Lithosphere Review

Which provides the best evidence for the theory that faults and volcanoes are results of tectonic plate interactions?

• Faults on tectonic plates are in constant motion, but volcanoes may not erupt for many years.
• Faults and volcanoes existed long before there were tectonic plates.
• Tectonic plates that have many faults do not usually have volcanoes.
• Faults and volcanoes are often found at tectonic plate boundaries.

The breakdown of rocks and minerals into smaller particles without a change in composition is
called:

• igneous intrusion
• chemical precipitation
• mechanical weathering
• metamorphic foliation

Identical rock types, identical fossils, and very similar mountain ranges are found on different continents that are
separated by a wide ocean. Which of these best explains these observations?

• Organisms traveled between these continents on land bridges.
• The same forces erode mountains in different locations.
• These continents were joined together at one time in the past.
• Some rock types are very common and are found everywhere.

Which layer of the soil profile would be affected the most by weathering and erosion?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

The folding and faulting found in the rocks of the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina were created by:

• collisions of continental plates
• wave action of prehistoric ocean
• the Coriolis effect
• heating and cooling of the prehistoric atmosphere

Limestone chips dissolve after they are placed in a beaker of dilute acid.  Which geologic process is this most similar to?

• Faulting
• Folding
• Weathering
• Subduction

Which of the following processes will change a sedimentary rock into an igneous rock?

• Melting and crystallization
• Erosion and deposition
• Deformation and deposition
•  Faulting and fracturing

Why are seismic waves of an earthquake more strongly felt at the epicenter of an earthquake?

• Because millions of small movements of crust occur there
• Because most faults converge at the epicenter
• Because the epicenter is directly above the focus, the place inside the earth where the earthquake starts
• Because crustal plates rise and fall with the ocean tide

Cracks in rocks widen as water in them freezes and thaws.  How does this affect the surface of the Earth?

• It reduces the rates of soil formation
• It changes the chemical composition of the rocks
• It exposes rocks to increased rates of weathering and erosion
• It limits the exposure of rocks to acid precipitation

How can urbanization affect a local area?

• it can increase the number of invasive species in an area
• It can decrease the risk of water pollution in an area
• It can increase the risk of flooding in an area
• It can decrease the need for natural resources in an area