Question 1

In a undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks,younger layers overlay older layers,according to the principle of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism 
A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

The age of Earth CANNOT be reliably estimated from sediment thicknesses because ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) sedimentation rates are not likely to remain constant at any one locality over all of Earth's history 
B) sedimentary rocks can be metamorphosed or melted 
C) locally,much of Earth's history is represented by unconformities between strata rather than the strata themselves 
D) All of the above are correct. 
A) sedimentation rates are not likely to remain constant at any one locality over all of Earth's history 
B) sedimentary rocks can be metamorphosed or melted 
C) locally,much of Earth's history is represented by unconformities between strata rather than the strata themselves 
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 4

Which of the following always varies among 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 5

Period names on the geologic time scale,such as Devonian and Permian,provide examples of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) relative age 
B) numerical age 
A) relative age 
B) numerical age

Question 6

Relative ages expressed on the geologic time scale primarily resulted from the study of ____________.

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 7

If the lithology and fossil content of two bodies of rock on opposite sides of a canyon are identical,then these remaining outcrops were likely physically connected at one time and formed part of an extensive,sheet-like layer of rock.This idea summarizes the principle of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism 
A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism

Question 8

Radiometric dates applied to sedimentary rocks produce ages that are ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) just as accurate as when the technique is applied to igneous rocks 
B) too young (postdate sedimentary deposition) 
C) too old (pre-date sedimentary deposition) 
A) just as accurate as when the technique is applied to igneous rocks 
B) too young (postdate sedimentary deposition) 
C) too old (pre-date sedimentary deposition)

Question 9

In an unweathered sample of detrital sedimentary rock,the ratio of an unstable isotope to its stable daughter isotope is 1/15.If no daughters were present at the time the rock cooled below closure temperature,and the half-life of the reaction is 50 million years,how old is the rock?

Accepted Answer

A) 200 million years 
B) 400 million years 
C) 750 million years 
D) None of the above are correct. 
A) 200 million years 
B) 400 million years 
C) 750 million years 
D) None of the above are correct.

Question 10

If the numerical ages of two formations are known,then the relative age of each with respect to one another can be inferred.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

James Hutton,the "father of geology," put forth the principle of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism 
A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism

Question 12

If all of Earth history were compressed into a single year,Homo sapiens would first appear on ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) February 26 (close to Mardi Gras) 
B) April 15 (just before taxes are due) 
C) October 31 (just in time for Halloween) 
D) December 31,at 11:59 P.M.(just before the ball drops on New Year's Eve) 
A) February 26 (close to Mardi Gras) 
B) April 15 (just before taxes are due) 
C) October 31 (just in time for Halloween) 
D) December 31,at 11:59 P.M.(just before the ball drops on New Year's Eve)

Question 13

Buried erosional surfaces between parallel sedimentary strata are termed ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) disconformities 
B) angular unconformities 
C) nonconformities 
A) disconformities 
B) angular unconformities 
C) nonconformities

Question 14

Which statement best summarizes the development of the geologic time scale?

Accepted Answer

A) Numerical ages for rocks were known well before the relative sequence of sedimentary layers was established. 
B) Relative ages for sedimentary strata were known well before accurate numerical dates for these rocks could be provided. 
C) Names of relative ages (such as Silurian)and accurate numerical dates for these ages appeared at about the same time. 
A) Numerical ages for rocks were known well before the relative sequence of sedimentary layers was established. 
B) Relative ages for sedimentary strata were known well before accurate numerical dates for these rocks could be provided. 
C) Names of relative ages (such as Silurian)and accurate numerical dates for these ages appeared at about the same time.

Question 15

The surfaces named contacts #2 and #3 are examples of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) conformable sedimentary contacts 
B) faults 
C) baked contacts 
D) unconformities 
A) conformable sedimentary contacts 
B) faults 
C) baked contacts 
D) unconformities

Question 16

Basaltic clasts within the basal layers of the conglomerate imply which of the following statements (choose the most correct answer)?

