Natural Disasters
Chapter Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores the scientific principles underlying natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. Students will examine the causes, impacts, prediction methods, and societal responses to these catastrophic events. The course integrates case studies and current research to understand the interplay between natural systems and human communities, emphasizing risk assessment, disaster preparedness, and mitigation strategies. By the end of the course, students will develop an informed perspective on how natural disasters shape both the environment and society.
Recommended Textbook
GEOL 2nd Edition by Reed Wicander
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
18 Chapters
1618 Verified Questions
1618 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2288
Page 2
Chapter 1: Understanding Earth: A Dynamic and Evolving Planet
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
89 Verified Questions
89 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45461
Sample Questions
Q1) According to the principle of uniformitarianism,processes have occurred at the same rates throughout geologic time.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The zone between the core and the crust is the:
A)innersphere.
B)lithosphere.
C)mantle.
D)convection center.
E)molten zone.
Answer: C
Q3) What is the basic premise of the principle of uniformitarianism?
Answer: Present-day processes have operated throughout geologic time.
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.
3
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics: A Unifying Theory
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45462
Sample Questions
Q1) Briefly explain how magnetic reversals in oceanic crust and fossils in ocean sediments are used to construct a magnetic time scale.
Answer: A terrestrial sequence of magnetic reversal in volcanic deposits was dated radiometrically.These dates were extrapolated to regions which were not dated,but showed the same pattern of normal and reversed magnetic polarities.Ages of ocean-floor basalts lying within a zone of normal or reversed polarity are dated by the ages of the fossils found in the sediments that directly overlie the basaltic crust.These fossils have already been incorporated within a biostratigraphic zone.
Q2) Briefly explain why the movement of continents over geologic time was the best explanation for polar wandering.
Answer: Since the Earth has only one magnetic north pole now,it is extremely unlikely that there would have been more than one in the past,but this would have been required to explain the different polar wander paths of the different continents.The only other possible explanation is that the continents were once joined and have since moved.
Q3) At divergent plate boundaries,plates are moving ____________________.At these locations,new ____________________ forms.
Answer: apart,lithosphere
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 4
Chapter 3: Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45463
Sample Questions
Q1) In the center of an atom is its ____________________,which is composed of positively-charged particles called ____________________ and neutrally-charged particles called ____________________.This central part is orbited by negatively-charged particles called ____________________.
Answer: nucleus,protons,neutrons,electrons
Q2) The silicon atom of the silica tetrahedron has a (+/-)____________________ charge of ____________________ (number?)and the oxygen atoms have a (+/-)____________________ charge of ____________________ (number?).Therefore,the ion group has an overall (+/-)____________________ charge of ____________________ (number?).
Answer: positive,four,negative,two,negative,four
Q3) For each of the following subatomic particles,state where it can be found and what its charge is: proton,electron,and nucleus.
Answer: Protons are found in the nucleus and have positive charge;electrons orbit the nucleus and have negative charge;and the nucleus is found in the center of the atom and has positive charge.
Q4) The basic building block of silicate minerals is the silica ____________________.
Answer: tetrahedron
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: Igneous Rocks and Intrusive Igneous Activity
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45464
Sample Questions
Q1) What is viscosity? What is the effect of temperature and composition on the viscosity of magma? At the same temperature,which composition of magma will be the most viscous: felsic,intermediate,or mafic? Which will be the least viscous?
Q2) ____________________ is the first ferromagnesian mineral to crystallize from a mafic magma.
Q3) The discontinuous branch of Bowen's reaction series includes various compositions of plagioclase,from calcium-rich to sodium-rich.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The presence of ____________________,which are incompletely melted pieces of rock within igneous rocks,demonstrates that ____________________ occurs.
Q5) The presence of country rock inclusions in an intrusive igneous rock is evidence that the rock underwent the process of ____________________.
Q6) What does a porphyritic texture tell us about the history of an igneous rock?
Q7) What is viscosity?
Q8) How does a batholith differ from a stock?
Q9) What is a mantle plume,and what causes one to erupt?
Page 6
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 5: Volcanoes and Volcanism
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
89 Verified Questions
89 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45465
Sample Questions
Q1) Which type of volcano is Mount St.Helens?
Q2) The most volcanically active region of the contiguous United States is the ____________________.
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) The volcanic explosivity index (VEI)is intended to:
A)describe the frequency of volcanoes.
B)be used to forecast eruptions.
C)prevent fatalities and property damage.
D)document the size of eruptions.
E)encourage people not to live near active volcanoes.
Q5) The eruption of Mount St.Helens was one of the largest and deadliest in the world in historic times.
A)True
B)False
Page 7
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: Weathering, Soil, and Sedimentary Rocks
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45466
Sample Questions
Q1) ____________________ form when layers are deposited at an angle to the surface and the layers dip in direction of ____________________.
Q2) How does regolith differ from soil?
Q3) How do soils that form in humid regions differ from soils that form in semi-arid regions in the environments in which they form and in their basic characteristics?
