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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
(2) 2 pts. A ________ is a well-tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain scientific
observations.
A) law B) hypothesis C) generalization D) theory
(3) 2 pts. The currently accepted age of the Earth is ________ years.
A) 4.6 billion B) 4.6 thousand C) 6.4 million D) 6.4 trillion
(2) 2 pts. Which is the thinnest Earth layer?
A) Continental Crust
B) Oceanic Crust
C) Mantle
D) Core
(3) 2 pts. Describe thermal convection. Include the source of heat, where this heat goes, what it does to
Earth’s materials, and what those materials do. Include information about the two following questions:
Why do the Earth materials rise? Why do they fall?
(4) 2 pts. What are Earth’s layers based upon physical properties?
A) core, mantle, lithosphere
B) core, mantle, crust
C) core, mesosphere, asthenosphere, lithosphere
D) inner core, outer core, mesosphere, asthenosphere, lithosphere
(5) 2 pts. What are Earth’s layers based upon mineralogy/chemical properties?
A) core, mantle, lithosphere
B) core, mantle, crust
C) core, mesosphere, asthenosphere, lithosphere
D) inner core, outer core, mesosphere, asthenosphere, lithosphere
(6) 2 pts. Sedimentary rocks that are dipping at an angle
A) were always that way.
B) have been uplifted/deformed tectonically.
C) are younger than the fault that cut them.
D) are older than the fault that cut them.
E) A & B
F) B & C
G) B & D
(7) 2 pts. What happens to oceanic crust as it gets older, in the correct order?
A) crust cools, becomes more dense, and sinks B) crust becomes more dense and sinks
C) crust gets more dense, cools, and rises
D) crust heats, becomes less dense, and rises
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
(8) 2 pts. Oceanic crust rock composition is ____ and Continental crust rock composition is _____.
A) mafic, felsic
B) felsic, mafic
C) algic, felsic
D) mafic, algic
(9) 2 pts. Which is the most dense?
A) continental crust
B) oceanic crust
C) core
D) mantle
(10) 2 pts. Which is the least dense?
A) continental crust
B) oceanic crust
C) core
D) mantle
(15) 2 pts. Which of the following best describes the fundamental concept of superposition?
A) Any sedimentary deposit accumulates on older rock or sediment layers.
B) Older strata generally are deposited on younger strata without intervening, intermediate age strata.
C) Strata with fossils are generally deposited on strata with no fossils.
D) Older fossils in younger strata indicate a locally inverted geologic time scale.
(16) 2 pts. Which of the following best describes the fundamental concept of cross cutting relations?
A) Rocks are younger than a fault if they are cut by the fault.
B) Processes that cut across geological units are older than those geological units.
C) Processes that cut across geological units are younger than those geological units.
D) Fossils are younger than a fault if they are cut by the fault.
(18) 2 pts. The ________ forms the relatively cool, brittle plates of plate tectonics.
A) geosphere B) asthenosphere C) astrosphere D) lithosphere
(19) 2 pts. In correct order from the center outward, Earth includes which units?
A) inner core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere
B) core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere
C) core, inner mantle, outer mantle, crust
D) inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
(20) 2 pts. The ________ is the thinnest layer of the Earth.
A) inner core B) crust C) mantle D) outer core
13) ______
(21) 2 pts.________ rocks form by crystallization and consolidation of molten magma.
A) Igneous
B) Primary
C) Sedimentary
D) Indigenous
(22) 2 pts.________ rocks always originate at the surface of the solid Earth.
A) Secondary B) Sedimentary
C) Igneous
D) Metamorphic
(23) 2 pts.________ is the process by which rocks break down in place to produce soils and sediments.
A) Subduction B) Lithification C) Weathering D) Metamorphism
(1) 3 pts. Which of the following best defines a mineral and a rock?
A) A rock has an orderly, repetitive, geometrical, internal arrangement of minerals; a mineral is a
lithified or consolidated aggregate of rocks.
