Earth System Science
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Earth System Science explores the complex interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and cryosphere, viewing the Earth as an integrated, dynamic system. The course introduces students to key processes that shape our planet through time, such as plate tectonics, climate dynamics, biogeochemical cycles, and human impact on Earth's systems. Emphasis is placed on understanding feedback mechanisms, the flow of energy and materials, and how changes in one subsystem can influence the entire Earth system. Through lectures, readings, and case studies, students gain a holistic perspective on the challenges and opportunities of managing Earths resources and environment sustainably.
Recommended Textbook
Earth Portrait of a Planet 5th Edition by Stephen Marshak
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23 Chapters
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Chapter 1: Cosmology and the Birth of Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) In our current understanding of the Big Bang,____________.
A)Earth is much older than the rest of the Universe
B)the Universe is considerably older than Earth
C)Earth and the Universe formed at about the same time
D)there is no way of knowing how old the Universe might be
Answer: B
Q2) Chemically,the Moon is quite similar to ____________.
A)sea water
B)Earth's crust
C)Earth's mantle
D)Earth's core
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following is NOT true about the Kuiper Belt?
A)Gerald Kuiper predicted its existence in 1951.
B)In 1992,astronomers discovered millions of icy objects in this region,which is beyond Neptune.
C)It contains an object called Eris,which is 20% larger than Pluto.
D)Pluto and Eris are now both considered planets.
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: Journey to the Center of the Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) Hydrocarbons,such as petroleum and natural gas,are classified as ____________.
A)minerals
B)fluid rocks
C)organic materials
D)alloys
Answer: C
Q2) During a journey to the center of the Earth,one would experience temperature
A)and pressure both increasing
B)and pressure both decreasing
C)increasing,but pressure staying nearly the same
D)remaining remarkably constant,but pressure increasing
Answer: A
Q3) Substances that can be transformed to a gas at relatively low temperatures are termed ____________.
A)glasses
B)melts
C)volatiles
D)mineraloids
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas
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Sample Questions
Q1) The age of oceanic crust ____________ with increasing distance from a mid-ocean ridge.
A)increases
B)decreases
Answer: A
Q2) In Wegener's evidence for continental drift,continents were proposed to fit together,such as the east coast of South America with the __________________ and the upper west coast of Africa with the _______________.
A)west coast of Europe;east coast of South America
B)lower west coast of Africa;east coast of South America
C)west coast of Europe;east coast of North America
D)lower west coast of Africa;east coast of North America
Answer: D
Q3) The apparent polar wander path obtained from magnetite crystals in basalts on the North American continent is now interpreted to be the result of ____________.
A)wandering of the geomagnetic North Pole
B)drifting of the North American continent
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
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Q1) The theory of plate tectonics ____________.
A)incorporates continental drift but not sea-floor spreading
B)incorporates sea-floor spreading but not continental drift
C)incorporates and explains both sea-floor spreading and continental drift
D)does not incorporate sea-floor spreading or continental drift
Q2) Hot spots are caused by ____________.
A)friction due to the lithosphere sliding atop the asthenosphere
B)unusually dense concentrations of radioactive isotopes at various points in the crust
C)hot plumes of mantle material that rises up through cooler,denser surrounding rock
D)factors that remain completely unknown at this time
Q3) In a hot-spot volcanic island chain,such as the Hawaiian Islands,all islands possess active volcanoes simultaneously and therefore the risks of volcanic hazards are about the same for all islands.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Broad,sediment-covered continental shelves are found along ____________.
A)active margins
B)passive margins
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Patterns in Nature: Minerals
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most useful diagnostic property of minerals is their color in a hand sample.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Minerals are classified into groups primarily on a basis of ____________.
A)chemistry,specifically the cations within the chemical formula
B)chemistry,specifically the anions within the chemical formula
C)hardness;hard,soft,and medium are the three primary classes
D)number of cleavage directions present
Q3) The color of a mineral in powdered form is termed ____________.
A)color
B)specific gravity
C)luster
D)streak
Q4) Which common gemstone results from biomineralization?
