Question 1

What lines of evidence would indicate that a granitic magma body once intruded into a layer of sandstone?

Accepted Answer

1. The sandstone would be meta

Question 2

The placement of events in a sequential order based upon their position in the rock record is referred to as ____ dating.

Accepted Answer

A) radiometric 
B) absolute 
C) relative 
D) sequential 
E) inferential 
A) radiometric 
B) absolute 
C) relative 
D) sequential 
E) inferential

Question 3

The geologic time scale was initially put together by ____.

Accepted Answer

A) radiometric dating and correlation 
B) superposition, fossil succession and correlation 
C) lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy 
D) carbon-14 age dating and lithostratigraphy 
E) geologists in the United States 
A) radiometric dating and correlation 
B) superposition, fossil succession and correlation 
C) lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy 
D) carbon-14 age dating and lithostratigraphy 
E) geologists in the United States

Question 4

Geologic time periods are uniformly divided into increments of five million years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

The principle of lateral continuity says that if a fault occurs in a sequence of sedimentary rocks, the fault is older than the rocks.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

When an atom undergoes alpha or beta decay, it ____.

Accepted Answer

A) becomes an ion of the same element 
B) becomes an isotope oh the same element 
C) becomes a completely different element 
D) may or may not become a completely different element 
E) becomes permanently stable 
A) becomes an ion of the same element 
B) becomes an isotope oh the same element 
C) becomes a completely different element 
D) may or may not become a completely different element 
E) becomes permanently stable

Question 7

A rock sample containing an isotope with a half-life of 12 million years has an initial mass of 72 grams. How much of the parent isotope will be present after three half-lives?

Accepted Answer

A) 4.5 grams 
B) 9 grams 
C) 18 grams 
D) 54 grams 
E) 63 grams 
A) 4.5 grams 
B) 9 grams 
C) 18 grams 
D) 54 grams 
E) 63 grams

Question 8

How does relative dating differ from absolute dating?

Accepted Answer

Relative dating involves placi

Question 9

When an atom of Uranium-238 undergoes alpha decay, it becomes ____.

Accepted Answer

A) U-234 
B) U-236 
C) Th-234 
D) Th-236 
E) Th-238 
A) U-234 
B) U-236 
C) Th-234 
D) Th-236 
E) Th-238

Question 10

A body of strata recognized only on the basis of its fossil content is called a(n)____________________ unit.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A body of strata recognized only on...

Question 11

Scientists have coined the ____________________ Epoch to describe present day geologic time and recognize the impact humans have on planet Earth.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Scientists have coined the ____________________ Epoch to...

Question 12

The most visible signs of human activities, such as cities, factories, and power plants, will not be strongly recorded in the rock record.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Rock units can be correlated best by examining ____.

Accepted Answer

A) fossil data, rock types, and key beds 
B) the presence of oil, rock sequence, and key beds 
C) rock type, rock sequence, and the current environment 
D) key beds, rock type, and the current environment 
E) fossil data, rock type, and the presence of oil 
A) fossil data, rock types, and key beds 
B) the presence of oil, rock sequence, and key beds 
C) rock type, rock sequence, and the current environment 
D) key beds, rock type, and the current environment 
E) fossil data, rock type, and the presence of oil

Question 14

A clast of granite found in a conglomerate is determined to be one hundred million years old. What does this information suggest about the conglomerate?

Accepted Answer

A) The conglomerate is older than 100 million years. 
B) The conglomerate is younger than 100 million years. 
C) The conglomerate was exposed to volcanic processes 100 million years ago. 
D) The conglomerate experienced volcanic processes more than 100 million years ago. 
E) We cannot determine anything about the age of the conglomerate from this information. 
A) The conglomerate is older than 100 million years. 
B) The conglomerate is younger than 100 million years. 
C) The conglomerate was exposed to volcanic processes 100 million years ago. 
D) The conglomerate experienced volcanic processes more than 100 million years ago. 
E) We cannot determine anything about the age of the conglomerate from this information.

Question 15

Uniformitarianism is the assumption that ____.

