Deck 21: Structural Geology and Plate Tectonics

Question 1

Remanent magnetism is present in rocks that contain the mineral named

A) magnetite.
B) quartz.
C) hematite.
D) calcite.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The plastic-like substratum on which the lithospheric plates move is called the

A) outer core.
B) endosphere.
C) isosphere.
D) asthenosphere.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Earth's core is believed to be composed of

A) iron and nickel.
B) silicate rocks.
C) carbon and silicon.
D) uranium and lead.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The location on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus is called

A) the shadow zone.
B) the epicenter.
C) ground zero.
D) the subduction zone.

Question 5

A modern geologic theory that considers Earth's lithosphere to be made up of moving plates is known as

A) the principle of uniformity.
B) the law of superposition.
C) the Moho concept.
D) plate tectonics.

Question 6

Studies of remanent magnetism in rocks spreading from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge reveal symmetric bands of magnetic anomalies. These anomalies provide

A) support for the idea of continental drift.
B) evidence of Earth's magnetic pole reversals.
C) both (A) and (B).
D) neither (A) nor (B).

Question 7

The lithosphere consists of

A) all of the crust's depth.
B) all of the crust's depth and part of the mantle's depth.
C) part of the crust's depth.
D) all of the crust's depth and all of the mantle's depth.

Question 8

The deflection of one lithospheric plate under another is called

A) subduction.
B) seafloor spreading.
C) convergence.
D) continental drift.

Question 9

A mid-ocean ridge is formed at the boundary of two plates

A) that are separating from one another.
B) that are sliding horizontally past one another.
C) where one is pushing over the top of the other.
D) that are basically at rest.

Question 10

Geologic evidence that supports the theory of continental drift does not include

A) glaciation in the Southern Hemisphere.
B) drag marks on the ocean floor.
C) continuity of geologic structures.
D) the discovery of the same fossils on different continents.

Question 11

Alfred Wegener speculated that the present continents were once part of a single supercontinent that he named

A) Landusia.
B) Atlantis.
C) Pangaea.
D) Gondaland.

Question 12

The idea of continental drift was not generally accepted when Wegener proposed it because

A) the Bible did not support it.
B) Wegener was a meteorologist, not a geologist.
C) Wegener was not well known.
D) no satisfactory mechanism was proposed.

Question 13

The basic mechanism for plate movement is thought to be

A) earthquake surface waves.
B) the tidal force of the Moon.
C) convection cells in the asthenosphere.
D) earthquake body waves.

Question 14

The theory of seafloor spreading was proposed in 1960 by

A) Alfred Wegener.
B) Harry Hess.
C) Albert Einstein.
D) Andrija Mohorovicic.

Question 15

Which of the following is not one of the three types of plate boundaries?

A) Diverging
B) Converging
C) Fault-block
D) Transform

Question 16

Evidence of seafloor spreading along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is given by

A) sea life.
B) remanent magnetism.
C) ocean currents.
D) glaciation.

Question 17

Earth's mantle is

A) metallic.
B) very dense gas.
C) solid.
D) liquid.

Question 18

Evidence for the existence for Pangaea includes

A) biological evidence only.
B) continuity of geologic features only.
C) glacial evidence only.
D) all of the above.

Question 19

Pangaea is believed to have broken up about how many years ago?

A) 2000 million
B) 2 million
C) 20 million
D) 200 million

Question 20

The lithosphere "floats" on the asthenosphere, and the parts of lower density float higher. This state of buoyancy is called

A) specific continuity.
B) isostasy.
C) the syncline anomaly.
D) remanent balance.

Question 21

Each whole-number step on the Richter scale represents about how many times more energy release that the preceding whole-number step?

A) 10
B) 32
C) 18
D) 2

Question 22

Most earthquake damage is caused by

A) tsunamis.
B) surface waves.
C) P waves.
D) S waves.

Question 23

S waves and P waves are earthquake body waves. S and P stand for

A) sudden and post.
B) sigma and pi.
C) slow and proper.
D) secondary and primary.

Question 24

The San Andreas fault in California is thought to be a boundary of two plates

A) that are separating from one another.
B) where one is pushing over the top of the other.
C) that are sliding horizontally past one another.
D) that are basically at rest.

