Midterm Review 2024

Midterm Exam Review

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Geology On Mars

Unit 1 Question: How can we search for evidence that other planets were once habitable?

• For thousands of years, people have looked up into the night sky and wondered if we are alone in the universe. 

• As scientists tried the answer to the question, they first studied Earth to determine the conditions that make it a place where living things can survive. 

• Through studying Earth, scientists found that two important requirements are liquid water and an energy source (such as the sun). 

• When scientists search for evidence of habitability on other planets, they look for these things.

Multiple Select

What does it mean when we say a planet is "habitable"?

• The planet has rocks and mountains, but it does not have volcanoes.

• The planet has everything exactly like Earth.

• The planet has the resources to sustain life.

Multiple Select

What does a planet need in order to be habitable?

• Water

• Source of energy

• People

• Plants

What is geology?

• “Geo” means rock.

• Earth is a rocky planet.

• Therefore, geology is the study of Earth.

• There are 3 other rocky planets. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. 

• Because they are also rocky planets, we can use the information that scientists have discovered about Earth to figure out processes on these planets.

• Earth, Mars, and other rocky planets can be thought of as systems. 

• These systems are made up of interacting spheres that can include the geosphere (rocks), atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), and biosphere (life). 

• When landforms on different rocky planets look similar, it is evidence that they may have been formed by the same geologic process. 

Multiple Select

Earth, Mars, and other rocky planets can be thought of as systems. These systems are made up of interacting spheres that can include the __________________________.

• atmosphere

• biosphere

• geosphere

• hydrosphere

• radiosphere

Multiple Choice

A feature that forms on the surface of a planet, such as a mountain, channel or sand dune

• Geological Process

• Geosphere

• Habit

• Landform

Multiple Choice

When landforms on different rocky planets look ________________, it is evidence that they may have been formed by the same geologic process.

• similar

• different

Multiple Choice

Planetary geologists study rocky planets by comparing them to _________ because we know more about it than we know about the other rocky planets.

• Earth

• Mars

• Mercury

• Venus

Multiple Choice

An event or series of events that causes changes in the geosphere, such as flowing water or flowing lava

• landform

• geologic process

• channel

Multiple Choice

This sphere includes the continents, the ocean floor, all the rocks on the surface, and all of the sand in the deserts. 

• Hydrosphere 

• Biosphere 

• Atmosphere 

• Geosphere 

Multiple Choice

Composed of all the water on or near the earth

• Hydrosphere 

• Biosphere 

• Atmosphere 

• Geosphere 

Multiple Choice

This sphere is composed of all the living things 

• Hydrosphere 

• Biosphere 

• Atmosphere 

• Geosphere 

Multiple Choice

Body of air surrounding our planet. 

• Hydrosphere 

• Biosphere 

• Atmosphere 

• Geosphere 

• Scientists found a mysterious channel on Mars.

• A channel is a landform.

• Landforms can provide evidence about the past because they remain after the geologic processes that formed them stop happening. 

• The channel on Mars is a major discovery because if the channel was formed by water, it could mean that Mars was once habitable. 

​The channel on Mars

Multiple Choice

______________________ can provide evidence about the past because they remain after the geologic processes that formed them stop happening.

• Landforms

• Gases

• People

• Plants

Multiple Choice

What is a channel?

• having the conditions necessary to support life.

• a long, narrow groove that forms where water, lava, or other liquid flows.

• the solid part of a rocky planet.

Multiple Choice

Landforms disappear after the geologic process that formed them stop happening.

• True

• False

• We used a flowing water model and a flowing lava model to compare the channel on Mars to channels on Earth formed by water or lava.

• We observed that the channel on Mars had many of the same characteristics of the channels on Earth that were formed by flowing water.

• The rover Curiosity found rocks near the channel that were made up of many smaller rocks. On Earth, the type of rock that is made of smaller rocks is found near channels made by water. On Earth, rocks found in or near channels made by flowing lava are made up of just one type of rock because they are made of hardened lava.

• This means that Mars was likely once habitable!

