Question 1

Which of the following may be said about the geologic history of east and southeast North America?

Accepted Answer

A)  Rifting occurred to separate North America from Rodinia around 600 Ma 
B)  Convergence and collisions occurred between about 500 Ma to 220 Ma, causing the Taconic, Acadian, and Alleghenian orogenies. 
C)  Rifting once again occurred around 200 Ma and created the Atlantic Ocean; North America underwent a cycle of rifting, collisions, and rifting. 
D)  All of these 
A)  Rifting occurred to separate North America from Rodinia around 600 Ma 
B)  Convergence and collisions occurred between about 500 Ma to 220 Ma, causing the Taconic, Acadian, and Alleghenian orogenies. 
C)  Rifting once again occurred around 200 Ma and created the Atlantic Ocean; North America underwent a cycle of rifting, collisions, and rifting. 
D)  All of these

Question 2

The Michigan Basin is pictured in the images yellow and green are the youngest layers). What may be said of this basin?

Accepted Answer

A)  Rock layers form a bulls-eye pattern with the youngest rocks in the center, indicating the presence of the basin. 
B)  Layers are thicker in the center of the basin, indicating the basin was subsiding during deposition. 
C)  May have formed during an episode of continental rifting. 
D)  All of these may be said of the Michigan Basin. 
A)  Rock layers form a bulls-eye pattern with the youngest rocks in the center, indicating the presence of the basin. 
B)  Layers are thicker in the center of the basin, indicating the basin was subsiding during deposition. 
C)  May have formed during an episode of continental rifting. 
D)  All of these may be said of the Michigan Basin.

Question 3

In which of the following environments is the lithosphere likely to be thinnest?

Accepted Answer

A)  beneath a mid-ocean ridge 
B)  beneath a typical part of the abyssal plain 
C)  a tectonically active continental margin 
D)  the interior of a continent away from plate boundaries 
A)  beneath a mid-ocean ridge 
B)  beneath a typical part of the abyssal plain 
C)  a tectonically active continental margin 
D)  the interior of a continent away from plate boundaries

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a way in which local mountains can be built?

Accepted Answer

A)  prolonged volcanism in composite volcanoes 
B)  thrust faulting 
C)  normal faulting 
D)  folding 
E)  all of these are ways to make local mountains 
A)  prolonged volcanism in composite volcanoes 
B)  thrust faulting 
C)  normal faulting 
D)  folding 
E)  all of these are ways to make local mountains

Question 5

What is the main reason why the age of oldest rocks can vary from one part of a continent to another?

Accepted Answer

A)  older rocks are commonly remelted over huge regions 
B)  older rocks have been uplifted and eroded away 
C)  large parts of the continent are subducted deep within the mantle 
D)  parts of the continent have been added by the accretion of tectonic terranes 
A)  older rocks are commonly remelted over huge regions 
B)  older rocks have been uplifted and eroded away 
C)  large parts of the continent are subducted deep within the mantle 
D)  parts of the continent have been added by the accretion of tectonic terranes

Question 6

What happens during movement along rotating fault blocks?

Accepted Answer

A)  The corner of a block that is rotated down becomes a basin. 
B)  The layers within the blocks rotate, but the blocks themselves do not. 
C)  The layers and blocks rotate, but the faults do not rotate. 
D)  The crust is thickened by the compression. 
E)  None of these. 
A)  The corner of a block that is rotated down becomes a basin. 
B)  The layers within the blocks rotate, but the blocks themselves do not. 
C)  The layers and blocks rotate, but the faults do not rotate. 
D)  The crust is thickened by the compression. 
E)  None of these.

Question 7

The basin shown in this figure was actively subsiding during the formation of unit:

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

Where was India located during most of the Mesozoic?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Southern Hemisphere 
B)  connected with Africa and Antarctic 
C)  part of the supercontinent of Gondwana 
D)  all of these 
E)  none of these 
A)  the Southern Hemisphere 
B)  connected with Africa and Antarctic 
C)  part of the supercontinent of Gondwana 
D)  all of these 
E)  none of these

Question 9

Which of the following happened to form the features in this region?

