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Earth Science Quiz 2

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of the following is not an example of an age-relationship based on absolute dating?

a)

The Vishnu schist at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is 2 billion years old.

b)

The dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago.

c)

The oldest known rocks on Earth are 3.96 billion years old.

d)

The Coconino formation in the Grand Canyon is older than the Kaibab formation.

2.

Which of the following gives the correct sequence of layers in the Earth, from the surface to the center?

a)

crust, lower mantle, aesthenosphere, core

b)

crust, aesthenosphere, lower mantle, core

c)

aesthenosphere, lower mantle, crust, core

d)

crust, core, lower mantle, aesthenosphere

3.

How have we gained knowledge of Earth's internal structure?

a)

studying shock waves from earthquakes and underground nuclear tests

b)

direct observation of Earth's inner layers

c)

analysis of seismic waves passing through Earth's layers

d)

all of the above

e)

A and C

4.

The aesthenosphere can best be described as

a)

a rigid solid.

b)

plasma-like.

c)

plastic-like.

d)

a liquid.

5.

The density of material below the Moho is that above it.

a)

less than

b)

the same as

c)

greater than

6.

The majority of the Earth's crust is composed of rock.

a)

metamorphic

b)

sedimentary

c)

carbonate

d)

igneous

7.

Heat energy and new materials are brought to the surface from the interior by the

a)

tectonic cycle.

b)

rock cycle.

c)

hydrologic cycle.

d)

mineral cycle.

8.

Which of the following is not part of the hydrologic cycle?

a)

transportation

b)

radioactive decay

c)

sedimentation

d)

erosion

9.

The major rocks of Earth's crust are classified into principal types based on

a)

element composition.

b)

mineral composition.

c)

relative and absolute locations.

d)

three specific rock-forming processes; i.e., the manner in which they formed.

10.

Ocean floor subducts under continents because

a)

the ocean floor is made of mafic material and is therefore more dense than continental material.

b)

the ocean floor has a lower density and therefore sinks more easily.

c)

the ocean floor is made of felsic minerals and is heavier than continental material.

d)

the weight of the continents is so great that they push the ocean floor material downward.

e)

both A and B

11.

Which of the following is true of divergent plate boundaries?

a)

Tensional forces exist there.

b)

Rifting occurs there.

c)

New ocean crust can be created there.

d)

all of the above

e)

none of the above

12.

The variety of surface features on the Earth results from

a)

weathering and erosion.

b)

gravity.

c)

tectonic activity.

d)

all of these

13.

High mountains consisting of tightly folded and overthrust sedimentary rock layers, as well as metamorphic rocks, are formed

a)

during volcanic eruptions.

b)

in continental rift zones.

c)

during plate collisions.

d)

exclusively by magma intrusions.

e)

along midocean ridges during seafloor spreading activity and are subsequently uplifted above sea level in response to isostatic processes.

14.

Normal faults are associated with

a)

plate convergence.

b)

compressional forces.

c)

tensional forces.

d)

transcurrent forces.

15.

The most active tectonic regions of North and South America are on the

a)

mid-continent.

b)

southern coasts.

c)

eastern coasts.

d)

western coasts.

16.

Volcanoes formed from silica-rich magma

a)

are highly explosive and dangerous.

b)

are associated with rift zones.

c)

have gently sloping surfaces that give them the appearance of a shield.

d)

are associated with midocean ridges.

17.

The eventual catastrophic eruption of Mount Saint Helens was

a)

a total surprise.

b)

not preceded by any physical activity.

c)

within only a few days of the first earthquake.

d)

related to seafloor subduction at the west coast of North America.

18.

After a threshold is crossed, the landscape

a)

looks identical to the landscape that existed prior to the crossing of the threshold.

b)

adjusts to a new equilibrium condition.

c)

remains unstable thereafter.

d)

Any of the above are equally likely to occur.

19.

The disintegration and dissolving of surface and subsurface rock is called

a)

landmass denudation.

b)

weathering.

c)

mass wasting.

d)

erosion.

20.

Hydration involves

a)

frost action.

b)

the action of wind.

c)

a chemical weathering process.

d)

swelling and stress within a rock with the addition of water.

21.

The most common type of mass wasting in a slightly hilly environment is

a)

soil creep.

b)

rockfall.

c)

a soil slide.

d)

debris avalanche.

22.

When a dam and reservoir are constructed, the natural response of the river and its channel gradient come under the control of

a)

the same base level that existed prior to construction.

b)

a local, or temporary, base level.

c)

an ultimate base level.

d)

the government.

23.

Which drainage pattern is produced by folded topography?

a)

radial

b)

trellis

c)

deranged

d)

dendritic

24.

Bed load is moved by

a)

saltation.

b)

traction.

c)

suspension.

d)

all of the above

e)

A and B only

25.

The total possible load a stream can transport is its capacity, whereas a stream's ability to move particles of specific size is its competence.

4 lines