Course Introduction
Introduction to Geology Study Guide Questions
Introduction to Geology provides a comprehensive overview of Earth's physical structure and the dynamic processes that shape our planet. Students will explore fundamental concepts such as the formation and classification of minerals and rocks, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism, weathering, and erosion. The course also examines Earth's history through the study of fossils and stratigraphy, and considers the practical applications of geology in areas like resource management and environmental stewardship. By the end of the course, students will gain a solid grounding in geological principles and an appreciation for the Earth's ever-changing nature.
Recommended Textbook
GEOL 2nd Edition by Reed Wicander
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2
Chapter 1: Understanding Earth: A Dynamic and Evolving Planet
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the difference between a rock and a mineral?
Answer: A rock is an aggregate of minerals.Minerals are naturally occurring,inorganic,crystalline solids that have definite physical and chemical properties.
Q2) Historical geology is the study of ____________________.
Answer: the origin and evolution of Earth and its continents,oceans,atmosphere,and life
Q3) Overpopulation will affect many Earth systems,but there is enough fresh water for many billions of people.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) The two types of crust are continental and lithospheric.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q5) Anthropology is the study of human beings.Therefore,the name of the system that refers to humans on Earth is the ____________________.
Answer: anthrosphere
3
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Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics: A Unifying Theory
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Q1) At a mid-oceanic ridge spreading center:
A)the plates are moving past each other.
B)the plates are moving away from each other.
C)the plates are moving toward each other.
D)one plate is being subducted beneath another.
E)both plates are being subducted.
Answer: B
Q2) What is a hot spot relative to a mantle plume? What is often found there?
Answer: A hot spot is the location where a mantle plume rises to Earth's surface.A volcano often forms above a hot spot.
Q3) The differing paleomagnetic records for each continent showed:
A)each continent had its own magnetic pole during successive geological periods.
B)that the magnetic poles for each continent had moved over geological time.
C)that the magnetic poles have remained in one location and each of the continents has moved.
D)that both the poles and the continents have moved over time.
E)none of these
Answer: C
Q4) What is the driving mechanism for plate tectonics?
Answer: Thermal convection cells.
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why are minerals important economically? What effect does the distribution of minerals have on the economic well-being of nations?
Answer: Minerals and rocks are used for fertilizer and animal feed supplements,for energy,and for commodities.Nations that are rich in economically valuable minerals are likely to be economically successful,and the distribution of minerals,rocks,and energy resources affects foreign relations and the economic ties between nations.
Q2) Mica and clay minerals have a platy crystal form because they have a sheet-like structure of silica tetrahedra.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) What is a rock?
Answer: A rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of one or more minerals.
Q4) Why do most minerals,as measured by rock volume,belong to the silicate group?
Answer: Because oxygen and silicon are the two most abundant elements in the crust.
Q5) What are the eight chemical elements that make up over 99% of Earth's crust?
Answer: O,Si,Al,Fe,Mg,Ca,Na,and K.
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Igneous Rocks and Intrusive Igneous Activity
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Q1) Aphanitic,phaneritic,and porphyritic are textural terms that:
A)refer to fine-grained,course-grained,and mixed-grained crystal sizes,respectively.
B)refer to formation by slow cooling,fast cooling,and mixed cooling rates,respectively.
C)are indicative of volcanic,plutonic,and mixed plutonic-volcanic origins,respectively.
D)refer to fine-grained,course-grained,and mixed-grained crystal sizes,respectively,AND are indicative of volcanic,plutonic,and mixed plutonic-volcanic origins,respectively. E)all of these.
Q2) The lowest temperature mineral on Bowen's reaction series is olivine.
A)True
B)False
Q3) How does lava differ from magma?
Q4) What does a phaneritic texture tell us about the history of an igneous rock?
Q5) Batholiths are mostly emplaced by ____________________ ____________________ as magma moves upward into country rock.
Q6) What are flood basalts?
Q7) How do volcanic necks form?
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Volcanoes and Volcanism
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Q1) Why is Crater Lake in Oregon considered to be misnamed?
Q2) When basalt lava is chilled rapidly in the water in an ocean or lake,it forms bulbous structures called ____________________.
Q3) At Laki fissure in Iceland,the eruption of the gas ____________________ caused about 75% of the nation's livestock to die,25% of the population to die,and crops to fail.
Q4) Shield volcanoes are composed largely of lavas of ____________________ composition,they commonly have slopes that are ____________________,and their eruptions tend to be ____________________ in explosivity.
Q5) Pyroclastic material that is less than 2 mm in diameter is called ____________________.Particles ranging from 2 to 64 mm in diameter are known as ____________________,while ____________________ and ____________________ are pieces larger than 64 mm in diameter.
Q6) How did recent eruptions of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and Kilauea in Hawaii differ?
Q7) A volcano is considered extinct if it has not erupted for more than 1,000 years. A)True B)False
Q8) How do columnar joints form?
