Download earths-interior-and-crustal-composition

1. In the diagram below, letters A and B represent
locations near the edge of a continent.
A geologist who compares nonsedimentary rock
samples from locations A and B would probably find
that the samples from location A contain
A) more granite
B) more basalt
C) more fossils
D) the same minerals and fossils
2. The analysis of seismic data from an earthquake
shows that some locations received both P-waves and
S-waves, but other locations received only P-waves.
What is the best inference that can be made from
these observations?
A) A zone of liquid rock exists within the Earth.
B) Iron in some rocks prevents S-waves from
traveling.
C) Some seismographs are more sensitive than
others.
D) S-waves are very weak.
3. The observed difference in density between
continental crust and oceanic crust is most likely due
to differences in their
A) composition
C) porosity
B) thickness
D) rate of cooling
4. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The cross section represents the distance and age of ocean-floor bedrock found on both sides
of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Which map best represents the pattern of magnetic polarity in the minerals of ocean-floor bedrock on
each side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
A)
B)
C)
D)
5. Which element is most abundant by mass in the
Earth's crust?
A) nitrogen
C) silicon
B) oxygen
D) iron
6. Oxygen is the most abundant element by volume in
the Earth's
A) inner core
C) hydrosphere
B) troposphere
D) crust
7. The graph below shows the different velocities of P-waves and S-waves through Earth's interior.
Which cross section best shows the inferred thickness of Earth's interior layers that cause these
different velocities?
A)
B)
C)
D)
8. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below, which shows the paths of
seismic waves traveling from an earthquake epicenter through the different layers of Earth's interior.
No P-waves or S-waves are received in the shadow zone because
A) P-waves are absorbed and S-waves are refracted by Earth's outer core
B) P-waves are refracted and S-waves are absorbed by Earth's outer core
C) both the P-waves and S-waves are refracted by Earth's outer core
D) both the P-waves and S-waves are absorbed by Earth's outer core
9. The most abundant element in the Earth's crust is
A) nitrogen
C) silicon
B) oxygen
D) hydrogen
10. Compared to the oceanic crust, the continental crust
is usually
A) thicker, with a less dense granitic
composition
B) thicker, with a more dense basaltic composition
C) thinner, with a less dense granitic composition
D) thinner, with a more dense basaltic composition
11. Compared to the continental crust, the oceanic crust
is
A) thicker
B) more dense
C) more granitic
D) more felsic
Base your answers to questions 12 and 13 on the diagram below, which represents zones of Earth’s
interior, identified by letters A through E. The scale shows depths below Earth’s surface, measured in
kilometers.
12. The Moho is a boundary located in zone
A) A
B) B
C) E
13. What is the approximate thickness of zone C?
A) 650 km
B) 1600 km
C) 2250 km
14. The rock between 2,900 kilometers and 5,200
kilometers below the Earth's surface is inferred to be
A)
B)
C)
D)
an iron-rich solid
an iron-rich liquid
a silicate-rich solid
a silicate-rich liquid
D) D
D) 2900 km
Base your answers to questions 15 through 18 on the diagram below which represents three cross
sections of the Earth at different locations to a depth of 50 kilometers below sea level. The
measurements given with each cross section indicate the thickness and the density of the layers.
15. Which material is most likely to be found 20 kilometers below sea level at the continental mountain
location?
A) basalt
B) granite
C) shale
D) limestone
16. Which statement about the Earth's mantle is confirmed by the diagram?
A) The mantle is liquid.
B) The mantle has the same composition as the crust.
C) The mantle is located at different depths below the Earth's surface.
D) The mantle does not exist under continental mountains.
17. Compared with the oceanic crust, the continental crust is
A) thinner and less dense
B) thinner and more dense
C) thicker and less dense
D) thicker and more dense
18. The division of the Earth's interior into crust and mantle, as shown in the diagram, is based primarily
on the study of
A) radioactive dating
C) volcanic eruptions
B) seismic waves
D) gravity measurements
19. What are the two most abundant elements by mass
found in Earth's crust?
