Multiple Choice -- Circle the BEST answer.

1. Sedimentary rocks are formed from loose sediments by
   1. compaction and cementation.
   2. erosion and deposition.
   3. wind and water.
   4. metamorphism.

2. Chemical sediments differ from clastic sediments in that chemical sediments are
   1. composed of crystalline materials.
   2. eroded from pre-existing rocks.
   3. largely composed of clay minerals.
   4. precipitated in the environment of deposition.

3. Which of the following is a carbonate sedimentary rock?
   1. Slate.
   2. Basalt.
   3. Conglomerate.
   4. Limestone.
   5. Shale.

4. The most abundant sediment in the Earth's crust is
   1. shale.
   2. sandstone.
   3. basalt.
   4. limestone.

5. A material that would not make a good cement for binding rock particles together to form a sedimentary rock is
   1. clay.
   2. calcium carbonate.
   3. silica.
   4. sand.

6. Which sequence of rock names is correctly arranged in order of decreasing particle diameters?
   1. Conglomerate, shale, sandstone.
   2. Sedimentary breccia, shale, sandstone, claystone.
   3. Conglomerate, sandstone, claystone.
   4. Shale, siltstone, sandstone.

7. The sand grains in sandstone may be composed of
   1. quartz.
   2. mica.
   3. rock fragments.
   4. feldspar.
   5. all of the preceding.

8. What is the dominant mineral in a limestone?
   1. Quartz.
   2. Calcite.
   3. Dolomite.
   4. Feldspar.
   5. Rock fragments.

9. Which of the following minerals forms a common type of evaporite rock?
   1. Quartz.
   2. Feldspar.
   3. Halite.
   4. Calcite.

10. The normal sequence of the events in the production of sedimentary rocks is
    1. erosion, weathering, transportation, deposition, compaction, and cementation.
    2. weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition, compaction, and cementation.
    3. erosion, weathering, deposition, transportation, compaction, and cementation.
    4. weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition, cementation, and compaction.

11. Today the most widespread environment of carbonate deposition is
    1. the deep sea.
    2. the tidal flat environment.
    3. the shallow-water marine environment.
    4. in caves and caverns.

12. A sequence of coarse sandstones and conglomerates that contains coarse cross-beds and channel deposits probably was deposited in
    1. a delta.
    2. a flood plain.
    3. a beach.
    4. a lagoon.
    5. an alluvial fan.

13. Metamorphism is the process by which existing rocks are changed by
    1. color and hardness.
    2. melting and crystallization from that melt.
    3. the weathering process at or near the surface.
    4. the application of heat, pressure and shearing.

14. Metamorphic rocks can usually be distinguished from igneous and sedimentary rocks in that their constituent grains
    1. are rounded and cemented together.
    2. interlock, forming a continuous mosaic.
    3. tend to be lined up in a particular direction or plane.
    4. have quite different chemical compositions.

15. Metamorphism can affect
    1. only igneous rock.
    2. any younger igneous and sedimentary rock.
    3. any younger igneous and metamorphic rock.
    4. any older igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rocks.

16. What is the correct metamorphic sequence of increasingly coarser grain size?
    1. phyllite --> slate --> gneiss --> schist.
    2. slate --> phyllite --> schist --> gneiss.
    3. gneiss --> phyllite --> slate --> schist.
    4. schist --> gneiss --> phyllite --> slate.
    5. slate --> schist --> gneiss --> phyllite.

17. A gneiss differs from a granite mainly in that it
    1. is generally less coarse-grained.
    2. shows a distinct foliation.
    3. has a different mineral composition.
    4. has a different bulk chemical composition.

18. Metamorphic processes may convert shale to
    1. slate.
    2. schist.
    3. gneiss.
    4. all of the above.
    5. none of the above.

19. Regional metamorphism is associated with
    1. very low pressures.
    2. hot springs.
    3. lava flows.
    4. subduction zones and cores of mountain ranges.
    5. deposits of weathered rock.

20. When force is applied to the surface of body, the result is
    1. fracture.
    2. faulting.
    3. stress.
    4. strain.

21. Strain is
    1. the force applied to the outer surface of a body.
    2. the deformation caused by stress.
    3. that deformation which only results in dilation.
    4. related only to distortion, or a change in shape.

22. A fracture along which some kind of differential movement (up-down, sideways, etc.) has taken place is called a
    1. fault.
    2. joint.
    3. rupture.
    4. stress plane.

23. A normal fault is one in which the
    1. fault plane is vertical.
    2. hanging wall has moved up relative to the footwall.
    3. hanging wall has moved down relative to the footwall.
    4. movement is along the strike direction.

24. The San Andreas fault of southern California is what type of fault?
    1. Thrust.
    2. Reverse.
    3. Normal.
    4. Strike slip.
    5. Dip-slip.

25. The Basin and Range Province is characterized by
    1. erosional basins.
    2. fault-controlled topography.
    3. vast sand seas.
    4. thick blankets of loess.
    5. plateaus, mesas, and monoclines.

26. Since the Sierra Nevada Mountains are quite a bit higher than the land either west or east of them the
    1. crust is probably thicker beneath the Sierra Nevada.
    2. crust beneath the Sierra Nevada is probably more dense than that to the east or west.
    3. crust beneath the Sierra Nevada must be very thin.
    4. Sierra Nevada are probably part of an old spreading center, which is no longer active.

27. An earthquake results when
    1. elastic strain builds up beyond the elastic limit.
    2. elastic strain is relieved by fault movement.
    3. elastic strain is not relieved by fault creep.
    4. all of the above.

