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4. D) none of the above—physical geology and historical geology are essentially the same.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) astronomy
2. B) oceanography
3. C) meteorology
4. D) cosmology
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) Chemistry
2. B) Physics
3. C) Biology
4. D) Mathematics
5. E) None of the above; Earth Science makes use of all of these sciences.
Answer: E
Diff: 1
4) Oceanography is the study of the oceans and geology is the study of the earth, so
what is meteorology?
Answer: C
Diff: 1
5) Sedimentary rocks with marine fossils are exposed at the top of Mt. Everest. Which
scientists would make most use of this observation in their study?
1. A) Meteorologists, because they could use the fossils as a guide to ancient climates
2. B) Geologists, because their elevation is related to physical geology and fossils are
related to Earth history
3. C) Oceanographers, because the fossils can tell us about periods when the earth was
covered with water to the height of Mt. Everest
4. D) Astronomers, because they can study how life came from outer space to Earth
Answer: B
Diff: 1
6) Hurricanes and tornados are natural disasters. What branch of the Earth sciences
studies the origin of these phenomena?
1. A) Meteorology
2. B) Geology
3. C) Oceanography
4. D) Astronomy
Answer: A
Diff: 1
7) Hurricanes are natural disasters. Which branch of the Earth sciences studies the
impact of this phenomenon on coastal environments?
1. A) Meteorology
2. B) Geology
3. C) Oceanography
4. D) Astronomy
Answer: B
Diff: 1
8) Tsunamis and earthquakes have killed millions of people during human history. What
branch of the Earth sciences is the main group that studies these phenomena?
1. A) Meteorology
2. B) Geology
3. C) Oceanography
4. D) Astronomy
Answer: B
Diff: 1
9) If you want to buy a house in an area and you are worried there may be an
earthquake hazard, who would be the best person to ask for advice on this hazard?
1. A) a civil engineer
2. B) a geologist
3. C) a physicist
4. D) an astrologer
Answer: B
Diff: 1
10) The earth is estimated to be approximately 4.6 billion years old. Life appeared early
in the history of Earth, but metazoans (multicelled organisms) did not appear until about
600 million years ago. If the history of Earth were compressed into a single year, when
would metazoans appear?
1. A) late September
2. B) late November
3. C) mid-December
4. D) late January
Answer: B
Diff: 1
11) Which of the following would not typically be considered an Earth Science study?
Answer: D
Diff: 2
12) Climate change is a well-known human problem and remains controversial despite
widespread scientific agreement on the issue. Although most scientists are familiar with
the issues, if you were a congressman and wanted an informed analysis of the problem,
which of the following would be most likely to give you the most complete analysis?
1. A) an astronomer
2. B) a meteorologist with knowledge of oceanography
3. C) a geologist with knowledge of astronomy
4. D) a physicist
Answer: B
Diff: 2
13) A ________ is a well-tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain
scientific observations.
1. A) hypothesis
2. B) generalization
3. C) law
4. D) theory
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
15) All of the following are possible steps of scientific investigation except for ________.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
16) Which of the following is not necessary for a hypothesis to be accepted by the
scientific community?
1. A) It must be testable.
2. B) It must predict something other than the observations it was based on.
3. C) There must be alternative hypotheses proposed.
4. D) It must be based on observations or facts.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
17) The ________ explains how our solar system probably formed from a giant cloud of
gases and dispersed solid particles.
1. A) protogalactic theory
2. B) nebular theory
3. C) extrastellar solar hypothesis
4. D) planetary compression theory
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) Europa
2. B) Venus
3. C) Saturn
4. D) Neptune
Answer: A
Diff: 1
19) In the television series “Cosmos” the astronomer Carl Sagan used to say, “We are
all made of star stuff.” What did he mean by that?
1. A) All of the chemical elements were formed during the big bang when the universe
began, so we are like the stars.
2. B) We all have to potential to be stars.
3. C) All of the chemical elements in our solar system were forged in an ancient star that
went supernova.
4. D) The earth has incorporated large amounts of chemical material from the solar wind,
so our bodies carry this material.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
20) In the proto-solar system nebula, gravity pulled matter together to form larger
bodies. As they collided, what happened to these bodies?
Answer: D
Diff: 2
21) Light elements like hydrogen and helium form a large percentage of the outer
planets and Sun is made up primarily of hydrogen. Why are these elements nearly
absent from the inner planets?
Answer: B
Diff: 2
1. A) iron-nickel alloys
2. B) silicate minerals, like rocks on Earth
3. C) frozen hydrogen
4. D) frozen water, carbon dioxide, and methane
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Answer: C
Diff: 2
24) The ________ refers to the sum total of all life on Earth.
1. A) hydrosphere
2. B) atmosphere
3. C) biosphere
4. D) geosphere
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) hydrosphere
2. B) atmosphere
3. C) biosphere
4. D) geosphere
Answer: A
Diff: 1
1. A) hydrosphere
2. B) atmosphere
3. C) geosphere
4. D) biosphere
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) hydrosphere
2. B) atmosphere
3. C) geosphere
4. D) biosphere
5. E) All of the above
Answer: E
Diff: 1
28) The exchange of energy between the surface of the earth, the atmosphere, and
space causes ________.
