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Physic
Q:
The isotope most useful for dating rocks from the late Pleistocene is
A) uranium-238.
B) uranium-235.
C) potassium-40.
D) carbon-14.
Q:
The numerical dates associated with events on the geologic time scale were determined by
A) relative dating.
B) superposition.
C) radiometric dating.
D) fossil assemblages through time.
Q:
If the half-life of some radioactive element is 1 billion years, and a mass of rock originally contained 100 g of that element, how many grams of the radioactive element would be left after three billion years had passed?
A) 6.25 g
B) 12.5 g
C) 25 g
D) 50 g
E) none
Q:
If a radioactive element has a half-life of 704 million years, and the amount of parent material remaining is one-eighth of the original amount, the specimen is about
A) 2,112,000,000 years old.
B) 1,408,000,000 years old.
C) 2,816,000,000 years old.
D) 3,520,000,000 years old.
Q:
To date a rock thought to be many millions of years old, you should not use the decay of
A) uranium to lead.
B) potassium to argon.
C) carbon-14.
Q:
Radiocarbon dating is limited to the remains of plants and animals that died no longer than about
A) 100 years ago.
B) 5700 years ago.
C) 40,000 years ago.
D) 1,000,000 years ago.
Q:
The oldest rocks that have been dated by radioactivity are approximately
A) 2 million years old.
B) 200 million years old.
C) 4 billion years old.
D) 10 billion years old.
Q:
The process where an element spontaneously changes into a different element (transmutation) by a change in the nucleus of an atom is called
A) radiometric dating.
B) radioactive decay.
C) radiometric decay.
D) none of these
Q:
The ultimate truth of any radiometric date depends on the
A) size of the given sample.
B) chemical composition of the sample being tested.
C) precision and accuracy of the lab techniques.
D) reset date of the sample.
Q:
Radiometric dating assumes that, once a mineral has crystallized, any daughter product results only from the decay of the original unstable parent. Some complications are
A) variations in temperature.
B) failure to take samples too close together.
C) "time clock resetting" due to metamorphism, and product leakage that yields false age estimation.
D) a poorly maintained teleometer.
Q:
To date the age of Earth, we look for rocks with a high percentage of
A) uranium-235 to lead-207.
B) uranium-238 to lead-206.
C) potassium-40 to argon-40.
Q:
The time required for one-half of a radioactive material to decay is called the
A) absolute age.
B) half-life.
C) date age.
D) true-life.
Q:
To date relatively young rocks and materials, we use the decay of
A) uranium-238 to lead-206.
B) potassium-40 to argon-40.
C) carbon-14 to nitrogen-14.
D) uranium-235 to lead-207.
Q:
Radiometric dating is based on
A) decay of uranium-238 to lead-206.
B) sequence of rocks and the relative position of one layer to another.
C) proportions of radioactive isotopes and their decay products.
D) the half-life of radioactive atoms.
Q:
What type of igneous formation would agree with the principle of superposition?
Q:
What does the principle of superposition say about the ages of rocks?
Q:
How do geologists determine the relative ages of different rocks?
Q:
On what four assumptions is the principle of faunal succession based?
Q:
What types of rocks are representative of the principle of original horizontality? Why?
Q:
Walking along a dry river bed, you find a conglomerate rock. What can you say about the rock's relative age?
A) The rock formed in place, at the river bed.
B) The rock and mineral fragments that make up the rock are older than the actual rock.
C) The rock is relatively young since it contains lots of small rock fragments.
D) The rock and mineral fragments that make up the rock are younger than the actual rock.
Q:
The ordering of rocks in sequence by their comparative ages is called
A) faunal succession.
B) original horizontality.
C) relative dating.
D) uniformitarianism.
Q:
Who established the principle of faunal succession?
A) Alfred Wegener.
B) Harry Hess.
C) William "Strata" Smith.
D) Andrija Mohorovicic.
