Question 1

Which eon of geologic time is represented by rocks containing abundant shelly fossils?

Accepted Answer

A) Archean 
B) Phanerozoic 
C) Proterozoic 
A) Archean 
B) Phanerozoic 
C) Proterozoic

Question 2

Attempts to measure the age of Earth by extrapolating modern riverine influx rates into the past to produce modern marine salinity from an initially freshwater ocean failed to take into account that ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) salt is removed through precipitation,balancing riverine input 
B) dissolved salts from weathering of rock only rarely are transported all the way to the ocean 
C) salts derived from the weathering of rock are insoluble in water 
A) salt is removed through precipitation,balancing riverine input 
B) dissolved salts from weathering of rock only rarely are transported all the way to the ocean 
C) salts derived from the weathering of rock are insoluble in water

Question 3

In the 1800s Lord Kelvin estimated the age of the 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) that the Earth was once hotter than it presently is today 
B) that the Earth may have been molten when first formed 
C) that no new heat has been added to the Earth since its initial formation 
D) that the Earth would lose heat over time through radiation into outer space 
A) that the Earth was once hotter than it presently is today 
B) that the Earth may have been molten when first formed 
C) that no new heat has been added to the Earth since its initial formation 
D) that the Earth would lose heat over time through radiation into outer space

Question 4

In the area immediately surrounding an igneous intrusion,a host limestone is locally metamorphosed to produce marble.Which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) The intrusive igneous rock must be older than the limestone. 
B) The limestone must be older than the marble. 
C) The marble must be older than the intrusive rock. 
D) The relative ages of the three units cannot be determined with the information given. 
A) The intrusive igneous rock must be older than the limestone. 
B) The limestone must be older than the marble. 
C) The marble must be older than the intrusive rock. 
D) The relative ages of the three units cannot be determined with the information given.

Question 5

The marble rind surrounding the granite pluton must be younger than the limestone according to the principle of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) superposition 
B) baked contacts 
C) original horizontality 
D) original continuity 
A) superposition 
B) baked contacts 
C) original horizontality 
D) original continuity

Question 6

The principle of ____________ explains the occurrence of young rock within a newer igneous body.

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

Question 7

Magnetostratigraphy takes advantage of the fact that ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's magnetic field only arose 10,000 years ago 
B) Earth's magnetic field has been uniformly strong,with constant polarity,throughout Earth's history 
C) Earth's magnetic field has experienced numerous polarity reversals,with periods of normal and reversed polarity of varying lengths 
A) Earth's magnetic field only arose 10,000 years ago 
B) Earth's magnetic field has been uniformly strong,with constant polarity,throughout Earth's history 
C) Earth's magnetic field has experienced numerous polarity reversals,with periods of normal and reversed polarity of varying lengths

Question 8

Why is radiocarbon dating only rarely applied in geological work?

Accepted Answer

A) No substances on Earth contain significant amounts of carbon-14. 
B) The half-life of carbon-14 is so long that it is effectively a stable isotope. 
C) The half-life of carbon-14 is so short that it can only be used to date materials that are less than 70,000 years old. 
A) No substances on Earth contain significant amounts of carbon-14. 
B) The half-life of carbon-14 is so long that it is effectively a stable isotope. 
C) The half-life of carbon-14 is so short that it can only be used to date materials that are less than 70,000 years old.

Question 9

Which of the following geologic principles is NOT a result of gravity?

Accepted Answer

A) original horizontality 
B) cross-cutting relationships 
C) original continuity 
D) superposition 
A) original horizontality 
B) cross-cutting relationships 
C) original continuity 
D) superposition

Question 10

If the relative age of two formations (with respect to one another)is known,then the numerical ages for each formation can be inferred.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Which eon of geologic time is represented by rocks containing abundant shelly fossils?

Attempts to measure the age of Earth by extrapolating modern riverine influx rates into the past to produce modern marine salinity from an initially freshwater ocean failed to take into account that ____________.

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

In the area immediately surrounding an igneous intrusion,a host limestone is locally metamorphosed to produce marble.Which of the following statements is correct?

The marble rind surrounding the granite pluton must be younger than the limestone according to the principle of ____________.

The principle of ____________ explains the occurrence of young rock within a newer igneous body.

Magnetostratigraphy takes advantage of the fact that ____________.

Why is radiocarbon dating only rarely applied in geological work?

Which of the following geologic principles is NOT a result of gravity?

If the relative age of two formations (with respect to one another)is known,then the numerical ages for each formation can be inferred.

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

Exam 12: Deep Time: How Old Is Old

Which eon of geologic time is represented by rocks containing abundant shelly fossils?

Attempts to measure the age of Earth by extrapolating modern riverine influx rates into the past to produce modern marine salinity from an initially freshwater ocean failed to take into account that ____________.

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

In the area immediately surrounding an igneous intrusion,a host limestone is locally metamorphosed to produce marble.Which of the following statements is correct?

The marble rind surrounding the granite pluton must be younger than the limestone according to the principle of ____________.

The principle of ____________ explains the occurrence of young rock within a newer igneous body.

Magnetostratigraphy takes advantage of the fact that ____________.

Why is radiocarbon dating only rarely applied in geological work?

Which of the following geologic principles is NOT a result of gravity?

If the relative age of two formations (with respect to one another)is known,then the numerical ages for each formation can be inferred.

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