Q4) Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are rising due to the burning of fossil fuels.How might this increased level of carbon dioxide affect rates of weathering?
Q5) Soils that form on granite in Arizona are different from soils that form on granite in Virginia because ____________________ is different.
Q6) List some ways in which organisms contribute to mechanical weathering.
Q7) The geologic history of an area can only be known if there were humans around to record the events.
A)True
B)False
Q8) List the agricultural practices that reduce the rate of soil erosion,and explain why each does so.
Q9) How does weathering differ from erosion?
Page 8
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 7: Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45467
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following correctly lists metamorphic mineral assemblages in order of decreasing temperature/pressure of formation?
A)chlorite,biotite,garnet,staurolite,kyanite,sillimanite
B)biotite,garnet,chlorite,staurolite,sillimanite,kyanite
C)garnet,biotite,chlorite,sillimanite,staurolite,kyanite
D)sillimanite,staurolite,kyanite,garnet,biotite,chlorite
E)sillimanite,kyanite,staurolite,garnet,biotite,chlorite
Q2) How are metamorphic facies defined or recognized?
Q3) 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
Q4) How are foliated metamorphic rocks classified? Describe some of the rock types found at different grades of foliated metamorphic rocks.
Q5) A rock with segregated light and dark bands,containing the minerals quartz,feldspar,hornblende,and mica,is a(n)____________________ gneiss.
Q6) How can fluid activity promote metamorphism?
Q7) What is a metamorphic zone?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: Earthquakes and Earths Interior
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45468
Sample Questions
Q1) The percentage of all earthquakes that occur along a plate boundary is nearly:
A)100%.
B)95%.
C)80%.
D)55%.
E)25%.
Q2) Explain the differences between the magnitude and the intensity of an earthquake,in terms of how each is measured or observed.
Q3) One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in North America was the intraplate quake known as the:
A)1811 New Madrid,Missouri,earthquake.
B)1886 Charleston,Carolina,earthquake.
C)1906 San Francisco earthquake.
D)1964 Anchorage,Alaska,earthquake.
E)1984 Mount St.Helens,Washington,earthquake.
Q4) The name of the point on Earth's surface vertically above the hypocenter is the
Q5) Explain the differences between the magnitude and the intensity of an earthquake,in terms of cause and effect.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Deformation, Mountain Building, and the Continents
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45469
Sample Questions
Q1) If you're standing on ice above a pond and you hear a crack,you should:
A)remain motionless until the cracking stops.
B)lie down on the ice to distribute your weight more broadly on the ice.
C)run as fast as you can to shore.
D)not worry because the ice will not break.
E)prepare for a swim.
Q2) The Appalachian Mountains are the result of the collision that created Pangaea.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Rocks that are tilted were deposited:
A)on a slope in their present orientation.
B)in an unknown orientation and then were tilted into their current position.
C)horizontally and then were tilted into their current orientation.
D)vertically and then were tilted into their current orientation.
E)on the continental shelf and then uplifted.
Q4) A(n)____________________ divides a fold into two halves.
Q5) What are some ways in which mountains form?
Q6) How did the monocline in the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming form?
Q7) What does tension stress result from?
Q8) What is meant when rocks are said to be deformed (fractured or folded)? Page 11
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 12
Chapter 10: Mass Wasting
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45470
Sample Questions
Q1) What is permafrost,and what problems are associated with construction in a permafrost environment?
Q2) Creep occurs only on weathered or soil-covered surfaces of moderate slope.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Briefly explain why saturated clay is a very unstable slope material.
Q4) All other factors being equal,the chance of mass wasting is increased by:
A)the amount of material involved.
B)the lack of friction on the slope.
C)the angle of the slope.
D)the kind of event that initiates the mass wasting.
E)whether there exists a positive or negative gravity anomaly.
Q5) Solifluction is not a serious economic problem because it occurs mainly in unpopulated areas.
A)True
B)False
Q6) How would reducing the slope of a hillside help to stabilize it? What two methods can be used to reduce a slope's angle?
Q7) Compare and contrast rapid mass movements and slow mass movements.
Q8) How can vegetation affect the likelihood of mass wasting?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 11: Running Water
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45471
Sample Questions
Q1) Deep,meandering canyons cut into bedrock are called:
A)hard rock meanders.
B)oxbows.
C)incised meanders.
D)eroded meanders.
E)floodplains.
Q2) Dissolved load is the:
A)invisible load of a stream.
B)abrasive load of a stream.
C)suspended load of a stream.
D)invisible and abrasive load of a stream.
E)abrasive and suspended load of a stream.
Q3) What is meant by the term "divide" as in the continental divide along the Rocky Mountains?
Q4) The process by which water vapor reenters the atmosphere by evaporation from plants is called ____________________.
Q5) Surface runoff is confined to troughlike depressions of various sizes in channel flow. A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 12: Groundwater
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45472
Sample Questions
Q1) The energy for the downward movement of groundwater is provided by gravity. A)True
B)False
Q2) During times of drought,the water table ____________________.
Q3) The energy produced from Earth's internal heat is ____________________ energy.
