General Geology
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
General Geology provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of Earth, focusing on its materials, processes, structures, and history. This course covers essential topics such as minerals and rocks, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism, weathering, erosion, and the formation of landscapes. Students will also explore Earths interior, the rock cycle, geological time, and the forces shaping continents and oceans. Through lectures, laboratory exercises, and field observations, General Geology equips students with fundamental concepts and skills used to analyze and interpret geologic phenomena, helping them understand both the dynamic and stable elements of our planet.
Recommended Textbook
GEOL 2nd Edition by Reed Wicander
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Chapter 1: Understanding Earth: A Dynamic and Evolving Planet
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Q1) What distinguishes science from other forms of human inquiry?
Answer: Scientific ideas are based on data and observation.They are testable.Other forms of inquiry are based on faith,emotion,or something else that is nontestable.
Q2) What are the three types of tectonic plate boundaries?
Answer: Divergent,convergent,and transform.
Q3) Briefly explain how geologists can formulate theories about events that occurred on Earth before humans were here to make observations.
Answer: Geologists base their theories on two assumptions.First,that rocks record the processes that were involved in formation of those rocks.Second,that uniformitarianism is true,and the present is the key to the past.This means that basic physical,chemical,and biological processes have not changed,and that if we study and understand them today,we can apply what we learn to conditions in the past.
Q4) What is the scientific method?
Answer: The scientific method is an orderly,logical approach to understanding our world that involves gathering and analyzing data about a natural phenomenon,formulating hypotheses to explain the phenomenon,testing the hypotheses,which,if one survives,is put forth as a theory.
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Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics: A Unifying Theory
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Q1) The group of plant fossils that provides important evidence for the existence of Gondwana is ____________________.
Answer: Glossopteris
Q2) What other geological processes could have resulted in the configuration of coastlines so that South America and Africa appeared to fit together?
Answer: Wegener's critics pointed out that erosional and depositional processes could have created that configuration of the coastlines.
Q3) What is the reason that the presence of Glossopteris flora fossils was strong evidence for the existence of Gondwana?
Answer: The seeds of the Glossopteris ferns could not have been carried long distances by wind or water,so the plants must have lived on adjacent lands.
Q4) Why were glacially deposited strata important in the development of continental drift theory?
Answer: The glacial deposits indicated that all southern continents must have been contiguous and closer to the south pole.Glaciers cannot form in the middle of an ocean,which is where they would have originated if the continents were not together.
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Chapter 3: Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks
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Q1) Common examples of sulfide and sulfate minerals,respectively,are:
A)galena and pyrite.
B)gypsum and anhydrite.
C)galena and gypsum.
D)galena and hematite.
E)fluorite and pyrite.
Answer: C
Q2) Give an example of a nonferromagnesian silicate. Answer: Quartz/feldspar/muscovite/clay.
Q3) Olivine is an example of a mineral with isolated silica tetrahedra. A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Minerals are chemically classified by their ____________________ or ____________________.
Answer: negative ion,ion group ion group,negative ion
Q5) Diamond and graphite are two minerals with the same chemical composition,but extremely different physical properties.Why is this?
Answer: They have different crystal structures.
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Igneous Rocks and Intrusive Igneous Activity
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Q1) Natural glass,such as obsidian,forms when magma:
A)cools too rapidly for crystals to form.
B)cools rapidly and very tiny crystals form.
C)cools too slowly for crystals to form.
D)doesn't cool.
E)none of these.
Q2) What are the effects of assimilation on magma composition?
Q3) How do volcanic necks form?
Q4) ____________________ are concordant,mushroom-shaped plutons.
Q5) What is an igneous rock?
Q6) Concordant tabular sheetlike plutons are called ____________________,whereas discordant tabular plutons are called
Q7) What are aphanitic and phaneritic textures,and what do they say about the way the rock formed?
Q8) Why can an intruding mafic magma assimilate felsic country rock,but an intruding felsic magma cannot assimilate mafic country rock?
Q9) Explain how a laccolith is similar to a sill.
Q10) Why does lava retain heat so well?
6
Q11) What are the effects of magma mixing on magma composition?
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Page 7
Chapter 5: Volcanoes and Volcanism
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Q1) Volcanism profoundly affects the atmosphere,hydrosphere,and biosphere.
A)True
B)False
Q2) One common but dangerous gas emitted from volcanoes,which was responsible for many deaths in Cameroon,is ____________________.
Q3) Intermediate and felsic magmas usually arise where:
A)mafic magma mixes with felsic material.
B)volcanoes lie on continental margins inland of subduction zones.
C)plates diverge as spreading ridges form.
D)volcanoes lie above transform faults.
E)mafic magma mixes with felsic material AND volcanoes lie on continental margins inland of subduction zones.
Q4) Pahoehoe is lava erupted by Hawaiian volcanoes that has a(n)____________________ viscosity and a(n)____________________ appearance.
Q5) Briefly explain how magma can originate at spreading zones if temperatures at such shallow depths cannot alone produce melting.
Q6) Columnar joints caused by the contraction of lava as it cools form typically in a(n)____________________ shape.
