Question 1

During what period did the seas evolve?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cenozoic 
B)  Mesozoic 
C)  Paleozoic 
D)  Precambrian 
A)  Cenozoic 
B)  Mesozoic 
C)  Paleozoic 
D)  Precambrian D

Question 2

Which of the following would not be a major factor leading to weakening along faults and ultimately earthquakes?

Accepted Answer

A)  glacial advance 
B)  glacial rebound 
C)  running water 
D)  tree roots 
A)  glacial advance 
B)  glacial rebound 
C)  running water 
D)  tree roots D

Question 3

Which of the following statements regarding sea-level is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  Sea level is a convenient reference position because it is constant. 
B)  The edges of continents submerged today were dry land at times in the past. 
C)  Marine sedimentary rocks in present day continental interiors indicate times when continents were submerged. 
D)  There is a connection between average lithosphere age and sea level. 
A)  Sea level is a convenient reference position because it is constant. 
B)  The edges of continents submerged today were dry land at times in the past. 
C)  Marine sedimentary rocks in present day continental interiors indicate times when continents were submerged. 
D)  There is a connection between average lithosphere age and sea level. A

Question 4

What are sea cliffs evidence of?

Accepted Answer

uplift in coastal re

Question 5

How fast do mountains rise?

Accepted Answer

A)  3 to 10 mm per year 
B)  1 to 10 cm per year 
C)  1.5 cm per year 
D)  As fast as finger nail growth. 
A)  3 to 10 mm per year 
B)  1 to 10 cm per year 
C)  1.5 cm per year 
D)  As fast as finger nail growth.

Question 6

If a block of balsa, pine, oak, and rosewood were each submerged into a tub of water, why would the balsa wood project higher above the water than the other blocks of wood?

Accepted Answer

A)  It has a lower water content. 
B)  It is lighter. 
C)  It is a larger block. 
D)  It is less dense. 
A)  It has a lower water content. 
B)  It is lighter. 
C)  It is a larger block. 
D)  It is less dense.

Question 7

Which of the following is not likely to have an effect on ocean depth?

Accepted Answer

A)  plate tectonics 
B)  lava flow at mid-ocean ridges 
C)  lava flow at ground faults 
D)  age of sea floor 
A)  plate tectonics 
B)  lava flow at mid-ocean ridges 
C)  lava flow at ground faults 
D)  age of sea floor

Question 8

What does Airy's model of isostasy describe better than Pratt's model?

Accepted Answer

A)  elevation differences between oceans and continents 
B)  formation of rift valleys in continents 
C)  elevation differences within areas of continental crust 
D)  fault block elevations 
A)  elevation differences between oceans and continents 
B)  formation of rift valleys in continents 
C)  elevation differences within areas of continental crust 
D)  fault block elevations

Question 9

Areas of oceanic crust tend to stand at ________ than do areas of continental crust.

Accepted Answer

A)  lower elevations above the mantle 
B)  higher elevations above the mantle 
C)  lower elevations below the mantle 
D)  higher elevations below the mantle 
A)  lower elevations above the mantle 
B)  higher elevations above the mantle 
C)  lower elevations below the mantle 
D)  higher elevations below the mantle

Question 10

What are two possible scenarios for how accretion and continental growth happen?

Accepted Answer

1. Where any piece of "nonsubductable" c

Question 11

The Precambrian basement rocks of Ohio became part of the North American continent

Accepted Answer

A)  more than 2.5 billion years ago. 
B)  1.9 billion years ago. 
C)  1.8 to 1.9 billion years ago. 
D)  1.7 to 1.8 billion years ago. 
E)  about 1.1 billion years ago. 
A)  more than 2.5 billion years ago. 
B)  1.9 billion years ago. 
C)  1.8 to 1.9 billion years ago. 
D)  1.7 to 1.8 billion years ago. 
E)  about 1.1 billion years ago.

Question 12

Which of the following present-day observations of crustal movement in formerly ice covered regions of North America and Eurasia support the flexural isostasy hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  Originally depressed areas rose to their original position by the time the ice finished melting. 
B)  Originally depressed areas are still rising and the bulges are stationary. 
C)  Originally depressed areas are still rising and the bulges are sinking. 
D)  Originally depressed areas are sinking and the bulges are rising. 
A)  Originally depressed areas rose to their original position by the time the ice finished melting. 
B)  Originally depressed areas are still rising and the bulges are stationary. 
C)  Originally depressed areas are still rising and the bulges are sinking. 
D)  Originally depressed areas are sinking and the bulges are rising.

Question 13

Why is the west coast of North America 500 km west of where it was about 540 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

A)  plate movement 
B)  accretion of exotic terrains 
C)  thrust and uplift of continental crust 
D)  volcanic eruptions 
A)  plate movement 
B)  accretion of exotic terrains 
C)  thrust and uplift of continental crust 
D)  volcanic eruptions

Question 14

What technology was used to determine if Airy's or Pratt's theory about mountain elevations was correct?

