Deck 1: An Introduction to Geology

Question 1

Compared to the age of the Earth accepted as correct today, how did seventeenth and eighteenth century proponents of catastrophism envision the Earth's age?

A)They believed it to be about the same as current estimates, give or take a few million years.
B)They believed Earth to be much older than current estimates.
C)They believed Earth to be much younger than current estimates.
D)None of the above-they didn't really address the age of Earth.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The continental shelf is located .

A)landward of the continental slope
B)between the continental rise and the abyssal plains
C)between the continental slope and continental rise
D)seaward of the continental slope

Answer 2

A

Question 3

is often paraphrased as "the present is the key to the past."

A)Aristotelian logic
B)Biblical prophecy
C)Catastrophism
D)Uniformitarianism

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The is the thinnest layer of the Earth.

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

Question 5

, a popular natural philosophy of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, was based on a firm belief in a very short geologic history for Earth.

A)Exoschism
B)Ecospherism
C)Uniformitarianism
D)Catastrophism

Question 6

What are the basic differences between the disciplines of physical and historical geology?

A)Historical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and geologic events, utilizing the geologic time scale as a reference; physical geology includes the study of how rocks form and of how erosion shapes the land surface.
B)Physical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and deposition in relation to plate movements in the geologic past; historical geology charts how and where the plates were moving in the past.
C)Physical geology is the study of fossils and sequences of rock strata; historical geology is the study of how rocks and minerals were used in the past.
D)None of the above-physical geology and historical geology are essentially the same.

Question 7

rocks always originate at the surface of the solid Earth.

A)Igneous
B)Metamorphic
C)Secondary
D)Sedimentary

Question 8

The division of the geologic time scale is an era of the Phanerozoic eon.

A)Permian
B)Paleocene
C)Proterozoic
D)Paleozoic

Question 9

was the highly influential, ancient Greek philosopher noted for his writings and teachings on natural philosophy and on the workings of the Earth.

A)Odysseus
B)Pappagapolis
C)Aristotle
D)Nero

Question 10

The currently accepted age of the Earth is _ years.

A)6.4 trillion
B)4.6 thousand
C)6.4 million
D)4.6 billion

Question 11

The proposes that the bodies of our solar system formed at essentially the same time from a rotating cloud of gases and dust.

A)Heliocentric theory
B)Nebular hypothesis
C)Plate Tectonics theory
D)Big Bang theory

Question 12

rocks form by crystallization and consolidation of molten magma.

A)Primary
B)Sedimentary
C)Igneous
D)Indigenous

Question 13

A(n)system is one in which energy moves freely in and out, but no matter enters or leaves the system.

A)feedback
B)closed
C)open
D)equilibrated

Question 14

The most prominent feature on the ocean floor are the .

A)deep- ocean trenches
B)lava plateaus
C)oceanic ridges
D)seamounts

Question 15

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

A)Sedimentary rocks may weather to igneous rocks.
B)Igneous rocks can undergo metamorphism.
C)Metamorphic rocks may melt to magma.
D)Magmas crystallize to form igneous rocks.

Question 16

The asthenosphere is actually a part of the _ of the Earth.

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

Question 17

In correct order from the center outward, Earth includes which units?

A)inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
B)inner core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere
C)core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere
D)core, inner mantle, outer mantle, crust

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the fundamental concept of superposition?

A)Older fossils in younger strata indicate a locally inverted geologic time scale.
B)Any sedimentary deposit accumulates on older rock or sediment layers.
C)Older strata generally are deposited on younger strata without intervening, intermediate age strata.
D)Strata with fossils are generally deposited on strata with no fossils.

Question 19

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, direct observations showed that a glacier in Switzerland flowed forward in the downhill direction while its snout (terminus)was retreating higher up the valley. Which of the following explains these observations in a rational, scientific way?

A)The melting rate of ice in the glacier exceeded the rate at which new snow and ice were added to the glacier.
B)Cooler temperatures meant slower forward glacier flow resulting in snout retreat.
C)Rocky debris in the valley downhill from the snout was deposited by Noah's flood.
D)The glacial hypothesis was finally accepted as a scientific theory.

Question 20

The refers to the sum total of all life on Earth.

A)asthenosphere
B)atmosphere
C)biosphere
D)hydrosphere

Question 21

The is the relatively rigid zone above the asthenosphere that includes the crust and upper mantle.

Question 22

The is thought to be a liquid, metallic region in the Earth's interior.

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

Question 23

The thin, outer layer of Earth, from 7 to 40 km in thickness, is called the .

Question 24

The composition of the core of the Earth is thought to be _ _.

A)granite
B)solid iron- nickel alloy
C)basalt
D)peridotite

Question 25

is the process by which rocks break down in place to produce soils and sediments.

A)Weathering
B)Subduction
C)Metamorphism
D)Lithification

Question 26

In sedimentary rocks, lithification includes .

A)cementation and weathering
B)crystallization and cooling
C)compaction and transportation
D)compaction and cementation

Question 27

The convective flow of liquid, metallic iron in the is thought to generate Earth's magnetic field.

Question 28

The statement, "the present is the key to the past," describes what basic geologic concept or doctrine?

Question 29

was an important eighteenth century English geologist and proponent of uniformitarianism.

A)James Hutton
B)Charles Lyell
C)James Ussher
D)Isaac Newton

Question 30

The states that fossil organisms succeed one another in a definite and determinable order.

Question 31

What type of rock comprises most of the exposed surface of Earth (roughly 75%)?

Question 32

A is a well- tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain scientific observations.

A)law
B)hypothesis
C)theory
D)generalization

Question 33

The asthenosphere .

A)exists below a depth of 700 kilometers
B)is a zone of strong material
C)is a subdivision of the outer core
D)exists below a depth of 100 kilometers

Question 34

Active mountain belts are most likely to be found .

A)along the margins of continents
B)scattered throughout continents
C)in the interior regions of continents
D)along only the eastern margins of continents

Question 35

All of the following are possible steps of scientific investigation EXCEPT for .

A)development of observations and experiments to test the hypotheses
B)the collection of scientific facts through observation and measurement
C)the development of one or more working hypotheses or models to explain facts
D)assumption of conclusions without prior experimentation or observation

Question 36

Moving from the shoreline towards the deep- ocean basin, the continental margin may include the , , and the .

Question 37

The is not a part of the Earth's physical environment.

A)solid Earth
B)hydrosphere
C)atmosphere
D)astrosphere

Question 38

The forms the relatively cool, brittle plates of plate tectonics.

A)eosphere
B)asthenosphere
C)lithosphere
D)astrosphere

Question 39

The Geologic Time Scale divisions are based on .

A)major climatic shifts
B)doctrine of catastrophism
C)equal divisions of 1 million (era), 50,000 (period), and 5,000 (epoch)intervals
D)none of the above

Question 40

The is the solid, rocky shell between the crust and outer core.

Question 41

Catastrophism obviously influenced seventeenth and eighteenth century thought by implying that Earth only needed to be a few thousand years old in order to explain landscapes and geologic features. However, catastrophic and often sudden changes are at least a part of the rock record that geologists attempt to interpret. List three geologic catastrophes that would most likely affect landscapes or features on Earth and be recorded in rocks. How might these events be explained in the rock record using only uniformitarianism (or the implication of slow, gradual change)?

Question 42

Earth's physical environment is traditionally divided into the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and the solid Earth. Remembering the scientific method, why do you think that scientists tend to categorize and classify various features, phenomena, and characteristics of the natural world into groups or subdivisions? Also, are there potential pitfalls or problems if we only consider the natural world as individual groups or categories rather than as a whole?