Earth Science

Q: Which of the following generally has the lowest surface slope? A) continental slope B) continental rise C) continental shelf D) beach shoreface

Q: The best definition of the outer edge of the continental shelf is that point where ________. A) the gradient becomes very gentle B) the water depth reaches 100 fathoms C) it meets an oceanic ridge D) a rapid steepening of the gradient occurs

Q: Which one of the following would most likely be covered with thick turbidite layers? A) axial rift zone of an active mid-ocean spreading center B) upper part of a steep, narrow, submarine canyon C) deep-sea fan at the base of a continental slope D) ocean floor around a conical-shaped seamount

Q: It is thought that submarine canyons on the continental slope have been generated by ________. A) streams when sea level was much lower than it is today B) streams when sea level was much higher than it is today C) a submarine glaciations D) turbidity currents

Q: Which one of the following is not part of the continental margin? A) continental shelf B) continental slope C) continental rise D) continental trench

Q: Ocean floor topography can be estimated from space using ________. A) high resolution measurements of the earth's magnetic field B) laser beams that penetrate to the sea floor C) radar pulses that bounce off the ocean surface D) powerful sound waves that echo to the satellite

Q: Multibeam provides the best modern technique for obtaining seafloor bathymetry, so why hasn't it been used for the entire ocean? A) It is too expensive, requiring many ships many years to survey the entire ocean. B) It doesn't work in deep water. C) It doesn't work where there is ice. D) Oceanographers simply haven't had time to process all the data.

Q: The best modern technique for obtaining high resolution bathymetry of the seafloor is ________. A) sidescan sonar B) echo sounding C) seismic reflection profiling D) multibeam bathymetry

Q: An echo sounder operates by measuring the time required for a ________. A) light beam to travel from a satellite at a known altitude to the sea bottom and back B) radar beam to travel from a harbor patrol boat to a fuzz-buster on a speeding yacht C) radar beam to travel from a ship to the seafloor and back D) sound pulse travels from a ship to the seafloor and back

Q: Sailors in the 16th-18th century dreaded "rounding the horn" because of strong winds and heavy seas. Cape Horn is about latitude 55S 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 ________. A) the Southern Ocean B) the Antarctic Ocean C) the Australian Ocean D) the Indian Ocean

Q: Concerning the distribution of land and water, which of the following statements is true? A) The percentage of land and water is about the same in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. B) The Southern Hemisphere has much more water surface than the Northern Hemisphere. C) The Northern Hemisphere has much more water surface than the Southern Hemisphere. D) None of the above is true.

Q: Which ocean has the greatest average depth? A) Atlantic B) Pacific C) Indian D) Arctic

Q: The ________ Ocean is largest. A) Atlantic B) Pacific C) Indian D) Arctic

Q: The oceans cover approximately ________ percent of Earth's surface. A) 40 B) 50 C) 60 D) 70

Q: Compare and contrast the patterns of life in the Paleozoic Era to the Mesozoic Era. What are the major differences between these two eras? Are there similarities or similar trends?

Q: Examine Figure 12.12 below which illustrates the distribution of cratons and orogens (mountain belts) on Earth today. Briefly discuss how have these regions have developed over time using the concept of plate tectonics. Include the relationship between specific types of plate boundaries to the various regions if possible.

Q: Why is it so difficult to interpret the geology of the Precambrian? How are these difficulties or limitations different in the younger eras of the Phanerozoic Eon? Finally, are there unique rocks or events in the Precambrian that are not present in younger rocks?

Q: What is the role of density in the changes to the earth's atmosphere over time?

Q: ________ are the dominant land plants of the Cenozoic era.

Q: The Cenozoic era is often called the "age of ________."

Q: Following the reptilian extinctions at the close of the Mesozoic era, two groups of mammals, the marsupials and ________, evolved and expanded.

Q: The ________ were the dominant trees of the Mesozoic era.

Q: The ________ period was the "golden age of trilobites."

Q: By the late ________ period, true air-breathing amphibians with fish-like heads and tails had evolved.

Q: Primitive organisms, called ________, reproduce asexually and contain cells that lack organized nuclei.

Q: The development of ________, organisms that reproduce sexually and have cells that contain nuclei, may have increased dramatically the rate of evolutionary change.

Q: Bacteria that thrive in oxygen free environments are called ________ bacteria.

Q: Toward the end of the Mesozoic era, the ________ orogeny formed the southern ranges of the Rocky Mountains.

Q: Western North America is the leading edge of the ________ plate.

Q: The rock formations of the ________ era are more widespread and less disturbed than those of any other time.

Q: On each continent, large "core areas" of Precambrian rocks, called ________, dominate the surface.