Accepted Answer

A)  formation of a continental hot spot 
B)  continental rifting 
C)  seafloor spreading 
D)  volcanism that produced new land 
E)  all of these 
A)  formation of a continental hot spot 
B)  continental rifting 
C)  seafloor spreading 
D)  volcanism that produced new land 
E)  all of these

Question 10

Which of the following would cause uplift along an ocean-continent convergent margin?

Accepted Answer

A)  thinning of the lithosphere above the subduction zone 
B)  addition of magmas into the crust from the subduction zone 
C)  formation of a fold and thrust belt 
D)  all of these 
A)  thinning of the lithosphere above the subduction zone 
B)  addition of magmas into the crust from the subduction zone 
C)  formation of a fold and thrust belt 
D)  all of these

Question 11

Using the rule of thumb for elevations and the information provided by the image, what may be said of the actual differences in elevation and crust thickness between Phoenix and Flagstaff Elevation Phoenix: 300 m, Flagstaff: 2100 m)?

Accepted Answer

A)  The differences are what we would predict. Rule of thumb: increase of 6 km crust thickness = increase in 1 km elevation. 
B)  The differences are what we would predict. Rule of thumb: increase of 1 km crust thickness = increase in 6 km elevation. 
C)  The differences are not what we would predict. Rule of thumb: increase of 1 km crust thickness = increase in 1 km elevation. 
D)  The differences are not what we would predict. Rule of thumb: increase of 6 km crust thickness = increase in 6 km elevation. 
A)  The differences are what we would predict. Rule of thumb: increase of 6 km crust thickness = increase in 1 km elevation. 
B)  The differences are what we would predict. Rule of thumb: increase of 1 km crust thickness = increase in 6 km elevation. 
C)  The differences are not what we would predict. Rule of thumb: increase of 1 km crust thickness = increase in 1 km elevation. 
D)  The differences are not what we would predict. Rule of thumb: increase of 6 km crust thickness = increase in 6 km elevation.

Question 12

In what sites can extension occur near a subduction zone?

Accepted Answer

A)  in front of the arc 
B)  within the arc 
C)  behind the arc 
D)  all of these 
E)  none of these 
A)  in front of the arc 
B)  within the arc 
C)  behind the arc 
D)  all of these 
E)  none of these

Question 13

Regional elevation can be increased by:

Accepted Answer

A)  thrust faulting that thickens the crust 
B)  constructing huge volcanic fields 
C)  adding a significant amount of magma at depth 
D)  heating a region's crust and mantle 
E)  all of these 
A)  thrust faulting that thickens the crust 
B)  constructing huge volcanic fields 
C)  adding a significant amount of magma at depth 
D)  heating a region's crust and mantle 
E)  all of these

Question 14

Which parts of North America have NOT been added to the continent since the Precambrian?

Accepted Answer

A)  some parts of the Appalachian Mountains 
B)  rocks along the West Coast 
C)  Alaska and western Canada 
D)  Canadian Shield 
E)  all of these 
A)  some parts of the Appalachian Mountains 
B)  rocks along the West Coast 
C)  Alaska and western Canada 
D)  Canadian Shield 
E)  all of these

Question 15

An orogeny is:

Accepted Answer

A)  the formation of mountains or the time period during which tectonic activity causes deformation and forms mountains 
B)  the subsidence of a continent under the weight of continental glaciation during an ice age 
C)  a cycle of erosion and deposition during which large areas of horizontal sedimentary rock are created 
D)  a unit of geologic time which is longer than an epoch, but shorter than a period 
A)  the formation of mountains or the time period during which tectonic activity causes deformation and forms mountains 
B)  the subsidence of a continent under the weight of continental glaciation during an ice age 
C)  a cycle of erosion and deposition during which large areas of horizontal sedimentary rock are created 
D)  a unit of geologic time which is longer than an epoch, but shorter than a period

Question 16

What will happen during movement on these normal faults?

Accepted Answer

A)  the crust will thicken and the region will be uplifted 
B)  the crust will thin and the region will be uplifted 
C)  the fault blocks will rotate in the same direction, like books sliding on a shelf 
D)  the blocks will be uplifted or downdropped with only minor rotation 
A)  the crust will thicken and the region will be uplifted 
B)  the crust will thin and the region will be uplifted 
C)  the fault blocks will rotate in the same direction, like books sliding on a shelf 
D)  the blocks will be uplifted or downdropped with only minor rotation

Question 17

Which statement best describes how region 1 will look in the future?

