Question 1

During what time did the western U.S. experience a large amount of crustal extension?

Accepted Answer

A)  middle Paleozoic 
B)  early Mesozoic 
C)  late Mesozoic 
D)  middle and late Cenozoic 
A)  middle Paleozoic 
B)  early Mesozoic 
C)  late Mesozoic 
D)  middle and late Cenozoic D

Question 2

Which part of the United States has present-day basins or basins preserved in its older rocks?

Accepted Answer

A)  Basin and Range province of the western U.S. 
B)  Gulf Coast region of the southern U.S. 
C)  Appalachian Mountains 
D)  center of the continent, such as Michigan 
E)  all of these 
A)  Basin and Range province of the western U.S. 
B)  Gulf Coast region of the southern U.S. 
C)  Appalachian Mountains 
D)  center of the continent, such as Michigan 
E)  all of these E

Question 3

Which of the following control the regional elevation of the land?

Accepted Answer

A)  Thickness of the crust 
B)  Density of materials in the crust 
C)  Temperature of the crust and mantle 
D)  All of these can control regional elevation of the land 
A)  Thickness of the crust 
B)  Density of materials in the crust 
C)  Temperature of the crust and mantle 
D)  All of these can control regional elevation of the land D

Question 4

Continental hot spots are typically marked by:

Accepted Answer

A)  high elevations 
B)  abundant volcanism 
C)  continental rifting 
D)  all of these typically mark continental hot spots 
A)  high elevations 
B)  abundant volcanism 
C)  continental rifting 
D)  all of these typically mark continental hot spots

Question 5

On this map of the area around Yellowstone, which feature is interpreted to record the position of the hot spot over time?

Accepted Answer

A)  2, the Snake River Plain 
B)  3, the Uinta Mountains 
C)  4, the Bonneville Salt Flats 
D)  all of these 
A)  2, the Snake River Plain 
B)  3, the Uinta Mountains 
C)  4, the Bonneville Salt Flats 
D)  all of these

Question 6

The Himalaya are:

Accepted Answer

A)  the highest mountain range in the world and contain Earth's highest peak 
B)  near the Colorado Plateau, one of the world's largest plateaus 
C)  underlain by abnormally thin lithosphere 
D)  an ancient mountain range with most uplift occurring 200 million years ago 
E)  all of these 
A)  the highest mountain range in the world and contain Earth's highest peak 
B)  near the Colorado Plateau, one of the world's largest plateaus 
C)  underlain by abnormally thin lithosphere 
D)  an ancient mountain range with most uplift occurring 200 million years ago 
E)  all of these

Question 7

Which of the following is a characteristic of a terrane?

Accepted Answer

A)  The boundaries of a terrane are generally major faults or shear zones. 
B)  A terrane has the same sequence of rocks as adjacent areas. 
C)  To be a terrane, the rocks must form in a deep marine environment. 
D)  The layers and fossils in a terrane can be matched with those in adjacent areas. 
E)  None of these. 
A)  The boundaries of a terrane are generally major faults or shear zones. 
B)  A terrane has the same sequence of rocks as adjacent areas. 
C)  To be a terrane, the rocks must form in a deep marine environment. 
D)  The layers and fossils in a terrane can be matched with those in adjacent areas. 
E)  None of these.

Question 8

Which numbered area on this geologic map of North America would contain the oldest rocks exposed at the surface?

Accepted Answer

A)  1, southern Alaska 
B)  2, continental platform of west-central Canada 
C)  3, continental shield of eastern Canada 
D)  4, coastal plain along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. 
A)  1, southern Alaska 
B)  2, continental platform of west-central Canada 
C)  3, continental shield of eastern Canada 
D)  4, coastal plain along the Gulf Coast of the U.S.

Question 9

Which of the following may affect crustal thickness?

