Virginia Geology & Dating Review

Multiple Choice

Which province, that has already been described, is known for having layers of fossils?

• Piedmont

• The Blue Ridge

• Atlantic Ocean

• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

Which province is the largest?

• Quebec

• Blue Ridge Mountains

• Coastal Plain

• Piedmont

Multiple Choice

Which province has slate and kyanite mines?

• The Blue Ridge Mountains

• The Coastal Plain

• Piedmont

• Appalachian

Multiple Choice

Which province has the oldest rocks?

• The Blue Ridge Mountains

• The Coastal Plain

• Piedmont

• Appalachian

Multiple Choice

What river feature is often found where a river crosses the fall line?

• Oxbow lakes
• Meanders
• Waterfalls or rapids
• Floodplains

Multiple Choice

Which province is covered by sand, silt and clay?

• Valley & Ridge

• Appalachian Plateau

• Blue Ridge Mountains

• Piedmont

• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

Which province has Cambrian algal fossils?

• Valley & Ridge

• Appalachian Plateau

• Blue Ridge Mountains

• Piedmont

• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

This province has a terraced landscape.

• Valley & Ridge

• Appalachian Plateau

• Blue Ridge Mountains

• Piedmont

• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

This province contains 1.2 billion year old rocks.

• Valley & Ridge

• Appalachian Plateau

• Blue Ridge Mountains

• Piedmont

• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

Which province is underlain by ancient, flat-lying sedimentary rocks?

• Valley & Ridge

• Appalachian Plateau

• Blue Ridge Mountains

• Piedmont

• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

Which province is at the most western part of the state?

• Valley & Ridge

• Appalachian Plateau

• Blue Ridge Mountains

• Piedmont

• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

What do we call irregular limestone region with sinkholes and caverns?

• Karst
• Limestone plateau
• Cave system
• Sinkhole valley

Multiple Choice

This province has rolling hills underlain by ancient rocks.

• Valley & Ridge

• Appalachian Plateau

• Blue Ridge Mountains

• Piedmont

• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

Which province is famous for coal?

• Valley & Ridge

• Appalachian Plateau

• Blue Ridge Mountains

• Piedmont

• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

Which region of Virginia is East of the fall line?

• The Piedmont
• the Coastal Plain
• the Valley and Ridge
• the Blue Ridge

Multiple Choice

The Appalachian Plateau is where coal is mined.  Coal forms in what type of rock?

• igneous
• foliated metamorphic
• nonfoliated metamorphic
• sedimentary

Multiple Choice

Which province of Virginia is WEST of the Ridge and Valley region?

• the Appalachian Plateau
• the Coastal Plain
• the Piedmont
• the Blue Ridge

Multiple Choice

The Blue Ridge region has 

• billion year old bedrock
• PostCambrian metamorphic bedrock
• many fossils of life in it
  s bedrock
• Large coal deposits for mining

Multiple Choice

Which province of Virginia is both East of the Valley and Ridge AND West of the Piedmont?

• the Coastal Plain
• the Blue Ridge
• The Northern Neck
• the Fall Line

Multiple Choice

The graphic shows us that for Anthracite coal to form

• Peat is buried after lignite is formed
• Lignite is  buried before peat is formed
• Lignite is subjected to heat and pressure
• Peat moss must be spread on the topsoil

Multiple Choice

Put the stages of Coal development in order from MOST RECENT to oldest

• peat, lignite, coal
• coal, lignite, peat
• lignite, coal, peat
• lignite, peat, coal

Multiple Choice

What important nonrenewable natural resource from Virginia's Appalachian Plateau, are the yellow arrows pointing to 

• oil
• natural gas
• coal
• halite

Multiple Choice

What type of rocks contain fossils and coal?

• intrusive igneous
• extrusive igneous
• metamorphic
• sedimentary

Multiple Choice

Which is the Easternmost province of Virginia where sand and gravel that are used in building construction can be found?

• Appalachian Plateau
• the Piedmont
• Blue Ridge
• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

From looking at this graphic, and noting that coal is mined in the Appalachian Plateau, we can infer that this province 

• was once a swamp
• is underlain with igneous rock
• is the oldest rock on the East coast
• releases a great deal of heat

Multiple Choice

What can we best infer from the fact that some places have fossils of marine remains?