Accepted Answer

A)  higher in elevation because magma generated along a subduction zone will rise into and thicken the crust 
B)  a deep basin that is underlain by oceanic crust and a thin sediment cover 
C)  above sea level as this area becomes rifted apart 
A)  higher in elevation because magma generated along a subduction zone will rise into and thicken the crust 
B)  a deep basin that is underlain by oceanic crust and a thin sediment cover 
C)  above sea level as this area becomes rifted apart

Question 18

Why is there a basin associated with some thrust faults?

Accepted Answer

A)  thrust faults thin the crust and cause subsidence 
B)  thrust faults form passive margins 
C)  thrust sheets depress the crust in front of the thrust 
D)  thrust sheets form a continent rift 
A)  thrust faults thin the crust and cause subsidence 
B)  thrust faults form passive margins 
C)  thrust sheets depress the crust in front of the thrust 
D)  thrust sheets form a continent rift

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a common setting in which a terrane originally forms?

Accepted Answer

A)  oceanic plateau 
B)  island arc 
C)  oceanic crust 
D)  linear island chain 
E)  all of these are common settings for a terrane 
A)  oceanic plateau 
B)  island arc 
C)  oceanic crust 
D)  linear island chain 
E)  all of these are common settings for a terrane

Question 20

A fault-bounded body of rock that has a different geologic history than adjacent regions is called a:

Accepted Answer

A)  tectonic terrane 
B)  horst and graben 
C)  forearc basin 
D)  continental shield 
A)  tectonic terrane 
B)  horst and graben 
C)  forearc basin 
D)  continental shield

Which of the following may be said about the geologic history of east and southeast North America?

The Michigan Basin is pictured in the images yellow and green are the youngest layers). What may be said of this basin?

In which of the following environments is the lithosphere likely to be thinnest?

Which of the following is NOT a way in which local mountains can be built?

What is the main reason why the age of oldest rocks can vary from one part of a continent to another?

What happens during movement along rotating fault blocks?

The basin shown in this figure was actively subsiding during the formation of unit:

Where was India located during most of the Mesozoic?

Which of the following happened to form the features in this region?

Which of the following would cause uplift along an ocean-continent convergent margin?

Using the rule of thumb for elevations and the information provided by the image, what may be said of the actual differences in elevation and crust thickness between Phoenix and Flagstaff Elevation Phoenix: 300 m, Flagstaff: 2100 m)?

In what sites can extension occur near a subduction zone?

Regional elevation can be increased by:

Which parts of North America have NOT been added to the continent since the Precambrian?

An orogeny is:

What will happen during movement on these normal faults?

Which statement best describes how region 1 will look in the future?

Why is there a basin associated with some thrust faults?

Which of the following is NOT a common setting in which a terrane originally forms?

A fault-bounded body of rock that has a different geologic history than adjacent regions is called a:

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Exam 11: Mountains, Basins, and Continents

Which of the following may be said about the geologic history of east and southeast North America?

The Michigan Basin is pictured in the images yellow and green are the youngest layers). What may be said of this basin?

In which of the following environments is the lithosphere likely to be thinnest?

Which of the following is NOT a way in which local mountains can be built?

What is the main reason why the age of oldest rocks can vary from one part of a continent to another?

What happens during movement along rotating fault blocks?

The basin shown in this figure was actively subsiding during the formation of unit:

Where was India located during most of the Mesozoic?

Which of the following happened to form the features in this region?

Which of the following would cause uplift along an ocean-continent convergent margin?

Using the rule of thumb for elevations and the information provided by the image, what may be said of the actual differences in elevation and crust thickness between Phoenix and Flagstaff Elevation Phoenix: 300 m, Flagstaff: 2100 m)?

In what sites can extension occur near a subduction zone?

Regional elevation can be increased by:

Which parts of North America have NOT been added to the continent since the Precambrian?

An orogeny is:

What will happen during movement on these normal faults?

Which statement best describes how region 1 will look in the future?

Why is there a basin associated with some thrust faults?

Which of the following is NOT a common setting in which a terrane originally forms?

A fault-bounded body of rock that has a different geologic history than adjacent regions is called a:

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