Historical Geology Test
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Course Introduction
Historical Geology explores the origin and development of Earth and its life forms through geologic time. The course examines the physical and biological history of the planet, emphasizing the interpretation of rock strata, fossils, and geologic events that have shaped Earths surface and environments. Key topics include the processes of plate tectonics, mountain building, and mass extinctions, as well as the evolution of life as evidenced in the fossil record. By integrating concepts from paleontology, stratigraphy, and geochronology, Historical Geology provides a framework for understanding the dynamic and interconnected history of the Earth.
Recommended Textbook Essentials of Geology 5th Edition by Stephen Marshak
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Chapter 1: The Earth in Context
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Q1) Scientist have estimated the age of Earth to be 4.57 Ga.What did they use to determine this age and why did they use it?
Answer: The age of Earth was determined by radiometric age dating of meteorites.Rocks from Earth have been recycled so much that we no longer have any rocks that date back to the formation of Earth.However,since everything in the solar system was created at the same time,and meteorites have not been recycled since their formation,meteorite samples were used to determine the age of the solar system.
Q2) As compared to ultramafic rocks,mafic rocks have a ________.
A)greater proportion of silica
B)lesser proportion of silica
C)greater proportion of iron and magnesium atoms
D)greater density
Answer: A
Q3) What is the difference between a mineral and a glass?
Answer: A mineral contains atoms arranged in an ordered pattern,whereas glass contains no such internal organization.
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Chapter 2: The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
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Q1) With increasing distance from a mid-ocean ridge,the age of oceanic crust
A)increases
B)decreases
C)stays constant
D)varies randomly
Answer: A
Q2) At a subduction zone,the down-going (subducting)plate ________.
A)is always composed of continental lithosphere
B)is always composed of oceanic lithosphere
C)may be composed of either oceanic or continental lithosphere
D)is composed entirely of asthenosphere
Answer: B
Q3) The thickness of oceanic lithosphere is ________.
A)nearly uniformly 100 kilometers
B)greatest at the geographic poles and least near the equator
C)greatest near the mid-ocean ridges and thins out away from the ridges
D)least near the mid-ocean ridges and thickens away from the ridges
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: Patterns in Nature: Minerals
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Q1) The ________ class of minerals contains the anion S ².
A)oxides
B)halides
C)sulfides
D)sulfates
Answer: C
Q2) Diamonds are usually found in ________.
A)graphite
B)kimberlite
C)metamorphic rocks
D)sedimentary rocks
Answer: B
Q3) Which common rock-forming mineral shows up in all three major rock types (igneous,sedimentary,and metamorphic)?
A)diamond
B)quartz
C)olivine
D)kaolinite
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks
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Q1) All other factors being equal,if a body of magma becomes more felsic,its viscosity will ________.
A)increase
B)decrease
C)stay the same
D)Chemical composition has no effect on viscosity.
Q2) A sill is a(n)________.
A)tabular intrusion that lies parallel to surrounding layers of sedimentary rock
B)cooled layer of an ancient lava flow
C)intrusion formed within the magma chamber of a volcano
D)tabular intrusion that cuts across preexisting layers
Q3) All things equal,a magma will have ________ viscosity than a lava.
A)the same
B)fractional
C)lower
D)higher
Q4) Describe the difference between the relative viscosity of felsic versus mafic magma and how this affects the rate of flow of each type.
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Chapter 5: The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
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Q1) Recurrence intervals are often used as estimates of when the next eruption might occur.Explain what a recurrence interval is,how it is calculated,and why it is not the most useful means of forecasting eruptions.
Q2) A fast-moving flow consisting of a mixture of water and volcanoclastic debris is termed a ________.
A)lahar
B)pyroclastic flow
C)flood basalt
D)hyaloclastite
Q3) If a volcano lies along a convergent boundary but has not erupted in over 100,000 years,the volcano is considered ________.
A)active
B)dormant
C)extinct
D)dead
Q4) Describe how explosive eruptions occur.Make sure to address viscosity,gas content,and the process for building pressure.
Q5) Describe how an explosive volcanic eruption can create a global cooling event.
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Chapter 6: Pages of Earth S Past: Sedimentary Rocks
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Q1) As compared with metamorphism,diagenesis ________.
A)means exactly the same thing
B)takes place at lower temperatures and pressures
C)takes place at higher temperatures and pressures
D)takes place at greater depths that are well within the mantle
Q2) What traits would a clastic sedimentary rock have if it had traveled far from its source and was carried in a current with uniform energy? What environment would this be?
