Deck 7: Sedimentary Rocks

Question 1

Which of the following methods of transportation will result in the least sorted deposit?

A)Waves on a beach
B)Streams
C)Rock fall
D)Wind

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following makes up the sediment that forms an organic sedimentary rock?

A)Gravel and sand
B)Plant fibers
C)Weathered ions
D)Dissolved minerals

Answer 2

B

Question 3

________ is a biochemical sedimentary rock that often forms in carbonate reefs.

A)Limestone
B)Chert
C)Rock Salt
D)Bituminous Coal

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the appearance and composition of a conglomerate?

A)Angular fragments; well sorted
B)Rounded fragments; poorly sorted
C)Angular fragments; poorly sorted
D)Rounded fragments; well sorted

Question 5

________ are tiny "seed" particles created when small sediments or shell fragments are rolled by waves in water supersaturated with calcium carbonate.

A)Bryozoans
B)Cave pearls
C)Ooids
D)Nodules

Question 6

What is diagenesis?

A)The change from a sedimentary rock to a metamorphic rock
B)The weathering of carbonate rock due to dissolution
C)The textural, compositional, and other changes that occur to sediments after deposition
D)The two-stage cooling process that creates porphyritic rocks

Question 7

________ are fragments of preexisting materials that have been broken down through the processes of weathering.

A)Sediments
B)Crystals
C)Fibers
D)Sedimentary rocks

Question 8

________ describes the range in particle sizes in a detrital sedimentary rock.

A)Sorting
B)Shape
C)Cementation
D)Size

Question 9

________ is the process that converts sediments into a sedimentary rock.

A)Diagenesis
B)Cementation
C)Imbrication
D)Lithification

Question 10

Which rock type can contain fossils?

A)Igneous rocks
B)Sedimentary rocks
C)Metamorphic rocks
D)Minerals

Question 11

Which of the following best describes interbedded gypsum and halite?

A)Biochemical sedimentary rocks
B)Detrital sedimentary rocks
C)Carbonate sedimentary rocks
D)Evaporitic sedimentary rocks

Question 12

Which minerals are the main constituents in most sedimentary rocks?

A)Calcite and silica
B)Micas and feldspars
C)Orthoclase and plagioclase
D)Quartz and clay minerals

Question 13

The famous Permian ________ reefs in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park are a rich source of organic material.

A)sandstone
B)limestone
C)shale
D)conglomerate

Question 14

Which is the most abundant chemical sedimentary rock?

A)Chert
B)Dolomite
C)Rock Gypsum
D)Limestone

Question 15

Which of the following rocks composed of silt- and clay- sized particles displays fissility?

A)Claystone
B)Siltstone
C)Shale
D)Mudstone

Question 16

Which of the following methods of transportation will result in the best degree of sorting, with all the particles being roughly the same size?

A)Waves on a beach
B)Streams
C)Glaciers
D)Wind

Question 17

________ processes, such as evaporation or precipitation, can precipitate chemical sediments.

A)Biological
B)Detrital
C)Inorganic
D)Organic

Question 18

________ is the process where calcium ions in limestone are replaced with magnesium or small amounts of iron.

A)Permineralization
B)Replacement
C)Precipitation
D)Dolomitization

Question 19

Which rock type, or combination of rock types, makes up the majority of Earth's outermost solid surface?

A)Igneous rocks
B)Sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks
C)Sedimentary rocks
D)Igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks

Question 20

Which environment would be likely to produce a black shale?

A)Shallow marine bay
B)Swamp
C)Forest
D)Eolian dunes

Question 21

Which of the following textural terms describes the texture of nonclastic chemical sedimentary rocks?

A)Sand-sized
B)Crystalline
C)Gravel-sized
D)Angular

Question 22

Folding and deformation of organic material will produce ________ coal.

A)anthracite
B)bituminous
C)lignite
D)peat

Question 23

Which of the following processes will release CO₂ into the atmosphere?

A)Burning fossil fuels and photosynthesis of vegetation
B)Weathering of granite
C)Weathering of carbonates
D)Photosynthesis of vegetation
E)Burning of fossil fuels and weathering of carbonate

Question 24

A ________ marks the end of one episode of sedimentation and the beginning of another.

A)cross-bedding
B)ripplemark
C)bedding plane
D)graded bed

Question 25

What is the most common sedimentary rock?

A)Sandstone
B)Graywacke
C)Shale
D)Limestone

Question 26

Which of the following parts of the carbon cycles shows the most active movement of carbon between spheres?

A)Atmosphere and biosphere
B)Cryosphere and biosphere
C)Atmosphere and hydrosphere
D)Hydrosphere and atmosphere

Question 27

________ is a variety of sandstone that is associated with submarine landslides called turbidity currents.

A)Quartz sandstone
B)Graywacke
C)Arkose
D)Conglomerate

Question 28

Which of the following trace materials produces bright-red colors in some cherts?

A)Manganese
B)Clay particles
C)Iron oxide
D)Calcite

Question 29

The primary basis for classifying detrital rocks is ________, whereas the primary basis for classifying chemical rocks is ________.

A)particle shape; trace elements
B)crystalline structure; Sorting
C)particle size; mineral composition
D)sorting; density

Question 30

Which process will remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and sequester it?

A)Volcanic activity
B)Deposition of carbonate sediments
C)Decay of biomass
D)Respiration of land organisms

Question 31

Which of the following locations will see the deposition of sylvite and gypsum?

A)Shallow marine environments
B)Evaporating sea basins
C)Groundwater moving through a rock
D)Volcanic ash settling out in a lake

Question 32

Name a sedimentary rock that will sequester CO₂ in the geosphere.

A)Conglomerate
B)Shale
C)Rock salt
D)Limestone

Question 33

What are two examples of inorganic limestone?

