Geology Exam Practice Tests
Course Introduction
Geology explores the structure, composition, and processes of the Earth, examining the materials that make up our planet and the dynamic forces shaping its surface over time. This course investigates topics such as minerals and rocks, plate tectonics, earth history, natural resources, and geologic hazards like earthquakes and volcanoes. Through lectures, fieldwork, and laboratory analysis, students gain a foundational understanding of the physical and historical aspects of the Earths development, equipping them to analyze modern-day environmental challenges and appreciate the planets complex systems.
Recommended Textbook
Natural Hazards and Disasters 4th Edition by
Donald Hyndman
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18 Chapters
634 Verified Questions
634 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Natural Hazards and Disasters
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Sample Questions
Q1) Who is most commonly to blame when people incur a significant loss from a natural disaster?
A) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for not building protective structures
B) the federal government for not doing something about it
C) the people themselves for choosing to live there
D) the local county for permitting them to build there
E) the realtor for selling them the property
Answer: C
Q2) Which is NOT a way that government policy mitigates natural hazards?
A) using research and studies to predict storms and floods
B) congress funding expensive Army Corps of Engineers projects to build levees along rivers
C) relocating natural disaster victims to more stable areas
D) utilizing computer systems to determine risk levels
E) organizing central emergency management agencies to bring order to chaotic relief efforts
Answer: B
Q3) Which natural hazard causes the GREATEST amount of fatalities in the United States annually?
Answer: Heat and drought.
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Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics and Physical Hazards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why do many oceanic volcanoes occur as long lines of volcanoes that are active at only one end?
A) The lithosphere moves over a stable hotspot in the mantle.
B) The mantle convection cell under the crust carries the magma source from one end of the line of volcanoes to the other.
C) The mantle plume that feeds the volcano rotates around the Earth's core, tracing new volcanoes as it does.
D) The spreading lithosphere pushes the underlying magma source across the ocean floor.
E) The active volcanoes are gradually moving away from the oceanic ridge.
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the following was NOT used as early evidence for continental drift?
A) ages of bedrock formations that match across the Atlantic Ocean
B) match of coastlines across the Atlantic Ocean
C) match of rock formations across the Atlantic Ocean
D) match of ages of continental rocks across the Atlantic Ocean
E) the fact that the magnetic pole shifts from north to south
Answer: E
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Chapter 3: Earthquakes and Their Causes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why are surface waves the most destructive type of earthquake waves (two different reasons)?
Answer: Larger amplitude of shaking (greatest ground motion).Closer to surface of earth and thus closer to buildings.
Q2) What does the Mercalli Intensity Scale depend on?
A) how much damage occurred in an area
B) the intensity of shaking of the seismograph
C) the amplitude of movement of the seismograph needle
D) the strength of rocks broken along the fault
E) the frequency of the earthquake waves as they reach the seismograph
Answer: A
Q3) How much more energy is released in a magnitude 7 earthquake than in a magnitude 6 earthquake?
Answer: About 32 times.
Q4) What is the approximate P-wave velocity through the Earth? Indicate whether your answer refers to the Earth's crust or mantle.
Answer: 5-6 km/sec in continental crust; 8 km/sec in mantle.
Q5) Name the three main types of earthquake waves.
Answer: Primary (P),secondary (S),and surface waves.
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Chapter 4: Earthquake Prediction and Mitigation
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Sample Questions
Q1) There has been at least one highly successful prediction of a major earthquake that saved a very large number of lives.Where and when was that earthquake? What information led to the prediction?
Q2) In the case of the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan (Sichuan),China,what could have been done to reduce the number of casualties that resulted from the earthquake?
Q3) Some major faults show migration of earthquakes along the fault with time (that is,over the past few hundred or a thousand years).Name one such fault-or indicate exactly where it is.When was the last major earthquake on that fault?
Q4) The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake occurred on which Californian fault?
A) San Andreas Fault
B) Hayward Fault
C) Calavares Fault
D) Loma Prieta Fault
E) San Jacinto Fault
Q5) Buildings of different heights shake back and forth at different frequencies.Which shake at higher frequencies,short buildings or tall buildings?
Q6) Where is the safest place to be in an earthquake?