Accepted Answer

A)  Type of crust continental or oceanic) 
B)  Deformation like compression or stretching) 
C)  Erosion 
D)  Deposition or burial by volcanic rocks 
E)  All of these affect crustal thickness 
A)  Type of crust continental or oceanic) 
B)  Deformation like compression or stretching) 
C)  Erosion 
D)  Deposition or burial by volcanic rocks 
E)  All of these affect crustal thickness

Question 10

What caused the site of the Catskill Delta in New York to become a basin?

Accepted Answer

A)  rifting of the continent during the breakup of Pangaea 
B)  formation of a passive margin 
C)  a foreland basin formed by the weight of thrust sheets 
D)  down flexing of an oceanic plate during the start of subduction 
A)  rifting of the continent during the breakup of Pangaea 
B)  formation of a passive margin 
C)  a foreland basin formed by the weight of thrust sheets 
D)  down flexing of an oceanic plate during the start of subduction

Question 11

Regional elevation can be decreased by:

Accepted Answer

A)  normal faulting that thins the crust 
B)  erosion 
C)  cooling of the crust 
D)  all of these 
A)  normal faulting that thins the crust 
B)  erosion 
C)  cooling of the crust 
D)  all of these

Question 12

If you erode material off of a region, it would:

Accepted Answer

A)  thicken the crust 
B)  thin the crust 
C)  cause the region to increase in elevation 
D)  none of these 
A)  thicken the crust 
B)  thin the crust 
C)  cause the region to increase in elevation 
D)  none of these

Question 13

The image shows Stone Mountain in Georgia, a feature made of granite that was uncovered by erosion that removed the overlying and flanking softer rocks. What is the best name for this feature?

Accepted Answer

A)  An erosional remnant 
B)  A mesa 
C)  A thrust fault 
D)  An anticline 
A)  An erosional remnant 
B)  A mesa 
C)  A thrust fault 
D)  An anticline

Question 14

According to the cross sections in the textbook, which of the following tectonic settings did not happen during the Paleozoic evolution of northern Appalachian Mountains?

Accepted Answer

A)  continental rifting 
B)  passive margin 
C)  subduction beneath an offshore island arc 
D)  continental collision 
E)  all of these occurred at one time or another 
A)  continental rifting 
B)  passive margin 
C)  subduction beneath an offshore island arc 
D)  continental collision 
E)  all of these occurred at one time or another

Question 15

Which feature is interpreted to be in the Yellowstone region 1)?

Accepted Answer

A)  a continental collision 
B)  a meteorite impact 
C)  a continental hot spot 
D)  a foreland basin 
A)  a continental collision 
B)  a meteorite impact 
C)  a continental hot spot 
D)  a foreland basin

Question 16

What events occurred in the western U.S. during middle and late Paleozoic time?

Accepted Answer

A)  collisions with island arcs 
B)  thrust faults 
C)  formation of mountains called the Ancestral Rockies 
D)  all of these 
A)  collisions with island arcs 
B)  thrust faults 
C)  formation of mountains called the Ancestral Rockies 
D)  all of these

Question 17

The Ural Mountains in central Russia are a mountain range in the middle of a continent. How did this happen?

Accepted Answer

A)  Europe collided with Siberia 200-300 million years ago, forming a range in the center of the new continent as the landmasses joined. 
B)  A hot spot developed beneath central Russia 250 million years ago and subsequent volcanism created a mountain range. 
C)  Subduction along the eastern coast of Russia has created a volcanic range near the center of Eurasia. 
A)  Europe collided with Siberia 200-300 million years ago, forming a range in the center of the new continent as the landmasses joined. 
B)  A hot spot developed beneath central Russia 250 million years ago and subsequent volcanism created a mountain range. 
C)  Subduction along the eastern coast of Russia has created a volcanic range near the center of Eurasia.