Question 25

What is the name of the earthquake scale that describes the severity of an earthquake by noting the amount of damage it causes?

A) Richter scale
B) Mohs scale
C) Torino scale
D) Modified Mercalli scale.

Question 26

5 steps on the Richter scale represents about how many times more energy?

A) 32000
B) 32000000
C) 31900000
D) 500

Question 27

What is the name of the earthquake scale that gives an absolute measure of the energy released by an earthquake?

A) Modified Mercalli scale
B) Mohs scale
C) Torino scale
D) Richter scale

Question 28

The point of the initial energy release of an earthquake is called the

A) shadow zone.
B) subduction zone.
C) focus.
D) epicenter.

Question 29

The Mohorovicic discontinuity is the boundary between

A) the lithosphere and the asthenosphere.
B) the crust and the mantle.
C) the outer core and the inner core.
D) the mantle and the outer core.

Question 30

The difference in time between the arrival of S waves and the arrival of P waves can be used to determine

A) the magnitude of an earthquake.
B) the epicenter of an earthquake.
C) the damage caused by an earthquake.
D) all of the above.

Question 31

Earth's radius is about

A) 3600 km.
B) 5800 km.
C) 6400 km.
D) 4400 km.

Question 32

The Mercalli scale was used to measure

A) tornados.
B) earthquakes.
C) tsunamis.
D) hurricanes.

Question 33

Most earthquakes are caused by

A) explosive volcanic eruptions.
B) body waves.
C) movement of lithospheric plates.
D) tsunamis.

Question 34

The waves of an earthquake are detected by an instrument called a

A) seismometer.
B) seismogram.
C) seismograph.
D) seismoscope.

Question 35

Seismic waves that propagate through Earth are known as

A) focus waves.
B) surface waves.
C) gravity waves.
D) body waves.

Question 36

Earthquake P waves are

A) neither longitudinal nor transverse.
B) transverse.
C) longitudinal.
D) sometimes longitudinal and sometimes transverse.

Question 37

An earthquake of what magnitude on the Richter scale is the smallest felt by humans?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 0
D) 4

Question 38

Earthquake S waves are

A) transverse.
B) sometimes longitudinal and sometimes transverse.
C) longitudinal.
D) neither longitudinal nor transverse.

Question 39

An earthquake P wave travels through

A) the inner core only.
B) the mantle only.
C) the outer core only.
D) all of these.

Question 40

An earthquake S wave travels through

A) the inner core only.
B) the mantle only.
C) the outer core only.
D) all of these.

Question 41

What type of forces result in strike-slip faulting?

A) Expansive
B) Compressional
C) Parallel
D) Gravitational

Question 42

The structural region of Earth that is a viscous liquid is the

A) mantle.
B) outer core.
C) inner core.
D) lithosphere.

Question 43

Earth's continental crust ranges in thickness from about

A) 98 to 140 km.
B) 19 to 40 km.
C) 5 to 26 km.
D) 8 to 16 km.

Question 44

The lithosphere is

A) a collection of plates separated by oceans.
B) a collection of close-fitting plates.
C) viscous, flowing magma.
D) a solid, unbroken, spherical shell.

Question 45

About what percent of Earth's radius do the crust and mantle together constitute?

A) 15%
B) 70%
C) 45%
D) 30%

Question 46

The radius of Earth's mantle is about

A) 870 km.
B) 2900 km.
C) 1050 km.
D) 5800 km.

Question 47

The structural region of Earth that has the greatest volume is the

A) crust.
B) outer core.
C) mantle.
D) inner core.

Question 48

Earth's inner core is

A) liquid.
B) part solid and part liquid.
C) solid.
D) molten.

Question 49

What type of forces result in normal faulting?

A) Shear
B) Compressional
C) Expansive
D) Parallel

Question 50

What type of faulting is expected along transform faults?

A) Reverse
B) Forward
C) Strike-slip
D) Normal

Question 51

Earth's core is

A) liquid.
B) part solid and part liquid.
C) solid.
D) molten.

