Exam 1: Understanding Earth: A Dynamic and Evolving Planet

What discovery, near the turn of the century, led to the development of techniques for determining absolute ages of rocks in years?

What are the three zones into which the mantle can be divided, based on physical characteristics?

The principle of uniformitarianism includes events which are sudden and catastrophic within the realm of human perception.

Earth accreted as molten material and its layers differentiated as it cooled.

What was the origin of the material which now forms the solar system, according to a current theory?

Along which tectonic plate boundary type(s) are igneous rocks formed?

Who proposed the hypothesis of continental drift, and when?

Intrusive igneous rocks form at the surface.

Name the three transporting agents or media which produce sediment deposits and, ultimately, sedimentary rocks.

What are the two types of crust?

Which plate boundary type is not strongly associated with the formation of any rock family?

Briefly explain how human conflicts over mineral resources and territory could ultimately be considered the result of the products and processes of plate tectonics.

The study of geology includes many other disciplines in the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy.

Metamorphic rocks are formed by the melting and crystallization of magma far beneath the surface.

The principle of uniformitarianism includes only processes which occur gradually.

The rock cycle is an illustration of three different rock types and

If a theory stands the test of time, it becomes a fact.

Global warming is caused by

What is the value of forensic geology?

Select two of Earth's subsystems and describe how they interact with each other.