PRACTICE EXAM #1 - GEOL 131 HFCC



EXAM #3-PRACTICE

GEOL 131

FALL 2015

GEOLOGIC TIME

1. Refer to your geologic time scale, and list the eon, era, period, and epoch in which we are currently living.

a. Eon: ______________________

b. Era: ______________________

c. Period: _____________________

d. Epoch: ______________________

2. Why is relatively little detail known to geologists about the time period called the Precambrian? (circle two answers)

a. The Precambrian only makes up a small fraction of Earth history

b. An asteroid impact destroyed most of the Precambrian rock record

c. Nothing lived during the Precambrian, so there is no fossil record

d. Organisms that lived during that time had no hard parts

e. More of the geologic record of the Precambrian has been destroyed compared to more recent time periods

3. Name a significant evolutionary event that took place during the Paleozoic Era, one during the Mesozoic, and one during the Cenozoic (do not use the mass extinctions at the end of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic Eras).

Paleozoic: __________________________________________________________

Mesozoic: __________________________________________________________

Cenozoic: __________________________________________________________

4. The end-Paleozoic mass extinction was likely caused by an asteroid impact. TRUE or FALSE

5. The evolutionary phenomenon in which a few species that survive a mass extinction branch out into many new species is called _______________________________.

6. What is the most important difference between relative dating and radiometric dating?

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

7. Match the principles of relative dating given below with the correct definitions.

a. Superposition If pieces of A are found within B, A is older _____

b. Inclusions If A is below B, A is older _____

c. Cross-cutting relations If A cuts through B, B is older _____

8. Put the geologic features in the diagram below in the correct sequence, with oldest at the bottom. Write the letters on the lines provided to the left of the figure. Ignore the black boxes. In the white box, give the name of the type of unconformity represented by the red line.

[pic]

9. There are two figures below. The left-hand figure shows a hypothetical rock layer with two fossil species present (shown by symbols). The right-hand figure is a fossil range chart, showing the ranges of several fossil species.

By looking at which fossil species are present (and which are not present) in the rock layer, and comparing them to the fossil range chart, determine the youngest possible relative age for the rock layer. Draw a horizontal line on the fossil range chart indicating this age.

[pic] [pic]

10. Define the term half-life. _________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

11. Radioactivity is

a. Spontaneous changes in the nucleus of an atom

b. A process that happens at a predictable rate

c. The change of a parent atom into a daughter atom

d. All of the above

e. A and B

f. B and C

g. A and C

12. Why is it very difficult to use radiometric dating on sedimentary rocks?

a. Mineral grains never contain radioactive material

b. Sedimentary rocks contain cement, which is highly radioactive and interferes with the dating process

c. Mineral grains come from older source rocks

d. The question is false; it is actually easiest to obtain a radiometric date from sedimentary rocks

13. If a mineral is found to contain 25% uranium-235, how many half-lives of U-235 have elapsed since the mineral formed?

Half-lives elapsed: __________

14. How old is the mineral from the previous question? ________________ years (you do not need to show calculations)

PLATE TECTONICS

15. Why was Alfred Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis rejected by most scientists of his time?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

16. Based on evidence he collected during extensive scientific travels, Wegener proposed that all of the modern continents had once been joined into a supercontinent called

a. Panthalassia

b. Panoplia

c. Pantera

d. Pangaea

e. Pangyratia

17. When other scientists objected to the continental drift hypothesis, what did Wegener propose in an attempt to resolve these objections?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

18. The outermost layer of the Earth, as defined by the behavior of seismic waves as they pass through the planet, is called the

a. Asthenosphere

b. Mesosphere

c. Crust

d. Mantle

e. Lithosphere

19. Continental lithosphere is dense enough to subduct into the mantle, but oceanic lithosphere is not. TRUE or FALSE

20. At a divergent plate boundary, crust is being

a. Destroyed

b. Created

c. Neither

21. Put the following stages in creation of a new divergent boundary in the correct order by writing 1, 2, 3, or 4 next to each.

a. Stretching and thinning of continental lithosphere _____

b. Widening into a mature ocean basin _____

c. Formation of a narrow seaway _____

d. Upward pushing on continental lithosphere by mantle magma _____

22. Match each type of convergent plate boundary with the correct definition:

a. Oceanic-oceanic Subduction, formation of continental volcanic arc _____

b. Oceanic-continental No subduction; uplift of mountain ranges _____

c. Continental-continental Subduction, formation of volcanic island arc _____

23. Most transform plate boundaries are closely associated with divergent boundaries. TRUE or FALSE

24. Fill in the blanks: The further away from a divergent boundary an ocean drill core is collected, the __________ the sediment will be and the ____________ the crustal rock will be.