A)
B)
C)
D)
aluminum and iron
sodium and chlorine
calcium and carbon
oxygen and silicon
20. Which minerals contain the two most abundant
elements by mass in Earth’s crust?
A)
B)
C)
D)
fluorite and calcite
magnetite and pyrite
amphibole and quartz
galena and sulfur
21. Earth’s outer core is best inferred to be
A) liquid, with an average density of
approximately 4 g/cm3
B) liquid, with an average density of
approximately 11 g/cm3
C) solid, with an average density of approximately
4 g/cm3
D) solid, with an average density of approximately
11 g/cm3
22. In the Earth's interior, which zone has a temperature
higher than its melting point?
A) crust
B) stiffer mantle
C) inner core
D) outer core
23. Base your answer to the following question on the map below which shows the locations of deep-sea
core drilling sites numbered 1 through 4. The approximate location of the diverging plate at the East
Pacific Ridge is shown by a dashed line. Point A is located on the East Pacific Ridge.
Compared to the thickness and density of the continental crust of South America, the oceanic crust of
the Pacific floor is
A) thinner and less dense
B) thinner and more dense
C) thicker and less dense
D) thicker and more dense
24. Beneath which surface location is Earth's crust the
thinnest?
A)
B)
C)
D)
East Pacific Ridge
the center of South America
Old Forge, New York
San Andreas Fault
25. Base your answer to the following question on the map below. The map shows the continents of
Africa and South America, the ocean between them, and the ocean ridge and transform faults.
Locations A and D are on the continents. Locations B and C are on the ocean floor.
Which table best shows the relative densities of the crustal bedrock at locations A, B, C, and D?
A)
B)
C)
D)
26. Which element is most abundant in Earth's crust?
A) nitrogen
B) hydrogen
C) oxygen
D) silicon
27. Which part of the Earth is most likely a liquid zone?
A) inner core
C) mantle
B) outer core
D) crust
28. On the map below, locations A and B are reference points on the Earth's surface. Crustal thickness
was measured beneath a line from A to B.
Which graph best represents the thickness of the Earth's crust from location A to location B?
A)
B)
C)
D)
29. How does the oceanic crust compare to the
continental crust?
33. Which two elements make up the greatest volume of
the Earth's crust?
A) The oceanic crust is thinner and contains less
basalt.
B) The oceanic crust is thinner and contains
more basalt.
C) The oceanic crust is thicker and contains less
basalt.
D) The oceanic crust is thicker and contains more
basalt.
30. Compared to the continental crust, the oceanic crust
is
A) silicon and potassium
B) silicon and iron
C) iron and nickel
D) oxygen and potassium
34. What are the four most abundant elements, by
volume, in the Earth's crust?
A) less dense and less felsic
B) less dense and less mafic
C) more dense and more felsic
D) more dense and more mafic
31. The rock between 2,900 kilometers and 5,200
kilometers below the Earth's surface is inferred to be
A) an iron-rich solid
B) an iron-rich liquid
C) a silicate-rich solid
D) a silicate-rich liquid
32. The fact that S-waves are unable to travel through
the Earth's outer core supports the inference that the
outer core is
A)
B)
C)
D)
composed of iron and nickel
more dense than the inner core
hotter than the rock's melting point
in the solid state of matter
A) oxygen, potassium, sodium, and calcium
B) hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and potassium
C) aluminum, iron, silicon, and magnesium
D) aluminum, calcium, hydrogen, and iron
35. Where has the process of nuclear fusion been
occurring for over four billion years?
A)
B)
C)
D)
in Earth's inner core
on the surface of the Moon
at lithospheric plate boundaries
in the Sun's interior
36. The diagram below represents a cross section of a
portion of the Earth's crust.
41. Which two elements listed below are most abundant
by weight in the Earth's crust?
A) silicon and oxygen
B) hydrogen and iron
C) oxygen and magnesium
D) hydrogen and calcium
42. A model of Earth's internal structure is shown
below.
Which statement about the Earth's crust is best
supported by the diagram?
