Question 1

The surface below sedimentary rocks that overlie igneous or metamorphic rocks is termed a(n)

Accepted Answer

A) disconformity. 
B) angular unconformity. 
C) nonconformity. 
D) marker bed. 
A) disconformity. 
B) angular unconformity. 
C) nonconformity. 
D) marker bed.

Question 2

Stratigraphic correlation is conducted by matching __________ and __________ .

Accepted Answer

A) geologic contacts; rock types 
B) fossils; unconformities 
C) lithologic layers; fossils 
D) marker beds; eras 
A) geologic contacts; rock types 
B) fossils; unconformities 
C) lithologic layers; fossils 
D) marker beds; eras

Question 3

Buried erosional surfaces between parallel sedimentary strata are termed

Accepted Answer

A) disconformities. 
B) angular unconformities. 
C) nonconformities. 
D) marker beds. 
A) disconformities. 
B) angular unconformities. 
C) nonconformities. 
D) marker beds.

Question 4

If a basalt body cuts across a fault, what are the relative ages of the basalt and the fault?

Accepted Answer

A) The fault must be older, according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships. 
B) The basalt must be older, according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships. 
C) The basalt must be older, according to the principle of original horizontality. 
D) Their relative ages cannot be determined from the information given. 
A) The fault must be older, according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships. 
B) The basalt must be older, according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships. 
C) The basalt must be older, according to the principle of original horizontality. 
D) Their relative ages cannot be determined from the information given.

Question 5

It is known that Rock A is older than rock B but younger than rock C. It would then be accurate to say that rock __________ is the oldest, followed by rock __________, with rock __________ being the youngest.

Accepted Answer

A) A; C; B 
B) C; B; A 
C) C; A; B 
D) B; A; C 
A) A; C; B 
B) C; B; A 
C) C; A; B 
D) B; A; C

Question 6

A layer of shale that contains a distinctive fossil could be used as a

Accepted Answer

A) geologic contact. 
B) marker bed. 
C) stratigraphic sequence 
D) depositional contact. 
A) geologic contact. 
B) marker bed. 
C) stratigraphic sequence 
D) depositional contact.

Question 7

Several geologic principles are used to determine __________ ages.

Accepted Answer

A) relative 
B) numerical 
C) absolute 
D) isotopic 
A) relative 
B) numerical 
C) absolute 
D) isotopic

Question 8

Radiometric dates applied to sedimentary rocks produce ages that

Accepted Answer

A) are just as accurate as when the technique is applied to igneous rocks. 
B) are too young (postdate sedimentary deposition). 
C) are too old (predate sedimentary deposition). 
D) represent the time the sediments became lithified. 
A) are just as accurate as when the technique is applied to igneous rocks. 
B) are too young (postdate sedimentary deposition). 
C) are too old (predate sedimentary deposition). 
D) represent the time the sediments became lithified.

Question 9

According to the following image, after one half-life has passed, what is the ratio of parent isotopes to daughter isotopes?

Accepted Answer

A) 16:0 
B) 8:8 
C) 4:12 
D) 2:16 
A) 16:0 
B) 8:8 
C) 4:12 
D) 2:16

Question 10

Describe the plausible geologic history of the rocks in the diagram below.

Accepted Answer

The sediments that make up the sandstone

Question 11

The __________ represents the global strata from the entire Earth's history.

Accepted Answer

A) stratigraphic formation 
B) lithologic sequence 
C) geologic column 
D) stratigraphic column 
A) stratigraphic formation 
B) lithologic sequence 
C) geologic column 
D) stratigraphic column

Question 12

Which of the following is always the same for different isotopes of a single element?

Accepted Answer

A) atomic number 
B) atomic mass 
C) tendency to decay radioactively 
D) half-life 
A) atomic number 
B) atomic mass 
C) tendency to decay radioactively 
D) half-life

Question 13

Based on the following figure, what is the age of layer 7 relative to layer 3?

Accepted Answer

A) Layer 7 is younger than layer 3. 
B) Layer 7 is older than layer 3. 
C) Layer 7 and layer 3 are the same rock type, so they are the same age. 
D) Their relative ages cannot be determined. 
A) Layer 7 is younger than layer 3. 
B) Layer 7 is older than layer 3. 
C) Layer 7 and layer 3 are the same rock type, so they are the same age. 
D) Their relative ages cannot be determined.

Question 14

In the following image, contact #3 is both a __________ and a(n) __________ at various points.