Page 8
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Chapter 6: Weathering, Soil, and Sedimentary Rocks
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Q1) Cross-beds indicate that current flow changed direction and the new direction flows across the old direction at an angle.
A)True
B)False
Q2) How do detrital sedimentary rocks differ from chemical sedimentary rocks?
Q3) Sediment becomes sedimentary rock by the process known as ____________________,which involves the ____________________ of grains,loss of water,and ____________________ whereby material is precipitated in pore spaces and binds grains together.
Q4) Briefly explain why water is such an important agent in chemical weathering.
Q5) Briefly explain how dolostone is formed.
Q6) What are soil horizons? What are the designations of the soil horizons?
Q7) What are the requirements for a rock body to serve as a reservoir rock for hydrocarbons?
Q8) The uranium used in nuclear reactors comes largely from precipitated deposits in rocks,such as black shale containing abundant organic matter.
A)True
B)False
Q9) Briefly explain how hydrolysis results in the weathering of some minerals.
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Chapter 7: Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks
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Q1) Foliated metamorphic rocks form when pressure is applied
A)outward at the two sides (tension).
B)inward at the two sides (compression).
C)in a shearing environment (tension).
D)as compression or tension.
Q2) The pressure exerted on rocks by the weight of overlying rocks is called ____________________ pressure.With this type of pressure,the stress on the rock is the ____________________ in all directions.
Q3) The type of metamorphism that occurs over large areas,commonly at convergent plate margins,and is responsible for the production of most metamorphic rocks is
Q4) What is lithostatic pressure?
Q5) The intensity of regional metamorphism may be recognized by:
A)index of recrystallization.
B)index fossils.
C)index minerals.
D)index polymorphs.
E)index cards.
Q6) If metamorphic rock contains biotite,garnet,and staurolite,it is ____________________ grade.
Page 10
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Chapter 8: Earthquakes and Earths Interior
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Q1) Seismology has produced a great amount of information about:
A)the mechanisms of plate tectonics.
B)the physical and chemical state of Earth's interior.
C)the causes of mountain building.
D)earthquakes.
E)all of the above
Q2) The percentage of all earthquakes that occur along a plate boundary is nearly:
A)100%.
B)95%.
C)80%.
D)55%.
E)25%.
Q3) Benioff zones indicate the angle of plate descent along a convergent plate boundary.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Landslides and ground motion are significant sources of danger created by earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
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Q1) In a(n)____________________,the youngest rocks are in the center,and the oldest are on the outside.In a(n)____________________,the oldest rocks are in the center,and the youngest are on the outside.
Q2) A simple bend or flexure in an otherwise horizontal rock layer is called a(n)____________________.
Q3) The direction of a line formed by the intersection of a horizontal plane with the plane of a layer of rock is called ____________________.
Q4) How did the monocline in the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming form?
Q5) What are some ways in which mountains form?
Q6) How can you tell a dome from a basin?
Q7) In an anticline,the beds in its axial region are ____________________ in age than the beds of its limbs,and all strata dip ____________________ the axis.
Q8) What is the difference between stress and strain?
Q9) Most folding of rocks occurs near the surface. A)True B)False
Page 12
Q10) What is the distinction between the hanging wall block and the footwall block of a fault?
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Chapter 10: Mass Wasting
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Q1) Because water can be so important in mass movement,what is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways of reducing mass wastage risk and damage?
Q2) Compare and contrast rapid mass movements and slow mass movements.
Q3) Falls,slumps,and slides may turn into flows.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What human activities contribute to or cause mass wasting?
Q5) The most common triggering mechanism for mass wasting is:
A)vibrations due to earthquakes.
B)a sudden influx of excessive water.
C)erosion of the slope base.
D)vibrations due to earthquake and a sudden influx of excessive water.
E)vibrations due to earthquakes,a sudden influx of excessive water,and erosion of the slope base.
Q6) All slopes are constantly adjusting to new conditions,which means they are in a state of ____________________.
Q7) What methods can be used to stabilize a hillside?
Q8) What is permafrost,and what problems are associated with construction in a permafrost environment?
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Chapter 11: Running Water
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Q1) Streams of rivers possess two kinds of energy.Kinetic energy is the energy of:
A)water molecules.
B)position.
C)gravity.
D)motion.
E)channeling.
Q2) In what ways can water be temporarily stored,from a few years to a few thousand years,on the land areas before returning to the oceans?
Q3) The percentage of Earth's water that is in the oceans is:
A)100%.
B)97%.
C)93%.
D)55%.
E)50%.
Q4) What causes a stream to meander?
Q5) If a superposed stream erodes downward into resistant rock and cuts narrow canyons,the resulting feature is called a(n)____________________.
Q6) What causes a delta to form?
Q7) The ideal graded stream has a balance among what five factors?
Page 15
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Chapter 12: Groundwater
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Q1) What methods are used to counteract saltwater incursion?
Q2) Describe the flow of water from the ground into the water table and to a stream,lake or swamp.
Q3) What are the most common sources of groundwater contamination?
