Earth Systems Science
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Earth Systems Science explores the complex interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere, emphasizing the interconnectedness of Earth's physical and biological processes. This interdisciplinary course examines how natural and human-induced changes impact earth systems on local, regional, and global scales. Students will investigate topics such as climate change, energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, plate tectonics, and ecosystem dynamics, gaining a comprehensive understanding of how Earth's systems function and respond to both natural events and human activities. The course integrates scientific principles with real-world case studies to foster critical thinking about sustainability and environmental stewardship.
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Physical Geology Earth Revealed 9th Edition by Diane Carlson
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Chapter 1:
Tectonics,and Other Important Concepts
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Q1) Deeply buried rock that is hot and under pressure can deform like taffy or putty.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Earth's lithosphere is made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and crust.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) The two major types of crust are oceanic crust and __.
A)continental crust
B)lithosphere
C)convergent crust
D)thin crust
Answer: A
Q4) The North American Plate is all on one plate.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Earths Interior and Geophysical Properties
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Q1) Recently,geologists have been analyzing ____ generated by tidal friction,ocean waves,and storms to gain an even more detailed image of the crust and upper mantle.
A)energy waves
B)light sources
C)water movement
D)evaporation
E)ocean currents
Answer: A
Q2) A region held down out of isostatic equilibrium produces a negative gravity anomaly.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The composition of the upper mantle is the ultramafic rock peridotite.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: The Sea Floor
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Q1) The deepest places on Earth,more than 11 km below sea level,are the abyssal plains.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Turbidity currents flow down the continental slope until they come to rest on ___.
A)the continental shelf
B)the mid-oceanic ridge
C)a guyot
D)the abyssal plain
E)a submarine trench
Answer: D
Q3) Ocean water originated mainly from degassing of the Earth's interior.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 4: Plate Tectonics
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Q1) Harry Hess proposed that the _______.
A)sea floor moves
B)continents drift
C)magnetic field reverses
D)magnetic poles wander
E)the core is liquid
Q2) The ___ includes rocks of the crust and uppermost mantle.
A)true ocean basin
B)asthenosphere
C)lithosphere
D)ophiolites
E)Moho
Q3) Evidence in support of continental drift includes ____.
A)glacial striation patterns
B)fossil distribution on different continents
C)fit of continental margins
D)matching of geologic patterns on continents
E)all of the choices are correct
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Chapter 5: Mountain Belts and the Continental Crust
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Q1) Seismic studies indicate that continental crust beneath mountains and cratons is essentially the same thickness.
A)True
B)False
Q2) According to the concept of isostasy,lighter,less dense,continental crust "floats" higher on the mantle than denser oceanic crust.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Andes Mountains,where the South America Plate overrides the Nazca Plate,are a consequence of ocean-continent convergence.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A cycle of splitting of a supercontinent,opening of an ocean basin,followed by closing of the basin and collision of continents is known as a Wilson Cycle.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Geologic Structures
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Q1) On a surface leveled by erosion the pattern of exposed beds of a plunging fold resembles that of the letter __.
A)X
B)H
C)V
D)I
E)T
Q2) An anticline is a fold shaped like a(n)____ with the oldest rock in the center of the fold.
A)cone
B)umbrella
C)arch
D)W
E)V
Q3) The side of the fault above the inclined fault surface is the ___.
A)footwall
B)hanging wall
C)isoclinal wall
D)plunging wall
E)sheet wall
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Chapter 7: Earthquakes
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Q1) ___ stations are the minimum needed to determine the location of an earthquake epicenter.
A)Five
B)Two
C)Three
D)Four
E)Six
Q2) The point within the earth where seismic waves first originate is the _____.
A)scarp
B)epicenter
C)focus
D)trace
E)origin
Q3) The effects of ground motion caused by an earthquake do not include _____.
A)permanent land surface displacement
B)fire
C)volcanism
D)landslides
E)soil liquefaction
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Chapter 8: Time and Geology
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Q1) Fossils are common in __.
A)all rock types
B)plutonic rocks
C)sedimentary rocks
D)metamorphic rocks
E)volcanic rocks
Q2) In the radioactive decay process of electron capture a(n)___ in the nucleus captures an orbiting electron.