B) A mineral consists of its constituent atoms arranged in a geometrically repetitive structure; in a rock,
the atoms are randomly bonded without any geometric pattern.
C) In a mineral the constituent atoms are bonded in a regular, repetitive, internal structure; a rock is a
lithified or consolidated aggregate of different mineral grains.
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
D) A rock consists of atoms bonded in a regular, geometrically predictable arrangement; a mineral is a
consolidated aggregate of different rock particles.
(29) 1 pts. A(n) ________ texture represents a single, long period of cooling and crystallization.
A) glassy
B) pyroclastic
C) aphanitic
D) phaneritic
(30) 3 pts. Which of the following best describes an aphanitic texture?
A) The rock is crystalline; mineral grains are too small to be visible without a magnifying lens or
microscope.
B) The mineral grains have glassy textures.
C) The rock consists of broken, volcanic-rock and mineral fragments.
D) The rock is crystalline; mineral grains are of distinctly different sizes.
(36) 1 pt. Which one of the following shows the correct order (left to right) of decreasing magma
viscosity?
A) rhyolite, andesite, basalt
B) andesite, rhyolite, basalt
C) basalt, rhyolite, andesite
D) basalt, andesite, rhyolite
(25) 3 pts. Extrusive igneous rocks are typically finer grained than intrusive igneous rocks. Why?
A) Intrusive magma is cooler because it is well insulated by the surrounding rock.
B) Intrusive magma flows onto the Earth's surface and cools very slowly, allowing many small mineral
grains to grow.
C) The extrusive magma cools quickly so the mineral grains do not have time to grow.
D) The extrusive magma, because it is deep below the surface, cools very slowly producing very small
mineral grains.
(9) 1 pts. Which of the following describes the light reflecting characteristics of a mineral?
A) luster
B) color streak C) virtual absorption
D) fluorescence
(10) 1 pts. The strong tendency of certain minerals to break along smooth, parallel planes is known as:
A) streak
B) cleavage
C) cracking luster
D) crystal form
(12) 1 pt. All silicate minerals contain ________ and ________.
A) iron; silicon B) silicon; sodium
C) oxygen; carbon
D) silicon; oxygen
(13) 1 pts. The ion at the center of a silicate tetrahedron is surrounded by ________.
A) 4 oxygen ions
B) 6 oxygen ions
C) 4 sodium ions
D) 6 sodium ions
(20) 1 pts. Which one of the following is a sodium and calcium feldspar with striations?
A) orthoclase B) microcline C) plagioclase
(21) 1 pts. Which of the following minerals is a ferromagnesian silicate?
A) quartz
B) orthoclase C) hornblende D) muscovite
(22) 1 pts. Which of the following minerals is in the mineral group known as mica?
A) orthoclase B) muscovite C) augite
D) olivine
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
(27) 1 pts. The sizes, shapes, and arrangements of mineral grains in an igneous rock are known as
________.
A) silica content
B) texture
C) mineral content
D) Bowen's reaction series
(28) 1 pts. A ________ is an open cavity in a volcanic rock that was filled by a gas bubble when the lava
was still mainly liquid.
A) porphyrocryst
B) vesicle
C) phenocryst
(47) 1 pt. What is the main difference between a conglomerate and a sedimentary breccia?
A) Breccia clasts are angular; conglomerate clasts are rounded.
B) A breccia is well stratified; a conglomerate is poorly stratified.
C) Breccia clasts are the size of baseballs; conglomerate clasts are larger.
D) Breccia has a compacted, clay-rich matrix; conglomerate has no matrix.
(48) 1 pt. Detrital sedimentary rocks are classified (named) based on the ________.
A) colors of the cementing minerals
B) grain sizes of the detrital particles
C) compositions of soluble minerals
D) degree of compaction and lithification
(53) 3 pts. ________ is a strong, parallel alignment of coarse mica flakes and/or of different mineral
bands in a metamorphic rock.
A) Rock cleavage
B) Foliation
C) Stress streaking
D) Marbleizing
For the following 3 questions, use the figure below.