​What we discovered

Multiple Choice

When landforms on different rocky planets looks similar, it is evidence that they may have been formed by the same geologic process.

• True

• False

Plate Motion

Unit Question: Why are

fossils of Mesosaurus separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean when the species once lived all together?

What is the land like underneath Earth’s surface?

• ​Earth’s outer layer is made of hard, solid rock.

• Earth’s outer layer is divided into sections called plates.

• Geologists look for patterns in landforms and in geologic events in order to better understand Earth.

• The plates of Earth’s outer layer move.

Multiple Choice

Earth's outer layer is called the _______________.

• crust

• mantle

• outer core

• inner core

Multiple Choice

Earth is covered with ______________________.

• hard, solid rock that is underneath the soil, vegetation, and water

• some rock, some water

Multiple Choice

The crust is broken up into pieces called

• tectonic plates

• continental sections

• boundaries

• faults

Multiple Choice

The plates of Earth’s outer layer

________________.

• remain in a fixed position

• move

How do Earth’s plates move?

• ​Earth’s plates move on top of a soft, solid layer of rock called the mantle.

• At divergent plate boundaries, rock rises from the mantle and hardens, adding new solid rock to the edges of both plates.

• At convergent plate boundaries, one plate moves underneath the other plate and sinks into the mantle.

• At transform plate boundaries, plates slide past each other.

Fill in the Blank

The place where two plates meet

Multiple Choice

This picture shows two plates ____________.

• Converging

• Diverging

• Transforming

Multiple Choice

This picture shows two plates ____________.

• Converging

• Diverging

• Transforming

Multiple Choice

This picture shows two plates ____________.

• Converging

• Diverging

• Transforming

Multiple Choice

Which is true?

• Plates move, which can cause earthquakes.

• Earthquakes cause the plates to move.

Multiple Choice

Which picture shows what the cross section of Earth looks like between South America and Africa?

Multiple Choice

Earth's mantle is _________________.

• soft, solid rock

• hard, solid rock

• gas

• water

Multiple Choice

Earth’s plates __________ on top of a soft, solid layer of rock called the mantle.

• move

• float

• spin

• do not move

Multiple Choice

At _______________________, one plate sinks into the mantle.

• convergent plate boundaries

• divergent plate boundaries

Multiple Choice

At ________________________, mantle material fills the gap between the plates.

• convergent plate boundaries

• divergent plate boundaries

Multiple Choice

At _________________________, rock rises from the mantle and hardens, adding new solid rock to the edges of both plates.

• convergent plate boundaries

• divergent plate boundaries

Multiple Choice

Multiple pieces of evidence suggest that the plate boundary between the South American Plate and African Plate

is _________________.

• divergent

• convergent

Multiple Choice

Mid-ocean ridges and volcanoes are commonly found at:

• convergent plate boundaries

• divergent plate boundaries

Multiple Choice

Trenches and volcanoes are commonly found at:

• convergent plate boundaries

• divergent plate boundaries

Multiple Select

Earthquakes occur at:

• convergent plate boundaries

• divergent plate boundaries

Multiple Select

There is volcanic activity at:

• convergent plate boundaries

• divergent plate boundaries

Multiple Choice

The South American and African Plates __________________________________________ formed

between them and an ocean basin formed and spread.

• moved apart as a divergent boundary

• moved closer as a convergent boundary

• moved past each other as a transform boundary

Explanation Slide...

This is called seafloor spreading.

What do we know about plate motion that is currently taking place?

• Earth’s plates travel at a rate too slow to be experienced by humans.

• It takes a long time for Earth’s plates to travel great distances.

Fill in the Blank

Earth’s plates travel at a rate ________________ to be experienced by humans.

Multiple Choice

It takes ________________ for Earth’s plates to

travel great distances.

• a long time

• a few years

• hundreds of years

• thousands of years

Multiple Choice

The Mesosaurus fossils moved apart ______________ over _______________________ of years.

• gradually; tens of millions

• gradually; hundreds

• gradually; thousands

• quickly; a very small number

• quickly; tens of millions

Multiple Choice

Which rock layer is the oldest?