• they are all coastal regions
• those places where once underwater
• Marine animals once lived on land
• the fossils were moved there by people

Multiple Choice

Going in order from EAST to WEST what are the five Virginia Provinces?

• Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge
• Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge, Appalachian Plateau, Piedmont
• Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, Coastal Plain
• Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, Appalachian Plateau

Multiple Choice

Which of Virginia's Physiographic Provinces has the youngest rocks?

• the Blue Ridge
• the Piedmont
• The Valley and Ridge
• The Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

Karst topography occurs where carbon dioxide dissolves in water to make an acid that dissolves limestone.  What are some features of the Karst topography in Virginia's Valley and Ridge region

• mountains and valleys
• sink holes and caverns
• quicksand and rolling hills
• lakes and glaciers

Multiple Choice

What type of rock is common in the Valley and Ridge region  and is the rock needed to create Karst topography because it can be dissolved by the weak acid of Carbon Dioxide dissolved in water

• Sandstone
• Granite
• Basalt
• Limestone

Multiple Choice

What resource is mined in large quantities in the Virginia Piedmont region

• coal
• kyanite
• ocean water
• sulfur

Multiple Choice

The Valley and Ridge region has caverns, sinkholes and underground streams.  These features are characteristic of 

• igneous bedrock
• Karst topography
• ancient metamorphic rock
• the Coastal Plains

Multiple Choice

This Cavern is an example of Karst topography.  As such it is most likely located in what Physiographic Province of Virginia

• Piedmont 
• Coastal Plain
• Valley and Ridge
• Blue Ridge

Multiple Choice

This area of long parallel ridges located just EAST of the Appalachian Plateau is known as the 

• Piedmont Region
• Valley and Ridge Region
• Coastal Plain
• Blue Ridge Mountains

Multiple Choice

This region is underlain by ancient 1.2 billion year old igneous bedrock.   It is known as the 

• Blue Ridge Region
• Valley and Ridge Region
• Piedmont
• Coastal Plain

Multiple Choice

The Chesapeake Bay is a(n)-

• estuary
• reservoir
• ocean front
• continental slope

Multiple Choice

What percent of carbon-14 would be left after 5730 years?

• 100%
• 75%
• 50%
• 25%

Multiple Choice

What percent of carbon-14 would be left after 11,460 years?

• 100%
• 75%
• 50%
• 25%

Multiple Choice

Why are isotopes with short half-lives not useful for dating very old rocks?

• because not enough of the parent isotope remains to measure accurately
• because not enough of the daughter product has formed to be detectable
• because neither the parent isotope nor the daughter product will be detectable
• because very old rocks would never have contained these isotopes

Multiple Choice

Scientists use radioactive decay to measure...

• relative time
• absolute time
• half-lives
• time of day

Multiple Choice

The length of time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay is its...

• era
• age
• half-life
• eon

Multiple Choice

After four half-lives, what fraction of the original parent isotopes remain?

• 1/4
• 1/16
• 1/8

Multiple Choice

The original element that undergoes radioactive decay is known as the...

• daughter element
• half-life
• parent element
• carbon-14

Multiple Choice

How does absolute age differ from relative age?

• only absolute dating indicates which rock is older than another
• only absolute dating finds the age in years
• only relative dating finds the age in years

Multiple Choice

When an unstable radioactive atom decays, it usually turns into:

• a more stable atom
• a less stable atom
• the exact same atom but with less pure energy
• empty space

Multiple Choice

Radiometric dating is possible because the rates of decay of radioactive isotopes _____.

• change over time
• change from place to place
• are constant
• vary widely

Multiple Choice

The time it takes for 50% of the nuclei in a radioactive sample to decay to its stable isotope is called _____.

• the daughter product
• geologic time
• the half-life
• the half-time

Multiple Choice

According to the graph, what fraction of the original parent isotope still exists after 3 half lives?

