Question 1

Which of the following geologic principles is a direct result of gravity?

Accepted Answer

A) baked contacts 
B) cross-cutting relationships 
C) original horizontality 
D) inclusions 
A) baked contacts 
B) cross-cutting relationships 
C) original horizontality 
D) inclusions C

Question 2

Dendrochonology involves dating of historic and geologic events through the study of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) growth layers in shells 
B) oxygen isotope profiles in glacial ice 
C) remnant magnetism in iron-rich minerals 
D) annual growth rings in trees 
A) growth layers in shells 
B) oxygen isotope profiles in glacial ice 
C) remnant magnetism in iron-rich minerals 
D) annual growth rings in trees D

Question 3

Which method of correlation is more reliable for determining age equivalence among bodies of rock that are physically isolated by vast distances?

Accepted Answer

A) lithologic correlation 
B) fossil correlation 
A) lithologic correlation 
B) fossil correlation B

Question 4

The youngest geologic unit visible in the cross section is the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) granite 
B) limestone 
C) conglomerate 
D) marble 
A) granite 
B) limestone 
C) conglomerate 
D) marble

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

A) atomic number 
B) atomic mass number 
C) tendency to decay radioactively 
D) None of the above are correct. 
A) atomic number 
B) atomic mass number 
C) tendency to decay radioactively 
D) None of the above are correct.

Question 6

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.

Question 7

The basalt body is best described as a ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) pluton 
B) sill 
C) dike 
D) laccolith 
A) pluton 
B) sill 
C) dike 
D) laccolith

Question 8

Precisely speaking,a measured radiometric age for a mineral crystal within an igneous rock denotes the amount of time that has passed since the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) atoms within the crystal were part of a body of molten magma 
B) crystal solidified 
C) temperature of the crystal became equal to the Curie point for the mineral 
D) temperature of the crystal became equal to the closure temperature for the mineral 
A) atoms within the crystal were part of a body of molten magma 
B) crystal solidified 
C) temperature of the crystal became equal to the Curie point for the mineral 
D) temperature of the crystal became equal to the closure temperature for the mineral

Question 9

As understood by modern geologists,the principle of uniformitarianism implies that ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) the Earth has always had the same basic appearance that it has today,with the distributions of ocean basins and continents identical to what we see today 
B) igneous,metamorphic,and sedimentary rocks are uniformly mixed throughout the crust of the Earth 
C) physical processes observed today (such as erosion and volcanic eruption)have been active in the past and are responsible for the geologic history we see preserved in the rock record 
D) physical processes observed today (such as erosion and volcanic eruption)have been occurring throughout Earth history at constant rates;for example,no eruption in geologic time would have been greater than the 1815 Tambora eruption 
A) the Earth has always had the same basic appearance that it has today,with the distributions of ocean basins and continents identical to what we see today 
B) igneous,metamorphic,and sedimentary rocks are uniformly mixed throughout the crust of the Earth 
C) physical processes observed today (such as erosion and volcanic eruption)have been active in the past and are responsible for the geologic history we see preserved in the rock record 
D) physical processes observed today (such as erosion and volcanic eruption)have been occurring throughout Earth history at constant rates;for example,no eruption in geologic time would have been greater than the 1815 Tambora eruption

Question 10

Which proportion of a radioactive isotope is expected to remain in an unaltered (unreacted)state after the passage of three half-lives?

Accepted Answer

A) one-third 
B) three-halves 
C) one-eighth 
D) one-sixth 
A) one-third 
B) three-halves 
C) one-eighth 
D) one-sixth

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

A) disconformity 
B) angular unconformity 
C) nonconformity 
A) disconformity 
B) angular unconformity 
C) nonconformity

Question 12

When an unstable isotope decays,the daughter isotope that results is always a stable isotope.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The oldest geologic unit in the cross section is the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) granite 
B) marble 
C) limestone 
D) sandstone 
A) granite 
B) marble 
C) limestone 
D) sandstone

Question 14

Two atoms of a single element that differ in number of neutrons are said to represent two distinct ____________ of that element.

Accepted Answer

A) isomers 
B) isotopes 
C) isotherms 
D) atomic species 
A) isomers 
B) isotopes 
C) isotherms 
D) atomic species

Question 15

Numerical ages for boundaries between time units on the geologic time scale primarily resulted from the study of ____________,in conjunction with relative age data.

Accepted Answer

A) fossil content and spatial relationships among igneous rocks 
B) fossil content and spatial relationships among sedimentary rocks 
C) radiometric dating of igneous rocks 
D) radiometric dating of sedimentary rocks 
A) fossil content and spatial relationships among igneous rocks 
B) fossil content and spatial relationships among sedimentary rocks 
C) radiometric dating of igneous rocks 
D) radiometric dating of sedimentary rocks

Question 16

Concerning the relative ages of the basalt and the fault,the ____________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

If horizontal sedimentary strata overlie tilted strata (and no fault is present),the surface between the horizontal and tilted strata must be a(n)____________.

Accepted Answer

A) conformable sedimentary contact 
B) angular unconformity 
C) disconformity 
D) nonconformity 
A) conformable sedimentary contact 
B) angular unconformity 
C) disconformity 
D) nonconformity

Question 18

Contact #1 is an example of a(n)____________.

Accepted Answer

A) conformable sedimentary contact 
B) fault 
C) baked contact 
D) unconformity 
A) conformable sedimentary contact 
B) fault 
C) baked contact 
D) unconformity

Question 19

Concerning the relative ages of the granite and sandstone,the ____________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

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

Exam 12: Deep Time: How Old Is Old

Which of the following geologic principles is a direct result of gravity?

Dendrochonology involves dating of historic and geologic events through the study of ____________.

Which method of correlation is more reliable for determining age equivalence among bodies of rock that are physically isolated by vast distances?

The youngest geologic unit visible in the cross section is the ____________.

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

Uniformitarianism is succinctly summarized by which phrase?

The basalt body is best described as a ____________.

Precisely speaking,a measured radiometric age for a mineral crystal within an igneous rock denotes the amount of time that has passed since the ____________.

As understood by modern geologists,the principle of uniformitarianism implies that ____________.

Which proportion of a radioactive isotope is expected to remain in an unaltered (unreacted)state after the passage of three half-lives?

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

When an unstable isotope decays,the daughter isotope that results is always a stable isotope.

The oldest geologic unit in the cross section is the ____________.

Two atoms of a single element that differ in number of neutrons are said to represent two distinct ____________ of that element.

Numerical ages for boundaries between time units on the geologic time scale primarily resulted from the study of ____________,in conjunction with relative age data.

Concerning the relative ages of the basalt and the fault,the ____________.

If horizontal sedimentary strata overlie tilted strata (and no fault is present),the surface between the horizontal and tilted strata must be a(n)____________.

Contact #1 is an example of a(n)____________.

Concerning the relative ages of the granite and sandstone,the ____________.

Contact #3 is both a ____________ and a(n)____________ at various points.

Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rock

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: A Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

A Biography of Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Dry Settings: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Filters

Contact #3 is both a and a(n) at various points.