Download Oceanography – EXAM 1 Review Questions

Oceanography – EXAM 1 Review Questions
1) The four principal ocean basins (plus an additional ocean) on Earth are the:
A) Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean, Southern, and Pacific Oceans.
B) Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans.
C) Atlantic, Antarctic, Southern, Mediterranean, and Pacific Oceans.
D) Antarctic, Caspian, Southern, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.
E) Antarctic, Arctic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans.
2) The largest of the ocean basins, which currently covers more than half of the ocean surface, is
the:
A) Arctic Ocean.
B) Atlantic Ocean.
C) Indian Ocean.
D) Pacific Ocean.
E) Southern Ocean.
3) All of the following are characteristics of seas except:
A) seas are smaller and shallower.
B) seas are usually somewhat enclosed by land.
C) seas are composed of salt water.
D) seas are directly connected to the world ocean.
E) all of the above are correct.
4) The average depth of the world's oceans is approximately:
A) 11,022 meters (36,161 feet).
B) 840 meters (2,756 feet).
C) 3,682 meters (12,080 feet).
D) 2,172 meters (7,126 feet).
E) none of the above.
5) All of the following are TRUE concerning the deepest part of the ocean except:
A) the bottom of this trench was visited by Piccard and Walsh in the Trieste in 1960.
B) the deepest part of the ocean is located in a trench off the coast of Japan.
C) the depth of this trench exceeds the height of Mount Everest.
D) the depth of this trench is estimated at 11,022 meters (~36,161 feet).
E) this trench is called the Mariana Trench.
6) The first humans from Western Hemisphere known to have developed the art of navigation
were the:
A) Polynesians.
B) Greeks.
C) Vikings.
D) Phoenicians.
E) New Zealanders.
7) The method of determining latitude in the Northern Hemisphere by measuring the angle
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between an observer's line of site to the North Star and line of site to the northern horizon was
developed by:
A) Pytheas.
B) Eratosthenes.
C) Herodotus.
D) Seneca.
E) Ptolemy.
8) The first person we are aware of who determined the circumference of the Earth using
trigonometry and the angle of sunlight at Alexandria, Egypt, was:
A) Pytheas.
B) Eratosthenes.
C) Herodotus.
D) Seneca.
E) Ptolemy.
9) Most of the explorations by northern and western Europeans during the Middle (Dark) Ages
were undertaken by:
A) Italy.
B) Portugal.
C) Vikings of Scandinavia.
D) France.
E) Spain.
10) The European "Age of Discovery" began with:
A) Christopher Columbus' discovery of the "New World."
B) Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe.
C) Phoenician exploration of the Mediterranean.
D) Polynesian colonization of Pacific Islands.
E) Viking voyages to North America.
11) The European "Age of Discovery" ended with:
A) Christopher Columbus' discovery of the "New World."
B) Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe.
C) Phoenician exploration of the Mediterranean.
D) Polynesian colonization of Pacific Islands.
E) Viking voyages to North America.
12) All of the following were accomplishments of Captain James Cook except:
A) exploring the Southern Ocean near Antarctica.
B) mapping of unknown islands, including Hawaii, in the Pacific.
C) determining the outline of the Pacific Ocean.
D) measuring environmental characteristics such as water temperature.
E) all of the above are correct.
13) The scientific method includes all of the following except:
A) data collection.
B) evaluation of data.
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C) hypothesis formation.
D) hypothesis testing.
E) validation of a theory.
14) A tentative, testable statement about the general nature of a phenomenon is called a/an:
A) guess.
B) law.
C) observation.
D) hypothesis.
E) theory.
15) Plate tectonics and evolution, which are held with a high degree of confidence because of
rigorous testing and verification, are examples of:
A) guesses.
B) laws.
C) observations.
D) hypotheses.
E) theories.
16) The Sun and the rest of the solar system formed about 5 billion years ago from a huge cloud
of dust and gas called a:
A) nebula.
B) solar system.