1. A) topography
2. B) temperature
3. C) weather
4. D) glaciers
Answer: C
Diff: 1
29) In correct order from the center outward, Earth includes which units?
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) basalt
2. B) granite
3. C) peridotite
4. D) solid iron-nickel alloy
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) outer core
2. B) crust
3. C) inner core
4. D) mantle
Answer: D
Diff: 1
32) The ________ is thought to be a liquid, metallic region in the earth’s interior.
1. A) inner core
2. B) lithosphere
3. C) mantle
4. D) outer core
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) crust
2. B) outer core
3. C) mantle
4. D) inner core
Answer: A
Diff: 1
34) The ________ forms the relatively cool, brittle tectonic plates.
1. A) asthenosphere
2. B) lithosphere
3. C) astrosphere
4. D) eosphere
Answer: B
Diff: 1
35) Which of the following energy sources is thought to drive the lateral motions of
Earth’s lithospheric plates?
3. C) heat transfer between the earth’s interior and the surface of the earth
4. D) swirling movements of the molten iron particles in the outer core
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) sites where cold, downgoing convective cells, the plates, descent into the mantle
2. B) sites where heat from the earth’s interior is vented to the surface as volcanos
3. C) areas where two plates slide laterally past one another, generating earthquakes, like
the San Andrea fault
4. D) sites of supervolcanos like Yellowstone
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Answer: D
Diff: 1
39) Which of the following layers in the earth has the highest density?
1. A) Lithosphere
2. B) Asthenosphere
3. C) Lower mantle
4. D) Outer Core
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) subduction
2. B) sea floor spreading
3. C) back-arc contraction
4. D) continental collision
Answer: A
Diff: 1
41) The Himalayan Mountains and adjacent Tibet are a mountain system formed by
________.
1. A) subduction
2. B) sea floor spreading
3. C) back-arc contraction
4. D) continental collision
Answer: D
Diff: 1
42) Which of the following is a reasonable approximation of the rate that plates move?
Answer: A
Diff: 2
43) What two chemical elements are most abundant in the deep interior of the earth?
Answer: A
Diff: 2
44) A major cause of the differences in elevation between ocean basins and continents
is ________.
1. A) viscosity
2. B) temperature
3. C) density
4. D) mass
Answer: C
Diff: 1
45) Ocean floor averages about ________ km depth below sea level.
1. A) 2
2. B) 4
3. C) 6
4. D) 8
Answer: B
Diff: 1
46) Ocean crust is denser than continental crust because ocean crust is ________.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
1. A) along coastlines
2. B) near desert regions
3. C) in the interior of continents
4. D) in areas that receive large amounts of rainfall
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) older than smaller mountain belts because they have had enough time to grow large
2. B) located around the Pacific Ocean
3. C) over 10 km high
4. D) made of granite because it is low density and allows for maximum growth
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
50) Which of the following is not considered to be part of a typical ocean basin?
Answer: C
Diff: 1
51) Deep ocean trenches typically are not located adjacent to ________.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Answer: D
Diff: 1
55) The most prominent features on the ocean floor are the ________.
1. A) deep-ocean trenches
2. B) oceanic ridges
3. C) seamounts
4. D) lava plateaus
Answer: B
Diff: 1
56) A(n) ________ system is one in which energy moves freely in and out, but no matter
enters or leaves the system.
1. A) closed
2. B) open
3. C) feedback
4. D) equilibrated
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
58) What is the source of the energy that powers the Earth system?
1. A) the Sun
2. B) heat from Earth’s interior
3. C) both A and B
4. D) none of the above
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) the biosphere
2. B) soil, plants, rock, soil organisms, and animals
3. C) the study of minerals
4. D) the Pacific Ocean and the west coast of North America
Answer: C
Diff: 2
60) A mineralogist studies minerals and their origins. A mineralogist studying the Earth
system would ________.
1. A) do the same thing, studying minerals and their origins, as any other mineralogist
2. B) study how minerals form rocks
3. C) study how minerals influence organisms living on them, how they react with water to
produce soil forming minerals, or study how wind transports minerals as dust and
influences climate
4. D) Minerals can never be used to study the Earth system.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and
determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option
which does not fit the pattern.