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Tsunami
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Sample Questions
Q1) When are tsunami warning systems ineffective?
Q2) What was the nature of the boundary marked by that fault?
Q3) About how high are the largest earthquake-caused tsunami waves in the open ocean?
A) about 15 meters high
B) about 1 meter high
C) about 50 meters high
D) about 300 meters high
E) about 1 kilometer high
Q4) Decide which natural occurrence would create the most catastrophic tsunami and why.Describe the location that would be the most devastating.
Q5) What secondary event (the one that killed most of the people)was caused by the initial event noted above (the general name for that type of event)?
Q6) What is the average speed of tsunami waves in the deep ocean?
A) 8-9 km/hour
B) 80-90 km/hour
C) 800-900 km/hour
D) the speed of an Olympic sprinter
E) the speed of light
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Chapter 6: Volcanoes: Tectonic Environments and Eruptions
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Sample Questions
Q1) What two main factors result in more violent eruptions?
A) not too much water and low enough viscosity
B) more water and higher viscosity of the magma
C) higher viscosity and narrow enough vent
D) strong rocks around the vent and more water
E) a large enough volcano with low-viscosity magma
Q2) What are the main distinctions between basalt and rhyolite? Compare them based on color,silica content,relative viscosity,relative explosiveness,and the most abundant gas in each.
Q3) What are the two most abundant gases in magmas?
Q4) What causes a big bulge to slowly grow on the flank of an active Cascades volcano?
A) Thick lava flows pile up around the vent.
B) A huge gas bubble released from the magma inflates it.
C) The magma reacts with snow on the volcano, causing magma inflation.
D) The hot magma melts older ash, causing it to expand.
E) Rising magma is pushing it up.
Q5) A large,steep-sided volcano is likely made of what composition of rock? In what form was the rock erupted? What type of volcano is it?
Q6) Which common volcanic gases are poisonous? Name two.
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Chapter 7: Volcanoes: Hazards and Mitigation
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35 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Three Sisters are located just west of which city?
A) Redding, California
B) Portland, Oregon
C) Bend, Oregon
D) Cascade, Oregon
E) Weed, California
Q2) What evidence is NOT used by scientists to decide whether a stratovolcano may be getting ready to erupt?
A) whether there are changes in the temperatures of volcanoes and erupted steam
B) whether numerous microearthquakes are occurring
C) whether a large bulge is growing on the flank of the volcano
D) whether there is an increase in sulfur oxide gas emissions from the volcano
E) whether red-hot molten magma is visible when looking down the crater
Q3) Why,in some cases,are the gases of an eruption more dangerous than lava flows,debris flows,or ash flows?
Q4) What is Wizard Island in Crater Lake?
Q5) How can you approximate the travel distance and which hills a pyroclastic flow might cross?
Q6) Why would a volcanic eruption at Mount Vesuvius pose a huge hazard?
Q7) Why is paleovolcanology important in predicting future volcanic eruptions?
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Chapter 8: Landslides and Other Downslope Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) The main factors that affect the chance that a slope will fail in a landslide do NOT include:
A) slope angle or steepness.
B) strength of slope material.
C) amount of water.
D) age of the slope.
E) internal surfaces subparallel to the slope.
Q2) What material is subject to liquefaction?
Q3) Old landslides are NOT normally reactivated by:
A) adding water.
B) earthquakes.
C) steepening the slope by removing material at the lower part of the slope.
D) steepening the slope by adding material at the upper part of the slope.
E) piling heavy rocks on the lower part of the slope.
Q4) The angle of repose for dry sand is __________ degrees.
A) 5 to 15
B) 25 to 35
C) 45 to 55
D) 35 to 45
E) 15 to 25
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Chapter 9: Sinkholes, Land Subsidence, and Swelling Soils
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is karst and how does it form?
A) Karst is the ragged surface dissolved on the surface of limestone bedrock formerly buried under soil.
B) Karst is windblown dust deposited in areas of dune-like hills.
C) Karst is the deposit of calcium carbonate that precipitates on rocks in soil when groundwater evaporates.
D) Karst is the cold wind that blows off the North Atlantic Ocean at times in late fall.