A)diamonds
B)garnets
C)pearls
D)sapphires
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Chapter 6: Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rock
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Sample Questions
Q1) If the volatile content of magma is increased,its viscosity will ____________.
A)increase
B)decrease
C)stay the same
Q2) If a body of igneous (source)rock is subjected to partial melting,the magma that is produced is expected to be ____________.
A)identical in chemical composition to the source rock
B)more mafic than the source rock
C)more felsic than the source rock
Q3) In regard to the cooling of molten rock,a __________ volume and a __________ shape cools faster.
A)larger;spherical
B)larger;pancake
C)smaller;spherical
D)smaller;pancake
Q4) An island volcanic arc occurs at ____________.
A)the Aleutian Islands of Alaska
B)the Andes Mountains
C)Hawaii
D)Mt.St.Helens,Washington
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) The majority of the rocks that occur at the surface of Earth are ____________.
A)intrusive igneous rocks
B)extrusive igneous rocks
C)sedimentary rocks
D)metamorphic rocks
Q2) What causes the formation of an alluvial fan?
A)load capacity
B)friction
C)decreased velocity
D)All of the above are correct.
Q3) Siltstone or mudstone containing marine fossils likely formed in a ___________ environment.
A)shallow-marine
B)deep-marine
C)marine-delta
D)coastal-beach
Q4) Which transport medium carries the largest particles?
A)ice
B)water
C)wind
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Chapter 8: Metamorphism: A Process of Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Squashing a fly with a flyswatter is an application of ____________.
A)normal stress
B)shear stress
Q2) Burial metamorphism produces ____________.
A)foliated rocks only
B)nonfoliated rocks only
C)both foliated and nonfoliated rocks
Q3) Marble and quartzite are nonfoliated rocks because ____________.
A)they are never found beneath fault zones or collisional mountain ranges
B)both are dominated by minerals that produce equant grains
C)both are dominated by minerals with crystalline structures that cannot be dissolved
D)dynamothermal metamorphism can break down the structures of their constituent minerals,but neither of these minerals is stable in that metamorphic environment
Q4) Dynamothermal (regional)metamorphism produces ____________.
A)foliated rocks only
B)nonfoliated rocks only
C)both foliated and nonfoliated rocks
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Chapter 9: The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Mafic magmas are distinguished by ____________.
A)light coloration
B)low viscosity
C)high viscosity
D)high silica content
Q2) Nonviolent eruptions characterized by extensive flows of basaltic lava are termed ____________.
A)pyroclastic
B)effusive
C)explosive
Q3) Of the three primary forms of subaerial volcanoes,____________ are sometimes referred to as "composite volcanoes."
A)stratovolcanoes
B)cinder cones
C)shield volcanoes
Q4) Large-scale volcanic eruptions can cause a drop in global temperatures.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Surface waves ____________.
A)travel more rapidly than body waves
B)produce most of the damage to buildings during earthquakes
C)are the first waves initially produced in an earthquake
D)are the first waves to arrive at a seismograph station after an earthquake
Q2) Earthquakes that occur in a band called a ____________ can be used to track the motion of subducted oceanic lithosphere.
A)Wegener belt
B)seismic gap
C)Wadati-Benioff zone
Q3) Geologists who specifically study earthquakes are called ____________.
A)seismologists
B)paleontologists
C)vulcanologists
D)speleologists
Q4) Which earthquake severity scale takes into account the type of rock that has been fractured?
A)Richter scale
B)Mercalli scale
C)seismic-moment magnitude scale
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Chapter 11: Cracks, crags, and Crumples: Crustal
Deformation and Mountain Building
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Q1) Earthquakes only occur ____________ the brittle/ductile transition depth.
A)above
B)below
C)at or near
Q2) Motion along all faults is either strike slip or dip slip;combinations of these two types of displacement are never found together in a single fault.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Most fault surfaces,like joints,are roughly planar in orientation.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Mountain ranges are important sites for the formation of igneous and metamorphic rocks,but do not have any apparent relationship with the formation of sedimentary rocks.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Normal,reverse,and thrust are all examples of ____________ faults.