C) protoplanet.
D) quasar.
E) supernova.
17) The nebular hypothesis suggests that:
A) all bodies in the solar system formed from an enormous gas cloud.
B) Earth's moon is an asteroid captured by the Earth's gravity.
C) galaxies such as the Milky Way form independent of one another.
D) the Earth was formed by a cosmic explosion, a "big bang."
E) the moon is derived from a protoplanet.
18) The separation of the Earth into layers while it was molten was the result of the:
A) decrease in temperature downward toward the core.
B) differing densities of the elements that make up the Earth.
C) gravitational force created by the rotating Earth.
D) initial collection of materials and their position in Earth.
E) presence of water at Earth's surface.
19) Oceanic crust is primarily:
A) basalt.
B) carbonate sedimentary rocks.
C) clay minerals.
D) granite.
E) siltstone.
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20) Which of the following statements regarding continental and oceanic crust is TRUE?
A) Continental crust and oceanic crust have equivalent densities.
B) Continental crust is thicker and denser than oceanic crust.
C) Continental crust is thinner and denser than oceanic crust.
D) Continental crust is thicker and less dense than oceanic crust.
E) Continental crust is thinner and less dense than oceanic crust.
21) Earth's primordial atmosphere most likely included:
A) ammonia, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor.
B) carbon dioxide, water vapor, sulfur dioxide, and methane.
C) hydrogen, helium, and oxygen.
D) nitrogen, ozone, and sulfur dioxide.
E) all of the above.
22) Current scientific knowledge indicates that the most likely origin of most of Earth's oceans
was due to:
A) comets from outer space.
B) release of liquid water from the core.
C) water vapor released from volcanic outgassing.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.
23) The mechanism by which populations evolve and new species develop is called:
A) adaptation.
B) evolution.
C) descent with modification.
D) intelligent design.
E) natural selection.
24) One of the reasons that free oxygen in our atmosphere is important to the development and
maintenance of life on Earth is because oxygen:
A) combines with iron in volcanic rocks.
B) can form ozone and block some UV radiation.
C) is necessary for photosynthesis to occur.
D) reduces atmospheric temperature.
E) was very abundant in Earth's early atmosphere.
25) Radioactive materials can sometimes be used to determine the:
A) origin of rocks.
B) chemical composition of rocks.
C) formation method.
D) metamorphism.
E) ages of rocks.
26) Earth is about:
A) 6,000 years old.
B) 4.6 billion years old.
C) 4.6 million years old.
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D) 40 billion years old.
E) 400,000 years old.
27) The first person to advance the idea of mobile continents or continental drift was:
A) Harry Hess.
B) Frederick Vine.
C) Alfred Wegener.
D) Drummond Matthews.
E) John Tuzo Wilson.
28) Evidence for continental drift includes:
A) the fit of the continents.
B) matching sequences of rocks and mountain chains.
C) past glacial activity.
D) the distribution of organisms.
E) all of the above.
29) Fossil remains of organisms on land and in sediments can be used to:
A) indicate the relative age of the sediments.
B) provide evidence for plate movement.
C) suggest ancient climate characteristics.
D) support the idea that landmasses were joined.
E) all of the above.
30) Fossils of ancient polar plants are currently found near the equator because the:
A) entire earth had polar conditions at the time the plants were living.
B) plants lived near the poles, but landmasses have drifted to current locations.
C) plants probably were tolerant of both tropical and polar conditions.
D) plants were distributed to current locations by ancient glacial ice sheets.
E) poles were at the equator at times in the geologic past.
31) All continents fit together with the least number of overlaps and gaps when the continents are
matched along:
A) contours at around 2,000 meters depth.
B) current shorelines.
C) edge of the continental shelf.
D) edges of the deep sea floor.
E) oceanic trenches in subduction zones.
32) Climate distribution on Earth is primarily controlled by:
A) Earth's geologic history.
B) latitude.
C) longitude.
D) presence or absence of glacial debris.