Accepted Answer

A) The conglomerate must be the older of the two. 
B) The basalt must be the older of the two. 
C) The section must not have been overturned by tectonic activity at any time. 
D) B and C are both correct. 
A) The conglomerate must be the older of the two. 
B) The basalt must be the older of the two. 
C) The section must not have been overturned by tectonic activity at any time. 
D) B and C are both correct.

Question 17

Which statement about contact #3 is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) It and contact #2 once formed a continuous unconformity. 
B) It was once elevated farther above contact #2,but faulting has brought them closer together. 
C) It presents an example of an angular unconformity. 
D) It must be younger than the conglomerate,due to the principle of baked contacts. 
A) It and contact #2 once formed a continuous unconformity. 
B) It was once elevated farther above contact #2,but faulting has brought them closer together. 
C) It presents an example of an angular unconformity. 
D) It must be younger than the conglomerate,due to the principle of baked contacts.

Question 18

Basaltic clasts within the conglomerate have been radiometrically dated to 50 million years ago (Eocene epoch of the Tertiary period).Is this a reliable age for the conglomerate?

Accepted Answer

A) Yes. 
B) No,this age is likely too old. 
C) No,this age is likely too young. 
D) No,basalt never contains minerals bearing radioactive isotopes. 
A) Yes. 
B) No,this age is likely too old. 
C) No,this age is likely too young. 
D) No,basalt never contains minerals bearing radioactive isotopes.

Question 19

Within the world's sedimentary rocks,fossils ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) are rarely,if ever,found 
B) are randomly distributed 
C) occur in an ordered sequence 
A) are rarely,if ever,found 
B) are randomly distributed 
C) occur in an ordered sequence

Question 20

In an unweathered sample of igneous rock,the ratio of an unstable isotope to its stable daughter isotope is 1/15.If no daughters were present at the time the rock cooled below closure temperature,and the half-life of the reaction is 50 million years,how old is the rock?

Accepted Answer

A) 200 million years 
B) 400 million years 
C) 750 million years 
D) None of the above are correct. 
A) 200 million years 
B) 400 million years 
C) 750 million years 
D) None of the above are correct.

Exam 12: Deep Time: How Old Is Old

In a undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks,younger layers overlay older layers,according to the principle of ____________.

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

The age of Earth CANNOT be reliably estimated from sediment thicknesses because ____________.

Which of the following always varies among multiple isotopes of a single element?

Period names on the geologic time scale,such as Devonian and Permian,provide examples of ____________.

Relative ages expressed on the geologic time scale primarily resulted from the study of ____________.

If the lithology and fossil content of two bodies of rock on opposite sides of a canyon are identical,then these remaining outcrops were likely physically connected at one time and formed part of an extensive,sheet-like layer of rock.This idea summarizes the principle of ____________.

Radiometric dates applied to sedimentary rocks produce ages that are ____________.

In an unweathered sample of detrital sedimentary rock,the ratio of an unstable isotope to its stable daughter isotope is 1/15.If no daughters were present at the time the rock cooled below closure temperature,and the half-life of the reaction is 50 million years,how old is the rock?

If the numerical ages of two formations are known,then the relative age of each with respect to one another can be inferred.

James Hutton,the "father of geology," put forth the principle of ____________.

If all of Earth history were compressed into a single year,Homo sapiens would first appear on ____________.

Buried erosional surfaces between parallel sedimentary strata are termed ____________.

Which statement best summarizes the development of the geologic time scale?

The surfaces named contacts #2 and #3 are examples of ____________.

Basaltic clasts within the basal layers of the conglomerate imply which of the following statements (choose the most correct answer)?

Which statement about contact #3 is correct?

Basaltic clasts within the conglomerate have been radiometrically dated to 50 million years ago (Eocene epoch of the Tertiary period).Is this a reliable age for the conglomerate?

Within the world's sedimentary rocks,fossils ____________.

In an unweathered sample of igneous rock,the ratio of an unstable isotope to its stable daughter isotope is 1/15.If no daughters were present at the time the rock cooled below closure temperature,and the half-life of the reaction is 50 million years,how old is the rock?

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

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