Q: The most common Precambrian rock type is ________ rock.

Q: Ozone is a constituent of the ________, where it protects life from ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Q: Human evolution takes place during the ________ period of the ________ era.

Q: Extensive deposits of ________ ore are found worldwide in Precambrian rocks.

Q: Some elements are released from the earth's interior to the surface through a process called ________.

Q: During the process of ________, plants release the gas ________.

Q: What were the three gases that made up Earth's original atmosphere?

Q: The Sun in the making is known as the ________.

Q: Planets in the making are referred to as ________.

Q: Mammals replaced reptiles as the dominant land animals in the Cenozoic era.

Q: The Cenozoic era is the age of mammals.

Q: Many reptile groups became extinct at the close of the Cenozoic era.

Q: The first true terrestrial land animals were the mammals.

Q: The beginning of the Precambrian era is marked by the appearance of the first life forms with hard parts.

Q: Eukaryotes are the earliest life forms identified on earth and they date back to nearly 3.5 billion years ago.

Q: During the Cenozoic era, a great wedge of sediments from the eroding Rockies created the Great Plains.

Q: Volcanic activity was common in western North America during much of Cenozoic time.

Q: During the Cenozoic era, the eastern and western margins of North America experienced similar geologic events.

Q: The supercontinent of Pangaea formed during the late Mesozoic era.

Q: During the early Paleozoic era, the continent of Gondwanaland included North and South America.

Q: A major event of the Mesozoic era was the breakup of the supercontinent called Pangaea.

Q: During the Mesozoic era, the earth developed its modern landscape and life forms.

Q: Sea level is constant over long periods of the earth's history, and that is why it is used as a major datum for mapping elevations.

Q: Well preserved remains of many tiny organisms extend the record of life back beyond 5 billion years.

Q: Fossil fuels are abundant in Precambrian rocks.

Q: Probably the single most characteristic feature of the Precambrian is its great abundance of fossil evidence.

Q: Most Mesozoic rocks are devoid of fossils; consequently this is the least understood span of Earth's history.

Q: The atmosphere of Venus is composed primarily of carbon dioxide.

Q: When Earth's primitive surface cooled below water's boiling point, torrential rains slowly filled low areas, forming oceans.

Q: Much of the original free oxygen in the atmosphere combined with iron dissolved in water to become iron oxide.

Q: The major source of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is from the decay of plants.

Q: The salinity of the oceans is continuously increasing due to weathering of rocks and the transport of the weathering products to the oceans.

Q: Earth's original atmosphere, several billion years ago, was similar to the present atmosphere.

Q: Due to differentiation, the lighter, gaseous materials escaped Earth's interior and became the primitive atmosphere.

Q: If the earth did not have an atmosphere, there would still be a hydrologic cycle.

Q: The large outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) contain huge amounts of hydrogen and other light materials as part of their composition.

Q: The bodies of our solar system began forming about 5 billion years ago from an enormous cloud of minute rocky fragments and gases.

Q: The decay of radioactive atoms, coupled with heat released by colliding particles, produced at least some melting of Earth's early interior.

Q: 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. Trilobites brachiopods fish dinosaurs

Q: Following the reptilian extinctions at the close of the Mesozoic, two groups of mammals, the marsupials and ________, evolved. A) eukaryotes B) cephalopods C) trilobites D) placentals E) stromatolites

Q: The major adaptions that made it possible for mammals to evolve into their modern forms included all of the following except ________. A) they became significantly larger B) they developed a more efficient respiratory system C) their brains increased in capacity D) they developed specialized teeth to adapt to a varied diet E) they developed specialized limbs to adapt to a varied life style

Q: The dominant life forms during the Cenozoic Era were ________. A) reptiles and gymnosperms B) fish and amphibians C) mammals and angiosperms D) prokaryotes and eukaryotes

Q: Human ancestors developed the tendency to walk on two legs instead of four in order to accommodate ________. A) climbing trees in the forests B) picking fruit C) hunting and gathering food in grasslands D) running across hot ash beds in Tanzania E) riding elephants

Q: Mammals became the dominant land animals during the ________ era. A) Pleistocene B) Cenozoic C) Cretaceous D) Mesozoic E) Paleozoic

Q: One group of reptiles, exemplified by the fossil Archaeopteryx, led to the evolution of ________. A) dinosaurs B) mammals C) cephalopods D) birds E) horses

Q: Birds evolved from ________. A) tree-climbing amphibians B) pterosaurs C) apatosaurus D) archaeopteryx E) gymnosperms

Q: At the start of the Mesozoic, the climate was ________. A) humid B) dry C) very cold D) very warm E) rapidly changing

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