Earth Science Unit 3

At a divergent boundary, what is the relative motion of the plates on each side of the boundary?

Which of the following regions was not part of the large Southern Hemisphere continent of Gondwana?

Earth's lithospheric plates are composed of crust and which of the following layers?

The occurrence of stream channels that have been offset along a transform fault are indicative of which of the following conditions?

At a convergent boundary, what is the relative motion of plates on each side of the boundary?

A continental volcanic arc is formed when which of the following conditions exists?

As oceanic crust is subducted, it melts, forming a body of magma. When this magma rises and interacts with the overlying continental crust, what change occurs in the composition of the magma?

The formation of the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau was caused by which of the following events?

Currently the Juan de Fuca plate is interacting with the North American plate where inland volcanoes and deep focus earthquakes are occurring. What type of plate boundary is this?

As oceanic crust is subducted below continental crust, which of the following factors most directly drives the melting that will fuel volcanoes at the surface?

Which of the following statements about divergent boundaries is true?

Movement of plates away from each other at divergent boundaries typically shows which of the following average velocities?

Which of the following statements regarding transform plate boundaries is not correct?

During the breakup of Pangaea, volcanic island arc systems may have formed that no longer exist. What likely happened to these arcs?

Which of the following lithospheric plates is not included among the seven largest?

What geologic process initiated the breakup of Pangaea approximately 165 million years ago?

When moving away from a divergent boundary in either direction, which of the following statements is true?

In studies of rock obtained from ocean basins all over Earth, the oldest ages obtained are approximately 200 million years before the present. Why have no older oceanic rocks been discovered?

Since the breakup of Pangaea approximately 165 million years ago, a new supercontinent cycle has begun with the collision of which of the following continents?

What type of stress is most directly associated with transform faults?

Which of the following processes can be observed at the margins of lithospheric plates?

Although new crust is being formed at divergent boundaries, Earth remains the same size. Which of the following statements provides the best reason for this?

Which of the following geologic processes and/or phenomena is not found at transform plate boundaries?

Continued movement of the continental crust on the west side of the San Andreas fault could result in which of the following features?

When oceanic crust is subducted beneath continental crust, partial melting can occur. Which of the following best explains why the resultant magma rises through the crust toward the surface?

Which statement provides the best explanation of why most earthquakes occur at plate boundaries?

Which of the following events allows rocks on either side of a fault to rebound elastically, causing an earthquake?

As stress is applied to rocks and deformation occurs, which of the following terms best characterizes the energy that is stored in the process?

Which type of seismic waves generally cause the most structural damage as they travel through Earth?

In addition to a travel-time graph, at least how many seismograph stations are needed to determine the location of the epicenter of an earthquake?

Which of the following types of seismic body waves travels only through solids?

Which of the three types of seismic waves travels through rock with the greatest velocity?

As the distance between the epicenter of an earthquake and a seismograph station increases, so does the difference in the arrival times of the P and S waves. What causes this?

Which of the following motions best describes the movement of S waves as they travel through rocks following the release of energy during an earthquake?

The point within Earth from which earthquake wave energy radiates is known by which of the following terms?

During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Pacific Plate moved 4.7 meters (15 feet) north relative to the North American Plate. Which of the following types of stress was exerted on the rocks during this earthquake?

Earthquakes occurring at depths up to 700 km (435 mi) are associated with which of the following plate boundaries?

In calculating the location of the epicenter of an earthquake, which of the following factors is most useful?

Which of the following responses provides the best reason for why the asthenosphere is not capable of storing elastic energy?

What do we call seismic waves that are transmitted along the outside of Earth?

Which of the following responses best describes the epicenter of an earthquake?

Early in the study of earthquakes, seismologists learned that P waves arrive at seismograph stations all over Earth, but a shadow zone exists for S waves. Which of the following responses best explains this phenomenon?

Most earthquakes are the result of movement along which of the following features?

How can the epicenter location of earthquakes at an oceanic-oceanic convergence zone be used to determine which plate is being subducted?

Earthquakes with a deep focus are most often associated with which of the following tectonic settings?

On average, how many damaging earthquakes occur each year?