A)Oolitic limestone and coquina
B)Chalk and calcite
C)Travertine and oolitic limestone
D)Chalk and coquina

Question 34

Which of the following represents the single most common and characteristic structures in sedimentary rocks?

A)Mudcracks
B)Crystalline texture
C)Cross-bedding
D)Strata

Question 35

What information can evaporites provide about the past environment of deposition?

A)The paleoenvironment was wet and in the process of drying up.
B)The paleoenvironment was arid.
C)The paleoenvironment was wet.
D)The paleoenvironment was dry and becoming wetter.

Question 36

What sediment particle size(s)make up shale?

A)Gravel
B)Sand and silt
C)Silt
D)Silt and clay

Question 37

Compaction will be the most significant lithification process for which of the following rocks?

A)Conglomerate
B)Sandstone
C)Arkose
D)Shale

Question 38

Which of these aquatic organisms can form chemical sediments?

A)Corals
B)Coccolithophores
C)Bacteria and corals
D)Bivalves, corals, bacteria, and coccolithophores

Question 39

________ are primary reservoirs of groundwater.

A)Igneous rocks
B)Sedimentary rocks
C)Metamorphic rocks
D)Sediments and sedimentary rocks

Question 40

A ________ describes the observation of successive changes in a laterally continuous sedimentary layer that are visible and are interpreted as a result of many depositional processes taking place over a large area.

A)transitional environment
B)facies
C)delta
D)turbidity current

Question 41

Graded bedding will display particles that are fine near the bottom of the layer and get progressively coarser toward the top.

Question 42

Chalk is a soft, porous rock composed of the hard parts of microscopic marine organisms.

Question 43

Compare and contrast how the formation of biochemical sediments differs from the formation of inorganic sediments.(Note: The term inorganic sediments refers to those formed in chemical sedimentary rocks.)

Question 44

Shales are well cemented because of the high number of pore spaces.

Question 45

The raw material for coal is dead marine organisms.

Question 46

Volcanic activity in the early history of the Earth is believed to be responsible for much of the CO₂ found in the atmosphere.

Question 47

Detrital sedimentary rocks are classified according to clast size, whereas chemical sedimentary rocks are classified based on their dominant minerals.

Question 48

Explain how the intrusive igneous rock granite can be broken down from a crystalline igneous rock to a sediment and then finally become a sedimentary rock.

Question 49

The River Loop Trail at Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island, Illinois, has exposures revealing nearly 130 million years of geologic history.At the base of the hill is Devonian-aged limestone containing brachiopods and bryozoans.Above the limestone is Pennsylvanian-aged shale, with an unconformity between the two.The black shale is rich with fossils of ferns and marsh grasses.Directly on top of the shale is Pennsylvanian-aged sandstone.Using the geologic materials described, determine the environment of deposition for each unit.How has the overall environment changed from the Devonian to the end of the Pennsylvanian?

Question 50

What are the three categories of sedimentary rocks?

Question 51

Consider the shallow ocean basins and current climate in the Persian Gulf.What kind of rocks would you expect to be forming there, and how would they form?

Question 52

There are no sediments on the deep seafloor.

Question 53

The Grinnell Formation in Glacier National Park contains mudcracks that date back nearly 1.5 billion years.How can delicate sedimentary structures such as these be preserved?

Question 54

When studying sedimentary rocks, it is important to understand their environment of deposition.What is the environment of deposition and how can it contribute information about the geologic history of the rock?

Question 55

List three major energy resources that are derived from sedimentary rocks.

Question 56

If coal is composed of organic materials such as vegetation, what prevents them from decaying before they become a sedimentary rock?

Question 57

Due to their size, stream gravels need a swift current to be transported, whereas sands need a current with less energy.

Question 58

Particle shape is the primary basis for distinguishing among various detrital sedimentary rocks.

Question 59

Approximately 75 percent of the planet's landmasses are covered by sedimentary and sedimentary rocks.

Question 60

Explain how the size, shape, and sorting of sediments can provide information about the distance the sediment has traveled from its source.

Question 61

What effect would the release of carbon sequestered in carbonates and organic sedimentary rocks have on the planet?

Question 62

What level of sorting is visible in the above image?

A)Well sorted
B)Moderately sorted
C)Poorly sorted

Question 63

What is the sedimentary texture displayed in this image?

A)Clay-sized
B)Crystalline
C)Microcrystalline
D)Angular

Question 64

What sedimentary structure is present in this photo?

A)Mudcracks
B)Graded bedding
C)Ripplemarks
D)Cross-bedding

Question 65

How would you describe the shape of the sediments in the rock in the above image?

A)Gravel-sized
B)Angular
C)Rounded
D)Well-sorted

Question 66

The velocity of moving water controls the sediment it can carry.How will a decrease in water velocity control the size of the sediment particle that is deposited first?

Question 67

What sedimentary structure(s)can you identify in the above image?

A)Ripplemarks and graded bedding
B)Graded bedding
C)Ripplemarks
D)Cross-bedding and graded bedding

Question 68

List three common natural cements used in cementation of sedimentary rocks.

Question 69

What does the presence of mudcracks indicate about the paleoenvironment?

A)There was immense pressure placed on these sediments, resulting in stress fractures.
B)There was a current of water flowing in one direction.
C)Waves were lapping on the shoreline of the ocean.
D)There was a wet environment that is drying up.

Question 70

What sedimentary structure is visible in this image?

A)Mudcracks
B)Graded bedding
C)Ripplemarks
D)Cross-bedding

Question 71

What is the name of the rock in the above image?

A)Breccia
B)Limestone
C)Shale
D)Coquina

Question 72

Would the rock in the above image be considered a sedimentary breccia or a conglomerate? Why?