Q3) Because the velocity of sediment settling (deposition)is positively related to grain size for waterborne sediments,fluvial deposits are more likely than glacial deposits to
A)be well sorted
B)include coarse grains,such as cobbles
C)include fine grains,such as clay
D)have angular grains
Q4) Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?
A)biochemical
B)chemical
C)clastic
D)organic
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Chapter 7: Metamorphism: A Process of Change
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Q1) Foliated rock is created by a preferential stress oriented ________ the foliation. A)the same way as B)diagonally to C)perpendicular to D)parallel to
Q2) Two common metamorphic rocks that typically lack foliation are ________ and ________.
A)slate;phyllite
B)gneiss;migmatite
C)quartzite;marble
D)schist;metaconglomerate
Q3) Rocks subjected to ________ feel a squeezing motion.
A)metasomatism
B)diagenesis
C)compression
D)extension
Q4) Describe the resulting metamorphism that occurs next to an igneous intrusion.
Q5) Metamorphism includes a solid-state change in a rock due to heat,pressure,and/or hydrothermal fluids.Explain what is meant by solid-state change.
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Chapter 8: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
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Q1) Periods of intermittent sliding on a fault because of stress release during episodes of slip,followed by stress buildup to the point that the fault is reactivated,is termed
A)chaotic faulting
B)thrust faulting
C)stick-slip behavior
D)reverse faulting
Q2) Why is an early warning system NOT considered a short-term earthquake prediction tool?
Q3) A surface along which rock on opposed sides is offset by an earthquake-induced slip is called a ________.
A)joint
B)fault
C)fold
D)wall
Q4) The quantity of motion that occurs along a fault is termed ________.
A)the fault gouge
B)the fault gauge
C)displacement
D)accumulation
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Chapter 9: Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal
Deformation and Mountain Building
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Q1) Which of these is NOT one of the components of deformation?
A)displacement
B)rotation
C)distortion
D)dissolution
Q2) A body of rock affected by compressive stress will likely undergo ________.
A)shortening
B)stretching
C)shear strain
D)rotation
Q3) Force-per-unit area is termed ________.
A)stress
B)strain
C)power
D)work
Q4) A body of rock affected by tensile stress will likely undergo ________.
A)shortening
B)stretching
C)shear strain
D)rotation
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Chapter 10: Deep Time: How
Old Is Old
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Q1) A birthdate is an example of a(n)________ age.
A)relative
B)numerical
C)radiocarbon
D)isotopic
Q2) A geologist in South Dakota finds an assemblage of dinosaur bones in an outcrop for the Hilltown Formation,and his colleague in China discovers an assemblage of bones from a different dinosaur in the Liaoning Formation.What can be said about the two formations?
A)They are no younger than Cretaceous in age.
B)They are no older than Jurassic.
C)They are the exact same age.
D)They are no younger than Triassic in age.
Q3) Which of the answers below accurately reflects the following statement? Rock A is older than rock B but is younger than rock C.
A)Rock A is the oldest,followed by rock C,and then rock B.
B)Rock C is the oldest,followed by rock B,and then rock A.
C)Rock C is the oldest,followed by rock A,and then rock B.
D)Rock B is the oldest,followed by rock A,and then rock C.
Q4) Why have no rocks older than 4.12 Ga been found in Earth's crust?
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Chapter 11: A Biography of Earth
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Q1) Evidence of ________ preserved in the rock record are the existence of multiple shallow inland seas.
A)sea-level rise and fall
B)compression and extension
C)reptiles and mammals
D)fish and insects
Q2) Rock chalk contains many tiny algae shells and shrimp feces.This is evidence of which depositional environment?
A)lake
B)forest
C)ocean
D)river
Q3) Where would you go today if you wanted to see a piece of the earliest continental crust?
A)California
B)Iceland
C)Florida
D)Canada
Q4) What caused the buildup of oxygen in the atmosphere at roughly 2.5 Ga?
Q5) How were mammals able to take over as the dominant class of organisms on Earth?
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Chapter 12: Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources
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Q1) Which of the following nonmetallic resources has an igneous origin?
A)salt
B)granite
C)limestone
D)gypsum
Q2) Stone used for buildings,chemicals in fertilizers,and sand used to make glass are all examples of mineral resources known as ________.
A)tailings
B)industrial minerals
C)clinker
D)slag
Q3) Why are source rocks always sedimentary?
A)Sedimentary rocks are the only rocks that contain fossils.
B)Sedimentary rocks are most abundant at the surface.
C)Sedimentary rocks contain pores for plankton to live in.
D)Sedimentary rocks are the only rocks formed in the ocean.
Q4) What are two renewable energy resources that could be used in your city/state? List both and describe A)how the energy is formed,B)the best geographic location for the energy source,and C)what the drawbacks of each energy source are.