(1) 1 pt. Which
type of volcano
erupts with lava
low in Si?
A) L
B) N
C) O
D) J
(1) 1 pt. Which
has the form of a
stratovolcano?
A) J
B) K
C) O
D) N
(1) 1 pt. Which
type of volcano is
the source for the Columbia River Flood Basalts?
A) N
B) J
C) L
D) O
(1) 1 pt. Which rocks are sorted properly, from low Si to high Si content?
A) Rhyolite, Dacite, Andesite, Basalt
B) Basalt, Andesite, Dacite, Rhyolite
C) Basalt, Dacite, Andesite, Rhyolite
D) Basalt, Rhyolite, Andesite, Dacite
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
(1) 1 pt. Which Cascade volcanoes has the most frequent eruptions?
A) Mt. St. Helens
B) Mt. Adams C) Mt. Hood
D) Mt. Ranier
(1) 1 pt. Which volcano type is associated with the correct rock?
A) fissure flow – rhyolite
B) shield volcano – granite
C) caldera – basalt
D) shield volcano – basalt
(1) 1 pt. In the figure below, match the letter L and M with the correct level of sorting.
A) L = poorly
sorted, M =
well sorted
B) L = not
sorted, M =
well sorted
C) L = well
sorted, M =
poorly sorted
(1) 1 pt. In the figure at
the right, match the letter
J and K with the correct
description
A) J = transported a long
distance, K = transported
a short distance
B) J = transported a short
distance, K = transported
a long distance
C) J = time transported, K
= transported a short
distance
(1) 1 pt. Rank these particle sizes in the order of increasing size.
A) clay, silt, sand, gravel
B) silt, clay, sand, gravel
C) sand, clay, silt, gravel
D) gravel, sand, silt, clay
(24) 2 pts. Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
A) Sedimentary rocks may weather to igneous rocks.
B) Igneous rocks can undergo metamorphism.
C) Magmas crystallize to form igneous rocks.
D) Metamorphic rocks may melt to magma.
(27) 2 pts. An unconformity is a buried ________.
A) surface of erosion separating younger strata above from older strata below
B) fault or fracture with younger strata above and older strata below
C) surface of erosion with older strata above and younger strata below
D) fault or fracture with older rocks above and younger rocks below
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
(28) 2 pts. Which of the following best characterizes an angular unconformity?
A) Horizontal lava flows lie below the unconformity, and horizontal, sedimentary strata lie above.
B) Tilted strata lie below the unconformity with loose, unconsolidated soil above.
C) Tilted strata lie below the unconformity, and bedding in younger strata above is parallel to the
unconformity.
D) It is the discordant boundary between older strata and an intrusive body of granite.
(29) 2 pts. Sandstone strata and a mass of granite are observed to be in contact. Which of the following
statements is correct geologically?
A) The sandstone is younger if it shows evidence of contact metamorphism.
B) The granite is older if it contains inclusions of sandstone.
C) The granite is older if the sandstone contains pebbles of the granite.
D) The sandstone is younger if the granite contains sandstone inclusions.
(30) 2 pts. Assume that you have just examined several flat-lying sedimentary layers. After much study
you determine that there is a considerable span of time for which no sedimentary rock layer exists at
this site. You have just discovered a(n) ________.
A) disconformity
B) example of cross-cutting relationships
C) series of conformable strata
D) angular unconformity
(31) 2 pts. What fundamental concept states that in a horizontal sequence of conformable sedimentary
strata, each higher bed is younger than the bed below it?
A) theory of correlative deposition
B) law of original correlation
C) law of superposition
D) theory of superstition
The following 7 questions refer to the following diagram:
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
(55) 1 pt. Which is younger (more recent)?
A) the fault or B) Rhyolite Dike B
(56) 1 pt. Which is younger?
A) the Haephest Granite or B) Rhyolite Dike B
(57) 1 pt. Which is younger?
