Q&A Hero

Q: Which of the following radionuclides has the shortest half-life? A) Potassium-40 B) Uranium-238 C) Carbon-14 D) Uranium-235

Q: Which of the following radionuclides is used to date once-living material? A) Rubidium-87 B) Potassium-40 C) Thorium-232 D) Carbon-14

Q: Potassium-40, one of the six major radionuclides used for radiometric dating, decays to A) nitrogen. B) strontium. C) lead. D) argon.

Q: If a rock sample contains uranium and lead, and lead-204 is present, then A) both radiogenic and primordial lead are present. B) all the lead is primordial. C) neither radiologic nor primordial lead is present. D) all the lead is radiogenic.

Q: If a rock sample contains uranium and lead, but no lead-204 is present, then A) all the lead is radiogenic. B) all the lead is primordial. C) both radiogenic and primordial lead are present. D) neither radiologic nor primordial lead is present.

Q: Geology's best tool for establishing absolute geologic time is A) index fossils. B) radiometric dating. C) the principle of superposition. D) the principle of cross-cutting relationships.

Q: Starting with a sample of pure parent radionuclide, what would be the ratio of the parent radionuclide to its daughter after two half-lives have elapsed? A) 1 to 1 B) 1 to 2 C) 1 to 3 D) 1 to 4

Q: Starting with a sample of pure parent radionuclide, what would be the ratio of the parent radionuclide to its daughter after one half-life has elapsed? A) 1 to 1 B) 1 to 2 C) 1/2 to 1 D) 2 to 1

Q: The fundamental concept of geology that was developed by James Hutton is A) radiometric dating. B) the principle of superposition. C) the principle of cross-cutting relationships. D) uniformitarianism.

Q: In Europe, the combined Mississippian and Pennsylvanian periods are known as the A) Carboniferous. B) Devonian. C) Pliocene. D) Tertiary.

Q: Which of the following is a period of the Cenozoic era? A) Eocene B) Quaternary C) Cretaceous D) Cambrian

Q: Which of the following is the era sometimes called the age of reptiles? A) Mesozoic B) Paleozoic C) Cenozoic D) Phanerozoic

Q: The Eocene is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Tertiary is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Oligocene is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Miocene is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Pliocene is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Pleistocene is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Holocene is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Quarternary is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Triassic is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Phanerozoic is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Cambrian is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Devonian is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Permian is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Jurassic is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Cretaceous is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Paleozoic is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Mesozoic is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Cenozoic is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: The Paleocene is a(n) A) epoch. B) era. C) eon. D) period.

Q: A number of epochs is called a(n) A) eon. B) period. C) millennia. D) era.

Q: Periods are divided into A) eons. B) epochs. C) millennia. D) eras.

Q: A group of periods is called a(n) A) epoch. B) millennia. C) era. D) eon.

Q: Eras are divided first into A) epochs. B) millennia. C) periods. D) eons.

Q: A group of eras are called a(n) A) eon. B) period. C) millennia. D) epoch.

Q: Eons are divided first into A) eras. B) periods. C) millennia. D) epochs.

Q: The smallest units of geologic time are the A) eons. B) periods. C) eras. D) epochs.

Q: The largest units of geologic time are the A) eons. B) periods. C) eras. D) epochs.

Q: Which of the following is not a feature of a good index fossil? A) Numerous specimens found B) Occurrence limited to a few localities C) Easily identified species D) Limited time span of existence

Q: Fossils that are useful in correlating rock layers are called A) index fossils. B) trace fossils. C) range fossils. D) tracing fossils.

Q: The process of matching up rock layers in different localities by such means as index fossils is called A) conformational analysis. B) correlation. C) indexation. D) cross-cutting.

Q: The oldest evidence of life on Earth dates back to about how many years ago? A) 65 million B) 3.8 million C) 3.5 billion D) 570 million

Q: The oldest evidence of life on Earth dates back to about how many years ago? A) 65 million B) 3.8 million C) 3500 million D) 570 million

Q: Breaks, or gaps, in the rock record at a given locality are called A) unconformities. B) preconformities. C) nonconformities. D) disconformities.