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Chapter 13: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements
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Q1) Well-rounded sand has a smaller ________ than irregularly shaped gravel. A)cohesion
B)angle of repose
C)mineral stability
D)cross-sectional area
Q2) Which of the following types of mass movement takes place most gradually?
A)slump
B)creep
C)rock slide
D)mudflow
Q3) Why would Florida,which receives plentiful rainfall and remains humid for a large portion of the year,be less susceptible to landslides than the California desert?
Q4) Describe the factors that affect the resistance force and how they affect the stability of the slope.
Q5) ________ consist(s)of large boulders placed at the base of slopes.
A)Rock dams
B)Rock sheds
C)Riprap
D)Retaining walls
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Chapter 14: Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water
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Q1) Meandering streams ________.
A)consist of a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sediment
B)have flowing water either episodically or during only a portion of the year
C)have a channel that is highly sinuous (curvy)
D)are those that divert flow from streams they have intersected through stream erosion
Q2) The discharge of a river will increase if ________.
A)the water in the river slows down
B)it rains in the drainage basin area
C)the area does not receive rain for a while
D)sediments settle to the bottom of the river
Q3) The ________ is the average number of years between floods.
A)discharge limit
B)annual probability
C)recurrence interval
D)flood-hazard gap
Q4) What is a stream? How is it similar/different from a river or a creek?
Q5) Name and describe two methods to mitigate flood hazards.
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Q6) What will happen to a stream if the local base level is increased,for instance,by adding a dam to the river?
Chapter 15: Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts
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Q1) Where do the deep ocean currents rise to the surface?
A)the equator
B)the North Pole
C)the tropics
D)the South Pole
Q2) High tide will be ________ when the Sun and Moon are aligned parallel to each other as opposed to normally (when they are not aligned parallel to each other).
A)the same
B)lower
C)higher
D)reversed
Q3) The sea surface salinity is ________ at the mouth of the Amazon River and ________ in the Great Salt Lake,Utah.
A)low;low
B)high;low
C)low;high
D)high;high
Q4) Describe what thermohaline circulation is and how it works.
Q5) Explain why it is not a good idea to build on barrier islands.
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Chapter 16: A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater
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Q1) Any place where groundwater naturally flows out of Earth's surface is termed a(n)________.
A)artesian well
B)regular well
C)spring
D)recharge area
Q2) Imagine you are digging a hole when the hole suddenly starts to fill with water.What have you found?
A)the capillary zone
B)the vadose zone
C)the water table
D)an aquitard
Q3) What are porosity and permeability,and how do they affect the rate of groundwater flow?
Q4) Topography dominated by depressions formed by the collapse of caves is termed a ________.
A)valley and ridge province
B)karst landscape
C)horst and graben landscape
D)speleothem formation
Page 18
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Chapter 17: Dry Regions: The Geology of Deserts
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Q1) What is a desert? Explain how a desert could be formed at one of the poles.
Q2) The deserts found in the western United States are primarily the result of being located ________.
A)in the subtropics
B)within rain-shadows of mountains
C)near the center of a large continent
D)next to a cold ocean current
Q3) The majority of erosion in the desert is due to ________.
A)wind
B)water
C)ice
D)heat
Q4) Imagine that you come across a flat,thick layer of rock salt in an outcrop.What can you determine about the sedimentary environment in which it was formed?
A)It was an ocean.
B)It was a beach.
C)It was humid.
D)It was arid.
Q5) Describe the differences between lag deposits and desert pavement.
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Chapter 18: Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages
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Q1) Stratified sorted sand and gravel are deposited by ________.
A)mountain glaciers
B)continental glaciers
C)glacial outwash streams
D)windstorms
Q2) Sea level ________ during glacials and ________ during interglacials.
A)decreases;increases
B)increases;decreases
C)remains constant;decreases
D)decreases;remains constant
Q3) Valleys carved by glaciers tend to be shaped like the letter ________,whereas valleys carved by water tend to be shaped like the letter ________.
A)V;U
B)V;C
C)U;V
D)V;I
Q4) Draw a representative eustatic sea level curve you would expect to see for a world that experienced two glacials and three interglacials.Make sure to label your axes and the glacials and interglacials on the graph.
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Chapter 19: Global Change in the Earth System
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Q1) Which of the following has NOT changed?
A)the position of the plates on Earth's surface
B)the tilt of Earth's axis of rotation
C)the position of Earth relative to the Sun
D)the amount of solar insulation on Earth
Q2) Describe the changes that occur to a drop of water as it progresses through the following reservoirs in the hydrologic cycle: ocean,atmosphere,mountains,streams,ocean.