E) Karst is the product of reaction between acid rain and limestone in the ground.
Q2) Which of the following does NOT lead to formation of sinkholes?
A) strong pumping of groundwater for crop irrigation in dry weather
B) pumping groundwater for spraying on crops to prevent freezing
C) construction of a heavy building over a limestone cavern
D) pumping waste fluids into the ground for disposal
E) drilling for groundwater
Q3) What are two main mechanisms of ground subsidence?
Q4) How can you recognize the presence of swelling soils?
Q5) What aspects of construction can lead to the formation of sinkholes? Why?
Q6) What type of ground settling process is common in high latitudes?
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Chapter 10: Weather, Thunderstorms, And Tornadoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following always decreases as we go upward in the atmosphere?
A) wind
B) temperature
C) pressure
D) moisture
E) oxygen to nitrogen ratio
Q2) What creates the electrical charges in clouds that characterize lightning storms?
A) friction between air molecules in turbulent air in the clouds
B) friction between droplets of water falling in clouds and others carried upward in updrafts
C) natural charges on the Earth's surface repel equally charged surface charges on droplets in the cloud base
D) collisions between ice particles rising and falling in turbulent air in the clouds
E) collisions between falling ice particles and water droplets carried in updrafts
Q3) What is distinctive about the shape of a cloud that might develop a severe thunderstorm? (Two very distinctive aspects)
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Chapter 11: Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following plants or animals have benefitted from global warming?
A) American pika
B) polar bears
C) black spruce
D) Pacific salmon.
E) sea turtles
Q2) What has been the relationship between Earth's temperature and incoming solar radiation during the first decade of the 21st century?
A) Earth's temperature has risen during a decade when incoming solar radiation has been near a minimum.
B) Earth's temperature has fallen during a decade when incoming solar radiation has been near a minimum.
C) Earth's temperature has risen during a decade when incoming solar radiation has been near a maximum.
D) Earth's temperature has fallen during a decade when incoming solar radiation has been near a maximum.
E) Earth's temperature has remained constant during a decade of constant incoming solar radiation.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Streams And Flood Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why does stream level rise within a few hours of a heavy rain,even though you see no water running off the slopes?
Q2) Which way does groundwater flow in a dry climate with respect to a stream?
Q3) Why are flash floods more common in dry climates than wet climates?
A) The rainfall intensity is greater.
B) Individual storms last longer.
C) The soil is less permeable.
D) The river channels are not as deep.
E) The channel gradients are steeper, so the water flows faster.
Q4) What are natural levees? Where do they form? Why do they form there?
Q5) Why are alluvial fans so broad,even though they form at the lower end of a narrow mountain canyon?
Q6) In the case study "Desert Debris Flows and Housing on Alluvial Fans-Tucson,Arizona,Debris Flows,2006," why did the hydrograph for Sabino Creek show higher and higher discharge rates between July 27 and July 31?
Q7) What is the best long-term solution to avoiding a debris flow?
Q8) Which is likely to flow farther down to the flatter,wider part of a valley: a debris flow or a mudflow? Why?
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Q9) What is the main difference between a water flood and a hyperconcentrated flood?
Chapter 13: Floods And Human Interactions
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Sample Questions
Q1) What physical effect do most bridges have on the streams they cross?
A) They restrict flood flow on the floodplain, so water under the bridge is deeper and faster.
B) They minimize flooding upstream because the water upstream moves more slowly.
C) They decrease erosion under the bridge because they slow the water.
D) They decrease water level just downstream because the water there moves more slowly.
E) They cause vehicles crossing the bridge to get swept up in the flood.
Q2) What are the best detection devices to warn people of an already-moving debris flow?
A) a tripwire
B) natural sounds created by the flow
C) an acoustic flow monitor
D) a visual film monitor
E) a natural barrier
Q3) What is urbanization and how does it contribute to flooding?
Q4) What are human activities that can impact stream processes and contribute to flooding? What happens to the streambed as a result of these activities? Identify and explain each activity and the ways in which it affects flooding.
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Chapter 14: Waves,Beaches,And Coastal Erosion
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Sample Questions
Q1) What factors promote a steeper slope on the active underwater part of the beach?