E) plants and animals that live in an area.
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33) Wegener used all of the following provide evidence for continental drift except:
A) age of selected continental rocks.
B) apparent polar wandering.
C) location of coral reef fossils.
D) seafloor magnetic pattern.
E) shape of continental margins.
34) The book The History of Ocean Basins, which contained the idea of seafloor spreading, was
written by geologist:
A) Harry Hess.
B) Frederick Vine.
C) Alfred Wegener.
D) Drummond Matthews.
E) John Tuzo Wilson.
35) Frederick Vine and Drummond Matthews determined that new ocean floor was being
produced at ocean ridges by examining:
A) apparent polar wandering.
B) fossils in marine sediments.
C) glacial debris at various locations.
D) the location of ancient coral reefs.
E) the magnetic pattern of rocks on the seafloor.
36) The seafloor magnetic pattern is best described as:
A) not related to the location of mid-ocean ridges.
B) parallel to and symmetric about mid-ocean ridges.
C) parallel to, but not symmetric about mid-ocean ridges.
D) perpendicular to and symmetric about mid-ocean ridges.
E) perpendicular to, but not symmetric about mid-ocean ridges.
37) Which of the following statements is true of the lithosphere?
A) The lithosphere is composed of outer mantle material.
B) The lithosphere is composed of igneous rock.
C) The lithosphere is composed of metamorphic rock.
D) The lithosphere is composed of the crust and the uppermost portion of the mantle.
E) The lithosphere is composed of the inner portion of the mantle and the outer core.
38) Tectonic plates are pieces of the ________ that float on the more fluid ________ below.
A) crust; lithosphere
B) asthenosphere; lithosphere
C) lithosphere; asthenosphere
D) mantle; crust
E) lithosphere; mesosphere
39) Moving from an oceanic ridge to an oceanic trench, the thickness of the lithosphere:
A) decreases in proportion to the distance.
B) is unrelated to the distance from the ridge.
C) increases in proportion to the distance.
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D) randomly varies.
E) remains the same.
40) The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of a:
A) convergent plate boundary (continent-continent).
B) convergent plate boundary (continent-oceanic).
C) convergent plate boundary (oceanic-oceanic).
D) divergent plate boundary.
E) transform fault boundary.
41) Deep ocean trenches are associated with:
A) rift valleys.
B) subduction zones.
C) submarine canyons.
D) transform faults.
E) turbidity currents.
42) Which of the following is characteristic of oceanic-continental convergent plate boundaries?
A) andesitic volcanoes
B) fracture zones
C) hot spots
D) mid-ocean ridges
E) volcanic island arcs
43) Which of the following is characteristic of oceanic-oceanic convergent plate boundaries?
A) fracture zones
B) hot spots
C) mid-ocean ridges
D) volcanic island arcs
44) Which of the following is characteristic of continental-continental convergent plate
boundaries?
A) hot spots
B) uplifted mountain ranges
C) mid-ocean ridges
D) volcanic island arcs
45) The San Andreas Fault:
A) is a continental transform fault.
B) is an oceanic transform fault.
C) is associated with deep focus earthquakes.
D) is located in the Juan de Fuca Plate.
46) The Hawaiian Islands are located where the Pacific plate is:
A) being subducted beneath the North American plate.
B) being subducted beneath Japan.
C) being thrust over the North American plate.
D) diving under Japan.
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E) moving over a hot spot or mantle plume.
47) Large volcanoes on the seafloor that are cone-shaped on top because they never reached sea
level are called:
A) hotspots.
B) tablemounts.
C) seamounts.
D) guyots.
E) mantle plumes.
48) Volcanoes on the seafloor that are flat-topped because of wave erosion are called:
A) hotspots.
B) tablemounts.
C) seamounts.
D) abyssal hills.
E) mantle plumes.
49) Coral reefs:
A) are most common in the tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean basin.
B) can be found at latitudes above 60°.