Q:
If we compress 4.5 billion years into a calendar year, humans make their mark on the calendar
A) the very last minute of New Years Eve.
B) on December 25th.
C) at 12:00 pm, December 30th.
D) at 11:50 pm, December 31st.
Q:
The five principles used to determine the relative ages of rock include original
A) horizontality, superposition, cross cutting, inclusion, and faunal succession.
B) horizontality, nonconformity, cross cutting, inclusion, and faunal succession.
C) inclusion, superposition, uniformitarianism, horizontality, and fossil succession.
D) horizontality, uniformitariansism, cross cutting, stromatolite, and faunal succession.
Q:
When tilted or folded sedimentary layers are covered by younger, horizontal rock layers it is called
A) an intrusion.
B) an angular unconformity.
C) a syncline.
D) conformable.
Q:
The idea of uniformitarianism suggests that
A) the natural laws that operate today are different than those that have operated in the past.
B) sediments are laid down layer upon layer with younger layers always on the top.
C) the processes and natural laws that operate today have been valid throughout geologic time.
D) all rocks layers are originally uniform.
Q:
In a sequence of sedimentary rocks, the bottom layer is the youngest and the top layer is the oldest. This type of sequence suggests that the
A) principles of original horizontality and superposition are flawed.
B) beds must have been overturned by some structural disturbance.
C) dates for these rocks must be in error.
D) principles of original horizontality and superposition hold true.
Q:
In a sedimentary rock that contains inclusions of metamorphic rock, the inclusions must be
A) older than the sedimentary rock.
B) younger than the sedimentary rock.
C) on top of the sedimentary rock.
D) below the sedimentary rock.
Q:
According to most estimates, Earth is approximately
A) 4.5 thousand years old.
B) 4.5 million years old.
C) 4.5 billion years old.
D) 45 billion years old.
Q:
The rather simple idea that, unless disturbed, younger sedimentary layers overlie older layers, is referred to as the principle of
A) original horizontality.
B) uniformitarianism.
C) faunal succession.
D) superposition.
Q:
The laws of physics, chemistry, and geology have operated unchanged through time to shape Earth as we know it today. This statement can be summed up by the idea of
A) evolution.
B) everlasting change.
C) uniformitarianism.
D) natural history.
Q:
To help determine the age of rock layers over a large area we can use the principle of
A) original horizontality.
B) lateral continuity.
C) superposition.
D) fossil assemblage.
Q:
Relative dating tells us the
A) time gaps that occur during deposition.
B) age of rock layers.
C) sequence of rock layerswhich formed first, second, and last.
D) actual date of formation for a rock layer.
Q:
Fossils can be used to determine the relative age of rock layers because they are
A) found in a definite order.
B) deposited horizontally, one fossil at time.
C) radioactive.
D) found in sedimentary rocks.
Q:
An unconformity is
A) a scientific debate between Earth scientists.
B) when younger igneous plutonic rocks are above older sediments.
C) a continuous sequence of sedimentary layers.
D) a gap in an otherwise continuous time-sequence of rock layers.
Q:
The principle of original horizontality states that each
A) sedimentary layer is older than the layer above.
B) sedimentary layer is younger than the layer above.
C) new layer of sediment is laid down nearly horizontally over older sediment.
D) new layer of sediment is laid down accordingly.
Q:
Which relative dating principle states that in an undeformed sequence of sedimentary rocks, each layer is older than the one above and younger than the one below?
A) original horizontality
B) superposition
C) cross-cutting
D) inclusion
Q:
The principle of faunal succession states that
A) fossil organisms follow one another in a definite, irreversible time sequence.
B) rock cycling may dislodge and relocate fossils, making their age difficult to determine.
C) fossils are always older than the rock in which they are found.
D) fossils are ordained.
Q:
Sediments deposited in an even, horizontal manner illustrate the principle of
A) superposition.
B) original horizontality.
C) succession.
D) conformity.