Accepted Answer

A) principles of one branch of science apply to other branches of science 
B) catastrophic events do not impact Earth processes 
C) younger sedimentary rocks are always found at the top of a horizontal rock sequence 
D) present day warming of the atmosphere is unsustainable 
E) present day geologic processes also occurred in the past 
A) principles of one branch of science apply to other branches of science 
B) catastrophic events do not impact Earth processes 
C) younger sedimentary rocks are always found at the top of a horizontal rock sequence 
D) present day warming of the atmosphere is unsustainable 
E) present day geologic processes also occurred in the past

Question 16

Fossils cannot usually be dated directly because they are not composed of minerals that naturally contain radioactive isotopes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Radiometric dating is possible because ____.

Accepted Answer

A) daughter isotopes are lost 
B) decay constants do not change 
C) experimental and sample error is negligible 
D) parent isotopes are gained 
E) metamorphic and igneous rocks are made of crystals 
A) daughter isotopes are lost 
B) decay constants do not change 
C) experimental and sample error is negligible 
D) parent isotopes are gained 
E) metamorphic and igneous rocks are made of crystals

Question 18

A half-life is the amount of time required ____.

Accepted Answer

A) to lose one-half of the daughter isotopes 
B) for the mass of a sample to decrease by half 
C) for one-half of the parent isotopes to decay to daughter isotopes 
D) to gain one-half of the parent isotopes 
E) to accurately date a rock sample 
A) to lose one-half of the daughter isotopes 
B) for the mass of a sample to decrease by half 
C) for one-half of the parent isotopes to decay to daughter isotopes 
D) to gain one-half of the parent isotopes 
E) to accurately date a rock sample

Question 19

Consider the accompanying figure and place the lettered events in order. Which principles of relative dating did you use and how did you use them? Youngest ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ Oldest

Accepted Answer

Youngest __R__ __U__ __T__ __M

Question 20

What is the approximate age of Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) 10,000 years 
B) 12.6 million years 
C) 3.2 million years 
D) 4.6 billion years 
E) 13.5 billion years 
A) 10,000 years 
B) 12.6 million years 
C) 3.2 million years 
D) 4.6 billion years 
E) 13.5 billion years

Exam 17: Geologic Time: Concepts and Principles

What lines of evidence would indicate that a granitic magma body once intruded into a layer of sandstone?

The placement of events in a sequential order based upon their position in the rock record is referred to as ____ dating.

The geologic time scale was initially put together by ____.

Geologic time periods are uniformly divided into increments of five million years.

The principle of lateral continuity says that if a fault occurs in a sequence of sedimentary rocks, the fault is older than the rocks.

When an atom undergoes alpha or beta decay, it ____.

A rock sample containing an isotope with a half-life of 12 million years has an initial mass of 72 grams. How much of the parent isotope will be present after three half-lives?

How does relative dating differ from absolute dating?

When an atom of Uranium-238 undergoes alpha decay, it becomes ____.

A body of strata recognized only on the basis of its fossil content is called a(n)____________________ unit.

Scientists have coined the ____________________ Epoch to describe present day geologic time and recognize the impact humans have on planet Earth.

The most visible signs of human activities, such as cities, factories, and power plants, will not be strongly recorded in the rock record.

Rock units can be correlated best by examining ____.

A clast of granite found in a conglomerate is determined to be one hundred million years old. What does this information suggest about the conglomerate?

Uniformitarianism is the assumption that ____.

Fossils cannot usually be dated directly because they are not composed of minerals that naturally contain radioactive isotopes.

Radiometric dating is possible because ____.

A half-life is the amount of time required ____.

Consider the accompanying figure and place the lettered events in order. Which principles of relative dating did you use and how did you use them? Youngest ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ Oldest

What is the approximate age of Earth?

Understanding Earth: a Dynamic and Evolving Planet

Plate Tectonics: a Unifying Theory

Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks

Igneous Rocks and Plutons

Volcanoes and Volcanism

Weathering, Erosion, and Soil

Sediment and Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Earthquakes and Earthapos;s Interior

Deformation, Mountain Building, and Earthapos;s Crust

Mass Wasting

Running Water--Streams and Rivers

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

The Work of Wind and Deserts

Oceans, Shorelines, and Shoreline Processes

Organic Evolution--The Theory and Its Supporting Evidence

Precambrian Earth and Life History

Paleozoic Earth History

Paleozoic Life History

Mesozoic Earth and Life History

Cenozoic Earth and Life History

Filters

Consider the accompanying figure and place the lettered events in order. Which principles of relative dating did you use and how did you use them? Youngest Oldest