C) form when underwater volcanoes are thrust upward during a tectonic event.
D) include atolls, barrier, and fringing reefs.
E) were first described by Christopher Columbus during his voyage to the Caribbean Island of
Hispaniola.
50) The first scientist to propose the origin of coral reefs based upon subsidence (sinking) of
volcanic islands was:
A) Harry Hess.
B) Charles Darwin.
C) Alfred Wegener.
D) Drummond Matthews.
E) John Tuzo Wilson.
51) Coral reefs that initially develop along the margin of an island or continent where
environmental conditions are suitable are called:
A) fringing reefs.
B) barrier reefs.
C) atolls.
D) patch reefs.
52) The study of historical changes of continental shapes and positions is called:
A) paleomagnetism.
B) paleoclimatology.
C) sedimentology.
D) paleogeography.
53) The instrument that emits a high-frequency sound beam to measure the depth of the ocean
developed in the 1950s is the:
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A) GLORIA.
B) precision-depth recorder (PDR).
C) Seabeam.
D) SeaMARC.
E) SeaWif.
54) The method that used most frequently to investigate sediment and rock layers of the sea floor
is:
A) direct observation.
B) drilling.
C) light waves.
D) satellite observation.
E) sound waves (specifically seismic reflecting profiling).
55) Satellites are used to map the ocean floor because:
A) they are unaffected by surface weather.
B) they can cover areas where ships have not produced surveys.
C) they can "see" large areas of the seafloor at one time.
D) the shape of the ocean surface itself reflects large features on the seafloor below.
E) All of the above statements are correct.
56) The two relatively flat areas on the hypsographic curve represent:
A) continental mountains and abyssal plains.
B) continental mountains and mid-ocean ridges.
C) continental slopes and deep-sea trenches.
D) some interior continental areas/coastal plains and abyssal plains on the ocean floor.
E) some interior continental areas/coastal plains and mid-ocean ridges.
57) The correct order of seafloor features from the coast to the mid-ocean ridge is:
A) abyssal plain, rise, slope, shelf.
B) abyssal plain, shelf, slope, rise.
C) rise, abyssal plain, slope, shelf.
D) shelf, slope, rise, abyssal plain.
E) slope, rise, shelf, abyssal plain.
58) Passive continental margins are characterized by all of the following except:
A) broad continental shelves.
B) deep-sea trenches.
C) shallow coastal waters.
D) thick sediment accumulation.
E) very little volcanic and earthquake activity.
59) Characteristics of active continental margins include all of the following except:
A) broad continental shelves.
B) chains of islands.
C) deep-sea trenches.
D) thin sediment accumulation.
E) volcanic and earthquake activity.
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60) All of the following are considered part of the continental margin except the:
A) continental rise.
B) continental shelf.
C) continental slope.
D) fracture zone.
E) submarine canyon.
61) Directly seaward of the continental shelf is a more steeply sloping region called the:
A) abyssal plain.
B) continental rise.
C) continental slope.
D) mid-ocean ridge.
E) trench.
62) Underwater avalanches of muddy water mixed with rocks and debris are:
A) deep sea fans.
B) graded bedding.
C) turbidity currents.
D) turbidite deposits.
E) white smokers.
63) Submarine canyons were most likely formed by:
A) deposition of terrestrial sediment.
B) earthquake activity.
C) erosion by major rivers in the past.
D) erosion by turbidity currents.
E) scouring by glaciers during the last ice age.
64) Extending from the base of the continental rises into the deep-ocean basins are flat
depositional surfaces called:
A) continental shelves.
B) continental slopes.
C) abyssal hills.
D) tablemounts.
E) abyssal plains.
65) Relatively few abyssal plains are located in the Pacific Ocean due to:
A) its smaller size compared to other ocean basins.
B) the presence of convergent active margins.
C) the absence of convergent active margins.
D) the presence of seamounts.
E) all of the above.
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66) Volcanic peaks on the deep-ocean floor with conical tops are called:
A) seamounts.