Accepted Answer

A)  density measurements 
B)  seismic data 
C)  deep-drilling cores 
D)  lab analyses of composition of rock samples 
A)  density measurements 
B)  seismic data 
C)  deep-drilling cores 
D)  lab analyses of composition of rock samples

Question 15

How old is the Precambrian Crust?

Accepted Answer

A)  0-500 million years 
B)  500 million-1 billion years 
C)  500 million-1.5 billion years 
D)  1 billion-4 billion years 
A)  0-500 million years 
B)  500 million-1 billion years 
C)  500 million-1.5 billion years 
D)  1 billion-4 billion years

Question 16

The stresses responsible for present-day earthquakes in northeastern North America are a result of

Accepted Answer

A)  ancient fault movements. 
B)  tectonic convergence. 
C)  tectonic divergence. 
D)  glacial rebound. 
A)  ancient fault movements. 
B)  tectonic convergence. 
C)  tectonic divergence. 
D)  glacial rebound.

Question 17

Both John Pratt and George Airy proposed a hypothesis for surface elevations in India. How was this debate settled?

Accepted Answer

A)  Recalculations occurred after both men had died. 
B)  The Scientific Society of the time voted on it. 
C)  More data was gathered on account of better technology. 
D)  The issue has not been definitively settled. 
A)  Recalculations occurred after both men had died. 
B)  The Scientific Society of the time voted on it. 
C)  More data was gathered on account of better technology. 
D)  The issue has not been definitively settled.

Question 18

What geologic feature affected the accuracy of John Pratt's survey results?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Nile River valley 
B)  the Grand Canyon (Colorado portion) 
C)  the Himalayan mountains 
D)  Ayer's Rock in Australia 
A)  the Nile River valley 
B)  the Grand Canyon (Colorado portion) 
C)  the Himalayan mountains 
D)  Ayer's Rock in Australia

Question 19

What is the relief between a point where you stand in Death Valley 75 meters below sea level and the tip of a rock on a mountain 3200 meters above sea level?

Accepted Answer

A)  3125 m 
B)  3200 m 
C)  3950 m 
D)  3275 m 
A)  3125 m 
B)  3200 m 
C)  3950 m 
D)  3275 m

Question 20

A model for Earth elevation based only on oceanic crust being denser than continental crust results in

Accepted Answer

A)  continental crust being too thick. 
B)  oceanic crust being too thick. 
C)  continental and oceanic crust being too thick. 
D)  reasonable estimates of crustal thickness and crustal densities. 
A)  continental crust being too thick. 
B)  oceanic crust being too thick. 
C)  continental and oceanic crust being too thick. 
D)  reasonable estimates of crustal thickness and crustal densities.

Exam 13: Tectonics and Surface Relief

During what period did the seas evolve?

Which of the following would not be a major factor leading to weakening along faults and ultimately earthquakes?

Which of the following statements regarding sea-level is false?

What are sea cliffs evidence of?

How fast do mountains rise?

If a block of balsa, pine, oak, and rosewood were each submerged into a tub of water, why would the balsa wood project higher above the water than the other blocks of wood?

Which of the following is not likely to have an effect on ocean depth?

What does Airy's model of isostasy describe better than Pratt's model?

Areas of oceanic crust tend to stand at ________ than do areas of continental crust.

What are two possible scenarios for how accretion and continental growth happen?

The Precambrian basement rocks of Ohio became part of the North American continent

Which of the following present-day observations of crustal movement in formerly ice covered regions of North America and Eurasia support the flexural isostasy hypothesis?

Why is the west coast of North America 500 km west of where it was about 540 million years ago?

What technology was used to determine if Airy's or Pratt's theory about mountain elevations was correct?

How old is the Precambrian Crust?

The stresses responsible for present-day earthquakes in northeastern North America are a result of

Both John Pratt and George Airy proposed a hypothesis for surface elevations in India. How was this debate settled?

What geologic feature affected the accuracy of John Pratt's survey results?

What is the relief between a point where you stand in Death Valley 75 meters below sea level and the tip of a rock on a mountain 3200 meters above sea level?

A model for Earth elevation based only on oceanic crust being denser than continental crust results in

Why Study Earth

Minerals: Building Blocks of the Planet

Rocks and Rock-Forming Processes

Formation of Magma and Igneous Rocks

Formation of Sediment and Sedimentary Rocks

Formation of Metamorphic Rocks

Earth Materials As Time Keepers

Earth Materials As Time Keepers

Making Earth

Motion Inside Earth

Deformation of Rocks

Global Tectonics: Plates and Plumes

Soil Formation and Landscape Stability

Mass Movements: Landscapes in Motion

Streams: Flowing Water Shapes the Landscape

Water Flowing Underground

Glaciers: Cold-Climate Sculptors of Continents

Shorelines: Changing Landscapes Where Land Meets Sea

Wind: a Global Geologic Process

Global Warming: Real Time Change in the Earth System

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