Answer: fact
Diff: 1
Diff: 2
Answer: biosphere
Diff: 1
Answer: lithosphere
Diff: 1
Diff: 1
Diff: 1
67) The vast majority of Earth scientists are involved in either extraction of mineral
resources or energy.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
68) Earth Science is the only science that doesn’t use mathematics beyond simple
arithmetic.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
70) Science is based on the assumption that nature behaves in a consistent and
predictable manner.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
71) Scientists only use measurements that are known to be reliable and accurate.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
73) A scientific theory is the first step in developing an idea. It is not very well tested.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
74) Not all scientific hypotheses require real world observations. Some are tested
through computer modeling or some other non-direct observations.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.2 and 1.3: Nature of Scientific Inquiry and Early Evolution of Earth
76) The formation of the solar system from a huge cloud of gases and dispersed
particles is known as the solar galactic hypothesis.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
77) According to the nebular theory, all of the bodies in the universe evolved from a
rotating cloud of gases and dust about five billion years ago.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
78) There are places on the deepest parts of the ocean where no light penetrates that
support colonies of life.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
79) Oceans cover slightly less than half of the earth’s surface.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
80) The lithosphere and asthenosphere are layers of Earth defined by their composition.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
81) We can tell a lot about the internal processes in the earth by looking at the exterior
of the earth.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
82) The earth is sometimes called “The Blue Planet” because the atmosphere appears
blue in sunlight.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
83) Internally, the earth consists of spherical shells with different compositions and
densities.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
84) The asthenosphere is the liquid layer in the upper mantle that the plates move on.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
85) Lithospheric plates are the tops of convection cells and subduction zones are the
downgoing part of the convection cell.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
86) The earth’s core is entirely molten iron and convection of this molten mass
generates the earth’s magnetic field.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
87) Subduction zones are downgoing convection cells in the earth but only carry
oceanic material into the mantle.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
88) During the history of the earth there have been periods when all the continents were
together in a supercontinent.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
89) Internally, the earth consists of spherical shells with different compositions and
densities.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
90) The asthenosphere is a relatively cool and rigid shell that overlies the lithosphere.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
92) The waterline where the ocean meets the land is the boundary between oceanic
crust and continental crust.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
93) Shields and stable platforms are typically found in the interior regions of a continent.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
95) In an open system both energy and matter flow into and out of the system.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
96) List the two broad, traditional subject areas of geologic study.
Diff: 1
97) When a hypothesis has survived extensive scrutiny and when competing ones have
been eliminated, a hypothesis may be elevated to the status of a(n) ________.
Diff: 1
98) The thin, outer layer of Earth, from 7 to 40 km in thickness, is called the ________.
Answer: crust
Diff: 1
99) The ________ is the relatively rigid zone above the asthenosphere that includes the
crust and upper mantle.
Answer: lithosphere
Diff: 1
100) The ________ is the solid, rocky shell between the crust and outer core.
Answer: mantle
Diff: 1
101) The convective flow of liquid, metallic iron in the ________ is thought to generate
Earth’s magnetic field.
Diff: 1
102) Moving from the shoreline towards the deep-ocean basin, the continental margin
includes the ________.
Diff: 1
103) The ________ is the most prominent feature on the ocean floor.
Diff: 1
104) In natural systems, mechanisms that drive or enhance change are called
________.
Diff: 1
Critical Thinking and Discussion. Use complete sentences, correct spelling, and the
information presented in Chapter 1 to answer the questions below.
Diff: 3
106) What is the relationship of the dense oceanic crust that is produced at a divergent
plate boundary to the convergence or collision of an oceanic plate and a continental
plate, such as the western margin of South America in the diagram below?
Answer: The dense oceanic crust sinks underneath the more buoyant continental crust
at this type of convergent plate boundary.
Diff: 1
1. A) because it is hot
2. B) because it is a liquid
3. C) because it is less dense than the material around it
4. D) because it is immiscible and cannot combine with the material around it
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) rivers
2. B) beaches
3. C) mountains
4. D) oceans
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) Magma is formed deep in the Earth and lava forms near the surface of the Earth.
2. B) It is just a name change, and lava is what magma is called if it reaches the surface of
the Earth.
3. C) Magma makes igneous rocks and lava forms volcanoes.
4. D) Magma is less dense than lava.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
5) Which of the following places is well known for its intrusive igneous rocks that were
exposed by erosion?
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: A
Diff: 1
7) If magma or lava cools quickly, the resulting igneous rock will have ________.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) biotite
2. B) amphibole
3. C) quartz
4. D) pyroxene
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: D
Diff: 1
11) Rocks that contain high amounts of silica typically also contain ________.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
13) A porphyritic texture where large crystals are embedded in a matrix of small crystal
may form when ________.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) fine-grained
2. B) glassy
3. C) coarse-grained
4. D) porphyritic
Answer: B
Diff: 1
15) Which igneous texture is characterized by two distinctively different crystal sizes?
1. A) fine-grained
2. B) glassy
3. C) coarse-grained
4. D) porphyritic
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) basalt
2. B) andesite
3. C) granite
4. D) diorite
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) limestone
2. B) rhyolite
3. C) slate
4. D) shale
Answer: B
Diff: 1
19) Select from the list below the coarse-grained rock which is composed mainly of
quartz and potassium feldspar.
1. A) basalt
2. B) andesite
3. C) granite
4. D) diorite
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) gravity and erosional agents (wind, water, etc.) remove material from the parent rock
2. B) rock is broken into small pieces during the transportation phase
3. C) weathering alters the rock
4. D) compaction
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: A
Diff: 1
1. A) marble
2. B) coal
3. C) pumice
4. D) calcite
Answer: B
Diff: 1
25) Which of the following pairs are likely products of weathering granite?
Answer: C
Diff: 1
26) Which of the following is not a product of the chemical weathering of potassium
feldspar?
1. A) silica
2. B) potassium ions
3. C) iron oxide
4. D) clay
Answer: C
Diff: 1
27) Detrital sedimentary rocks are typically classified on the basis of their ________.