• Layer J

• Layer Z

• Layer D

• Layer F

Multiple Select

The ____________________ and the ______________ that appeared on them tell us that they may have once been connected.

• shapes of the continents

• landforms

• animals

• buildings

Multiple Select

The edges of the continents ____________________.

• match like puzzle pieces

• are all the same

• are not evidence of plate motion

• are evidence that the continents used to all fit together and formed a supercontinent

Multiple Choice

Dr. James and her team of geologists have been studying GPS data that shows that two plates moved apart. Which diagram shows what happened between the two plates as they moved away from each other?

• Diagram A: A new plate from underneath filled in the gap that was created by the plates moving apart.

• Diagram B: Sand and dirt filled in the gap that was created by the plates moving apart.

• Diagram C: Ocean water filled in the gap that was created by the plates moving apart.

• Diagram D: Soft, solid rock from underneath the plates rose and hardened, adding solid rock to the edges of both plates.

Multiple Choice

Fossil remains of Glossopteris (an extinct plant) have been discovered in Antarctica and Australia. The Glossopteris seed is known to be large and bulky and therefore could not have drifted or flown across the oceans to separate continents. However, now there are oceans between the Glossopteris fossils. What could explain how these fossils got so far apart?

• Antarctica and Australia are parts of different plates. The plates slowly moved far apart as soft, solid rock from underneath got added to the edges of the plates over millions of years.

• Antarctica and Australia are parts of different plates. The plates floated away from each other across the ocean.

• Antarctica and Australia are parts of different plates. The plates slowly moved apart as new plates from underneath got added between them over millions of years.

• Antarctica and Australia are parts of different plates. The plates were sometimes pushed far apart by earthquakes, and soft, solid rock from underneath got added to the edges of the plates.

Multiple Choice

Scientists often study cross sections to better understand what the inside of something looks like. If we took a cross section of a potted plant by cutting it vertically, what would the cross section look like?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Multiple Choice

Dr. Morris and her team have been using GPS to track two plates that are moving toward each other. Which diagram shows what is happening at the place where the plates are moving toward each other?

• Diagram A: Two plates are hitting each other, and the plates are breaking into pieces, creating sand.

• Diagram B: Two plates are pushing against each other, causing the edges to bend upward.

• Diagram C: One plate is going underneath the other plate and sinking into the soft rock below.

• Diagram D: One plate is going underneath the other plate and sinking into the ocean below.

Multiple Choice

Patterns on this map tell us that . . .

• volcanic activity and earthquakes can cause damage to buildings and hurt people.

• volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in similar areas.

• volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in random locations all over the map.

• volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in the following order: volcanic activity, earthquake, volcanic activity, earthquake, and so on.

Multiple Choice

Which statement best describes what Earth’s outer layer is like underneath the surface in the image?

• Underneath both the soil and the ocean, Earth’s outer layer is made of sand and water.

• Underneath both the soil and the ocean, Earth’s outer layer is made of hard, solid rock.

• Underneath the soil, the outer layer is made of hard, solid rock. Underneath the ocean, Earth's outer layer is made of sand.

• Underneath the soil, Earth’s outer layer is made of water.

Rock Transformations

Unit Question:

How did the rock of the

Great Plains and

Rocky Mountains form?

How do rocks form?

• ​Rocks can form in different ways. This causes them to be different types.

• When sediment is compacted and cemented together, it forms sedimentary rock.

• When magma or lava cools, it hardens to form igneous rock.

• When rock undergoes heat and pressure deep underground, it forms metamorphic rock.

Multiple Choice

Hand samples of rocks can give us information about the _________________________.

• rock formation they came from

• plate boundary the rocks are near

Multiple Choice

The Rocky Mountains and Great Plains are very different in many large-scale ways, but they have similar ____________________________.

• mineral compositions in some of their rock formations

• appearances

• fossils

• layers

Multiple Choice

Rocks __________________.