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Chapter 6: Weathering, Soil, and Sedimentary Rocks
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Q1) The designation of sediment grain size,from largest to smallest,is:
A)clay,silt,sand,gravel.
B)gravel,sand,silt,clay.
C)gravel,silt,sand,clay.
D)clay,sand,gravel,silt.
E)silt,clay,gravel,sand.
Q2) Ancient current directions can be determined by:
A)wave-formed ripple marks. B)cross-bedding.
C)graded bedding.
D)mud cracks.
E)all of the above
Q3) Caliche is a layer of precipitated calcium carbonate in horizon B.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Trace fossils are indications of organic activity,such as tracks and trails.
A)True
B)False
Q5) List some ways in which organisms contribute to mechanical weathering.
Q6) Why do small particles weather more rapidly than large particles?
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks
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Q1) A rock with both igneous and high-grade metamorphic characteristics is a(n)____________________.
Q2) Describe the occurrence of metamorphism along an oceanic-continental convergent plate boundary
Q3) Study Figure 7.18 in the text.How must conditions change for a rock to go from an amphibolite to an eclogite facies? What happens if pressure is at 4 kbar but temperature decreases from 600 degrees C to 400 degrees C?
Q4) What causes dynamic metamorphism and where is it found?
Q5) If rocks of a certain facies are found in an outcrop,it is possible to know where within a convergent plate boundary those rocks formed.
A)True
B)False
Q6) The two most important sources of heat for metamorphism are:
A)intrusive magma bodies and deep burial.
B)intrusive magma bodies and heat from the core.
C)deep burial and volcanism.
D)radioactive decay and volcanism.
E)radioactive decay and deep burial.
Q7) Why is time important to metamorphic processes?
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Earthquakes and Earths Interior
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Q1) The temperature range at the base of the crust is:
A)100 to 250°C.
B)250 to 550°C.
C)500 to 800°C.
D)800 to 1,200°C.
E)1,000 to 1500°.
Q2) Why do earthquakes of similar size often have such large differences in their destructiveness? Why are they so different in the number of people they kill?
Q3) What is an earthquake? What are aftershocks?
Q4) The separation of the continental crust and its submergence beneath the sea are significant sources of danger created by earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is earthquake intensity,how is it measured,and what factors are involved in the intensity of a quake?
Q6) The structural layer that comprises the greatest volume of Earth is the
Q7) What are the differences between P-waves and S-waves?
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Deformation, Mountain Building, and the Continents
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Q1) Deformation caused by stress that exceeds a material's internal strength is known as
Q2) An oval fold in which strata are up-arched and the younger rocks are found in the interior is a basin.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is the difference between faults and joints?
Q4) If you have one foot on either side of a fault with a vertical dip and the right block moves toward you,what type of fault are you straddling?
A)normal
B)reverse
C)left-lateral oblique-slip
D)left-lateral strike-slip
E)right-lateral strike-slip
Q5) What is strike? What is dip? How are they measured in rock layers?
Q6) What does compression stress result from?
Q7) What is an orogeny? What does a theory of orogeny need to explain?
Q8) An up-arched fold is a(n)____________________.
Q9) What happens if a rock is strained beyond its elastic limit? Page 11
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Chapter 10: Mass Wasting
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Q1) Creep is most effective and significant in a(n)____________________ climate.
Q2) Rising global temperatures will make construction in permafrost regions more unstable.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is a slope-stability map?
Q4) The removal of vegetation is a significant cause of slope failure and mass wasting.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Most large mass movements can be prevented given sufficient study and planning.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Most major landslides:
A)are caused by earthquakes.
B)are caused by volcanic eruptions.
C)have natural causes.
D)are due to human activity and poor engineering.
E)none of the these
Q7) Give an example of a way in which mass wasting can affect human activity.
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Chapter 11: Running Water
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Q1) A stream that cuts directly through ridges that lie in their paths are called ____________________.
Q2) When flow is restricted to long,troughlike depressions,the flow is known as ____________________ flow.
Q3) The total surface region that provides runoff to a stream system is known as a(n)____________________.
Q4) The average channel velocity increases downstream where the gradient is lower. A)True
B)False
Q5) How and where do alluvial fans form?
Q6) 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?
Q7) A stream erodes material from its banks and bed by: A)suspension. B)hydraulic action. C)abrasion. D)suspension and hydraulic action. E)hydraulic action and abrasion.
Q8) How is the gradient of a stream calculated?
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Chapter 12: Groundwater
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Q1) A local aquiclude within a larger aquifer results in a(n):
A)cone of depression.
B)perched water table.
C)artesian aquifer.
D)zone of aeration.
E)zone of saturation.
Q2) Where do the pollutants go once they enter the groundwater reservoir?
Q3) In hilly country,the groundwater table's highest elevation occurs in stream valleys and around lakes.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Contrast porosity and permeability.
Q5) The energy for the downward movement of groundwater is provided by gravity.