1. A) lithology
2. B) texture
3. C) provenance
4. D) particle size
Answer: D
Diff: 1
28) Breccia, a rock with angular particles, is likely to have traveled ________.
1. A) in a mountain stream
2. B) only a short distance
3. C) a long distance
4. D) in a glacier
Answer: B
Diff: 1
29) When sand lithifies, the resulting rock is commonly called ________.
1. A) sandstone
2. B) shale
3. C) conglomerate
4. D) breccia
Answer: A
Diff: 1
1. A) sandstone
2. B) shale
3. C) conglomerate
4. D) breccia
Answer: B
Diff: 1
31) Silts and clays are commonly deposited in lakes, lagoons, swamps and marine
environments because ________.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) carried in solution
2. B) too fine to see without a microscope
3. C) that form weak bonds with oxygen
4. D) all of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) the hard parts of microscopic organisms that accumulate on the sea floor
2. B) magnesium rich fluids that chemically alter limestone bearing reefs
3. C) direct precipitation from seawater
4. D) evaporation of magnesium rich waters
Answer: A
Diff: 1
1. A) decomposition
2. B) frost wedging
3. C) hydrolysis
4. D) oxidation
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
38) Death Valley is a site where ________ sedimentary rocks are common.
1. A) detrital
2. B) evaporite
3. C) biochemical
4. D) clastic
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) 5
2. B) 15
3. C) 30
4. D) 50
Answer: A
Diff: 1
41) Which rock type is associated with a high-energy environment (such as a very
turbulent stream)?
1. A) conglomerate
2. B) shale
3. C) chert
4. D) none of these
Answer: A
Diff: 1
42) Detrital sediments would predominate in all of the following environments except
________.
1. A) swamp
2. B) salt flat
3. C) river floodplain
4. D) delta
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) shale
2. B) sandstone
3. C) conglomerate
4. D) breccia
Answer: A
Diff: 1
1. A) limestone
2. B) dolomite
3. C) chert
4. D) rock salt
Answer: A
Diff: 1
45) Which of the following best describes bedded gypsum and rock salt?
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Answer: A
Diff: 1
48) For a geologist, the most important characteristic of a sedimentary rock is its
________.
1. A) texture
2. B) composition
3. C) layering
4. D) lithology
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) marble
2. B) schist
3. C) gneiss
4. D) slate
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) mountains are heavy and they compress the rocks under them.
2. B) mountains are heavy and they push shallow, cool rocks to depths where they get
heated
3. C) mountains form by the gradual buildup of material that comes from other areas and
this can produce an uneven pressure on rocks
4. D) all of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 1
52) The most important agent(s) of metamorphism, according to your text, is (are)
________.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) reducing the strength of rocks so that stress can be an effective agent of change
2. B) increasing the processes of dissolution and flow of different minerals
3. C) driving chemical reactions that lead to recrystallization
4. D) providing energy for the physical changes that occur during metamorphism
Answer: C
Diff: 1
54) In an area where the temperature increase with depth averages 20°C per kilometer,
the temperature at a depth of 5 kilometers would be ________.
1. A) 100°C
2. B) 200°C
3. C) 50°C
4. D) 20°C
Answer: A
Diff: 1
55) The quartz in granite begins to melt at 650°C, so if we find a migmatite where quartz
has melted in a granitic rock and we know the temperature in the region increased with
depth by about 25°C per kilometer, we could estimate the depth that the rock had been
at to be about ________.
12. A) 12.5 km
13. B) 18.0 km
14. C) 23.5 km
15. D) 26.0 km
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Answer: A
Diff: 1
57) When rocks experience high temperatures and differential stresses deep in the
Earth, their grains tend to ________.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) more planar
2. B) darker
3. C) denser
4. D) lighter
Answer: C
Diff: 1
1. A) compositional banding
2. B) bedding planes and strata
3. C) parallel alignment of flattened pebbles
4. D) parallel alignment of platy or flat minerals
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) marble
2. B) mica schist
3. C) phyllite
4. D) gneiss
Answer: A
Diff: 1
64) ________ is composed of alternating bands of light and dark silicate minerals.
1. A) Marble
2. B) Mica schist
3. C) Phyllite
4. D) Gneiss
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) folding
2. B) heat
3. C) stress
4. D) strain
Answer: B
Diff: 1
66) Which of the following lists the rocks in the order of increasing grain size and
increasing grade of metamorphism?
Answer: C
Diff: 1
67) Magma differentiation tends to produce deposits of ________ near the base of
intrusions.
1. A) gold
2. B) silver
3. C) chromite
4. D) copper
Answer: C
Diff: 1
68) The very large crystals of quartz, feldspar, and muscovite found in pegmatites form
from ________.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
69) The minerals gold, silver and mercury are often found in ________.
1. A) hydrothermal veins
2. B) the lower parts of an intrusion
3. C) disseminated deposits
4. D) alteration of limestone
Answer: A
Diff: 1
1. A) coal forms in deep marine environments and oil/gas form in shallow marine
environments
2. B) coal forms in shallow marine environments and oil/gas form in swamps
3. C) coal forms in swamps and oil/gas form in marine environments
4. D) coal forms on land from dinosaurs and oil/gas form from ancient fish
Answer: C
Diff: 1
71) In order to get oil and gas in sufficient quantities to make a profit, an oil trap must
exist with ________.