Q: Sedimentary layer A lies above sedimentary layer B, and both are cut by an igneous dike, C. Therefore, the order from oldest to youngest is A) A, B, C. B) C, B, A. C) B, A, C. D) none of these.

Q: Sedimentary layer A is found above sedimentary layer B, and the two are separated by a horizontal layer of ash, C. Therefore, the order from oldest to youngest is A) B, C, A. B) C, B, A. C) A, C, B. D) none of these.

Q: The earliest evidence of ancient life, blue-green algae, are A) cyanobacteria. B) amber. C) foraminifera. D) coal.

Q: Another name for cyanobacteria, the earliest evidence of ancient life, is A) blue-green algae. B) amber. C) foraminifera. D) coal.

Q: Trace fossils are A) tracks only. B) borings only. C) burrows only. D) all of the above.

Q: Tracks, borings, and burrows are examples of A) replaced remains. B) index fossils. C) trace fossils. D) microfossils.

Q: Amber is fossilized A) bone. B) tree resin. C) shell. D) plant.

Q: Fossilized tree resin is known as A) coal. B) amber. C) opal. D) stromatolite.

Q: Paleontology is the study of A) animals. B) plants. C) fossils. D) none of these.

Q: The study of fossils is called A) cryptology. B) petrology. C) paleontology. D) historical biology.

Q: A loop-like bend in a river channel is called a(n) ______________.

Q: Geologists define a(n) ______________ as any flow of water occurring between well-defined banks.

Q: A depression on the land surface caused by the collapse of a cavern is called a(n)______________.

Q: ______________ is the downslope movement of surface materials as a result of gravity and of the agents that causesuch movement. stream

Q: The most important climatic factors that affect the rate of chemical weathering are heat and ______________.

Q: The most important acid involved in chemical weathering is ______________ acid.

Q: Subsurface soil that remains permanently frozen is called ______________.

Q: The physical disintegration or fracturing of rock is called ______________.

Q: The physical disintegration and chemical decomposition of rock at or near Earth's surface is called ______________.

Q: The process of leveling of the Earth by the wearing away of high places and the transportation of sediments to, and their deposition at, lower levels is called ______________.

Q: A river's suspended load and bed load may accumulate at its mouth and form a A) sea arch. B) guyot. C) delta. D) sea mount.

Q: The continuous circulation of Earth's water is known as the A) hydrologic cycle. B) aqua cycle. C) redistribution cycle. D) hydrogeologic cycle.

Q: A common feature of coastal erosion is a A) spit. B) guyot. C) seamount. D) sea arch.

Q: A common depositional feature of shoreline topography is a A) spit. B) guyot. C) seamount. D) sea arch.

Q: Isolated, submarine, volcanic mountains are known as A) reefs. B) atolls. C) seamounts. D) spits.

Q: About what percent of Earth's surface is covered with water? A) 70% B) 10% C) 50% D) 30%

Q: Large, flat areas of sediments on the ocean basins are called A) abyssal plains. B) guyots. C) continental shelves. D) atolls.

Q: Which of the following are not a common depositional feature of shoreline topography? A) Barrier islands B) Pocket beaches C) Sea arches D) Spits

Q: The formation of which of the following is not directly caused by erosive wave action? A) Wave-cut cliffs B) Sea stacks C) Pocket beaches D) Sea caves

Q: How many tidal bulges "move" around Earth daily? A) Two B) Six C) One D) Four

Q: What is the second largest ocean on Earth? A) Atlantic B) Indian C) Antarctic D) Mediterranean E) Pacific

Q: What is the largest ocean on Earth? A) Atlantic B) Indian C) Antarctic D) Mediterranean E) Pacific

Q: After the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the next largest ocean on Earth is which ocean? A) Arctic B) Indian C) Antarctic D) Mediterranean

Q: Which of the following is not one of the three major types of seawater movement? A) Waves B) Tides C) Currents D) Creep

Q: The unsaturated zone of soil above the water table is known as the zone of A) permeability. B) unsaturation. C) presaturation. D) aeration.