A) The oceanic crust is thicker than the mantle.
B) The continental crust is thicker than the
oceanic crust.
C) The continental crust is composed primarily of
sedimentary rock.
D) The crust is composed of denser rock than the
mantle is.
37. Which part of Earth’s interior is inferred to have
convection currents that cause tectonic plates to
move?
A) rigid mantle
B) asthenosphere
C) outer core
D) inner core
38. Compared to Earth’s continental crust, Earth’s
oceanic crust is
A) thinner and more dense
B) thinner and less dense
C) thicker and more dense
D) thicker and less dense
39. Which two Earth layers are separated by the Moho
boundary?
A) rigid mantle and plastic mantle
B) outer core and stiffer mantle
C) stiffer mantle and asthenosphere
D) crust and rigid mantle
40. Which group of elements is listed in increasing order
based on the percent by mass in Earth’s crust?
A)
B)
C)
D)
aluminum, iron, calcium
aluminum, silicon, magnesium
magnesium, iron, aluminum
magnesium, silicon, calcium
Analysis of which type of data led to the
development of this model?
A) seismic waves
B) depth of Earth's oceans
C) electromagnetic radiation
D) isobar gradients
43. The basaltic bedrock of the oceanic crust is
classified as
A) felsic, with a density of 2.7 g/cm3
B) felsic, with a density of 3.0 g/cm3
C) mafic, with a density of 2.7 g/cm 3
D) mafic, with a density of 3.0 g/cm 3
44. Where is the thickest part of the Earth's crust?
A)
B)
C)
D)
at the edge of continental shelves
at mid-ocean ridges
under continental mountain ranges
under volcanic islands
45. The pie graph below represents the composition, in percent by mass, of the chemical elements found
in an Earth layer.
The composition of which Earth layer is represented by the pie graph?
A) crust
B) outer core
C) troposphere
46. Compared to Earth's oceanic crust, Earth's
continental crust is
A) thinner and composed of granite
B) thinner and composed of basalt
C) thicker and composed of granite
D) thicker and composed of basalt
47. Seismic studies of the Moon have helped scientists
to make inferences about
A) water erosion on the Moon
B) weathering on the Moon's surface
C) radioactivity of the Moon's surface rocks
D) the Moon's interior
48. Compared to continental crust, oceanic crust is
A) less dense, more mafic, and thinner
B) less dense, more felsic, and thicker
C) more dense, more mafic, and thinner
D) more dense, more felsic, and thicker
49. Most of the oceanic crust is composed of rock
material similar to
A) basalt
C) sandstone
B) granite
D) limestone
D) hydrosphere
50. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below, which shows a portion of
Earth’s crust and upper mantle near a mid-ocean ridge.
If crust 2 represents basalt with normal magnetic polarity, what does crust 3 most likely represent?
A) igneous rock with normal magnetic polarity
B) igneous rock with reversed magnetic polarity
C) sedimentary rock with normal magnetic polarity
D) sedimentary rock with reversed magnetic polarity
51. To get sample material from the mantle, drilling will
be done through the oceanic crust rather than
through the continental crust because oceanic crust is
A) more dense than continental crust
B) softer than continental crust
C) thinner than continental crust
D) younger than continental crust
52. Compared to the continental crust of central North
America, the oceanic crust of the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge is
A) younger
B) thicker
C) less dense
D) more felsic
53. The most abundant metallic element by mass in
Earth's crust makes up 8.23% of the crust. Which
group of minerals all normally contain this metallic
element in their compositions?
A) garnet, calcite, pyrite, and galena
B) biotite mica, muscovite mica, fluorite, and
halite
C) talc, quartz, graphite, and olivine
D) plagioclase feldspar, amphibole, pyroxene,
and potassium feldspar
54. Base your answer to the following question on the
diagram below, which shows a cutaway view of
Earth in which the interior layers are visible. The
paths of earthquake waves generated at point X are
shown. A, B, C, and D are locations of seismic
stations on Earth's surface, and point E is located in
Earth's interior.