1. A) no fractures or structure
2. B) permeability and porosity
3. C) lateral continuity that allows fluids to migrate
4. D) shale with little or no sulfur.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and
determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option
which does not fit the pattern.
Answer: magma
Diff: 1
Answer: quartz
Diff: 1
Answer: basalt
Diff: 1
Answer: shale
Diff: 1
Answer: weathering
Diff: 1
Answer: shale
Diff: 2
Answer: melting
Diff: 1
79) Under the right circumstances, any rock can be transformed into another type of
rock in the rock cycle.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
80) The change from a sediment to a sedimentary rock typically involves burying the
sediment.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
82) Lava always erupts violently, but magma often flows quietly.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
86) Bowen’s reaction series predicts the sizes of the different mineral grains that grow
from crystallizing magmas.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
87) Olivine and quartz are commonly found together in the same igneous rock.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
88) One magma can produce several different igneous rocks having different mineral
compositions.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
90) Glassy igneous rocks form when magma cools too fast for mineral grains to grow.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
92) Sedimentary rocks make up approximately 60 percent of the rocks in the Earth’s
crust.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
93) Sedimentary rocks are an important source of information about the Earth’s history.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
98) Particle size is the primary basis for distinguishing among various detrital
sedimentary rocks.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
101) Every metamorphic rock has a parent rock from which it formed.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
106) Most of the energy and mineral resources we use are renewable.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
107) An igneous rock that cools deep inside the Earth is called a(n) ________ igneous
rock
Answer: intrusive
Diff: 1
108) Igneous rocks that contain mostly quartz and feldspar with small amounts of biotite
would be described as having a(n) ________ composition.
Answer: granitic
Diff: 1
109) Igneous rocks are classified on the basis of what two main characteristics?
Diff: 1
Answer: glassy
Diff: 1
111) If all of the olivine crystallized in a typical magma and then settled to the floor of the
magma chamber, would there still be enough elements present in the magma to form
quartz?
Answer: Yes, there is much more silicon and oxygen present in a typical magma than
iron and magnesium.
Diff: 2
112) Rock salt and rock gypsum are common examples of a group of chemical
sedimentary rocks called ________.
Answer: evaporites
Diff: 1
113) Probably the single most characteristic feature of sedimentary rocks is ________.
Diff: 1
Diff: 1
Answer: foliated
Diff: 1
Critical Thinking and Discussion. Use complete sentences, correct spelling, and the
information presented in Chapter 3 to answer the questions below.
116) Why do most sediments end up being deposited in oceans instead of other parts of
the Earth?
Answer: There are a few explanations. First, 2/3 of the Earth’s surface is oceans so it
is most likely that anything on the Earth’s surface will be in an ocean. In addition, most
streams end in the oceans and the streams are one of the important mechanisms for
moving sediment. I would also add that gravity moves things downhill and the ocean
basins are generally lower than the continental surfaces.
Diff: 1
Diff: 1
118) What does Bowen’s reaction series tell us about how rocks evolve?
Answer: Bowen’s reaction series gives the temperature and order in which minerals
crystallize from a magma (or alternatively melting temperature and order). For that
reason, we can look at the constituent minerals in an igneous rock and get an idea of
the temperature of the magma when it started to cool. Minerals with high cooling
temperatures will not usually be found with low cooling temperature minerals and this
may indicate that the magma moved after the highest temperature rocks had
crystallized.
Diff: 2
119) Explain why sedimentary rocks are particularly important in studying the past
history of the Earth.
Answer: Sedimentary rocks form at the surface of the Earth, and during that process,
they record information about conditions during their formation. For example, a poorly
sorted conglomerate will indicate the presence of a rapidly moving stream while a
breccia will indicate rock types nearby its depositional site and may also indicate
instabilities like earthquakes or landslides because of its rapid deposition. The cements
indicate the types of fluids traveling through the rocks, and fossils give information about
the environment of deposition.
Diff: 2
Diff: 1
Diff: 1
1. A) 40
2. B) 50
3. C) 60
4. D) 70
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) Atlantic
2. B) Pacific
3. C) Indian
4. D) Arctic
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) Atlantic
2. B) Pacific
3. C) Indian
4. D) Arctic
Answer: B
Diff: 1
4) Concerning the distribution of land and water, which of the following statements is
true?
1. A) The percentage of land and water is about the same in both the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres.
2. B) The Southern Hemisphere has much more water surface than the Northern
Hemisphere.
3. C) The Northern Hemisphere has much more water surface than the Southern
Hemisphere.
4. D) None of the above is true.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
5) Sailors in the 16th-18th century dreaded “rounding the horn” because of strong winds
and heavy seas. Cape Horn is about latitude 55°S at the tip of South America. These
sailors considered this a passage from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans, but this ocean is
now often called ________.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
1. A) light beam to travel from a satellite at a known altitude to the sea bottom and back
2. B) radar beam to travel from a harbor patrol boat to a fuzz-buster on a speeding yacht
3. C) radar beam to travel from a ship to the seafloor and back
4. D) sound pulse travels from a ship to the seafloor and back
Answer: D
Diff: 1
7) The best modern technique for obtaining high resolution bathymetry of the seafloor is
________.
1. A) sidescan sonar
2. B) echo sounding
3. C) seismic reflection profiling
4. D) multibeam bathymetry
Answer: D
Diff: 1
8) Multibeam provides the best modern technique for obtaining seafloor bathymetry, so
why hasn’t it been used for the entire ocean?
