Exam 1: Introducing Geology,the Essentials of Plate Tectonics,and Other Important Concepts

Which of the following lifeforms appeared first in the geologic record?

The _____ and the Alpine Fault of New Zealand are examples of transform plate boundaries.

Ocean - ocean plate convergence formed major mountain belts such as the Andes and Cascades.

Fossil evidence indicates that dinosaurs became extinct approximately ___ years ago.

The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old.

A tsunami has a small wave height,travels rapidly,and is not noticed by people in boats.

The Earth's system that includes the oceans,rivers,lakes,and glaciers of the world is called the ____.

Plate tectonics is a unifying idea that helps explain where and why there are ___ on Earth.

Earthquakes,volcanic eruptions,landslides,floods,and tsunamis are all examples of:

A(n)___ may eventually be formed as layers of sediment are buried by subsequent layers of sediment.

Eruptive activity at the summit of the Nevada del Ruiz volcano in Colombia in 1985 caused snow and ice to melt,generating a ___ that killed 23,000 people in the village of Armero.

A ___ is a hot,turbulent mixture of expanding gases and volcanic ash that flows rapidly down the side of a volcano.

With the cementation of loose particles sediment becomes ______.

The North American plate is moving ____.

Rocks formed at high temperatures and under high pressure deep within the Earth and pushed upward by tectonic force are stable in their new environment.

A _____ is a scientific concept that has been tested and is in all likelihood true.

Convergent boundaries,due to their geometry,are the sites of the largest earthquakes on Earth.

Most convergent plate boundaries coincide with the crests of submarine mountain ranges called mid-oceanic ridges.

Most deaths associated with volcanic eruptions are due to burns or lava flows.

Earth's external heat engine is driven by __.