• can be formed in different ways

• are all formed the same way

Multiple Choice

Sediment is made by _______________________.

• melted rock

• cooled liquid rock

• wind and rain

• the sun

Multiple Choice

Sediment is made ______________.

• on Earth's surface

• in the mantle

• in the atmosphere

• in the crust

Multiple Choice

When sediment is compacted and cemented together, it forms _____________ rock.

• sedimentary

• igneous

• metamorphic

Multiple Choice

Magma is made by _______________________.

• melted rock

• cooled liquid rock

• wind and rain

• the sun

Multiple Choice

Magma is made ______________.

• on Earth's surface

• in the mantle

• in the atmosphere

• in the crust

Multiple Choice

When magma cools, it hardens to form __________ rock.

• sedimentary

• igneous

• metamorphic

Multiple Select

___________ can become magma or sediment.

• Any rock

• sedimentary rocks

• igneous rocks

• metamorphic rocks

Reorder

How are sedimentary rocks formed?

Reorder the following

• Weathering

• Sediment

• Erosion

• Compaction

• Cementation

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Reorder

How are igneous rocks formed?

Reorder the following

• Melting of rock in the mantle

• Magma or Lava

• Cooling

• Hardening

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

What causes sediment and magma to form?

• ​Matter gets transformed by energy, but the same matter is still present.

• Sediment forms when any type of rock is weathered, a process driven by energy from the sun.

• Magma forms when any type of rock is melted, a process driven by energy from Earth’s interior.

Multiple Choice

Matter gets transformed by energy, _______________________.

• but the same matter is still present

• and different matter is created

Multiple Choice

The formation of sediment is a process driven by energy from _____________.

• the sun

• Earth's interior

Multiple Choice

The formation of magma is a process driven by energy from _____________.

• the sun

• Earth's interior

How do rock formations move between the surface and Earth’s interior?

• ​Plate motion moves rock formations.

• Subduction moves rock down, below Earth’s outer

  layer.

• Uplift moves rock upward toward Earth’s surface.

• Uplift and subduction can expose rock formations to

  different energy sources, which can transform them.

• Any type of rock can transform into any type of rock

  because of plate motion.

Multiple Choice

________________________ move(s) rock formations.

• Plate motion

• Earthquakes

• Weathering

• Erosion

Multiple Choice

_____________ moves rock down, below Earth’s outer layer.

• Subduction

• Uplift

Multiple Choice

___________________ moves rock upward, toward Earth’s surface.

• Subduction

• Uplift

Multiple Choice

Uplift and subduction can expose rock formations to ____________________________, which can transform them.

• different energy sources

• the hydrosphere

• the biosphere

• asteroids

Multiple Choice

Any kind of rock can be made into any other kind of rock.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

____________ rocks form when rock buried deep inside the Earth change without melting or weathering.

• Igneous

• Sediment

• Sedimentary

• Metamorphic

Multiple Choice

Geologists in Egypt and Ethiopia are comparing rock samples from rocks found in the two countries. They are sharing information about the rocks to figure out whether they are the same or different types of rock. The information is as follows:

•  Rock A formed from small pieces of rock.

•  Rock B formed from liquid rock in a different place.

•  Rocks A and B formed at about the same time.

Are Rocks A and B the same or different types of rock? The rocks are

• different types because they formed in different ways.

• different types because they formed in different places.

•  the same type because they both formed from rock material.

•  the same type because they formed at the same time.

Multiple Choice

Reina is making museum exhibits about two different rock types. How could energy have played a role in the different rock types forming?

•  Energy causes different types of rock to change in different ways. Energy changes igneous rock into liquid rock and changes sedimentary rock into small pieces of rock.

• Energy caused one rock type to form, but not the other. Rock that forms because of energy is a different type of rock than rock that forms without energy.

• Energy from different sources leads to different types of rock. Energy inside Earth melts rock into liquid rock, but energy from the sun causes rock to weather into small pieces.

•  Energy changes rock on different continents in different ways. Each continent on Earth has different rock that might form liquid or small rock pieces when exposed to energy.