A)neutrino
B)neutron
C)alpha particle
D)proton
E)positron
Q3) The principle of crosscutting relationships states that a disrupted pattern is older than the cause of disruption.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Earth is between 1 and 2 billion years old.
A)True
B)False
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Atoms,Elements and Minerals
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Q1) Clay minerals are very common in the Earth's upper mantle.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The common mineral ___ is an example of an isolated silica tetrahedron structure.
A)amphibole
B)feldspar
C)olivine
D)pyroxene
E)mica (biotite,muscovite,etc.)
Q3) The _____ group and the ___ group are sheet silicates characterized by one direction of cleavage.
A)amphibole; pyroxene
B)feldspar; quartz
C)olivine; plagioclase
D)mica; clay
E)carbonate; sulfide
Q4) The atomic mass number is equal to the number of neutrons in an atom.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Volcanism and Extrusive Rocks
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Q1) A _____ is a mixture of gas and pyroclastic debris that is so dense that it hugs the ground as it flows rapidly into low areas.
A)silica flow
B)lava flow
C)pyroclastic flow
D)change in viscosity
E)pahoehoe lava flow
Q2) Occasionally,a volcano will spew large amounts of fine volcanic dust into the high atmosphere.This dust can have the effect of __.
A)reducing the sunlight that reaches Earth's surface,suppressing photosynthetic processes
B)reducing Earth's surface temperature
C)damaging aircraft that fly through the dust
D)causing unusual weather
E)All of the answers are correct.
Q3) Tsunami account for most fatalities in volcanic eruptions.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Igneous Rocks, Intrusive Activity, and the Origin of Igneous Rocks
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Q1) The geothermal gradient is the rate at which pressure increases with increasing depth beneath the surface.
A)True
B)False
Q2) To explain the great volumes of granite plutonic rocks,most geologists think that partial melting of the _______ must take place.
A)core
B)lower mantle
C)lower continental crust
D)oceanic crust
E)asthenosphere
Q3) On its slow journey through the crust,mafic magma evolves into intermediate magma by differentiation and assimilation of ______.
A)mantle rocks
B)basalt
C)gabbro
D)silicic rocks
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Chapter 12: Weathering and Soil
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Q1) Sulfuric acid is produced naturally during __.
A)emission of soil gas
B)carbonate mineral decomposition
C)normal life functions of plants and animals
D)some volcanic eruptions
E)the weathering process
Q2) In arid climates,soils are thin and soil water tends to move ______
A)laterally
B)downward
C)upward
D)only within a given soil horizon
E)sluggishly,if at all
Q3) A soil formed entirely through the weathering of basalt would not contain sand-sized grains of __.
A)clay
B)feldspar
C)olivine
D)pyroxene
E)quartz
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Chapter 13: Mass Wasting
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Q1) Within the United States,fewer people have died as a result of landslides than other geologic hazards,such as earthquakes and tornadoes.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Resistance to movement or deformation of soil is called __.
A)solifluction
B)stiffness quotient
C)stress resistance
D)shear strength
E)rigidity
Q3) A(n)_____ is the rapid sliding of a mass of bedrock along an inclined surface of weakness.
A)debris flow
B)rockslide
C)avalanche
D)rockfall
E)creep
Q4) Viscosity is the resistance to movement of the material.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Sediment and Sedimentary Rocks
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Q1) _____ is a coarse-grained sedimentary rock formed by the cementation of rounded gravel.
A)Breccia
B)Mega sandstone
C)Pebble rock
D)Boulder rock
E)Conglomerate
Q2) Asymmetrical _____ are produced by current flowing in a single direction.
A)wave marks
B)ridge marks
C)ripple marks
D)mullion marks
E)burrow marks
Q3) A sedimentary rock that consists of sediment grains bound by cement into a rigid framework is called _______.