A)strike-slip
B)dip-slip
C)oblique-slip
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Chapter 12: Deep Time: How Old Is Old
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Sample Questions
Q1) As understood by modern geologists,the principle of uniformitarianism implies that
A)the Earth has always had the same basic appearance that it has today,with the distributions of ocean basins and continents identical to what we see today
B)igneous,metamorphic,and sedimentary rocks are uniformly mixed throughout the crust of the Earth
C)physical processes observed today (such as erosion and volcanic eruption)have been active in the past and are responsible for the geologic history we see preserved in the rock record
D)physical processes observed today (such as erosion and volcanic eruption)have been occurring throughout Earth history at constant rates;for example,no eruption in geologic time would have been greater than the 1815 Tambora eruption
Q2) Which eon of geologic time is represented by rocks containing abundant shelly fossils?
A)Archean
B)Phanerozoic
C)Proterozoic
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Chapter 13: A Biography of Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) Where today would you expect to find rocks deposited by late Paleozoic glaciers?
A)United States
B)western Russia
C)central Europe
D)India
Q2) The generally accepted scientific theory for the origin of our Moon involves ____________.
A)impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body during the Hadean
B)simultaneous formation of Earth and the Moon in neighboring parts of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago
C)gravitational capture of the Moon by Earth during the Hadean
D)gravitational capture of Earth by the Moon during the Archean
Q3) Greenhouse climate on Earth was associated with relatively high atmospheric levels of which gas?
A)nitrogen
B)water vapor
C)oxygen
D)carbon dioxide
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Chapter 14: Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Hydrocarbons are chain-like or ring-like molecules made of carbon and ____________ atoms.
A)helium
B)oxygen
C)water
D)hydrogen
Q2) ____________ occurs when a neutron strikes a radioactive atom.
A)Fusion
B)Fission
C)Splitting
D)Splicing
Q3) Chemically,oil and gas are both ____________.
A)pure forms of carbon
B)carbohydrates
C)hydrocarbons
D)carbonate minerals
Q4) Organic matter builds up evenly over the entire surface of the ocean floor.
A)True
B)False
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an alloy?
A)gold
B)silver
C)bronze
D)copper
Q2) Which property of magmatic ore deposits causes them to be concentrated by magmas?
A)low temperatures of crystallization
B)high temperatures of crystallization
C)low density
D)high density
Q3) Because it can be split easily into thin sheets and is impermeable,____________ is commonly used to make roofing tiles.
A)limestone
B)sandstone
C)gneiss
D)slate
Q4) Most metals used by society are obtained from ____________.
A)native metals
B)ore minerals
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Chapter 16: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements
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Q1) ____________ may help prevent stabilize slopes to prevent mass wasting.
A)Revegetation
B)Regrading
C)Preventing undercutting
D)All of the above are correct.
Q2) The principle difference between a debris flow and a mudflow is the
A)shape of the path taken by the moving mass
B)grain size of the moving mass
C)debris flow contains abundant water,whereas the mudflow is dry
D)debris flow contains pyroclastic debris from a volcanic eruption
Q3) Fires and deforestation may lead to slope failure.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Tectonic activity destabilizes the ground.
A)True
B)False
Q5) All types of mass wasting have approximately the same velocities.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water
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Sample Questions
Q1) All the water in rivers and streams arrives directly from rainfall runoff.
A)True
B)False
Q2) All else being equal,water will flow faster in a stream that has a ____________.
A)steep stream gradient
B)gentle stream gradient
Q3) All flowing water on the continents' surfaces is confined to stream channels.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In a region with prominent orthogonal sets of joints,a ____________ drainage network is expected.
A)dendritic
B)radial
C)rectangular
D)trellis
Q5) Although the Nile River is longer,the Amazon River has the greatest discharge of any stream on Earth.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts
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Q1) The width of a beach in winter is typically ____________ its width in summer.
A)greater than
B)less than
C)equal to
Q2) Ripple marks in sediment caused by ocean waves are found ____________.
