Geology Test 2 Study Guide

Characteristics of sedimentary structures:

Describe what happens during a transgression and Regression:

Rank the grain size from smallest to largest:

Rank the 5 steps describing how a clastic sedimentary rock forms from its pre-existing parent rock:

What is oil shale composed of?

Sedimentary rocks can form by:

A clastic sedimentary rock with clay- and silt-sized grains that breaks in thin sheets is called

Factors that result in metamorphism:

Limestone is a sedimentary rock formed from

The metamorphic grade of a rock is determined by

Liquefaction

Tsunamis

Earthquakes in California a

mountains

Types of dip-slip faults:

Strike-slip faults

Faults

A radioactive isotope of the element potassium decays to produce argon. If the ratio of argon to potassium is found to be 7:1, how many half-lives have occurred?

Geologic time divisions:

the longest geologic time period.

the age when complex organisms began to evolve.

the age of dinosaurs.

is the age of mammals.

began about 12,000 years ago at the end of the ice age.

Contact Boundary

relative age.

Radiometric dating

The principle of cross-cutting relations says

The principle of original continuity says

The principle of inclusions says

The principle of superposition

After spending 5 years as a naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle, WHO published a book called On the Origin of Species

Evolution

Evolution

Natural selection

WHO have been responsible for the extinction of a vast number of animal species over the past 20,000 years.

How many major mass extinctions have been recognized over Earth's history?

Where was the largest mass extinction? And what % of marine species and well as terrestrial vertebrates went extinct?

Which of the following is NOT one of the major classes of sedimentary rocks? Choose one: A. biochemical B. clastic C. intrusive D. chemical

As sediment is transported downstream, away from its point of origin, the particles become Choose one: A. more angular. B. poorly sorted. C. dominantly feldspar. D. smaller.

If a sedimentary rock consists of carbon-rich remains of plants or other organisms, is it clastic, biochemical, organic, or chemical?

Sedimentary rocks can form by each of the following processes EXCEPT Choose one: A. by the precipitation of minerals from water solution. B. from shell fragments or carbon-rich relicts of plants. C. solidification from a melt. D. by the cementing together of loose grains of pre-existing rock.

Which of the following statements is TRUE? Choose one: A. Pieces of broken rock are collectively called clasts or detritus. B. Conglomerates consist of large, angular clasts. C. A well-sorted clastic rock is made up of different-sized particles. D. All clastic sedimentary rocks are cemented (held together) by calcite.

_________________ deposits are wedge-shaped deposits consisting of coarse sediments and a large amount of feldspar, typically at the foot of an eroding mountain range, whereas deposits consist mostly of clay and the skeletons of planktonic microorganisms. Choose one: A. River; deep-marine B. Beach; alluvial-fan C. Alluvial-fan; deep-marine D. Glacier; river E. Alluvial-fan; glacier

Which of the following processes is associated with the formation of travertine? Choose one: A. compaction B. lithification C. deposition D. precipitation

Which of the following lists accurately describes grain size increasing from smallest to largest? Choose one: A. silt, clay, sand B. clay, silt, sand C. sand, silt, pebbles D. sand, cobbles, pebbles

Identify outcomes of metamorphic change. Choose one or more: A. creation of foliation B. growth of new minerals C. changes in mineral size and shape D. phase change of minerals

Foliated metamorphic rocks are classified based on their:

Choose the statement that best describes foliation. Choose one: A. an arrangement of mineral grains such that most are of the same size and shape B. an alignment of mineral grains parallel to the direction of compression C. an alignment of mineral grains perpendicular to the direction of compression D. the texture typical of all metamorphic rocks

Which is NOT a common process by which metamorphic rocks are formed? Choose one: A. pressure solution B. plastic deformation C. schistosity D. recrystallization

The metamorphic grade of a rock is determined by observing the Choose one: A. temperature at which metamorphism occurs. B. rock's protolith. C. pressure at which metamorphism occurs. D. metamorphic mineral assemblage.

