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1 | |
James Hutton's observations of rocks and rock structures led him to conclude that |
| | A) | earth's geologic history cannot be scientifically investigated. |
| | B) | earth's geologic history can be interpreted by tracing it backwards, from the present to the past. |
| | C) | "the present is the key to the past" geologically. |
| | D) | only uniform processes shape earth's landforms. |
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2 | |
The general process of deformation that changes earth's surface is known as |
| | A) | diastrophism. |
| | B) | vulcanism. |
| | C) | isostatic adjustment. |
| | D) | faulting. |
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3 | |
Rock units recover their original shape after the stress is released in |
| | A) | folding. |
| | B) | fracture strain. |
| | C) | plastic strain. |
| | D) | elastic strain. |
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4 | |
The relationship between stress and strain, that is, how rocks respond in relation to forces acting on them, depends on |
| | A) | the temperature. |
| | B) | the rate at which stress is applied. |
| | C) | the confining pressure on the rocks. |
| | D) | all of the above. |
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5 | |
The hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall in |
| | A) | a reverse fault. |
| | B) | a thrust fault. |
| | C) | a normal fault. |
| | D) | all faults. |
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6 | |
When rock fractures, the sudden movement produces vibrations that are called |
| | A) | seismic waves. |
| | B) | surface waves. |
| | C) | S waves. |
| | D) | P waves. |
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7 | |
Which comparison below is valid? |
| | A) | A Richter magnitude 4.0 earthquake produces twice the ground movement as a 2.0 earthquake. |
| | B) | An earthquake of Richter magnitude 5.0 produces about 100 times the ground movement of a 3.0 earthquake. |
| | C) | An earthquake of Richter magnitude 6.0 releases about ten times the energy of a magnitude 5.0 earthquake. |
| | D) | An earthquake of Richter magnitude 6.0 releases three times the energy of a magnitude 2.0 earthquake. |
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8 | |
Mountains can be classified according to their origin. Which term below does NOT describe a basic process of mountain building? |
| | A) | faulting |
| | B) | folding |
| | C) | elastic rebound |
| | D) | volcanism |
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9 | |
An igneous intrusion that cuts across rock layers is called a |
| | A) | dike. |
| | B) | sill. |
| | C) | batholith. |
| | D) | laccolith. |
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10 | |
Technically speaking, "erosion" refers to |
| | A) | the process of physically removing weathered materials. |
| | B) | the physical breaking up of rocks. |
| | C) | the alteration of minerals by chemical reactions. |
| | D) | the movement of materials by agents such as wind, rivers, glaciers, or waves. |
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11 | |
An example of mechanical weathering would be |
| | A) | carbonation. |
| | B) | exfoliation. |
| | C) | hydration. |
| | D) | oxidation. |
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12 | |
The general term for erosion caused by gravity acting directly is |
| | A) | weathering. |
| | B) | creep. |
| | C) | diastrophism. |
| | D) | mass movement. |
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13 | |
Tree roots breaking up rock as they grow into cracks would be an example of the process known as |
| | A) | exfoliation. |
| | B) | frost wedging. |
| | C) | mechanical weathering. |
| | D) | erosion. |
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14 | |
As a stream slows, it develops bends known as |
| | A) | oxbow lakes. |
| | B) | meanders. |
| | C) | deltas. |
| | D) | cirques. |
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15 | |
Which of the following is not characteristic of a mature stream valley? |
| | A) | gently sloping floodplain |
| | B) | oxbow lakes |
| | C) | low stream gradient |
| | D) | narrow V-shaped valley floor |
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16 | |
Deposits of bulldozed rocks and other material carried by a glacier and left behind when it melts are called |
| | A) | rock flour. |
| | B) | ventifacts. |
| | C) | moraines. |
| | D) | loess. |
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17 | |
The most important of all erosional agents is |
| | A) | running water. |
| | B) | glaciers. |
| | C) | wind. |
| | D) | oceans. |
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18 | |
The two major processes of wind erosion are |
| | A) | abrasion and inflation. |
| | B) | abrasion and deflation. |
| | C) | deflation and plucking. |
| | D) | bulldozing and plucking. |
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19 | |
A fold in rock layers that makes a trough is called a (an) |
| | A) | normal cline. |
| | B) | reverse cline. |
| | C) | syncline. |
| | D) | anticline. |
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20 | |
Layers of rocks near the surface are cooler and under less pressure, so a stress usually results in a |
| | A) | syncline. |
| | B) | anticline. |
| | C) | fault. |
| | D) | pool of magm |
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21 | |
Which type of fault would probably occur from a pulling apart stress? |
| | A) | normal |
| | B) | reverse |
| | C) | thrust |
| | D) | any of the above |
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22 | |
Which type of fault would probably occur from a compressional stress? |
| | A) | normal |
| | B) | reverse |
| | C) | anticline |
| | D) | syncline |
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23 | |
Which of the following would most likely produce an earthquake? |
| | A) | stress on shallow rock layers |
| | B) | stress on deep rock layers |
| | C) | either A or B equally |
| | D) | neither A nor B |
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24 | |
Most earthquakes occur |
| | A) | near the center of mass of a plate. |
| | B) | near the boundary of a plate. |
| | C) | equally anywhere on a plate. |
| | D) | deep below a plate. |
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25 | |
A mountain range that was produced by extensive folding is the |
| | A) | Appalachian. |
| | B) | Rocky. |
| | C) | Sierra Nevadas. |
| | D) | Black Hills. |
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