A)at all depths
B)only within the tidal range
C)only above the wave base
D)only below the wave base
Q3) The most prominent force inducing tides on Earth is the ____________.
A)Sun's gravitational pull
B)Moon's gravitational pull
C)electromagnetic attraction between the Earth and the Sun
D)gravitational attraction between ocean waters and the continents on Earth
Q4) The oldest oceanic crust is approximately ____________ years old.
A)1 billion
B)200 million
C)100 million
D)50 million
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Chapter 19: A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater
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Q1) Rock or sediment between the water table and the land surface represents a(n)____________.
A)aquitard
B)confined aquifer
C)unconfined aquifer
D)unsaturated zone
Q2) The elevation of the water table ____________.
A)is a constant for a given area so long as the topography remains the same
B)may rise during times of drought and sink during rainy periods
C)may rise during rainy periods and sink during droughts
Q3) Freshwater lakes are always discharge areas.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The relationship governing the rate of groundwater flux was discovered by
A)Alfred Wegener
B)Isaac Newton
C)Henri Darcy
D)Charles Richter
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Chapter 20: An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate
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Q1) To an observer traveling outward from Earth's surface all the way out into space,the temperature of the atmosphere ____________.
A)uniformly decreases due to atmospheric thinning
B)uniformly increases due to increasing proximity to the Sun
C)remains relatively constant until the very edge of the atmosphere,where the observer would experience the very cold vacuum that is interplanetary space
D)decreases,stabilizes,increases,stabilizes,decreases,stabilizes,and,finally,increases until the edge of the atmosphere is reached
Q2) As compared to warm fronts,cold fronts move ____________.
A)more rapidly
B)more slowly
C)at the same rate,but always in opposite directions
D)at the same rate,and always in the same direction
Q3) As an air mass rises,it generally experiences ____________.
A)an increase in pressure
B)a decrease in pressure
C)no change in pressure
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Page 22
Chapter 21: Dry Settings: the Geology of Deserts
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Q1) Evaporite deposits in coastal,subtropical regions derived from the evaporation of seawater stranded above high tide are termed ____________.
A)mirages
B)caliches
C)sabkhas
D)yardangs
Q2) Although deserts have historically been sparsely populated regions,the arid southwestern states have comprised one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States since World War II.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The highest recorded temperature on Earth was in a ____________.
A)tropical rainforest in Brazil
B)low-latitude,high-elevation desert in Mexico
C)high-latitude,high-elevation desert in Mongolia
D)low-latitude,low-elevation desert in Libya
Q4) Most regions that are now deserts have _____________.
A)been deserts throughout the geologic past
B)experienced other climates in the geologic past
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Chapter 22: Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages
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Q1) Glacial ice exhibits ____________ behavior near the top,but ____________ behavior beneath a depth of 60 m.
A)brittle;ductile
B)ductile;brittle
C)solid;liquid
D)plastic;elastic
Q2) A remnant ridge separating two bowl-shaped depressions formed by a mountain glacier is termed a(n)____________.
A)arête
B)cirque
C)horn
D)tarn
Q3) When sea level rises,causing the ocean to fill a glacially carved valley,a ____________ results.
A)smorgasbord
B)tarn
C)fjord
D)ford
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Chapter 23: Global Change in the Earth System
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Q1) Stratigraphic studies have found evidence of numerous cycles of sea level rise and fall after the Precambrian.These cycles often have a sandstone at the base,grade up into coal,and are called ____________.
A)geotherms
B)sedithems
C)bathycycles
D)cyclothems
Q2) Some plankton make shells of calcite/aragonite,that is,CaCO .They do this metabolically by combining calcium (Ca² )ions and bicarbonate (HCO -)ions that are both dissolved in water around them.When such plankton dies,their shells sink downward to become sediment of the ocean floor.Under some conditions in the ocean or sediment,the CaCO shells may dissolve,locally enriching the pore waters or deep-ocean waters in HCO -.Portions of this total process could be considered belonging to each of the following cycles,EXCEPT for the ____________.
A)carbon cycle
B)biogeochemical cycle
C)methane cycle
D)calcium cycle
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