Midterm Wrong Question Test

An example of a calcium carbonate deposit in the lithosphere is...

• Gneiss

• Limestone

• Shale

• Granite

Gabbro and basalt are classified as igneous rocks. Even though the names are different, they have the same chemical composition. Geologists normally use what feature for identification purposes to differentiate between these two rock types?

• Origin

• Texture

• Hardness

• Color

Which of the following is the MOST recent evidence of plate tectonics?

• The observation that the continents of South America and Africa fit together like in a puzzle

• Similar fossils found on continents that are now separated by oceans

• Similar rock formations found on different continents that are now separated by oceans

• Volcanic activity and sea-floor spreading at the mid-ocean ridges

Which U.S. feature was formed through the geological process of continental accretion?

• The Delicate Arch in Utah

• The Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

• The Aleutian Islands of Alaska

• The Grand Canyon in Arizona

A scientist designs a mathematical model of the rock cycle. The model predicts how changes in Earth processes will affect the amounts of different types of rock on Earth. Which quantity should stay the same as Earth processes change?

• The average distance of Earth from the Sun

• The total amount of material on Earth

• Average rate at which Earth rotates

• The total number of inactive volcanoes on Earth

Which analogy BEST illustrates why Earth’s plates move?

• A moving sidewalk transports travelers from one gate to another at an airport.

• A tree root grows into a ledge and breaks off a piece of rock.

• A glass shatters as it falls from a table onto a tile floor.

• Burning diesel fuel forces a piston downward, turning the crankshaft.

Which two volcanic mountain summits are closest to 50 kilometers apart?

• Hualalai and Kilauea

• Kilauea and Mauna Kea

• Mauna Kea and Kohala

• Mauna Loa and Kohala

A graph used for determining epicenter distance is shown below. A seismograph at an earthquake monitoring station recorded the S wave from an earthquake 4.5 minutes after it received the earthquake’s P wave. Approximately how far is the earthquake’s epicenter from the monitoring station?

• 1200 km

• 2300 km

• 2800 km

• 3400 km

The Great Dismal Swamp is in the Coastal Plain province of Virginia. It has layers of sand, clay, silt, and peaty matter. Which would BEST describe the location of the water table in this swamp?

• Right at the surface

• Just below the surface

• High above the surface

• deep below the surface

Five provinces of Virginia are shown below. The Fall Line is an area of waterfalls and rapids in rivers that flow down into the Coastal Plain. From the figure, infer which province of Virginia would have the shallowest water table.

• Appalachian Plateau

• Piedmont

• Valley and Ridge

• Coastal Plain