Both P-waves and S-waves were received at seismic
stations A and B, but only P-waves were received at
seismic stations C and D. Which statement best
explains why this occurred?
A) S-waves are much weaker than P-waves.
B) S-waves travel faster than P-waves.
C) The liquid outer core prevents S-waves from
traveling to seismic stations C and D.
D) The solid outer core prevents S-waves from
traveling to seismic stations C and D.
55. Where is the thickest part of the Earth's crust?
A) at mid-ocean ridges
B) at transform faults
C) under continental mountain ranges
D) under volcanic islands
56. Which mineral is most frequently found in both
granitic continental crust and basaltic oceanic crust?
A)
B)
C)
D)
olivine
potassium feldspar
plagioclase feldspar
quartz
57. What is the approximate percentage by volume of
oxygen in the crust of the Earth?
A) 20% B) 30% C) 70% D) 90%
58. Base your answer to the following question on
the map below, which shows seismic stations X, Y, and Z that have recorded seismic waves from the
same earthquake. The distances from seismic stations X and Y to the earthquake epicenter have been
drawn on the map. Locations A, B, C, and D represent possible earthquake epicenters. The distance
from seismic station Z to the earthquake epicenter has been deliberately omitted.
If the earthquake's focus was 2 kilometers below Earth's surface, the earthquake occurred in the
A) lithosphere
B) asthenosphere C) stiffer mantle D) outer core
59. The interior of Earth between a depth of 5200
60. From the top of the stiffer mantle to the center of
kilometers and 6300 kilometers is inferred to be
Earth, the rock material is inferred to be
composed mostly of
A) solid all the way to the center of the inner core
A) silicon and iron
B) silicon and oxygen
B) solid, then liquid to the center of the inner core
C) iron and lead
D) iron and nickel
C) solid, then liquid, then solid again to the
center of the inner core
D) solid, then liquid, then gaseous to the center of
the inner core
61. The interface between the crust and mantle of the
Earth is generally much deeper under continental
surfaces than under ocean surfaces. This information
indicates that
A) the interface varies in an unpredictable manner
B) oceanic crust is thicker than continental crust
C) continental crust is thicker than oceanic
crust
D) both oceanic and continental crusts are
approximately the same thickness
62. Base your answer to the following question on
the cross section below, which shows the boundary between two lithospheric plates. Point X is a
location in the continental lithosphere. The depth below Earth's surface is labeled in kilometers.
Compared to the continental crust, the oceanic crust is
A) less dense and thinner
B) less dense and thicker
C) more dense and thinner
D) more dense and thicker
63. Why is Earth’s outer core inferred to be a liquid?
A) P-waves can pass through the outer core.
B) P-waves cannot pass through the outer core.
C) S-waves can pass through the outer core.
D) S-waves cannot pass through the outer core.
64. Which statement most accurately compares Earth’s
crust and Earth’s mantle?
A) The crust is thinner and less dense than the
mantle.
B) The crust is thinner and more dense than the
mantle.
C) The crust is thicker and less dense than the
mantle.
D) The crust is thicker and more dense than the
mantle.
65. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram of Earth shown below. Letters B, C, and
D represent layers of Earth. Letter Q represents a location on Earth's surface.
Which letter best represents Earth's mantle?
A) Q
B) B
C) C
66. The two most abundant elements by mass in Earth’s
crust are oxygen and
A) potassium
B) hydrogen
C) nitrogen
D) silicon
Base your answers to questions 67 and 68 on the
diagram below which represents Earth's interior
zones.
D) D
68. Scientists have classified Earth's interior into the
zones shown based primarily on evidence gained by
studying
A) deep drill cores
B) volcanic eruptions
C) gravity measurements
D) earthquake seismic waves
69. Which element in the Earth's crust makes up the
largest volume of most minerals?
A) oxygen
C) hydrogen
67. The thinnest section of Earth's crust is found beneath
A) oceans
C) coastal plains
B) desert regions
D) mountain regions
B) nitrogen
D) iron