A) the Leif Limestone or B) the Dink-Dink Sandston
(58) 1 pt. Which is younger?
A) the Dink-Dink Sandstone or B) the Plainview Shale
(59) 1 pt. Which is younger?
A) Rhyolite Dike A or B) the Killarney Limestone?
(60) 1 pt. Which is younger
A) Rhyolite Dike A or B) the Haephest Granite
(61) 5 pt. Radiometric ages indicate that the Haephest Granite is 85 million years old and Rhyolite Dike A
is 30 million years old.
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
a) What can you say about the age of Rhyolite Dike C?
A) Rhyolite Dike C is older than 85 million years.
B) Rhyolite Dike C is younger than 30 million yrs.
C) We cannot tell how old Rhyolite Dike C is.
D) Rhyolite Dike C is older than 30 million yrs.
b) What can you say about the age of the Kings Sandstone?
A) Kings Sandstone is older than 85 million yrs. B) Kings Sandstone is younger than 30 million yrs.
C) We cannot tell how old Kings Sandstone is. D) Kings Sandstone is older than 30 million yrs.
(32) 2 pts. The half-life of carbon-14 is about 6000 years. Assume that a sample of charcoal formed by
burning of living wood 15,000 years ago. How much of the original carbon-14 would remain today?
A) between 33% and 50%
B) between 25% and 50%
C) more than 50%
D) between 12.5% and 25%
(33) 2 pts. The percentage of radioactive atoms that decay during one half-life is always the same. T/F
(34) 2 pts. After two half-lives there is no longer any of the original radioactive material remaining. T/F
(35) 2 pts. After three half-lives, one-ninth of an original, radioactive parent isotope remains and eightninths has decayed into the daughter isotope. T/F
(36) 4 pts. In the chart of radioactive decay
shown at the right:
(a) how many half-lives have elapsed by this
time? __2__
(b) how many half-lives have elapsed by this
time? __3__
(37) 2 pts. All of the following are evidence
supporting the theory of plate tectonics
EXCEPT for _______.
A) hot spots
B) paleomagnetism
C) ocean floor drilling
D) changes in the Moon's orbit due to
shifting plates
(38) 2 pts. Which of the following energy
sources is thought to drive the lateral
motions of Earth's lithospheric plates?
A) electrical and magnetic fields localized in the inner core
B) swirling movements of the molten iron particles in the outer core
C) export of heat from deep in the mantle to the top of the asthenosphere
D) gravitational attractive forces of the Sun and Moon
(1) 2 pts. The youngest seafloor rocks are found:
A) nearest to the mid-ocean ridges
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
B) nearest to the continental shelves
C) evenly distributed throughout the ocean
D) underneath the continents
E) where the ocean is the flattest
(39) 2 pts. Pull-apart rift zones are generally associated with a ________ plate boundary.
A) convergent
B) divergent
C) transform
D) all plate boundaries
(40) 2 pts. New oceanic crust and lithosphere are formed at ________.
A) divergent boundaries by submarine eruptions and intrusions of basaltic magma
B) convergent boundaries by submarine eruptions and intrusions of basaltic magma
C) divergent boundaries by submarine eruptions and intrusions of rhyolitic magma
D) convergent boundaries by submarine eruptions and intrusions of rhyolitic magma
(41) 2 pts. The volcanoes and deep valleys of east Africa are related to a ________.
A) continental collision zone between Africa and the Zagros Mountains along the southern margin of
Eurasia
B) transform fault aligned with the Red Sea carrying the Arabian and African blocks in opposite
directions
C) continental rift along which parts of the African continent are beginning to slowly separate
D) fault allowing Arabia to slip westward past east Africa and penetrate into Turkey
(42) 2 pts. The ________ is an example of an active, continent-continent collision.
A) westward movement of the South American plate over the Nazca plate
B) Arabian Peninsula slamming into North Africa under the Red Sea
C) northern movement of Baja California and a sliver of western California toward the Hawaiian Islands
D) northward movement of India into Eurasia
(43) 2 pts. Linear, magnetic patterns associated with mid-ocean ridges are configured as ________.