Q3) Models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that by the year 2100,the average annual temperature will have increased in some parts of the world by as much as ________.
A)1°C
B)2°C
C)4°C
D)8°C
Q4) Which of the following is NOT the result of human interaction?
A)the loss of biodiversity
B)climate change
C)the hole in the ozone layer
D)the existence of radioactive materials
Page 21
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Chapter 20: Interlude A: Rock Groups
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Q1) Which type of rock is formed by precipitation of minerals from a solution?
A)metamorphic
B)glassy
C)sedimentary
D)igneous
Q2) List the three main rock groups and give a brief description of how each is formed.
Q3) Rocks are ________ and thus not man-made.
A)coherent
B)synthetic
C)rare
D)natural
Q4) A pile of unconsolidated sediment is NOT ________ and therefore NOT a rock.
A)coherent
B)aggregated
C)natural
D)solid
Q5) How is a thin section made,and what is it used for?
Q6) Give the definition of rock texture.
Q7) Is a piece of concrete a rock? Why or why not?
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Chapter 21: Interlude B: A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils
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Q1) If the climate in an area has very little rainfall,what would be the characteristics of the soil in the area?
A)thick,with a lot of organic material
B)thin,with a lot of organic material
C)thick,with very little organic material
D)thin,with very little organic material
Q2) Sediment does NOT contain ________.
A)fragments of shells
B)fragments of rock
C)cemented grains
D)precipitated crystals
Q3) Soil horizon ________ contains the most organic material.
A)A
B)O
C)B
D)E
Q4) What are the similarities and differences between physical and chemical weathering.Make sure to address both what is the same and what is different.
Q5) Describe the difference between sediment and soil.
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Chapter 22: Interlude C: The Rock Cycle
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Q1) ________ is a process that contributes to the formation of melt in Earth.
A)Metamorphism
B)Lithification
C)Erosion
D)Subduction
Q2) Which of the following statements best describes the rock cycle?
A)Any rock can change into another rock based on the conditions to which the rock is subjected.
B)Rocks change to other rocks based on specific pathways that must be followed.
C)Rocks can change rock type but cannot be recycled into the same type they started as.
D)Rocks move in set paths that were determined when the rock was first formed.
Q3) The rate at which rocks follow the various pathways through the rock cycle is ________.
A)usually slow
B)usually fast
C)always the same
D)vastly different
Q4) Describe how the rock cycle is linked to plate tectonics.
Q5) Why are there so few Precambrian-age rocks found on Earth?
Page 24
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Q1) Why does a mountain show a positive gravity anomaly?
Q2) The core-mantle boundary was first discovered when seismologists noticed a(n)________ on the opposite side of Earth.
A)seismic discontinuity
B)low velocity zone
C)S-wave shadow
D)P-wave shadow
Q3) Why would the gravity anomaly over a deep-ocean trench be negative?
A)because the bathymetry of the trench dips very far below sea level
B)because the crust being pulled into the trench is less dense than sediments above
C)because water fills the space above the subducting slab and is much less dense than rock
D)because the buoyant magma created at the subduction zones is less dense than the rock
Q4) Earth's magnetic field is produced in the ________.
A)crust
B)mantle
C)outer core
D)inner core
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Chapter 24: Interlude E: Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution
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Q1) Fossils are most often identified based on changes in their ________,which is easily recognizable,even in the field.
A)morphology
B)DNA
C)domain
D)lifestyle
Q2) When the last member of a species dies,this is called ________.
A)fossilization
B)natural selection
C)extinction
D)preservation
Q3) If a volcanic eruption occurs that blocks out some of the sunlight long enough for many plants to die,what (if anything)will happen to the carnivorous animal species?
A)They will eventually die along with many other species in the food chain.
B)The carnivorous animals will need to adapt to eat other plant species.
C)They will die from the drop in temperature before the plant deaths affect them.
D)Nothing will happen;carnivorous animals will not be affected by plant death.
Q4) Explain why the fossil record is incomplete.
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Q1) Uplift and subsidence are both ultimately the result of ________.
A)gravitational resistance
B)convectional heating
C)external energy
D)plate tectonics
Q2) Why do some life activities strengthen the substrate while others weaken it?
A)Burrowing creatures distribute stronger soil around,while plants digest and weaken soil.
B)Burrowing creatures distribute stronger soil around,while plant roots wedge soil apart.
C)Plant roots help anchor soil,while burrowing into or mining out soil weakens it.
D)Some organisms secrete a binding agent in the soil,while plants digest and weaken soil.
Q3) ________ energy drives plate motion.
A)External
B)Internal
C)Gravitational
D)Radiative
Q4) Describe the process that drives the uplift of mountain ranges.
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