Q:
In any sequence of sedimentary rock layers that have not been subjected to stress, you would expect to find
A) horizontal layers.
B) older layers at the bottom and younger layers at the top.
C) fossils in the bottom layers and inclusions in the upper layers.
D) older horizontal layers at the bottom with younger horizontal layers at the top.
Q:
Conditions for the preservation of fossils are best achieved
A) in desert environments.
B) in glaciated environments.
C) in shallow river beds.
D) on the floors of shallow seas.
Q:
An unconformity can be interpreted as
A) an occurrence of radioactive decay.
B) repeated intrusions of igneous rock.
C) a buried surface of erosion.
D) the result of repeated volcanic action.
Q:
An eroded surface of metamorphic rocks on which a horizontal bed rests is called a
A) strata.
B) dike.
C) nonuniform surface.
D) nonconformity.
Q:
The theory that different forms of animals throughout Earth's past occurred in a definite order is called the principle of
A) fossil assemblage.
B) faunal succession.
C) conformable fossils.
D) fossil determination.
Q:
A surface of erosion between rocks that represents a gap in Earth history is
A) called a dike.
B) an unconformity.
C) a faunal conformity.
D) none of the above
Q:
An assumption that Earth processes occurring today have always occurred is called
A) the principle of superposition.
B) uniformitarianism.
C) the principle of original horizontality.
D) theory of unconformity.
Q:
The principle of superposition states that the top layer of rock is
A) igneous.
B) the youngest.
C) sedimentary.
D) the oldest.
Q:
In a sequence of rock layers we find trilobite fossils at the bottom of rock layer 1 and dinosaur fossils directly above the fossil trilobites in layer 2. There are inclusions of trilobites in layer 2. We conclude that
A) dinosaurs were extinct long before trilobites came into existence.
B) dinosaurs are from the Cambrian Period.
C) by inclusion and faunal succession, layer 1 is older than layer 2.
D) there is no time gap between the rocks.
Q:
Fossils are found in
A) sedimentary rocks.
B) metamorphic rock.
C) igneous rocks.
D) sedimentary and some metamorphic rocks.
Q:
In a sequence of rock layers we find trilobite fossils at the bottom of the rock sequence and dinosaur fossils directly above the trilobite fossils. We conclude that
A) trilobites survived up to the time of the dinosaurs.
B) the beds are overturned.
C) the processes of erosion created a gap between the age of trilobites and the age of dinosaurs.
D) dinosaurs fed on trilobites.
Q:
In a sequence of rock layers we find trilobite and dinosaur fossils. The dinosaur fossils are at the bottom of the rock sequence and the trilobites are at the top. This sequence tells us that
A) dinosaurs are older than trilobites.
B) the beds are overturned.
C) trilobites survived the age of the dinosaurs.
D) the beds are folded.
Q:
In a thick bed of sedimentary rocks we find an igneous dike. The order of formation is
A) together.
B) igneous before sedimentary.
C) sedimentary before igneous.
D) unknown.
Q:
Deposition of sediment with each new layer younger than the layer below illustrates the principle of
A) original horizontality.
B) superposition.
C) nonconformity.
D) horizontality and nonconformity.
Q:
When comparing geologic time to a calendar year, the time of the dinosaurs is in the
A) middle of October.
B) first half of December.
C) second half of December.
D) first half of February.
Q:
The most noteworthy highlight of the Cenozoic era was the
A) break-up of Pangaea.
B) emergence of humans.
C) Pleistocene extinction.
D) ice age.
Q:
The most noteworthy highlight of the Mesozoic era was the
A) break-up of Pangaea.
B) emergence of humans.
C) Pleistocene extinction.
D) ice age.
Q:
The most important highlight of Precambrian Time was the
A) explosion of life.
B) asteroid impact that resulted in the formation of our Moon.
C) accumulation of free oxygen in the atmosphere.
D) emergence of reptiles.
Q:
You would expect to find the least number of fossils in rocks from the
A) Cenozoic era.