• 0,5000 g
• 0,2500 g
• 0,1250 g
• 0.0625 g

Multiple Choice

You find a rock sample with radioactive atoms present.  If 12.5% of the original radioactive atoms were present, how many half-lives has the rock been around for? (Hint, at Half-Life = 0, you start with 100%)

• zero
• 1
• 2
• 3

Multiple Choice

According to the law of superposition, the oldest fossils are found 

• At the top of the rock layers
• Near the bottom of the rock layers
• In the middle of the rock layers
• Somewhat near the surface

Multiple Choice

_{Which rock layer in the diagram seems to be the oldest?}

• F
• E
• B
• A

Multiple Choice

If an index fossil is found in two rock layers that are separated by an ocean, what do you know about the relationship between the two rock layers?

• they are about the same age
• they used to be in the same area
• the are made of the same kind of rock
• the rock layers are unrelated

Multiple Choice

gaps in rock layers caused by erosion are called

• law of superposition
• unconformities
• uniformitarianism
• relative dating

Multiple Choice

states that the geologic feature which cuts another is the younger of the two features

• law of horizontality
• cross cutting relationships
• law of superposition
• uniformitarianism

Multiple Choice

What 2 things make a good index fossil?

• Good looks and a great smile
• widespread and on Earth of a short time
• widespread and on Earth for a long time
• only found in Clinton Twp and in every rock layer

Multiple Choice

_{Which rock layer in the diagram seems to be the oldest?}

• F
• E
• B
• A

Multiple Choice

What is the oldest layer in the outcrop?

• B
• C
• D
• E

Multiple Choice

The statement "Layer B is younger than layer E" can be determined by using which principle?

• Principle of Horizontality
• Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
• Principle of Inclusions
• Principle of Superposition

Multiple Choice

The rock formation labeled "P" is a(n)...

• fault
• intrusion
• inclusion
• unconformity

Multiple Choice

Letter "F" is a....

• inclusion
• intrusion
• fault
• unconformity 

Multiple Choice

Letter "A" is an....

• inclusion
• intrusion
• fault
• unconformity 

Multiple Choice

Mass extinctions occurred at the end of both the ______________ and the _______________ Eras.

• Paleozoic and Cenozoic

• Cenozoic and Mesozoic

• Paleozoic and Mesozoic

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

During which time segment of the Geologic Time Scale did dinosaurs live?

• Cenozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Paleozoic Era

• Precambrian Time

Multiple Choice

During which time segment of the Geologic Time Scale did fish first appear?

• Cenozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Paleozoic Era

• Precambrian Time

Multiple Choice

During which time segment of the Geologic Time Scale did life first appear?

• Cenozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Paleozoic Era

• Precambrian Time

Multiple Choice

According to the fossil record, when did life first appear on Earth?

• 35,000 years ago

• 3.5-3.8 billion years ago

• 350,000 years ago

• 350 years ago

Multiple Choice

Which came first in Geologic Time?

• Cenozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Paleozoic Era

• Precambrian Time

Multiple Choice

How long ago did the Earth form?

• 4,600 years ago

• 460,000 years ago

• 4.6 billion years ago

Multiple Choice

Pangaea formed near the end of the Paleozoic Era. What was Pangaea?

• a species of lemur

• a lake in Brazil

• a giant landmass of continents

Multiple Choice

Geologists organize Earth's history according to grouping called _____. Each eon contains ____, which, in turn contain _______. Each period in the geologic time scale contains _______. The current geologic epoch is called the Holocene epoch.

• period, eras, epoch, eons

• epoch, period, eras, eons

• eons, eras, period, epoch

• eras, eons, period, epoch

Multiple Choice

Based from the diagram of geologic time scale, which is the largest among the time units?

• Eons

• Eras

• Period

• Epoch

Multiple Choice

Based from the diagram, which is the smaller divisions of geologic time scale?

• Eons

• Eras

• Period

• Epoch

Multiple Choice

All eons are made up of eras. Arrange the three eras of the Phanerozoic eon from youngest to oldest.

• 1. Paleozoic - "old life"

  2. Mesozoic - "middle life"

  3. Cenozoic - "recent life"

• 1. Mesozoic - "middle life"

  2. Cenozoic - "recent life"

  3. Paleozoic - "old life"

• 1. Mesozoic - "middle life"

  2. Paleozoic - "old life"

  3. Cenozoic - "recent life"

• 1. Cenozoic - "recent life"

  2. Mesozoic - "middle life"

  3. Paleozoic - "old life"