25. A hypothetical chain of volcanic islands produced by a hot spot is sampled and radiometrically dated. The chain is oriented east-west. The youngest island is found to be at the west end, and the oldest on the east end. In what direction is the plate carrying the islands moving? _____________

26. In order to use hot spot volcanic chains to calculate average rates of plate tectonic movement, geologists need what two pieces of information? (Circle two answers.)

a. The absolute ages of the volcanoes, in years

b. The composition of the volcanic rocks

c. The relative ages of the volcanoes (what order they formed in)

d. The depth of the ocean along the chain

e. The length of the chain

27. Examine the diagram of paleomagnetic striping on ocean crust below. How many time periods of reversed magnetic polarity are recorded by this ocean crust? (Light-colored stripes are reversed polarity) _______

[pic]

28. In one or two sentences, describe what happens during slab pull. ___________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

CRUSTAL DEFORMATION

29. Which of the following types of deformation is temporary (circle one)?

a. Ductile

b. Brittle

c. Elastic

d. None of these is temporary

30. A rock’s capacity for absorbing temporary deformation is called its _____________________.

31. The hotter a rock is, the more likely it is to deform in ductile fashion. TRUE or FALSE

32. Match each fold listed below to the correct figure.

a. Anticline

b. Syncline

c. Monocline

[pic] [pic]

________________ ________________

[pic] _________________

33. In each of the photos above, draw a line indicating the approximate location of the fold axis (or axes).

34. The figures below show map view perspectives of two different folds, with the relative ages of the layers. What types of folds are these?

Fold type: ____________ Fold type: ____________

35. A fold with one limb dipping at an angle greater than 90 degrees is called

a. Recumbent

b. Overturned

c. Symmetrical

d. Asymmetrical

36. On the fault below, label the hanging wall and the footwall. The red line indicates the location of the fault.

[pic]

37. Match each fault type listed with the correct figure.

a. Normal

b. Reverse

c. Thrust

d. Left-lateral strike-slip

e. Right-lateral strike-slip

CROSS-SECTIONS

______ ______ ______

MAP VIEWS

____ _____

38. Match each fault type with the kind of stress that produces it.

a. Strike-slip Tensional _____

b. Reverse Shear _____

c. Normal Compressional _____

THE OCEAN FLOOR

39. Label the map below with the four major ocean basins.

[pic]

40. What ocean floor mapping method penetrates sediment cover and reveals the bedrock underneath?

41. If a ship emits a ping and the ping returns 5 seconds later, how deep is the ocean beneath the ship? (Speed of sound in water is 1500 meters/second)

42. Label the following diagram of a passive continental margin.

[pic]

43. The continental rise portion of a passive margin consists of _______________________________.

44. Active margins are characterized by all of the following except: (circle one answer)

a. Wide continental shelves

b. Earthquakes

c. Volcanism

d. Mountainous coastlines

e. Tectonic plate subduction

45. Most of a typical deep ocean floor is taken up by the _______________________, which is very flat due to thick sediment cover.

46. The image below shows the Hawaiian islands and the Emperor Seamount chain. These are all examples of what feature of the deep ocean floor? _____________________

[pic]

47. In the same image, there is a feature called the Aleutian Trench. What geologic process created this feature? ______________________

48. Oceanic ridges are places where two tectonic plates are ___________________.

49. In this illustration of the central part of an oceanic ridge, draw arrows indicating the direction of motion of both tectonic plates. Also, label the rift valley and one of the fault blocks.

[pic]

50. Explain why oceanic ridges are elevated features. ______________________________________

51. Oceanic ridges are formed by the same process that creates which type of tectonic plate boundary?

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FOSSIL RANGE CHART

ROCK LAYER

oldest

youngest

youngest

youngest

oldest

................
................

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