A)crystalline
B)clastic
C)biochemical
D)organic
E)recycled
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Chapter 15: Metamorphism, Metamorphic Rocks, and Hydrothermal Rocks
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Q1) Hydrothermal processes are not important along submarine mid-ocean ridges because of the cooling effect of seawater.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Andalusite,kyanite,and sillimanite are among the best known index minerals that provide information about the temperature and pressure of metamorphism.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Shearing causes parts of a body to move or slide relative to one another across a plane.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Schist is a metamorphic rock characterized by a nonfoliated texture.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Metamorphic rock forms from pre-existing rock when heat and pressure cause solid-state transformations.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Streams and Floods
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Q1) _____ meanders are meanders that retain their sinuous pattern as they cut vertically downward below the level at which they originally formed.
A)Incised
B)Excised
C)Excavated
D)Concentrated
E)Superposed
Q2) Discharge is the product of average stream width times average stream depth times ___.
A)stream velocity
B)stream sinuosity
C)stream elevation
D)stream gradient
E)stream temperature
Q3) A stream reaches it maximum velocity close to the shoreline.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Stream erosion and deposition are controlled primarily by a river's velocity.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Ground Water
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Q1) How fast groundwater flows depends,in part,on the permeability of the sediment through which it passes.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The site selected for the disposal of high level radioactive wastes is the ocean.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In very dry climates such as deserts,rivers tend to be __.
A)gaining streams
B)subsequent streams
C)meandering streams
D)losing streams
E)consequent streams
Q4) ______ is a deposit of calcite that forms around hot springs.
A)Hematite
B)Quartz
C)Travertine
D)Stalactite
E)Sinter
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Chapter 18: Deserts and Wind Action
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Q1) The high runoff following sporadic desert downpours can create sudden local floods called ______.
A)ephemeral floods
B)flash floods
C)spring floods
D)storm surges
E)desert disasters
Q2) The world's best-known deserts lie in a belt 10-15 degrees centered at latitude of 30 degree (North and South).
A)True
B)False
Q3) High-speed winds can cause ____,clouds of sand moving rapidly near the land surface.
A)dust clouds
B)sand storms
C)dust devils
D)bajadas
E)deflation
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Chapter 19: Glaciers and Glaciation
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Q1) A(n)____ is a long sinuous ridge of water-deposited cross-bedded and well-sorted sediment deposited by a stream that flowed within or under a glacier.
A)tarn
B)moraine
C)drumlin
D)esker
E)varve
Q2) Two layers of sediment representing one year of deposition in a lake are called a varve.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The grinding of rock against rock by a glacier produces a very fine sediment called ____.
A)tillite
B)till
C)rock flour
D)rock dust
E)glacier mist
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Chapter 20: Waves,Beaches and Coasts
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Q1) A _____ is a structure built to absorb the force of large,offshore breaking waves and provide quiet water near shore.
A)rock wall
B)sea wall
C)groin
D)jetty
E)breakwater
Q2) Seawalls are constructed perpendicular to the shore to prevent wave erosion.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The highest wind wave ever measured was 34 meters high.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A _____ is a bar of sediment that connects a former island to the mainland.
A)baymouth bar
B)jetty
C)groin
D)breakwater
E)tombolo
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Chapter 21: Geologic Resources
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Q1) The more carbon,the more combustible (economically desirable)the coal.
A)True
B)False
Q2) ____ resources enable us to create the metals used in our world today.
A)Nonmetallic
B)Metallic
C)Nonrenewable
D)Energy
E)Petroleum
Q3) In 1900 more than _____ percent of America's energy needs were satisfied by burning coal.
A)90
B)75
C)50
D)25
E)10
Q4) Hydrothermal fluids are the most important source of metallic ore deposits.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 22: The Earths Companions
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Q1) As meteors enter the Earth's atmosphere,large numbers are slowed by air resistance and may reach the ground as smaller fragments called meteorites.
A)True
B)False
Q2) As planetismals struck the growing Earth,their impact energy in combination with ______ melted the planet.
A)heat from the sun
B)energy left over from the Big Bang
C)radioactivity
D)cosmic rays
E)the greenhouse effect
Q3) Like most stars the sun is made mainly of hydrogen.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Astronomers think that most comets come from the Oort cloud.
A)True
B)False
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