Question 1

What is the difference in the formation of chalk versus chert?

Accepted Answer

A)  They have different grain sizes. 
B)  They are made of different source materials. 
C)  Chalk is terrestrial; chert is marine. 
D)  Chalk is biochemical; chert is chemical. 
A)  They have different grain sizes. 
B)  They are made of different source materials. 
C)  Chalk is terrestrial; chert is marine. 
D)  Chalk is biochemical; chert is chemical. B

Question 2

The majority of the rocks that form at the surface of the Earth are

Accepted Answer

A)  intrusive igneous rocks. 
B)  foliated metamorphic rocks. 
C)  sedimentary rocks. 
D)  non-foliated metamorphic rocks. 
A)  intrusive igneous rocks. 
B)  foliated metamorphic rocks. 
C)  sedimentary rocks. 
D)  non-foliated metamorphic rocks. C

Question 3

Which of the following is true regarding biochemical chert?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is massive (lacking layers). 
B)  It is made of cryptocrystalline quartz. 
C)  It is made of aragonite shell fragments. 
D)  It is composed of the minerals calcite and dolomite. 
A)  It is massive (lacking layers). 
B)  It is made of cryptocrystalline quartz. 
C)  It is made of aragonite shell fragments. 
D)  It is composed of the minerals calcite and dolomite. B

Question 4

Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?

Accepted Answer

A)  biochemical 
B)  chemical 
C)  clastic 
D)  organic 
A)  biochemical 
B)  chemical 
C)  clastic 
D)  organic

Question 5

Chemically precipitated limestone that forms in caves or around hot springs is termed

Accepted Answer

A)  agate. 
B)  dolostone. 
C)  jasper. 
D)  travertine. 
A)  agate. 
B)  dolostone. 
C)  jasper. 
D)  travertine.

Question 6

The image below shows an outcrop of coarse-grained sedimentary rock.Note the rock hammer for scale.What is the name of this rock type?

Accepted Answer

A)  sandstone 
B)  shale 
C)  breccia 
D)  conglomerate 
A)  sandstone 
B)  shale 
C)  breccia 
D)  conglomerate

Question 7

Ripple marks are ________

Accepted Answer

A)  internal laminations that are inclined at an angle relative to the main layering of a sedimentary rock. 
B)  a bed in which grain size varies from coarse at the bottom to fine at the top. 
C)  small,elongate ridges in clastic sediments and rocks that form perpendicular to the direction of flow. 
D)  a suite of cracks separating plates that form when mud dries out. 
A)  internal laminations that are inclined at an angle relative to the main layering of a sedimentary rock. 
B)  a bed in which grain size varies from coarse at the bottom to fine at the top. 
C)  small,elongate ridges in clastic sediments and rocks that form perpendicular to the direction of flow. 
D)  a suite of cracks separating plates that form when mud dries out.

Question 8

Describe the difference between lithification and diagenesis.

Accepted Answer

Lithification is the transformation of l

Question 9

Lithified detritus (breakdown products of preexisting rocks)forms which kind of sedimentary rock?

Accepted Answer

A)  biochemical 
B)  chemical 
C)  clastic 
D)  organic 
A)  biochemical 
B)  chemical 
C)  clastic 
D)  organic

Question 10

When limestone becomes chemically altered,so that half of the calcium atoms are replaced by magnesium,the resultant rock is termed

Accepted Answer

A)  agate. 
B)  dolostone. 
C)  jasper. 
D)  travertine. 
A)  agate. 
B)  dolostone. 
C)  jasper. 
D)  travertine.

Question 11

Precipitation of gypsum due to evaporation of seawater produces which kind of sedimentary rock?

Accepted Answer

A)  biochemical 
B)  chemical 
C)  clastic 
D)  organic 
A)  biochemical 
B)  chemical 
C)  clastic 
D)  organic

Question 12

Which transport medium carries the largest particles?

