallow seaway in western North America extending from the Arctic south to what is now the Gulf of Mexico.

From what did the Earth's atmosphere during the Hadean originate?

During the Cenozoic Era,__________ rapidly diversified to fill the ecological niches left by the K-Pg mass extinction.

Stromatolites are layered structures produced by the activity of

What caused the buildup of oxygen in the atmosphere at roughly 2.5 Ga?

The Miocene Epoch saw the spread of which new vegetative zone?

The Taconic,Acadian,and Alleghenian orogenic events all led to uplift in the region of the modern

The fossil fish Tiktaalik made headlines in 2005 because it

During the Cretaceous Period there was globally very high sea level at a time of overall warm climates.What is the mechanism for creating this high sea level?

Which of the following is the correct abbreviation for "millions of years ago"?

There is a record of marine sediment deposition extending back to 3.8 Ga.This means that ______ has/have also existed since that time.

The most recent interval of Neogene glaciation gave way to warmer,interglacial conditions ________ years ago.

The Great Oxygenation Event was a time in the middle Proterozoic when

The earliest forests containing woody trees appeared during the

The Chicxulub crater is located on which continent?

Which of the following provides evidence of past life and thus helps geologists understand how living things,and the environments in which they lived,changed throughout the Earth's history?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of the Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags,cracks,and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earth’s Interior Revisited: Insights from Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Prelude: And Just What is Geology?

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