Question 1

Which tool has been a great aid in deciphering the history of continental rocks?

Accepted Answer

A) seismic profiling 
B) geologic mapping 
C) isotopic dating 
D) stratigraphy 
A) seismic profiling 
B) geologic mapping 
C) isotopic dating 
D) stratigraphy

Question 2

Which region of North America is tectonically stable?

Accepted Answer

A) region A 
B) region B 
C) region D 
D) region E 
A) region A 
B) region B 
C) region D 
D) region E

Question 3

The process whereby continents grow as a result of new material being added by horizontal transport is called

Accepted Answer

A) accretion. 
B) collision. 
C) wedging. 
D) magmatic addition. 
A) accretion. 
B) collision. 
C) wedging. 
D) magmatic addition.

Question 4

Which of the following orogenies is oldest?

Accepted Answer

A) Appalachian 
B) Taconic 
C) Grenville 
D) Caledonian 
A) Appalachian 
B) Taconic 
C) Grenville 
D) Caledonian

Question 5

The Himalayas consist primarily of

Accepted Answer

A) basaltic lava flows and gabbroic intrusions. 
B) gently folded sedimentary rocks. 
C) granitic to dioritic plutons and related volcanic rocks. 
D) thrust sheets of deformed and metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. 
A) basaltic lava flows and gabbroic intrusions. 
B) gently folded sedimentary rocks. 
C) granitic to dioritic plutons and related volcanic rocks. 
D) thrust sheets of deformed and metamorphosed sedimentary rocks.

Question 6

How thick is the crust of the Tibetan plateau?

Accepted Answer

A) 10 to 20 km thick 
B) 30 to 40 km thick 
C) 60 to 70 km thick 
D) 100 to 150 km thick 
A) 10 to 20 km thick 
B) 30 to 40 km thick 
C) 60 to 70 km thick 
D) 100 to 150 km thick

Question 7

In the early Archean eon,the plate tectonic processes on Earth probably resembled those of present day

Accepted Answer

A) Mars. 
B) Mercury. 
C) Venus. 
D) Earth. 
A) Mars. 
B) Mercury. 
C) Venus. 
D) Earth.

Question 8

The oldest rock formation on the Earth is known as the

Accepted Answer

A) Canadian Shield. 
B) Acasta gneiss. 
C) Archean gneiss. 
D) komatiite gneiss. 
A) Canadian Shield. 
B) Acasta gneiss. 
C) Archean gneiss. 
D) komatiite gneiss.

Question 9

How many mountain-building episodes are recognized in the Valley and Ridge province of the Appalachian fold belt?

Accepted Answer

A) one 
B) two 
C) three 
D) four 
A) one 
B) two 
C) three 
D) four

Question 10

What type of evidence supports the existence of liquid surface water 4.4 billion years ago?

Accepted Answer

A) oxygen isotopic composition of zircons 
B) radiometric dating of zircons 
C) chemical composition of the Acasta gneiss 
D) the age of the Acasta gneiss 
A) oxygen isotopic composition of zircons 
B) radiometric dating of zircons 
C) chemical composition of the Acasta gneiss 
D) the age of the Acasta gneiss

Question 11

The main thrust sheets in the Himalayas were transported

Accepted Answer

A) northward. 
B) southward. 
C) eastward. 
D) westward. 
A) northward. 
B) southward. 
C) eastward. 
D) westward.

Question 12

What sort of tectonic province is the Appalachian fold belt?

Accepted Answer

A) extended crust 
B) platform 
C) continental basin 
D) phanerozoic orogeny 
A) extended crust 
B) platform 
C) continental basin 
D) phanerozoic orogeny

Question 13

What type of geologic contact separates the rocks of the Canadian Shield from the rocks of the Great Plains? (Hint: Consider the type and age of the rocks found in each area.)

Accepted Answer

A) intrusive contact 
B) strike-slip fault 
C) thrust fault 
D) unconformity 
A) intrusive contact 
B) strike-slip fault 
C) thrust fault 
D) unconformity

Question 14

Which of the following tectonic provinces contain mountains?

Accepted Answer

A) continental basin 
B) platform 
C) shield 
D) phanerozoic orogeny 
A) continental basin 
B) platform 
C) shield 
D) phanerozoic orogeny

Question 15

How far do continental deformation zones,like the Cordilleran orogenic belt,extend from a plate boundary?