The magnetic field of Earth is thought to originate in which of the following layers?

Which region of Earth is composed of abundant amounts of granite?

What is the major source of energy that drives the movements of the lithospheric plates on Earth?

Which layer of Earth possesses the greatest thickness?

How do we know that the outer core of Earth is liquid?

Which of the following responses best describes why the lithospheric plates are able to move around on the surface of Earth?

Which of the following rocks best represents the typical composition of oceanic crust?

A hot spot that occurs in oceanic crust is likely to produce which of the following types of eruptions?

Batholiths are known to form the cores of mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevada. What is the implication of this observation?

The subduction of oceanic crust under continental crust predominantly produces which of the following types of volcanic eruption?

While working in the field, you find a dike cutting across some sedimentary rocks. What grain size would you expect to find in this pluton?

At which of the following tectonic settings would you expect to find volcanoes producing significant amounts of very fluid, high-temperature lavas?

Which of the following types of magma has the highest viscosity?

Which of the following terms is best described as a massive pluton?

What is the term for a tabular igneous pluton that occurs in an orientation that is discordant with the bedding surfaces of adjacent sedimentary rocks?

In which of the following types of lavas would you expect to find the greatest production of pyroclastic material?

At which type of tectonic setting would you expect the development of composite volcanoes?

What do we call mudflows produced by the melting of snow and glaciers on composite volcanoes?

Which of the following volcanic types typically produces small, steep-sided structures composed of pyroclastic material?

In which of the following lava types would you expect to find the greatest percentage of gases?

What is the term for a tabular igneous pluton that occurs in an orientation that is concordant with the bedding surfaces of adjacent sedimentary rocks?

Which of the following gases is most abundant in basaltic lavas?

At which of the following tectonic settings would you expect to find volcanoes producing the highest volumes of pyroclastic material?

At which type of tectonic setting would you expect the development of shield volcanoes?

In addition to viscosity, which of the following parameters has an influence on whether a volcanic eruption will be effusive or violent?

Which of the following volcanic forms best describes large, nearly symmetrical structures composed of interbedded lavas and pyroclastic material primarily deposited from a central vent?

Which of the following types of lava will most likely lead to a volcanic eruption of an effusive nature?

In which of the following lava types would you expect to see the development of pahoehoe?

What do we call pyroclastic material, ejected during a volcanic eruption, composed of incandescent lava that is greater than 64 millimeters (2.5 inches) in diameter?

The Black Hills of South Dakota are a good example of which feature?

As an island arc system collides with the edge of a continental landmass, which tectonic scenario would be the result?

Which type of stress on rock is uniform in all directions?

Which mountainous range is not the result of continental collision?

Which type of fault is found in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa?

The Ural Mountains were formed by the collision of which continents?

What type of tectonic activity led to the formation and uplift of the Andes on the western margin of the South American Plate?

Folds exhibit which type of deformation?

During deformation of sedimentary rocks, which type of stress produces folds?

What do geologists call small accreted crustal fragments that have a geologic history distinct from adjacent blocks?

Which type of stress would you expect to find at a transform boundary?

Which mountain range, formed via continental convergence, developed just before the Appalachians of North America?

Which type of stress has produced the fault-block mountains in the Basin and Range Province?

When a terrane impacts the margin of a continental plate, what is the fate of the oceanic plate upon which the terrane has been traveling?

Which tectonic process has formed the mountain belts along the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia?

Which type of stress would you expect to find at a divergent boundary?

After the occurrence of a normal dip-slip fault in flat-lying sedimentary rocks, the fault scarp produced is eliminated by erosion. What is the age of the rocks on the surface of the footwall side of the fault relative to those on the hanging wall?

In a normal dip-slip fault, which of the following statements describes the movement of the hanging wall relative to the footwall?

In which tectonic setting would you expect to observe overthrust faults?

Which feature is not considered a rock structure?

Which type of stress produces most crustal deformation?

Folded rocks are uncommon in which tectonic setting?

Which term is used to describe a fold in which one limb has been tilted far beyond the vertical?

Which feature would you expect to find associated with continental collisions?

Which is not an example of a small crustal fragment that could collide with a continental landmass, forming mountainous topography?