1. A) It is too expensive, requiring many ships many years to survey the entire ocean.
2. B) It doesn’t work in deep water.
3. C) It doesn’t work where there is ice.
4. D) Oceanographers simply haven’t had time to process all the data.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
10) Which one of the following is not part of the continental margin?
1. A) continental shelf
2. B) continental slope
3. C) continental rise
4. D) continental trench
Answer: D
Diff: 1
11) It is thought that submarine canyons on the continental slope have been generated
by ________.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
12) Which one of the following would most likely be covered with thick turbidite layers?
Answer: C
Diff: 1
13) The best definition of the outer edge of the continental shelf is that point where
________.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
14) Which of the following generally has the lowest surface slope?
1. A) continental slope
2. B) continental rise
3. C) continental shelf
4. D) beach shoreface
Answer: C
Diff: 1
15) Submarine canyons found on the continental slope are believed to have been
created ________.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
16) In the Mississippi River delta in south Louisiana shallow subsurface imaging of the
sediments reveal buried channels beneath delta sediments that are less than 10,000
years, and these channels extend offshore to the edge of the continental shelf. What is
a simple explanation for these buried channels?
1. A) They represent giant flood events before the delta was formed and before the river
formed.
2. B) They represent channels of the Mississippi river delta when sea level was lower,
during the ice age.
3. C) The river must have been bigger in the past, cutting a channel clear to the edge of the
shelf below sea level.
4. D) Turbidity currents cut a submarine canyon on the shelf before the delta buried them.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
17) The gently sloping submerged surface extending from the shoreline toward the
deep ocean is termed the ________.
1. A) continental shelf
2. B) continental slope
3. C) continental rise
4. D) submarine canyon
Answer: B
Diff: 1
18) ________ develop where oceanic lithosphere bends downward and sinks into the
mantle.
1. A) Submarine canyons
2. B) Abyssal seamounts
3. C) Deep ocean trenches
4. D) Rift valleys on mid-ocean ridges
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
20) What is the difference between an active continental margin and a passive
continental margin?
1. A) A passive margin is the site of an ancient continental rift, left behind when seafloor
spreading moved offshore, whereas an active margin is an active plate boundary.
2. B) A passive margin is passively carried along by plate tectonics in a transform system,
like the San Andreas whereas an active margin is a trench.
3. C) An active margin receives large amounts of sediment whereas a passive margin is
sediment starved.
4. D) An active margin has earthquakes whereas a passive margin has quiet erupting (aka
passive) volcanos.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Answer: D
Diff: 1
22) Subduction of oceanic lithosphere at the trenches can act like a bulldozer to
produce ________.
1. A) subduction erosion
2. B) an accretionary wedge
3. C) a subduction slope
4. D) a strike slip fault like the San Andreas
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
25) The ________ Ocean has more extensive abyssal plains than the Pacific Ocean
because it has fewer trenches to trap sediments moving down the continental slope.
1. A) Indian
2. B) Atlantic
3. C) Arctic
4. D) none of these
Answer: B
Diff: 1
26) Deep sea trenches are important features for plate tectonic studies because
________.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Answer: B
Diff: 1
1. A) rift zones
2. B) mountainous topography
3. C) volcanic structures
4. D) all of these
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) oceanic ridges
2. B) mineral-rich waters
3. C) hot water
4. D) all of these
Answer: D
Diff: 1
1. A) rocks bulge up in ridges along transform faults associated with the ridge
2. B) they are a broad seafloor highland formed by sea floor spreading
3. C) they are submarine collisional mountain belts, forming submarine mountains that
haven’t yet risen from the sea floor
4. D) they are chains of volcanos, like the Hawaiian Islands, that form along hot spots
Answer: B
Diff: 1
34) The seafloor spreading process at ridges produces what kind of faults?
1. A) normal faults
2. B) thrust fault
3. C) strike-slip faults
4. D) oblique-slip faults
Answer: A
Diff: 1
35) Earlier we discussed the concept of isostasy, where lower density rocks rise higher
than higher density rocks. How is the variation of water depth at spreading centers
(ridges) controlled by isostasy?
1. A) Volcanic rocks are lighter than other rocks, and so the abundant volcanic rocks at the
ridges are lower density features that produce the seafloor topography.
2. B) It has nothing to do with isostasy; the areas are simply high because there are chains
of active volcanos along the ridge crest, producing the topography.
3. C) Oceanic ridges are sites where the lithosphere is carried into the mantle on one side
(aka subduction zones), and the volcanos along these margins produce the ridge by
buildup of lower density crust.
4. D) The lithosphere cools as it moves away from the ridge axis by sea floor spreading,
and cooler rocks are lower density, so the sea floor gets deeper as the lithosphere gets
more dense.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
36) Convective cooling cools rocks much more rapidly than heat conduction.