Identify likely consequences of recrystallization as a result of metamorphic activity. Choose one or more: A. changes in the shape of mineral grains B. changes in the size of mineral grains C. changes in the chemistry of mineral grains D. changes in the orientation of mineral grains

Why does metamorphism occur at the site of a meteorite impact? Choose one: A. The meteorite introduces extraterrestrial compounds that alter the rocks. B. Metals in the meteorite fuse with rocks at the impact site to form new rocks. C. Heat generated by the impact causes rocks to melt, forcing a phase change. D. Pressure generated by the impact condenses rocks, creating new types of rocks.

Recrystallization Choose one: A. results in the growth of new minerals that differ from the protolith. B. changes the texture (shape and size) of the grains. C. is a process by which grains push against one another, creating dissolution. D. occurs when rocks become warm enough that they behave like soft plastic.

Which of the following metamorphic processes is depicted in this before (left) and after (right) image, where spherical grains dissolve on the sides that undergo significant pressure and new mineral material precipitates where the pressure is low? Choose one: A. recrystallization B. pressure solution C. neocrystallization D. plastic deformation

Choose the listing that shows the rocks in increasing degrees of metamorphism (i.e., from lower to higher grade). Choose one: A. gneiss, migmatite, metaconglomerate B. gneiss, metaconglomerate, migmatite C. metaconglomerate, gneiss, migmatite D. migmatite, metaconglomerate, gneiss

Match the following geologic settings to the form of metamorphism which occurs at that location... (What physical changes occur at each of these geologic settings?)

What is the protolith of marble? Choose one: A. limestone B. quartz sandstone C. gypsum D. phyllite

Quartzite Choose one: A. breaks around the separate grains of quartz that make it up. B. is basically a solid mass of interlocking quartz grains. C. always shows strong compositional banding. D. is always either white or gray.

Identify statements true of tsunamis. Choose one or more: A. Underwater landslides can cause tsunamis. B. Tsunamis are large tidal waves. C. Tsunamis consist of multiple waves. D. Tsunamis form from a sudden displacement of water.

Assuming that the motion along the fault plane is pure dip-slip, and that the sandstone of the hanging wall was connected to the sandstone of the footwall before faulting, which of the following terms best describes this fault? Choose one: A. left-lateral B. reverse C. normal

Identify statements true of earthquakes. Choose one or more: A. An estimated one million earthquakes occur each year, but most of them are small. B. Most earthquakes are the consequence of plate tectonics. C. Most earthquakes occur along plate boundaries. D. Most earthquakes are large and destructive.

Friction: Choose one: A. is the force that resists sliding along a surface. B. happens when rock is weak and can slip smoothly, without creating shock waves. C. is the process by which faults release energy. D. is slow but steady movement along a fault.

A Wadati-Benioff zone is Choose one: A. a band of earthquakes along subducting lithosphere in a convergent boundary. B. a series of strike-slip faults along a transform boundary. C. an area in a divergent boundary where new lithosphere forms. D. an area where continents collide following the subduction of the lithosphere.

Cite natural phenomena that can cause tsunami formation. Choose one or more: A. volcanic eruptions B. earthquakes C. hurricanes D. landslides

Identify statements true of landslides and tsunamis. Choose one or more: A. Landslides can trigger tsunamis by creating earthquake waves. B. Landslides and rockfalls are capable of producing only local tsunamis. C. Landslides can trigger tsunamis by rapidly displacing a mass of ocean water. D. Large landslides, such as those involving partial collapse of steep-sided islands, have triggered tsunamis of regional or global extent.

Identify the FALSE statement. The Richter scale Choose one: A. measures the amplitude of the largest deflection on a seismogram in response to specifically defined seismic waves at a specifically defined distance and depth. B. works well only for shallow, nearby earthquakes. C. is today termed a local magnitude reading (ML). D. measures the size of a quake in terms of the damage it does (its intensity).