Question 18

A continental shelf along a passive margin is below sea level because:

Accepted Answer

A)  it is underlain by oceanic crust 
B)  it was a mountain that was eroded away 
C)  the crust has been thinned by normal faulting 
D)  the weight of the continental crust pushes it down 
A)  it is underlain by oceanic crust 
B)  it was a mountain that was eroded away 
C)  the crust has been thinned by normal faulting 
D)  the weight of the continental crust pushes it down

Question 19

Which of these numbered features is a foreland basin?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 
B)  2 
C)  3 
D)  4 
E)  5 
A)  1 
B)  2 
C)  3 
D)  4 
E)  5

Question 20

Regional elevation can be increased by:

Accepted Answer

A)  thinning the crust 
B)  normal faulting 
C)  eroding material from the top 
D)  heating the crust and mantle 
A)  thinning the crust 
B)  normal faulting 
C)  eroding material from the top 
D)  heating the crust and mantle

During what time did the western U.S. experience a large amount of crustal extension?

Which part of the United States has present-day basins or basins preserved in its older rocks?

Which of the following control the regional elevation of the land?

Continental hot spots are typically marked by:

On this map of the area around Yellowstone, which feature is interpreted to record the position of the hot spot over time?

The Himalaya are:

Which of the following is a characteristic of a terrane?

Which numbered area on this geologic map of North America would contain the oldest rocks exposed at the surface?

Which of the following may affect crustal thickness?

What caused the site of the Catskill Delta in New York to become a basin?

Regional elevation can be decreased by:

If you erode material off of a region, it would:

The image shows Stone Mountain in Georgia, a feature made of granite that was uncovered by erosion that removed the overlying and flanking softer rocks. What is the best name for this feature?

According to the cross sections in the textbook, which of the following tectonic settings did not happen during the Paleozoic evolution of northern Appalachian Mountains?

Which feature is interpreted to be in the Yellowstone region 1)?

What events occurred in the western U.S. during middle and late Paleozoic time?

The Ural Mountains in central Russia are a mountain range in the middle of a continent. How did this happen?

A continental shelf along a passive margin is below sea level because:

Which of these numbered features is a foreland basin?

Regional elevation can be increased by:

The Nature of Geology

Investigating Geologic Questions

Plate Tectonics

Earth Materials

Igneous Environments

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Sedimentary Environments

Deformation and Metamorphism

Geologic Time

Seafloor and Continental Margins

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Climate and Weathering

Glaciers, Shorelines, and Changing Sea Levels

Weathering, Soil, and Unstable Slopes

Streams and Flooding

Water Resources

Energy and Mineral Resources

Geology of the Solar System

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Exam 11: Mountains, Basins, and Continents

During what time did the western U.S. experience a large amount of crustal extension?

Which part of the United States has present-day basins or basins preserved in its older rocks?

Which of the following control the regional elevation of the land?

Continental hot spots are typically marked by:

On this map of the area around Yellowstone, which feature is interpreted to record the position of the hot spot over time?

The Himalaya are:

Which of the following is a characteristic of a terrane?

Which numbered area on this geologic map of North America would contain the oldest rocks exposed at the surface?

Which of the following may affect crustal thickness?

What caused the site of the Catskill Delta in New York to become a basin?

Regional elevation can be decreased by:

If you erode material off of a region, it would:

The image shows Stone Mountain in Georgia, a feature made of granite that was uncovered by erosion that removed the overlying and flanking softer rocks. What is the best name for this feature?

According to the cross sections in the textbook, which of the following tectonic settings did not happen during the Paleozoic evolution of northern Appalachian Mountains?

Which feature is interpreted to be in the Yellowstone region 1)?

What events occurred in the western U.S. during middle and late Paleozoic time?

The Ural Mountains in central Russia are a mountain range in the middle of a continent. How did this happen?

A continental shelf along a passive margin is below sea level because:

Which of these numbered features is a foreland basin?

Regional elevation can be increased by:

The Nature of Geology

Investigating Geologic Questions

Plate Tectonics

Earth Materials

Igneous Environments

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Sedimentary Environments

Deformation and Metamorphism

Geologic Time

Seafloor and Continental Margins

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Climate and Weathering

Glaciers, Shorelines, and Changing Sea Levels

Weathering, Soil, and Unstable Slopes

Streams and Flooding

Water Resources

Energy and Mineral Resources

Geology of the Solar System

Filters