B) Mesozoic era.
C) Paleozoic era.
D) Precambrian era.
Q:
Changes in Earth's history are recorded
A) in the rock record.
B) in magnetic tape at the bottom of the oceans.
C) by rocks at the Library of Congress.
D) Moon rocks.
Q:
Why are scientists saying that we are entering a new epochthe Anthropocene epoch?
Q:
In what way could sea level rise? Is this likely to happen in the future? Why or why not?
Q:
In what way could sea level be lowered? How might this affect existing life forms?
Q:
Similar reptiles were present on all continents during the Mesozoic era, but mammals of the Cenozoic era are often different on the different continents. Explain.
Q:
The migration of humans from Asia to North America was aided by
A) herds of woolly mammoths.
B) the collision of the Pacific Plate with the North American Plate.
C) land bridges due to lowered sea level.
D) glacial moraines that extended across the Bering Strait.
Q:
The San Andreas Fault is a transform fault separating the
A) westward moving North American Plate from the eastward moving Pacific ridge.
B) westward moving North American Plate from the southwest moving Pacific Plate.
C) Farallon Plate from the North American Plate.
D) eastern part of California from the Gulf of California.
Q:
During the late Cenozoic, sea level was
A) low-water was tied up in the glaciers that covered the land surface.
B) high as melt water from glaciers was released due to warm ocean floors.
C) relatively high as ocean floors stood higher and seawater covered the continents.
D) relatively low due to rifting activity in the final phase of Pangaea's break-up.
Q:
The final phase of Pangaea's break-up was the split of
A) Antarctica from Australia, and North America and Greenland from Europe.
B) South America from Africa, and Antarctica/Australia from India/Madagascar.
C) Antarctica from Australia, North America from Europe, and Europe from Asia.
D) Africa from Antarctica/Australia, and India/Madagascar from Asia.
Q:
When sea level is low
A) shallow marine habitats expand.
B) low elevation areas of the continents are flooded.
C) more continental land is exposed.
D) climate conditions tend to be mild.
Q:
Stream velocity is faster in a
A) flat bottomed, shallow stream channel.
B) rounded, relatively deep stream channel.
C) stream with a very steep gradient.
D) canyon.
Q:
Stream velocity is dependent on
A) the size and shape of the stream's channel.
B) the gradient and stream dimension.
C) gradient and friction.
D) gradient, channel geometry, and discharge.
Q:
Land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley of California is not just a historical occurrence, it is an ongoing problem. Other than water supply, what are some possible consequences of land subsidence?
Q:
From the 1930s to the 1970s, extensive groundwater pumping in the San Joaquin Valley of California caused the ground to subside by as much as 9 m. How does groundwater withdrawal contribute to land subsidence?
Q:
What is a stalactite and how does it form?
Q:
Rainwater becomes acidic as it falls through the air. How does this affect areas of Karst topography?
Q:
How do caves and caverns form in limestone?
Q:
In a severe drought, groundwater does not get recharged. To get to the groundwater
A) deeper wells must be dug.
B) more water wells are needed.
C) water wells need to be located next to streams.
D) water wells need to be dug at higher elevation.
Q:
As water is withdrawn from a well, the water table around the well
A) subsides.
B) drops, making a cone of depression around the well.
C) dries up.
D) rises.
Q:
Land subsidence is generally not reversible because
A) compacted clay layers cannot be expanded.
B) once pumping is stopped, layers continue to compact.
C) compacted sandy aquifers cannot be expanded.
D) none of the above
Q:
Stalactites form from
A) a cave ceiling downward.
B) a cave floor upward.
C) calcium-rich water dripping down from the cave ceiling.
D) the accumulation of calcium-rich water dripping on the cave floor.
Q:
Which of the following is not involved in cave formation in limestone?
A) mildly acidic groundwater
B) dissolution of carbonate rocks
C) land subsidence
D) a dropping water table