Accepted Answer

A) conformable contact; unconformity 
B) fault; unconformity 
C) nonconformity; angular unconformity 
D) disconformity; nonconformity 
A) conformable contact; unconformity 
B) fault; unconformity 
C) nonconformity; angular unconformity 
D) disconformity; nonconformity

Question 15

In the 1800s, Lord Kelvin estimated the age of Earth, utilizing a number of assumptions. Which wrong assumption was the primary reason why his estimate (approximately 20 million years) was so wildly inaccurate?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth was once hotter than it presently is today. 
B) Earth may have been molten when first formed. 
C) No new heat has been added to Earth since its initial formation. 
D) Earth would lose heat over time through radiation into outer space. 
A) Earth was once hotter than it presently is today. 
B) Earth may have been molten when first formed. 
C) No new heat has been added to Earth since its initial formation. 
D) Earth would lose heat over time through radiation into outer space.

Question 16

The geologic column

Accepted Answer

A) is a composite stratigraphic column that symbolizes the history of life on Earth. 
B) is a composite stratigraphic column that symbolizes the entirety of Earth history. 
C) can be seen in its entirety in Ethiopia, where the earliest hominid fossils are found. 
D) is exposed in its entirety in the Grand Canyon. 
A) is a composite stratigraphic column that symbolizes the history of life on Earth. 
B) is a composite stratigraphic column that symbolizes the entirety of Earth history. 
C) can be seen in its entirety in Ethiopia, where the earliest hominid fossils are found. 
D) is exposed in its entirety in the Grand Canyon.

Question 17

In the following image of the Grand Canyon, identify the nonconformity. Vishnu

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

Concerning the relative ages of the limestone and sandstone,

Accepted Answer

A) the limestone must be older, according to the principle of superposition. 
B) the sandstone must be older, according to the principle of superposition. 
C) the limestone must be older, according to the principle of inclusions. 
D) their relative ages cannot be determined from the information given. 
A) the limestone must be older, according to the principle of superposition. 
B) the sandstone must be older, according to the principle of superposition. 
C) the limestone must be older, according to the principle of inclusions. 
D) their relative ages cannot be determined from the information given.

Question 19

A geologist in South Dakota finds an assemblage of dinosaur bones in an outcrop for the Hilltown Formation, and his colleague in China discovers an assemblage of bones from a different dinosaur in the Liaoning Formation. What can be said about the two formations?

Accepted Answer

A) They are no younger than Cretaceous in age. 
B) They are no older than Jurassic. 
C) They are the exact same age. 
D) They are no younger than Triassic in age. 
A) They are no younger than Cretaceous in age. 
B) They are no older than Jurassic. 
C) They are the exact same age. 
D) They are no younger than Triassic in age.

Question 20

Uniformitarianism is succinctly summarized by which phrase?

Accepted Answer

A) The future is the key to the present. 
B) The present is the key to the past. 
C) The past is the key to the present. 
D) The present is the key to the future. 
A) The future is the key to the present. 
B) The present is the key to the past. 
C) The past is the key to the present. 
D) The present is the key to the future.

Exam 9: Deep Time: How Old Is Old

The surface below sedimentary rocks that overlie igneous or metamorphic rocks is termed a(n)

Stratigraphic correlation is conducted by matching __________ and __________ .

Buried erosional surfaces between parallel sedimentary strata are termed

If a basalt body cuts across a fault, what are the relative ages of the basalt and the fault?

It is known that Rock A is older than rock B but younger than rock C. It would then be accurate to say that rock __________ is the oldest, followed by rock __________, with rock __________ being the youngest.

A layer of shale that contains a distinctive fossil could be used as a

Several geologic principles are used to determine __________ ages.

Radiometric dates applied to sedimentary rocks produce ages that

According to the following image, after one half-life has passed, what is the ratio of parent isotopes to daughter isotopes?

Describe the plausible geologic history of the rocks in the diagram below.

The __________ represents the global strata from the entire Earth's history.

Which of the following is always the same for different isotopes of a single element?

Based on the following figure, what is the age of layer 7 relative to layer 3?

In the following image, contact #3 is both a __________ and a(n) __________ at various points.

In the 1800s, Lord Kelvin estimated the age of Earth, utilizing a number of assumptions. Which wrong assumption was the primary reason why his estimate (approximately 20 million years) was so wildly inaccurate?

The geologic column

In the following image of the Grand Canyon, identify the nonconformity. Vishnu

Concerning the relative ages of the limestone and sandstone,

A geologist in South Dakota finds an assemblage of dinosaur bones in an outcrop for the Hilltown Formation, and his colleague in China discovers an assemblage of bones from a different dinosaur in the Liaoning Formation. What can be said about the two formations?

Uniformitarianism is succinctly summarized by which phrase?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle

Crags, Cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Shaping the Earths Surface: Landscapes, the Hydrologic Cycle, and Mass Wasting

Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts

The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths Atmosphere

Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems

Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems

Climate and Climate Change

Our Solar System and Beyond

Our Neighborhood in Space

The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space

Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science

Filters

Stratigraphic correlation is conducted by matching and .

It is known that Rock A is older than rock B but younger than rock C. It would then be accurate to say that rock is the oldest, followed by rock , with rock __ being the youngest.

In the following image, contact #3 is both a and a(n) at various points.