Earth Science

Q: All of the following are factors affecting mass wasting except for ________. A) gravity B) water C) slope angle D) geologic age

Q: The most rapid type of mass movement is a ________. A) slump B) lahar C) rock avalanche D) debris flow

Q: Which of the following statements concerning mudflows is not true? A) Mudflows may be caused by heavy rains or melting snow. B) In hilly areas, mudflows move down the canyons and stream valleys. C) Mudflows deposit talus slopes. D) Mudflows can move and carry very large boulders and other coarse debris.

Q: What is the greatest danger from earthflow? A) loss of life by rapid downslope movement of the earthflow B) loss of property along the path of the earthflow C) loss of water quality by mud flowing into river drainages, polluting the water D) deforestation along the earthflow path

Q: In the late 1950's the Hebgen Lake earthquake outside of Yellowstone triggered a mass wasting event. The landslide originated on steep mountains slopes where rocks slid off a surface and descended to the valley floor in a few seconds, burying a campground and many people staying there. This type of landslide would be called ________. A) a slump B) a mudflow C) a rockslide D) an earthflow

Q: A rancher overgrazes his land in an area underlain by heavy clay soils and regolith developed from weathering of claystone. After a series of heavy rains small creeks develop deep gullies along their length. A light steady rain develops and continues for several days. What should the rancher be concerned about on his overgrazed lands? A) rock avalanche B) slumps along the creeks C) lahars filling cascading down his creeks, wiping out his cattle D) increasing gully development because of the rain

Q: The mass wasting process in steep mountain areas that causes accumulations of rock debris called talus is called ________. A) a slump B) a rock avalanche C) a rock fall D) a rock slide

Q: A mass wasting process that involves rapid down-slope movement of debris aided by a cushion of air is called ________. A) a slump B) a rock avalanche C) a rock fall D) a rock slide

Q: A mass wasting process that involves slip of solid rock above a distinct sliding surface is called ________. A) a slump B) a rock avalanche C) a rock fall D) a rock slide

Q: A mass wasting process that involves rotational motion of material sliding above a distinct slip surface is called ________. A) a slump B) a rock avalanche C) a rock fall D) a rock slide

Q: Haiti is a mountainous island nation that has terrible problems with landslides. Which of the following explanations would best explain the problem? A) Climate change has increased weathering rates on the island. B) The area is hit by numerous tropical cyclones. C) Most of the forests have been cut down for charcoal, leaving barren slopes subject to mass wasting during heavy tropical rainstorms and earthquakes. D) The corrupt government has made poor roads subject to slope failure.

Q: Landslides commonly occur when hurricanes hit steep terrain. Why? A) Heavy rain from the tropical system can saturate slopes, triggering mass wasting events like mudslides. B) The high winds produce a shear stress on the slopes, triggering mass movements. C) The high winds uproot trees, weakening the slope and inducing mass wasting. D) The correlation with hurricanes is coincidental.

Q: You live in a seismically active area and there are steep mountain slopes that show evidence of past large landslides. A geologist uses radiocarbon dating and determines that all of the landslides are 1000 +/- 5 years old. He also determines that there is an active fault in the area that moved in the last 1000-2000 years but he can't date it precisely. Which of the following is a reasonable conclusion? A) Radiocarbon dating is not a good dating technique or it could separate the ages of the slides. B) There was probably an earthquake ~1000 years ago. C) There must have been a major drought 1000 years ago that triggered the landslides. D) There must have been people in the area 1000 years ago, and they cut down the trees that were dated for determining the age of the landslide.

Q: You buy land in the tropics on steep mountain slopes covered by large trees and deep soil. You want to build a house on the land. Which of the following building plans is a very bad idea because of the danger of triggering mass wasting? A) Excavate a flat bench on the slope for the house, pushing the debris to the slope below and leave a cut bank above the flat bench with grass planted on the steep slope. B) Excavate the soil from the building site, install drainage systems, and backfill with gravel to prevent water accumulation. C) Terrace the slope, building on the terraces, and constructing a rock retaining well with voids to allow drainage of water. D) Sell the land because it will always be prone to mass wasting.

Q: How does deforestation by fire or human activity contribute to mass wasting? A) It allows excess rainfall runoff to erode the landscape, triggering mass wasting. B) It kills tree roots that help hold the slopes in place, allowing mass movement. C) It allows the wind to blow across the slopes, imparting a stress that triggers landslides. D) It allows farming activity that exposes soil to erosion and mass wasting.

Q: Which of the following is not a significant factor triggering mass wasting events? A) heavy rainfall B) earthquake C) forest fire D) mine tailings filling a valley

Q: What type of stress (pressure) is illustrated in the diagram below?

Q: Explain why sedimentary rocks are particularly important in studying the past history of the Earth.

Q: What does Bowen's reaction series tell us about how rocks evolve?

Q: Fill in the missing rock names on the chart below.

Q: Why do most sediments end up being deposited in oceans instead of other parts of the Earth?

Q: When a metamorphic rock exhibits a layered or banded appearance, it is said to exhibit a(n) ________ texture.