Q4) The Dakota Sandstone is threatened primarily by:
A)pollution.
B)subsidence.
C)saltwater intrusion.
D)extensive use.
E)lack of recharge.
Q5) The boundary between the zone of aeration and the zone of saturation is known as the ____________________.
Q6) The zone above the water table,in which water is suspended,is the: A)zone of aeration.
B)zone of saturation.
C)water table.
D)ground water.
E)aquifer zone.
Q7) Discuss the artesian system that underlies South Dakota and extends to central Texas in the Dakota Sandstone.
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Chapter 13: Glaciers and Glaciation
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Q1) How do continental glaciers differ from valley glaciers?
Q2) Describe the main way that glaciers move.In which situations is this essentially the only type of flow a glacier will undergo?
Q3) What is the budget of a glacier,and when is the budget considered balanced?
Q4) Straight scratches on rock surfaces created by glacial abrasion are known as:
A)rock flour.
B)glacial striations.
C)glacial till.
D)varves.
E)moraines.
Q5) What is the difference between ice caps and continental glaciers?
Q6) The zone of ____________________ is the portion of a glacier where additions exceed losses.
Q7) Short-term climatic events,such as the Little Ice Age,may be caused by:
A)variations in solar energy.
B)large volcanic eruptions.
C)Milankovitch cycles.
D)variations in solar energy AND large volcanic eruptions.
E)No one really knows.
Page 17
Q8) What causes the rate of flow of a glacier to flow more rapidly?
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Chapter 14: The Work of Wind and Deserts
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Q1) A common mode of mass wasting in deserts is:
A)mudflows.
B)rock fall.
C)creep.
D)slumps.
E)slides.
Q2) How do sand dunes migrate?
Q3) Alluvial fans are composed of sediment that is ____________________-sorted and ____________________ stratified.
Q4) Desertification is taking place in the Sahara but not in the developed world.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is air pressure,and how does it vary with temperature?
Q6) Loess is important because it:
A)is an important source of building material.
B)is rich in important ore deposits.
C)sometimes contains petroleum.
D)makes fertile soil.
E)is an important source of groundwater.
Q7) What are deserts,and where are they located on Earth?
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Chapter 15: Oceans, Shorelines, and Shoreline Processes
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Q1) A spit that connects an island to the mainland is a:
A)hook.
B)tombolo.
C)barrier island.
D)beach.
E)baymouth bar.
Q2) Individual sand grains move along a beach:
A)straight in the direction of the longshore current.
B)straight offshore.
C)in circles up and down the beach face but not horizontally down the beach.
D)in a zigzag pattern in the direction of longshore currents.
E)only during storms.
Q3) What is the most important agent for modifying the equilibrium profile of beaches?
Q4) What is an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)?
Q5) The largest oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry was from the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound,Alaska.
A)True
B)False
Q6) How do marine terraces form?
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Chapter 16: Geologic Time: Concepts and Principles
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Q1) Long-lived parent-daughter isotope pairs have half-lives of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years.
A)True
B)False
Q2) When radiometric dating is applied to metamorphic rocks,the date obtained is:
A)the date of final crystallization of the magma.
B)the date at which metamorphism began.
C)a minimum age for the parent rock.
D)the date at which metamorphism ceased.
E)a maximum age for the daughter rock.
Q3) The loss of an electron from a neutron in the nucleus is called:
A)alpha decay.
B)beta decay.
C)electron decay.
D)electron capture.
E)half-life decay.
Q4) Carbon-14 dating is based on the ratio of the parent isotope ____________________ to the daughter isotope ____________________.
Q5) What does half-life measure?
Q6) How are radioactive elements different from stable elements?
Page 20
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Chapter 17: Earth History
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Q1) During the Pleistocene of North America,there were at least ____________________ glacial stages.These stages,in order from oldest to youngest,are the
,and ____________________.
Q2) During the breakup of Pangaea,the eastern margin of North America went first through a passive margin stage and then through a rift margin stage.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What role did microplates play in the formation of Pangaea?
Q4) During the Mesozoic,the Appalachian range was eroded into a low-lying erosional surface.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How was the style of plate tectonics different in the Archean than it is today? When did the present style of plate tectonics begin?
Q6) What was the Cordilleran orogeny? Briefly describe the four phases of the orogeny.
Q7) What are mobile belts of a continent?
Q8) Name the two periods into which the Cenozoic is divided.
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Chapter 18: Life History
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Q1) What is important about Neanderthals?
Q2) Scientists know that birds began to evolve prior to the Cretaceous,due to the fossil known as ____________________.
Q3) Plants are divided into two major groups:
A)coniferous and deciduous.
B)vascular and spore-bearing.
C)angiosperms and gymnosperms.
D)vascular and nonvascular.
E)seedless and non-seedless.
Q4) The amalgamation of Pangaea may have played an important role in the Permian extinction because the shallow marine environment was greatly reduced.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The first jawed fish were the:
A)placoderms.
B)acanthodians.
C)ostracoderms.
D)chrondrichthyes.
E)agnatha.
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