B) tablemounts.
C) submarine canyons.
D) oceanic trenches.
E) oceanic ridges.
67) Volcanic features on the ocean floor that are less than 1,000 meters (0.6 miles) tall are called:
A) seamounts.
B) tablemounts.
C) abyssal hills or seaknolls.
D) oceanic trenches.
E) oceanic ridges.
68) Along the margins of the Pacific are found most of Earth's:
A) seamounts.
B) tablemounts.
C) abyssal hills or seaknolls.
D) oceanic trenches.
E) oceanic ridges.
69) Older lithosphere is destroyed in association with:
A) deep-sea trenches.
B) fracture zones.
C) hydrothermal vents.
D) mid-ocean ridges.
E) spreading centers.
70) Oceanic ridges and rises result from seafloor spreading along:
A) convergent plate boundaries.
B) divergent plate boundaries.
C) transform plate boundaries.
D) none of the above.
71) New lithosphere is produced in association with:
A) deep-sea trenches.
B) fracture zones.
C) hydrothermal vents.
D) oceanic ridges.
E) transform faults.
72) Segments of the oceanic ridge system that are gentler and less rugged in slope due to faster
rates of seafloor spreading are called:
A) deep-sea trenches.
B) fracture zones.
C) oceanic rises.
D) convergent plate boundaries.
E) transform faults.
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73) Warm-water (From 30°C to 350°C) hydrothermal vents form:
A) abyssal hills.
B) black smokers.
C) cold seeps.
D) turbidity currents.
E) white smokers.
74) The direction of motion along a seafloor transform fault is:
A) associated with turbidity currents.
B) in the same direction as the plates are spreading.
C) in the same direction as the ridge offset.
D) influenced by underwater boundary currents.
E) perpendicular to the direction of plate movement.
75) With respect to mid-ocean ridges, transform faults are:
A) associated with hydrothermal vents.
B) located in submarine canyons.
C) parallel to the rift valley.
D) perpendicular to the ridge axis.
76) Transform faults have all of the following characteristics except:
A) they occur along transform plate boundaries.
B) movement occurs in the same direction.
C) they have many earthquakes.
D) they occur between offset oceanic ridge segments.
77) The four main classifications of marine sediment include:
A) lithogenous (terrigenous) sediment.
B) biogenous sediment.
C) hydrogenous sediment.
D) cosmogenous sediment.
E) All of the above.
78) Sediment that begins as rocks on continents or islands is called:
A) lithogenous (terrigenous) sediment.
B) biogenous sediment.
C) hydrogenous sediment.
D) cosmogenous sediment.
E) All of the above.
79) High-energy environments are most likely to deposit which one of the following?
A) clay-sized particles
B) cosmogenous sediments
C) large particles such as gravel
D) manganese nodules
E) silt-sized particles
80) Sediments that are poorly sorted were most likely deposited by:
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A) a glacier.
B) a river delta.
C) organisms
D) a volcanic eruption.
E) the wind.
81) All of the following are lithogenous sediments except:
A) beach sand.
B) diatom ooze.
C) glacial deposits.
D) clays.
E) volcanic particles.
82) Sediments derived from pre-existing rocks on land are called:
A) cosmogenous.
B) biogenous.
C) hydrogenous.
D) lithogenous.
E) volcanogenic.
83) Sediments produced by plants and animals in the sea are called:
A) cosmogenous.
B) biogenous.
C) hydrogenous.
D) terrigenous.
E) volcanogenic.
84) Which of the following contains calcium carbonate (CaCO3)?
A) diatoms
B) foraminiferans
C) glauconite
D) phosphorites
E) radiolarians
85) Which of the following contains silica (SiO2)?
A) coccolithophores
B) corals
C) foraminiferans
D) phosphorites
E) radiolarians
86) Calcium carbonate is most likely to dissolve in water with which characteristics?