A)True
B)False
Q6) The water stored in the open spaces within underground rocks and unconsolidated material is called ____________________.
Q7) How do caves and caverns form?
Page 15
Q8) Describe the features of a partially filled aquifer layer.
Q9) What are hot springs,and what are the sources of heat?
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Page 16
Chapter 13: Glaciers and Glaciation
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Q1) Elongated,spoon-shaped hills that have been shaped by an overriding glacier are called ____________________.
Q2) When snow thaws and refreezes,which results in a loss of air and pore spaces,the result is ____________________.
Q3) Finely laminated,alternating light and dark layers of sediment deposited in a glacial lake are known as glacial ____________________.
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) The fact that the Earth's orbit around the sun changes over time is called ____________________.
Q6) Glaciers today cover about 10% of Earth's land surface.
A)True
B)False
Q7) Under what conditions does a glacier advance?
Q8) What is glacial drift,and how does it differ from glacial till?
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Chapter 14: The Work of Wind and Deserts
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Q1) Long,parallel ridges of sand aligned parallel to the wind direction are:
A)longitudinal.
B)transverse.
C)barchan.
D)parabolic.
E)none of the above
Q2) Wind deposits composed of sand-sized particles that are deposited near their source are called ____________________.
Q3) Wind-blown deposits of silt and clay are called:
A)dunes.
B)loess.
C)ventifacts.
D)yardangs.
E)till.
Q4) Why is wind unable to transport sediment with the same grain size competency as water?
Q5) All dunes originate in desert conditions. A)True
B)False
Q6) What are deflation hollows?
Page 18
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Chapter 15: Oceans, Shorelines, and Shoreline Processes
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Q1) What two phenomena cause the tides? Which of these is stronger,and why?
Q2) The rising tide is also known as the ____________________ tide.The falling tide is known as the ____________________ tide.
Q3) Narrow surface currents that flow in the same general direction as the approaching waves are:
A)rip currents.
B)nearshore currents.
C)longshore currents.
D)upwelling currents.
E)refraction currents.
Q4) 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
Q5) The highest part of a wave is known as its ____________________,and the lowest part is its ____________________.The wave ____________________ is the difference between these two points.
Q6) Orbiting molecules of water in a wave touch the sea or lake floor at the depth of the
Page 19
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Chapter 16: Geologic Time: Concepts and Principles
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Q1) Uranium 235 decays to lead 207 by 7 alpha and 6 beta steps.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What are the three types of radioactive decay?
Q3) Carbon 14 is useful for archeological samples because it is effective back to approximately ____________________ years.
Q4) How are oxygen isotopes used to determine ancient climate?
Q5) Fossils are found almost exclusively in sedimentary rocks.
A)True
B)False
Q6) The age of the Earth is:
A)12.6 billion years.
B)12.6 million years.
C)4.6 billion years.
D)4.6 million years.
E)10,000 years.
Q7) What is the principle of lateral continuity?
Q8) How was the geologic time scale developed in the 19 century?
Q9) What do unconformities represent?
Q10) Why are metamorphic rocks difficult to date accurately? Page 20
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Page 21
Chapter 17: Earth History
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Q1) How does the Absaroka sequence differ from the Kaskaskia sequence? What do these differences mean for the environment of the time?
Q2) By the (Early/Middle/Late)____________________ Cambrian most of North America was covered by epeiric seas with the exception of a highland known as the _________________________.
Q3) Describe the four stages of the breakup of Pangaea.
Q4) What was the Sundance Sea?
Q5) The rate of plate motion was probably slower in the Archean. A)True B)False
Q6) The plate tectonic activity that gave rise to orogens around much of the circum-Pacific orogenic belt was ____________________.
Q7) In what two ways was the Laramide orogeny different from other orogenies?
Q8) What is a clastic wedge,such as might form during an orogeny?
Q9) What is the origin of greenstone belts?
Q10) What was the name given to the most recent episode of large-scale deformation in the Cordillera,and when did it begin?
Q12) Briefly describe the geologic history of the North American Cordillera. Page 22
Q11) What are the three main rock types that characterize Archean shield areas?
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Page 23
Chapter 18: Life History
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Q1) The most recent ancestor of modern humans that evolved about 35,000 years ago is ____________________.
Q2) What are gymnosperms,and why was their evolution important?
Q3) ____________________ was a robust creature with a developed social structure.
Q4) What are prokaryotic organisms?
Q5) Gymnosperms are:
A)flowering,seed-bearing plants.
B)nonvascular,flowerless seed plants.
C)nonvascular,flowering seed plants.
D)flowerless seed plants.
E)all of the above
Q6) Homo sapiens clearly evolved from ____________________.
Q7) 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
Q8) Briefly state why the development of the amniote egg was so significant in the evolution of the reptiles.
Q9) The ____________________ were characterized by a thickened dome-shaped skull. Page 24
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Page 25