Hydrothermal circulation represents convective cooling at ocean ridges and is well
known from things like black smokes, but only occurs close to the spreading ridge axis.
When geophysicists measure the geothermal gradient in areas along ridges where
there is no hydrothermal activity, the thermal gradient is far below what you would
predict theoretically, but near hydrothermal vents it is far more than you would predict.
Why would this be?
1. A) The measurements are incorrect because it is too hot to measure thermal gradient in
molten rock.
2. B) Most of the heat is carried away by convection as hydrothermal systems, so the
average geothermal gradient away from the hydrothermal circulation is depressed.
3. C) Organisms growing around hydrothermal vents disturb the thermal properties,
insulating the surface, to make an apparent high thermal gradient.
4. D) The thermal gradient in water represented by the hydrothermal system must be
different than the rock, so it is measurement artifact.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
37) Why are there virtually no sediments at ocean ridges, even when they are close to
land?
Answer: C
Diff: 2
1. A) The particles are precipitated in warm surface waters and sink to the bottom.
2. B) The particles are precipitated by bottom-dwelling organisms.
3. C) The particles are precipitated in the water column below the depth of sunlight
penetration and then sink to the bottom.
4. D) The particles settle out from calcite-rich turbidity currents at depths greater than
15,000 feet.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
39) Sediments derived primarily from the products of weathering on the continents are
called ________.
1. A) terrigenous sediment
2. B) biogenous sediment
3. C) hydrogenous sediment
4. D) both terrigenous and biogenous sediment
Answer: A
Diff: 1
1. A) terrigenous sediment
2. B) biogenous sediment
3. C) hydrogenous sediment
4. D) both terrigenous and biogenous sediment
Answer: C
Diff: 1
41) Minerals that crystallize directly from seawater are examples of ________.
1. A) terrigenous sediment
2. B) biogenous sediment
3. C) hydrogenous sediment
4. D) both terrigenous and biogenous sediment
Answer: C
Diff: 1
42) Radiolarian chert is a common sedimentary rock accreted along active margins in
the circum-pacific. It is produced in the deep sea by the accumulation of siliceous
radiolarian shells. What kind of sediment is radiolarian chert?
1. A) terrigenous sediment
2. B) biogenous sediment
3. C) hydrogenous sediment
4. D) both terrigenous and biogenous sediment
Answer: B
Diff: 1
43) A geologist is studying sediments on land that were originally deep sea sediments.
She finds the minerals zircon and garnet in the sediments, which could only come from
a continental region. These sediments must be ________.
1. A) terrigenous sediment
2. B) biogenous sediment
3. C) hydrogenous sediment
4. D) both terrigenous and biogenous sediment
Answer: A
Diff: 1
44) Much of the Gulf of Mexico is underlain by large thicknesses of salt that formed in a
small ocean basin like the red sea, as the north Atlantic spreading began in Mesozoic
time. This salt is a good example of ________.
1. A) terrigenous sediment
2. B) biogenous sediment
3. C) hydrogenous sediment
4. D) both terrigenous and biogenous sediment
Answer: C
Diff: 1
45) Micro-organisms called foraminifera have tiny coiled shells with chambers, not
unlike the chambering nautilus but much smaller. In modern oceans the coiling
direction of foraminifera shells is correlated to temperature. Using coiling direction from
foraminifera fossils is an example of ________.
1. A) using the fossil as a paleo-depth indicator because water temperature varies with
depth
2. B) using the fossil’s coiling direction is a proxy for climate because the surface water
temperature would be highly correlated to surface temperature
3. C) using isotopes to fingerprint temperature
4. D) geomagic; the whole idea is preposterous
Answer: B
Diff: 1
46) When organisms living in seawater grow shells, the ratio between the isotopes of
oxygen (18O/16O) trapped in their shell is dependent on the sea temperature. Why
might geologists collect these sea shells from deep-sea sediments that are Pleistocene
in age and measure their oxygen isotope ratios?
1. A) They might want to know how cold the water was at the seafloor in the past.
2. B) They want to know how metabolism of the organism affects the oxygen isotope ratios.
3. C) The organisms live in the photic zone, and so photosynthesis must be the main factor
in the oxygen content.
4. D) The organisms live near the surface, so their oxygen isotope ratios record surface
temperature during Earth’s great climate fluctuations of the ice age.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
47) African dust from the Sahara desert is observed across the Atlantic as far west as
the Caribbean region where it produces a hazy sky condition during the annual dry
season. You are a climate scientist and make a prediction that the Sahara was not a
desert during glacial periods in the northern hemisphere. How could you test this
hypothesis by looking at deep sea sediments from the Atlantic off west Africa?
1. A) You would look at fossils to see if there were organisms that preferred dusty
conditions vs. clear water conditions.
2. B) You could look at the sediments to see if there were biogenic sediments interbedded
with sediments with terrigeneous input corresponding to the dry, interglacial intervals.
3. C) You could measure the isotopes in the sediment to estimate the sea surface
temperatures.
4. D) The hypothesis is untestable with deep sea sediment.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Answer: B
Diff: 1
49) In the present day, what is the most valuable non-living commodity obtained from
sea floor?