Identify the FALSE statement. Choose one: A. Normal faults result from stretching the Earth's crust; thrust faults from squeezing and shortening it. B. All earthquake magnitude scales are logarithmic, which means a difference of one unit in magnitude reading represents a 10-fold difference in ground motion. C. Any given earthquake can have more than one magnitude, but can have only one intensity. D. Moment magnitude (MW) rating is considered the most accurate representation of an earthquake's magnitude.

Identify the FALSE statement. Choose one: A. Contour lines representing Mercalli values are used to delimit zones of quake intensity; the greater the quake, the higher the intensity values and the wider the zones. B. Seismic waves become smaller in amplitude with increasing distance from the epicenter. C. Earthquakes never have hypocenters (foci) deeper than about 100 km (60 miles). D. Earthquake magnitude is based on ground motion recorded by a seismograph; intensity is based on the amount of damage produced.

Which of the following statements is TRUE? Earthquakes in California are Choose one: A. shallow and occur in the upper 15 km of crust, even though the San Andreas fault cuts through the crust to deeper depths. B. the result of widening along the San Andreas fault, which will eventually cause western California to sink into the ocean. C. always above magnitude 7.5 because the San Andreas is such a large fault. D. the result of reverse faulting along the San Andreas fault.

The locations of major earthquakes Choose one: A. always mark places where plates are converging, never where they're diverging. B. are usually along plate boundaries. C. can be anywhere on the globe. D. are usually toward the centers of tectonic plates.

Which statement is FALSE? Liquefaction Choose one: A. can affect sand layers below ground surface and cause them to erupt as sand volcanoes or sand boils. B. can cause sediment to turn into an unstable slurry incapable of supporting weight. C. increases the pressure of the water that fills the pore space between sediment grains. D. can cause roads, fences, and pipelines to crack and separate if they straddle a fault.

Which statements are true about reverse faults? Choose one or more: A. They are associated with tensional stress. B. The hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall. C. The result is shortening of the crust. D. Their motion is dip-slip.

Which statements are true about synclines? Choose one or more: A. They form from compressional stress. B. They have an arch-like shape. C. They are the result of ductile deformation. D. The limbs dip toward the hinge.

Which of the following statements is FALSE? Mountains Choose one: A. are a result of uplift and deformation. B. are randomly distributed over Earth's surface. C. are created during orogenies that may last for millions of years. D. may exhibit metamorphic and igneous rocks, due to their formation process.

Motion on which of the following faults results in a fault scarp? Choose one or more: A. dip-slip fault B. normal fault C. thrust fault D. reverse fault E. strike-slip fault

Which of the following conditions will tend to make rocks change by ductile deformation rather than by brittle deformation? Choose one: A. granitic composition B. cool surroundings C. position fairly close to Earth's surface D. slowly applied stress

Identify the result of continental collision. Choose one: A. rifting B. orogenesis C. subduction D. volcanism

How is a fault different from a joint? Choose one: A. Joints are fractures along which displacement has occurred; displacement does not occur along faults. B. Faults are joints that are larger than a square meter in area. C. There is no difference; the two terms are synonymous. D. Faults are fractures along which displacement has occurred; displacement does not occur along joints.

Motion on which type of fault results in neither extension nor compression of the crust? Choose one: A. low-angle reverse fault B. reverse fault C. strike-slip fault D. high-angle normal fault E. normal fault

Select probable outcomes for rock that was once near the surface but is carried to depth in a mountain belt through continental collision. Choose one or more: A. Flow folds develop. B. Foliations develop. C. Cleavage planes develop. D. Phenocrysts develop.

Faults are examples of what kind of rock deformation? Choose one: A. ductile B. vitric C. elastic D. brittle E. plastic

Stress..... Choose one: A. is the change in shape produced by strain. B. created by plate collision is the same everywhere and reflects the total force produced by the interacting plates. C. developed during orogeny can be different at various locations. D. is the same as force.

Which of the following happens at a normal fault? Choose one or more: A. The hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall. B. The hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall. C. The motion of the crustal blocks is referred to as strike-slip. D. The crust experiences extension. E. The footwall moves down relative to the hanging wall.