Accepted Answer

A)  ice in glaciers 
B)  water in rivers 
C)  wind 
D)  water in lakes 
A)  ice in glaciers 
B)  water in rivers 
C)  wind 
D)  water in lakes

Question 13

The image below shows a series of graded beds.How many graded beds are shown?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 
B)  3 
C)  6 
D)  9 
A)  1 
B)  3 
C)  6 
D)  9

Question 14

The sedimentary rocks breccia and conglomerate most commonly form in a ________ environment.

Accepted Answer

A)  beach 
B)  lake 
C)  mountain stream 
D)  deep-ocean basin 
A)  beach 
B)  lake 
C)  mountain stream 
D)  deep-ocean basin

Question 15

A shale differs from a mudstone in that it

Accepted Answer

A)  breaks into platy sheets. 
B)  is compositionally richer in quartz. 
C)  has smaller grains. 
D)  has larger grains. 
A)  breaks into platy sheets. 
B)  is compositionally richer in quartz. 
C)  has smaller grains. 
D)  has larger grains.

Question 16

Limestone can be either a biochemical or a chemical sedimentary rock.Explain how both types of limestone are formed.Make sure to describe the environments in which they were formed.

Accepted Answer

Fossiliferous limestone is a type of bio

Question 17

The primary difference between breccia and conglomerate is that conglomerate

Accepted Answer

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. 
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.

Question 18

If water is the transport mechanism of sediment,the grain size of sedimentary deposits most closely indicates the

Accepted Answer

A)  geographic extent of the weathering source rock at outcrop. 
B)  average velocity of the water from the time of erosion until deposition. 
C)  velocity of the water at the moment the sediment settled to the bottom. 
D)  climate conditions at the time of deposition. 
A)  geographic extent of the weathering source rock at outcrop. 
B)  average velocity of the water from the time of erosion until deposition. 
C)  velocity of the water at the moment the sediment settled to the bottom. 
D)  climate conditions at the time of deposition.

Question 19

Sea level rises locally,and marine sediments are deposited on top of terrestrial sediments during events termed

Accepted Answer

A)  transgressions. 
B)  regressions. 
C)  turbidity currents. 
D)  cross bedding. 
A)  transgressions. 
B)  regressions. 
C)  turbidity currents. 
D)  cross bedding.

Question 20

Diagenesis refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  the development of layering within sedimentary rocks. 
B)  the act of deposition of sediment that will determine the characteristics of and,ultimately,form a sedimentary rock. 
C)  physical and chemical alterations,including compaction and cementation,that occur as sediment is transformed into rock. 
D)  the natural process of separating sediment by grain size. 
A)  the development of layering within sedimentary rocks. 
B)  the act of deposition of sediment that will determine the characteristics of and,ultimately,form a sedimentary rock. 
C)  physical and chemical alterations,including compaction and cementation,that occur as sediment is transformed into rock. 
D)  the natural process of separating sediment by grain size.

Exam 6: Pages of the Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

What is the difference in the formation of chalk versus chert?

The majority of the rocks that form at the surface of the Earth are

Which of the following is true regarding biochemical chert?

Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?

Chemically precipitated limestone that forms in caves or around hot springs is termed

The image below shows an outcrop of coarse-grained sedimentary rock.Note the rock hammer for scale.What is the name of this rock type?

Ripple marks are ________

Describe the difference between lithification and diagenesis.

Lithified detritus (breakdown products of preexisting rocks)forms which kind of sedimentary rock?

When limestone becomes chemically altered,so that half of the calcium atoms are replaced by magnesium,the resultant rock is termed

Precipitation of gypsum due to evaporation of seawater produces which kind of sedimentary rock?

Which transport medium carries the largest particles?

The image below shows a series of graded beds.How many graded beds are shown?

The sedimentary rocks breccia and conglomerate most commonly form in a ________ environment.

A shale differs from a mudstone in that it

Limestone can be either a biochemical or a chemical sedimentary rock.Explain how both types of limestone are formed.Make sure to describe the environments in which they were formed.

The primary difference between breccia and conglomerate is that conglomerate

If water is the transport mechanism of sediment,the grain size of sedimentary deposits most closely indicates the

Sea level rises locally,and marine sediments are deposited on top of terrestrial sediments during events termed

Diagenesis refers to

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

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of the Earth

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?

Filters