A) reversed magnetizations along the rift valleys and normal magnetizations along the ridge
B) normal and reversed magnetized strips roughly parallel to the ridge
C) normal and reversed magnetized strips roughly perpendicular to the ridge axis
D) concentric circles about a rising plume of hot mantle rocks and magma
(44) 2 pts. The distance
between the modern
Hawaii Volcano (Mauna
Loa = 0 years old) and
the island that is circled
is 3,200 km. What is the
plate motion rate for the
past 30 million years?
(Round your answer to
the nearest mm.)
A. 156 mm/year
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
B. 458 mm/year
C. 107 mm/year
D. 352 mm/year
(46) 2 pts. In the diagram below, label each illustration with the correct type of plate boundary.
Convergent, Transform, Divergent
TRANSFORM
DIVERGENT
CONVERGENT
(48) 2 pts. List the units and processes from oldest to youngest.
Delete this:
A
B
C
D
E
L
K
M
F
G
H
J
I
(1) 2 pts. An unconformity is a buried ________.
A) surface of erosion separating younger strata above from older strata below
B) fault or fracture with younger strata above and older strata below
C) surface of erosion with older strata above and younger strata below
D) fault or fracture with older rocks above and younger rocks below
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
(1) 2 pts. Which of the following best characterizes an angular unconformity?
A) Horizontal lava flows lie below the unconformity, and horizontal, sedimentary strata lie above.
B) Tilted strata lie below the unconformity with loose, unconsolidated soil above.
C) Tilted strata lie below the unconformity, and bedding in younger strata above is parallel to the
unconformity.
D) It is the discordant boundary between older strata and an intrusive body of granite.
(1) 2 pts. Visualize five horizontal sedimentary strata exposed in a cliff or canyon wall identified by
consecutive numbers, 1 being the lowest bed and 5 being the highest. Which of the following
statements concerning the strata are TRUE?
A) bed 5 is the oldest B) bed 3 is older than beds 2 and 4
C) beds l and 3 are older than bed 4 D) bed 4 is older than bed 2
(1) 2 pts. By applying the law of superposition ________ ages can be determined.
A) relative B) conventional
C) radiometric D) both relative and radiometric
(1) 2 pts. ________ is an erosional contact between tilted, older strata below and horizontal, younger
strata above.
A) A disconformity B) Cross cutting
C) An angular unconformity D) Inverse bedding
(1) 2 pts. Sandstone strata and a mass of granite are observed to be in contact. Which of the following
statements is correct geologically?
A) The sandstone is younger if it shows evidence of contact metamorphism.
B) The granite is older if it contains inclusions of sandstone.
C) The granite is older if the sandstone contains pebbles of the granite.
D) The sandstone is younger if the granite contains sandstone inclusions.
(1) 2 pts. Assume that you have just examined several flat-lying sedimentary layers. After much study
you determine that there is a considerable span of time for which no sedimentary rock layer exists at
this site. You have just discovered a(n) ________.
A) disconformity B) example of cross-cutting relationships
C) series of conformable strata D) angular unconformity
(1) 2 pts. What fundamental concept states that in a horizontal sequence of conformable sedimentary
strata, each higher bed is younger than the bed below it?
A) theory of correlative deposition B) law of original correlation
C) law of superposition D) theory of superstition
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GEOL 2: Historical Geology with Lab
Mid-Term I
(7) 5 pt. Using the figure at the right,
knowing the stream is 1,000 years old, what
is the slip rate on the fault?
A) 100 mm/yr
C) 1 mm/yr
B) 10 mm/yr
D) 1,000 mm/yr
(53) 1 pt. The Elastic Rebound Theory is
made up of four parts. Which of the
following is in the correct sequential order?
A) stress, rebound, rupture, strain
B) rebound, rupture, stress, strain
C) stress, strain, rupture, rebound
D) none of these is correct
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