A) deeper water
B) shallower water
C) larger waves
D) finer grains
E) higher average winds
Q2) What factors promote a steeper slope on the active underwater part of the beach?
Q3) Why do barrier islands gradually migrate landward with time?
Q4) Why are inlets through barrier bars or barrier islands not closed by longshore drift of sand?
A) Such inlets are always the outlets for onshore rivers to reach the sea, so they flush the sand out.
B) Rapid flow of water back and forth through the inlet as tides rise and fall keeps it clear.
C) Longshore sand drifted into such inlets drops into deeper water, so it drifts out to sea.
D) Sand drifted into such inlets encounters brackish water from the inlet and dissolves.
E) Sand drifted into such inlets is carried into the lagoon by incoming waves.
Q5) What is the relationship between wave height and energy of the wave?
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Page 16
Chapter 14: Hurricanes and Noreasters
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Sample Questions
Q1) What information is given in hurricane predictions?
Q2) What effects does the wind NOT have on buildings during a hurricane?
A) blows out windows and doors
B) lifts off roofs
C) flying debris causes severe damage
D) blows down (collapses) roofs
E) shears off siding
Q3) What is the approximate forward speed of a hurricane (how fast does it approach the coast)?
Q4) Why are houses in hurricane areas generally on tall posts?
A) to keep them above the level of high waves
B) to keep them above the level of the storm surge
C) to let blowing sand go under them
D) to keep them above the strongest winds
E) to provide less wind resistance
Q5) What are some examples of natural protections against hurricanes? What can people do to preserve these protections?
Q6) Explain why death tolls from hurricanes are much higher in poor countries.
Q7) Aside from flooding,what damages accompany the hurricane surge?
Q8) Why are skies clear in the eye of a hurricane?
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Chapter 16: Wildfires
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why isn't the Forest Service's Smokey Bear mascot now used as much as it was in the past?
Q2) Why is it dangerous to walk or drive in a small valley bottom in a big rainstorm after a major fire?
Q3) What is the principle cause of increased fire hazard to members of the public?
A) people placing their propane tanks near their houses
B) more people living in the woods building with wood
C) more closures of forest roads
D) more logging of large trees in forests
E) more people building in or next to forests or other wild lands
Q4) Which of the following would NOT minimize fire danger to houses for people living in the woods?
A) clearing brush and trees around the house
B) using a metal roof
C) piling firewood next to the house
D) using fire-resistant material for a deck or covering it with fire-resistant material
E) maintaining and watering a lawn around the house
Q5) What is fuel loading? What are examples of fuel loading,and what makes them combustible?
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Chapter 17: Impact of Asteroids and Comets
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are comets made of?
A) ice and some rock
B) ice
C) high magnesium and iron rocks
D) nickel-iron
E) close-packed hydrogen
Q2) List two secondary (indirect)effects of an impact that would negatively affect humans and other large animals in a major way.
Q3) How fast do asteroids travel in space?
A) about 2 to 4 km per minute
B) about 15 to 40 km per minute
C) about 2 to 4 km per second
D) about 15 to 25 km per second
E) about 150 to 400 km per second
Q4) How fast do comets travel in space?
A) about 2 to 3 km per minute
B) about 60 km per minute
C) about 2 to 3 km per second
D) about 60 km per second
E) about 500 km per second
19
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are some secondary problems (not the storm itself)caused by Hurricane Katrina that are typical of most natural disasters?
Q2) List some methods of mitigation which help in reducing losses from natural disasters.
Q3) Give an example of the disaster differences for poor countries.Describe how these countries are dealing with their disaster and the vast differences of life for people in these nations.
Q4) "Hard" solutions to natural disasters do NOT include:
A) installing barriers along coasts.
B) building riprap walls along coasts.
C) constructing levees on dams.
D) updating zoning laws.
E) setting up drains on landslide prone hills.
Q5) Which of the following is the best answer for a "soft" solution?
A) zoning to prevent building in certain areas
B) installing levees on rivers
C) creating drains on a landslide prone slope
D) installing concrete barriers and riprap along coasts
E) installing catchment basins below debris-flow channels
Q6) What are natural hazards? Give examples.
Page 20
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