Accepted Answer

A) a few kilometers 
B) a few hundreds of kilometers 
C) a few tens of kilometers 
D) approximately 1000 kilometers 
A) a few kilometers 
B) a few hundreds of kilometers 
C) a few tens of kilometers 
D) approximately 1000 kilometers

Question 16

The process whereby continents grow as a result of new material being added by vertical transport is called

Accepted Answer

A) accretion. 
B) buoyancy. 
C) assimilation. 
D) magmatic addition. 
A) accretion. 
B) buoyancy. 
C) assimilation. 
D) magmatic addition.

Question 17

The process whereby continents grow as a result of continental collisions is called

Accepted Answer

A) accretion. 
B) differentiation. 
C) assimilation. 
D) fractionation. 
A) accretion. 
B) differentiation. 
C) assimilation. 
D) fractionation.

Question 18

How thick is the sequence of sedimentary rocks that comprises the Great Plains?

Accepted Answer

A) several tens of meters thick 
B) several kilometers thick 
C) several hundreds of meters thick 
D) several tens of kilometers thick 
A) several tens of meters thick 
B) several kilometers thick 
C) several hundreds of meters thick 
D) several tens of kilometers thick

Question 19

Which of the following regions is an example of an epeirogenic uplift?

Accepted Answer

A) the Appalachian Mountains 
B) the Rocky Mountains 
C) the Colorado Plateau 
D) the Sierra Nevada 
A) the Appalachian Mountains 
B) the Rocky Mountains 
C) the Colorado Plateau 
D) the Sierra Nevada

Question 20

When did plate tectonics and the Wilson cycle begin?

Accepted Answer

A) approximately 0.5 billion years ago 
B) approximately 2.5 billion years ago 
C) approximately 1.0 billion years ago 
D) approximately 4.0 billion years ago 
A) approximately 0.5 billion years ago 
B) approximately 2.5 billion years ago 
C) approximately 1.0 billion years ago 
D) approximately 4.0 billion years ago

Exam 10: History of the Continents

Which tool has been a great aid in deciphering the history of continental rocks?

Which region of North America is tectonically stable?

The process whereby continents grow as a result of new material being added by horizontal transport is called

Which of the following orogenies is oldest?

The Himalayas consist primarily of

How thick is the crust of the Tibetan plateau?

In the early Archean eon,the plate tectonic processes on Earth probably resembled those of present day

The oldest rock formation on the Earth is known as the

How many mountain-building episodes are recognized in the Valley and Ridge province of the Appalachian fold belt?

What type of evidence supports the existence of liquid surface water 4.4 billion years ago?

The main thrust sheets in the Himalayas were transported

What sort of tectonic province is the Appalachian fold belt?

What type of geologic contact separates the rocks of the Canadian Shield from the rocks of the Great Plains? (Hint: Consider the type and age of the rocks found in each area.)

Which of the following tectonic provinces contain mountains?

How far do continental deformation zones,like the Cordilleran orogenic belt,extend from a plate boundary?

The process whereby continents grow as a result of new material being added by vertical transport is called

The process whereby continents grow as a result of continental collisions is called

How thick is the sequence of sedimentary rocks that comprises the Great Plains?

Which of the following regions is an example of an epeirogenic uplift?

When did plate tectonics and the Wilson cycle begin?

The Earth System

Plate Tectonics: The Unifying Theory

Earth Materials: Minerals and Rocks

Igneous Rocks: Solids From Melts

Sedimentation: Rocks Formed by Surface Processes

Metamorphism: Alteration of Rocks by Temperature and Pressure

Deformation: Modification of Rocks by Folding and Fracturing

Clocks in Rocks: Timing the Geologic Period

Early History of the Terrestrial Planets

Geobiology: Life Interacts With Earth

Volcanoes

Earthquakes

Exploring Earths Interior

The Climate System

Weathering,erosion,and Mass Wasting: Interactions Between the Climate and Plate Tectonic Systems

The Hydrologic Cycle and Groundwater

Stream Transport: From Mountains to Oceans

Winds and Deserts

Coastlines and Ocean Basins

Glaciers: the Work of Ice

Landscapes: Tectonic and Climate Interaction

The Human Impact of Earths Environment

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