Q: List three agents of metamorphism.

Q: Probably the single most characteristic feature of sedimentary rocks is ________.

Q: Rock salt and rock gypsum are common examples of a group of chemical sedimentary rocks called ________.

Q: If all of the olivine crystallized in a typical magma and then settled to the floor of the magma chamber, would there still be enough elements present in the magma to form quartz?

Q: Obsidian exhibits a(n) ________ texture.

Q: Igneous rocks are classified on the basis of what two main characteristics?

Q: Igneous rocks that contain mostly quartz and feldspar with small amounts of biotite would be described as having a(n) ________ composition.

Q: An igneous rock that cools deep inside the Earth is called a(n) ________ igneous rock

Q: Most of the energy and mineral resources we use are renewable.

Q: Metamorphism can affect only sedimentary rocks.

Q: Slate is associated with high-grade metamorphism.

Q: In general, recrystallization tends to produce larger crystals.

Q: During metamorphism, the material undergoing deformation remains a solid.

Q: Every metamorphic rock has a parent rock from which it formed.

Q: Compaction is most significant as a lithification process for sedimentary rocks composed of sand-sized particles.

Q: Most limestone has a biochemical origin.

Q: Particle size is the primary basis for distinguishing among various detrital sedimentary rocks.

Q: Evaporites have a biochemical origin.

Q: The most abundant sedimentary rock is shale.

Q: The particles in breccia are primarily silt sized.

Q: Lignite and bituminous coals are sedimentary rocks.

Q: Sedimentary rocks are an important source of information about the Earth's history.

Q: Sedimentary rocks make up approximately 60 percent of the rocks in the Earth's crust.

Q: Quartz is quite resistant to weathering and is an important component of sands in riverbeds and on beaches.

Q: Glassy igneous rocks form when magma cools too fast for mineral grains to grow.

Q: Basalt is the fine-grained equivalent of gabbro.

Q: One magma can produce several different igneous rocks having different mineral compositions.

Q: Olivine and quartz are commonly found together in the same igneous rock.

Q: Bowen's reaction series predicts the sizes of the different mineral grains that grow from crystallizing magmas.

Q: Basaltic rocks make up most of the sea floor.

Q: Igneous rocks are composed primarily of sulfate-type minerals.

Q: Crystal size is controlled by temperature.

Q: Lava always erupts violently, but magma often flows quietly.

Q: Magma is currently forming beneath the Rockies.

Q: The change from a sediment to a sedimentary rock typically involves burying the sediment.

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. Under the right circumstances, any rock can be transformed into another type of rock in the rock cycle.

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. confining pressure differential stress melting chemical fluids

Q: In order to get oil and gas in sufficient quantities to make a profit, an oil trap must exist with ________. A) no fractures or structure B) permeability and porosity C) lateral continuity that allows fluids to migrate D) shale with little or no sulfur.

Q: A major difference between coal and oil/gas is ________. A) coal forms in deep marine environments and oil/gas form in shallow marine environments B) coal forms in shallow marine environments and oil/gas form in swamps C) coal forms in swamps and oil/gas form in marine environments D) coal forms on land from dinosaurs and oil/gas form from ancient fish

Q: The minerals gold, silver and mercury are often found in ________. A) hydrothermal veins B) the lower parts of an intrusion C) disseminated deposits D) alteration of limestone

Q: The very large crystals of quartz, feldspar, and muscovite found in pegmatites form from ________. A) the early crystallizing parts of a magma B) the final crystallizing parts of a magma C) the middle crystallizing parts of a magma D) all of the above

Q: Magma differentiation tends to produce deposits of ________ near the base of intrusions. A) gold B) silver C) chromite D) copper

Q: Which of the following lists the rocks in the order of increasing grain size and increasing grade of metamorphism? A) phyllite, slate, schist B) schist, slate, phyllite C) slate, phyllite, schist D) slate, schist, phyllite

Q: The primary agent of contact metamorphism is ________. A) folding B) heat C) stress D) strain

Q: ________ is composed of alternating bands of light and dark silicate minerals. A) Marble B) Mica schist C) Phyllite D) Gneiss

Q: The common rock produced by the metamorphism of limestone is ________. A) marble B) mica schist C) phyllite D) gneiss

Q: Which of the following changes may occur during metamorphism? A) Certain minerals may recrystallize. B) The rock becomes more compact. C) Crystals may grow larger. D) all of the above

Q: Which of the following is not an example of a foliation in a metamorphic rock? A) compositional banding B) bedding planes and strata C) parallel alignment of flattened pebbles D) parallel alignment of platy or flat minerals

Q: Slate is ________ than shale. A) more planar B) darker C) denser D) lighter

Q: Recrystallization during metamorphism causes grains to grow longer in the ________. A) direction of maximum differential stress B) direction perpendicular to the compressional stress C) direction parallel to the compressional stress D) horizontal direction

Q: Chemically active fluids are ________. A) fluids that readily change to gases at surface conditions B) fluids that contain large quantities of oxygen which reacts with most minerals to form new minerals during metamorphism C) more acidic than regular fluids D) more basic than regular fluids

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