Q4) What is a cone of depression,where is it found,and what causes it? Why can large cones of depression be a serious problem?
Q5) A stream that just disappears has flowed into a(n)____________________.
Q6) A place where groundwater flows/seeps out of the ground is a(n)____________________.
Q7) Discuss the artesian system that underlies South Dakota and extends to central Texas in the Dakota Sandstone.
Q8) 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.
Page 15
Q9) How are minor impurities filtered out of groundwater?
Q10) Describe the features of a partially filled aquifer layer.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 13: Glaciers and Glaciation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45473
Sample Questions
Q1) The two major types of glaciers are ____________________ and ____________________.
Q2) Glaciers are geologically important because they erode,transport,and deposit so much material.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The only continent that does not presently have glaciers is:
A)South America.
B)North America.
C)Africa.
D)Europe.
E)Australia.
Q4) Like valley glaciers,continental glaciers produce sharp,angular landforms.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The terms continental glacier and ice sheet are synonymous.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What is the lesser way that glaciers flow,and what facilitates this movement? In which type of glaciers is this flow more important?
Page 17
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 14: The Work of Wind and Deserts
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45474
Sample Questions
Q1) How do dunes build their characteristic asymmetrical profile?
Q2) What produces the worldwide pattern of east-west-oriented wind belts?
Q3) What factors enhance water erosion in deserts?
Q4) An erosional bedrock surface of low relief that slopes gently away from a mountain base is a(n):
A)alluvium.
B)bajada.
C)playa.
D)plain.
E)pediment.
Q5) All deserts are found within the low and middle latitudes. A)True B)False
Q6) Dunes that form long-parallel ridges of sand aligned generally parallel to the direction of the prevailing winds where sand supply is somewhat limited are ____________________ dunes.
Q7) The most effective agent of erosion in the deserts is ____________________.
Q8) Equatorial regions receive the most heat,while polar regions receive the least.Therefore,what air pressures would you expect to be characteristic of these regions?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18
Chapter 15: Oceans, Shorelines, and Shoreline Processes
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45475
Sample Questions
Q1) The most effective means of sea cliff erosion is hydraulic action.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Describe how a coast can become emergent.
Q3) Waves are oscillations of the water surface.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Sea level could change relative to a shoreline due to:
A)uplift of coastal regions.
B)subsidence of coastal regions.
C)rising sea level.
D)receding sea level.
E)all of the above
Q5) High water that occurs with the eye of a storm coupled with storm waves reach a shoreline is called ____________________.
Q6) How do shoreline processes tend to straighten an initially irregular shoreline?
Q7) Briefly explain how sea level could fall in one region while it is generally rising elsewhere.
Page 19
Q8) What two phenomena cause the tides? Which of these is stronger,and why?
Q9) Why do waves bend or refract as they approach shorelines?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 20
Chapter 16: Geologic Time: Concepts and Principles
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45476
Sample Questions
Q1) Potassium 40 decays to argon 40 by a single electron capture.
A)True
B)False
Q2) How are oxygen isotopes used to determine ancient climate?
Q3) Explain why correlation by fossils is necessary to demonstrate time equivalence of strata.
Q4) If an isotope has a half-life of 50 million years and an 1/8 of the sample remaining consists of that isotope,the age of the rock from which it was taken is:
A)400 million years.
B)300 million years.
C)150 million years.
D)800 million years.
E)none of the above
Q5) What is the principle of lateral continuity?
Q6) A surface of discontinuity representing a break in the depositional record;a discontinuity representing erosion or nondeposition is a(n)____________________.
Q7) How are marker beds used to determine the age of strata in a region that has no marker beds but does contain strata with the same fossil assemblage zone?
Page 21
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 17: Earth History
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45477
Sample Questions
Q1) What is the origin of the present topography of the Appalachian Mountains?
Q2) What are mobile belts of a continent?
Q3) The Early Cretaceous sedimentation in the Gulf Coastal region was related to a (transgressive/regressive)____________________ seaway.
Q4) What were three major mobile belts in North America in the Paleozoic?
Q5) The Grenville orogeny was the culminating event of the amalgamation of Laurentia. A)True B)False
Q6) The most abundant rock type deposited during the Kaskaskian sequence was ____________________.
Q7) Mountain building in western North America did not begin until the Late Cretaceous Period.
A)True B)False
Q8) Erosion of the Taconic Highlands resulted in the development of a(n)____________________ called the ____________________.
Q9) The Gulf of Mexico began to form in the ____________________ Period.
Q10) What tectonic event caused the Taconic and Acadian orogenies?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 22
Chapter 18: Life History
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45478
Sample Questions
Q1) What are fossils?
Q2) 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.
Q3) The sail-like fin on the pelycosaur may have served as all but which of the following?
A)sexual display
B)a means of locomotion
C)a means of protection
D)a means of defense
E)a thermoregulatory device
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) Describe the evolution of fish in the Paleozoic.
Q6) The ____________________ were characterized by a thickened dome-shaped skull.
Page 23
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.