Question 52

Earth's thin, rocky, outer layer on which we live is called the

A) seismosphere.
B) geosphere.
C) asthenosphere.
D) crust.

Question 53

The layer of rock immediately below the lithosphere is called the

A) outer core.
B) asthenosphere.
C) Moho.
D) lower mantle.

Question 54

Earth's oceanic crust ranges in thickness from about

A) 98 to 140 km.
B) 5 to 11 km.
C) 19 to 98 km.
D) 18 to 26 km.

Question 55

Folded rock layers that resemble a trough are called

A) anticlines.
B) inclines.
C) synclines.
D) paraclines.

Question 56

Folded rock layers that resemble an arch are called

A) inclines.
B) synclines.
C) anticlines.
D) paraclines.

Question 57

Which of the following is not a general type of faulting?

A) Forward
B) Normal
C) Strike-slip
D) Reverse

Question 58

What type of faulting results from compressional stresses?

A) Reverse
B) Abnormal
C) Strike-slip
D) Normal

Question 59

Earth's outer core is

A) liquid.
B) part solid and part liquid.
C) solid.
D) frozen.

Question 60

What type of forces result in reverse faulting?

A) Expansive
B) Compressional
C) Parallel
D) Shear

Question 61

The three types of plate boundaries are called convergent, divergent, and ______________ boundaries.

A) strike
B) slip
C) transform
D) none of these

Question 62

In the early 1900s, the scientist named __________ revived the idea of continental drift.

A) Alfred Wegener
B) Harry Hess
C) Andrija Mohorovicic
D) None of the above

Question 63

Geologists view the part of our planet that is called the ______________ as consisting of a number of close-fitting plates.

A) mesosphere
B) lithosphere
C) asthenosphere
D) none of these

Question 64

What is the name of the surface along which rock formations move?

A) Fault plane
B) Transform plane
C) Tension plane
D) Fold plane

Question 65

The Andes are examples of which type of mountain?

A) Fault-block
B) Volcanic
C) Fold
D) None of these

Question 66

Which is not a general classification of mountains?

A) Fault-block
B) Fold
C) Continental
D) Volcanic

Question 67

Remanent magnetism refers to the magnetism of rocks that contain the mineral named ______________.

A) magnetite
B) lodestone
C) pyrite
D) none of these

Question 68

What type of faulting results from stresses parallel to the fault plane?

A) Reverse
B) Normal
C) Abnormal
D) Strike-slip

Question 69

A simplified explanation of mountain building is provided by the theory of

A) orogenesis.
B) plate tectonics.
C) continental accretion.
D) epiorogenic movement.

Question 70

The three types of plate boundaries are convergent, __________, and transform boundaries.

A) divergent
B) slip
C) strike
D) none of these

Question 71

The lowest places on Earth's surface are called __________ trenches.

A) plateau
B) mid-oceanic
C) deep-sea
D) none of these

Question 72

Alfred Wegener postulated that the continents were once part of a single supercontinent that he called ______________.

A) Pangaea
B) Africasia
C) Amerasia
D) Atlantis

Question 73

The geologist Harry Hess proposed the theory of

A) plate tectonics.
B) continental drift.
C) seafloor spreading.
D) mountain building.

Question 74

The Grand Tetons are examples of which type of mountain?

A) Fold
B) Fault-block
C) Volcanic
D) None of these

Question 75

In 1960, the scientist named __________ proposed the concept of seafloor spreading.

A) Andrija Mohorovicic
B) Harry Hess
C) Alfred Wegener
D) None of the above

Question 76

The Alps are examples of which type of mountain?

A) Fold
B) Volcanic
C) Fault-block
D) None of these

Question 77

The three types of plate boundaries are ______________, divergent, and transform boundaries.

A) slip
B) strike
C) punch
D) none of these

Question 78

Seafloor spreading occurs along ______________.

A) fault lines
B) subduction zones
C) mid-ocean ridges
D) none of these

Question 79

What type of faulting results from expansive stresses?

A) Reverse
B) Normal
C) Strike-slip
D) Abnormal

Question 80

The discovery of seafloor spreading led to acceptance of the theory of

A) plate tectonics.
B) volcanism.
C) convergence.
D) divergence.