A) low carbon dioxide and warmer temperatures
B) lots of carbon dioxide and colder temperatures
C) lots of carbon dioxide and warmer temperatures
D) low pressure and warmer temperatures
E) low pressure and colder temperatures
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87) Sediments produced because of chemical reactions in seawater are called:
A) cosmogenous.
B) biogenous.
C) hydrogenous.
D) lithogenous.
E) volcanogenic.
88) All of the following are hydrogenous sediments except:
A) evaporites.
B) halites.
C) manganese nodule.
D) phosphates.
E) stromatolites.
89) Manganese nodules are an example of:
A) biogenous sediments.
B) cosmogenous sediments.
C) hydrogenous sediments.
D) terrigenous sediments.
E) volcagenic sediments.
90) The most likely place to find abundant manganese nodules is on the:
A) abyssal plain far from a continent.
B) continental rise.
C) continental shelf.
D) crest of a mid-ocean ridge.
E) All of the above locations contain manganese nodules.
91) Phosphate-rich nodules form in:
A) continental shelf waters.
B) estuaries.
C) hydrothermal vent areas.
D) intermediate to shallow depth water.
E) mid-ocean ridges.
92) Sediments with an extraterrestrial origin are called:
A) cosmogenous.
B) biogenous.
C) hydrogenous.
D) lithogenous.
E) volcanogenic.
93) Cosmogenous sediment consists of two main types of sediment:
A) microscopic spherules and macroscopic meteor debris.
B) microscopic spherules and abyssal clays.
C) biogenous oozes and macroscopic meteor debris.
D) abyssal clays and evaporites.
E) biogenous oozes and evaporites.
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94) The particles found in some sediment that suggests that an extraterrestrial impact event are:
A) tektites.
B) oozes.
C) clays.
D) silt.
E) evaporites.
95) All of the following statements are true of ocean sediments except:
A) ocean sediments are thickest in pelagic waters overlying the oceanic ridges.
B) ocean sediments can include the fossilized remains of ancient marine life.
C) ocean sediments may form from the remains of living organisms falling to the ocean floor.
D) ocean sediments include the remains of ancient rocks of cosmic origin.
E) ocean sediments may be composed of chemical precipitates such as calcium carbonate or
manganese dioxide.
96) Sediments found on continental margins are called:
A) continental.
B) estuarine.
C) neritic.
D) oceanic.
E) pelagic.
97) In general, polar neritic sediment tends to have more:
A) clay than in temperate waters.
B) coral debris than in tropical waters.
C) gravel than in tropical waters.
D) shell fragments than in temperate waters.
E) silt and sand than in tropical waters.
98) Pelagic clays contain lots of material that settles to the seafloor through the water column
and are:
A) less than 30% biogenous material.
B) more than 30% biogenous material.
C) more than 30% hydrogenous material.
D) less than 30% neritic material.
E) more than 30% neritic material.
99) A very important way to increase the settling rate of fine particles in the open ocean is via:
A) carbonate dissolution.
B) deposit feeders.
C) fecal pellets.
D) precipitation.
E) wind.
100) All of the following are true concerning neritic sediment deposits except:
A) they may contain coarse-grained sand and rock fragments in the sediments.
B) they may contain sediments of lithogenous origin.
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C) they may contain sediments transported from rivers onto the continental shelf.
D) they may form in shallow coastal waters.
E) they are primarily composed of calcareous deposits of biological origin.
101) The type of marine sediment that forms the thickest deposits worldwide is:
A) abyssal clay deposits.
B) manganese nodule deposits.
C) neritic, lithogenous sediment deposits.
D) neritic siliceous sediment deposits.
E) pelagic biogenous calcareous deposits.
102) Which of the following is not an important control on oceanic sediment accumulation?
A) degree of preservation
B) dilution
C) input from other sediment types
D) rate of deposition
E) All of the above factors are important.
103) Ocean sediments provide all of the following mineral resources except:
A) coal.
B) clathrates.
C) manganese nodules.
D) methane hydrates.
E) petroleum.
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