Answer: C
Diff: 1
50) Why isn’t manganese mined on the seabed when there are abundant manganese
nodules in some parts of the ocean floor?
1. A) The manganese is too difficult to extract from the nodules; a new technology is
needed.
2. B) It is not economical to mine manganese nodules at present-day world prices for
manganese and associated metals in nodules.
3. C) The manganese market is held by a global cartel who prevent the material from being
mined.
4. D) It is impossible to extract the nodules from the seafloor with present-day technology.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
51) The 2010 deep water horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was a tragedy brought on
in part by new technology allowing development of oil and gas reserves in deep water.
Given the scope of the spill, why would companies take a risk of such a disaster given
the scope of the litigation following the disaster?
1. A) They didn’t care about the risk, they just drove forward.
2. B) The oil and gas industry is poor at assessing risk, and didn’t understand the risk.
3. C) The potential profit is so large from a major oil find that the companies take the risk,
try to use all cautions to minimize risk, but sometimes fail.
4. D) They just assume their lawyers can win any lawsuit, regardless of the disaster.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
52) Why would a large concrete producing company be interested in the sea bed?
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Matching: Give the term of ocean floor sediment for each phrase.
Answer: hydrogenous
Diff: 1
Answer: biogenous
Diff: 1
Answer: terrigenous
Diff: 1
Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and
determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option
which does not fit the pattern.
Diff: 2
Diff: 1
Diff: 1
Answer: evaporites
Diff: 1
60) The deepest point in the ocean is in the Indonesian trench, off Sumatra, where the
2004 Earthquake occurred.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
62) The west coast of South America and the east coast of North America have very
different continental margins.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
63) Submarine canyons form the deepest parts of the ocean basins.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
64) The continental rise lies at the bottom of the continental slope.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
65) Abyssal plains with sediments covering the seafloor igneous rocks are more
extensive in the central Pacific basin than in the North Atlantic.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
68) The Atlantic and Pacific basins have oceanic ridges; the Indian Ocean has no
oceanic ridge.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
69) Manganese nodules do not accumulate below 4500 meters depth because the
manganese minerals are highly soluble in seawater below that depth.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
71) Sand, silt, and clays deposited on the ocean floor are described as terrigenous
sediments.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
72) The second most important economic mineral resource extracted from the seafloor
today is manganese from manganese nodules.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
73) Oil and gas resources are rare on the continental slope and continental rise.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Answer: Pacific
Diff: 1
75) The principal technique for finding ocean depth today is ________.
Diff: 1
76) ________ continental margins occur where oceanic lithosphere is being subducted
beneath the edge of a continent.
Diff: 1
77) The gently sloping submerged surface extending from the shoreline toward the
deep ocean is termed the ________.
Diff: 1
78) Valleys that lead from the continental shelf into deeper waters are known as
________.
Diff: 1
79) ________ continental margins typically exhibit wide, extensive, continental shelves.
Answer: Passive
Diff: 1
80) Flat-topped volcanic structures located on the floor of the deep ocean basin are
termed ________.
Answer: guyots
Diff: 1
81) A(n) ________ is a volcanic mountain, built up from the seafloor that never reached
the sea surface.
Answer: seamount
Diff: 1
82) A(n) ________ is the vast, relatively deep, flat, sediment-covered portion of the
deep-ocean basin.
Diff: 1
83) A(n) ________ marks the site where old, oceanic lithosphere begins its descent into
a subduction zone.
Answer: trench
Diff: 1
84) The most extensive mountain range on Earth extends for about 65,000 kilometers
on the ocean floor and is known as the ________.
Diff: 1
85) A prominent feature of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a very deep linear valley known as
a(n) ________ valley.
Answer: rift
Diff: 1
86) ________ sediment consists of shells and hard parts of marine organisms.
Answer: Biogenous
Diff: 1
Answer: hydrogenous
Diff: 1
88) The most important economic resource in the ocean today is ________.
Diff: 1
89) What energy resource is present in the oceans with far more energy reserves than
conventional oil and gas?
Diff: 1
Critical Thinking and Discussion. Use complete sentences, correct spelling, and the
information presented in Chapter 13 to answer the questions below.
Diff: 1
91) Examine Figure 13.B from Earth Science, 14e below. Briefly explain the main points
of Charles Darwin’s hypothesis on coral atoll formation. Have we tested his hypothesis
and is it still thought to be correct today? Can you think of another possible explanation
that would explain the origin of such coral atolls?
Answer: Corals colonize and ring a volcanic island once it’s been formed. Then,
erosion attacks the top of the volcano and the plat also sinks when its away from the
hotspot. The corals have to grow upwards as a result, because they need light.
Eventually their growth doesn’t keep pace with the sinking and the reef is submerged,
becoming a seamount.
Diff: 2
92) Discuss the distribution of seafloor sediments in the ocean basins. What are the
different types of sediments, and what are the factors that control their distribution
(geologic setting, climate, etc.)?
Answer: The sediments nearest the continents are a record of terrestrial occurrences
on Earth. The sediments on the abyssal plain are a record of happenings in the photic
zone of the ocean. The sediments are wedge-shaped, being thinnest at the divergent
boundary (mid-ocean ridge) and thickest next to the continents.
Diff: 2