28. The actual point where rocks rupture, resulting in an earthquake is called
    1. the epicenter.
    2. the focus.
    3. static release.
    4. the tsunami.

29. The "P" waves, or primary waves, generated by an earthquake
    1. are very slow.
    2. can travel only through solid material.
    3. can travel through solid, liquid, or gas.
    4. can travel only in a circle.

30. Ground motion during a Richter magnitude 7 earthquake would be how much greater than a magnitude 4?
    1. 100 x's.
    2. 1000 x's.
    3. 300 x's.
    4. 3000 x's.
    5. None of the above.

31. The minimum number of seismic stations required to locate an earthquake epicenter is usually
    1. one.
    2. two.
    3. three.
    4. between five and twelve, depending on the location of the earthquake.

32. Which of the following structures would probably sustain the most damage during an earthquake if they were the same distance from the epicenter?
    1. One built on granite bedrock.
    2. One built on quartz-cemented sandstone bedrock.
    3. One built on a hillside composed of basalt.
    4. One built on a water-saturated stream delta.

33. Most of the damage in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was caused by
    1. landslides.
    2. permanent displacement of the land.
    3. fire.
    4. tsunamis.
    5. aftershocks.

34. The velocity at which seismic waves leave the focus of an earthquake does not depend on which of the following?
    1. The magnitude of the earthquake.
    2. The depth at which the earthquake occurs.
    3. The rigidity of the materials adjacent to the earthquake.
    4. The density of the materials adjacent to the earthquake.

35. Deep earthquakes do not occur in the asthenosphere, except in association with descending plates, because
    1. movement of the material of the asthenosphere occurs only along subduction zones.
    2. the asthenosphere consists of peridotite, or something like it.
    3. the asthenosphere is too rigid to rupture.
    4. the asthenosphere is weak, and deforms plastically.

36. The Earth's outer core is thought to be in the liquid state because
    1. S-waves do not pass through it.
    2. P-waves do not pass through it.
    3. neither P- or S-waves pass through it.
    4. both P- and S-waves slow down sharply as they pass through it.

37. Horizontal movements of Earth's lithospheric plates are generally in the ranges of
    1. 0.01 - 0.1 cm/yr.
    2. 0.1 - 1.0 cm/yr.
    3. 1.0 - 20 cm/yr.
    4. 20 - 100 cm/yr.

38. The outer, rigid layer of the Earth which makes up the huge crustal plates is called the
    1. crust.
    2. lithosphere.
    3. mantle.
    4. asthenosphere.

39. The mantle of the Earth is probably composed of
    1. silicates rich in iron and magnesium.
    2. an iron-nickel alloy.
    3. quartz and feldspar.
    4. basalt and graphite.

40. Melting of the mantle occurs beneath mid-ocean ridges because
    1. a locally high concentration of radioactive heat-producing elements in the mantle causes a large rise in temperature under the ridge.
    2. seawater from hydrothermal circulation penetrates the mantle and lowers melting points.
    3. plastic mantle rock wells up under the ridge due to the diverging plates above it, and melts due to release of pressure.

41. Melting occurs at subduction zones because
    1. a locally high concentration of radioactive heat-producing elements introduced by subduction causes a large rise in temperature.
    2. water carried down by the subducting plate causes the melting points of ocean crust and/or mantle to be reduced.
    3. a rising mantle plume from lower mantle depths is usually present underneath the subduction zone, and melts due to release of pressure.

42. A given mineral is most likely to be above its melting point at a
    1. low temperature and a low pressure.
    2. low temperature and a high pressure.
    3. high temperature and a low pressure.
    4. high temperature and a high pressure.

43. The internal heat of the Earth may be provided by
    1. heat from the original gravitational collapse when the planet was formed.
    2. heat generated by the impact of large meteorites over four billion years ago.
    3. heat released during the breakdown of radioactive elements.
    4. all of the above.

44. The Earth's magnetic field is thought to be generated by which of the following?
    1. Electrical currents generated by movement of material in the core.
    2. Electrical currents generated by convection in the asthenosphere.
    3. Permanent magnetism of the mantle.
    4. Permanent magnetism of the core.

45. The Earth's magnetic poles
    1. have fixed locations that have not perceptibly varied throughout geological history.
    2. appear to have roughly coincided with the rotational poles throughout geological history.
    3. are both located in the northern hemisphere.
    4. have been recognized only in the Quaternary; before that time the Earth apparently did not have a dipolar magnetic field.

46. When the magnetic field of the Earth is reversed the
    1. Earth flips over in its orbit.
    2. sense of rotation of the Earth is also reversed.
    3. magnetic polarity of the Earth is such that the north end of the magnetic compass needle points toward the south geographic pole.
    4. magnetization of almost all the sedimentary igneous rocks of the ocean floor is reversed to match the new orientation of the magnetic field.

47. The youngest rocks of the ocean floors are located
    1. near spreading ridges.
    2. in the trenches.
    3. far from spreading ridges.
    4. on the abyssal floors.

48. The significance of the magnetic anomaly patterns discovered in association with the sea floor was that the anomaly patterns
    1. could be matched with the magnetic reversal chronology to establish an estimated age to the sea floor.
    2. allowed for the reconstruction of polar wandering paths.
    3. allowed geomagnetists to reconstruct the super continent Pangea.
    4. represented absolute proof that the sea floor was spreading apart.

Short Answers -- Briefly discuss the relationship between the following paired terms.

1. Hawaiian Islands / Plate tectonic boundary

2. Magnetic anomaly pattern on sea floor / Age of sea floor

3. Stress / Strain

4. Earth's magnetic field / Outer core

5. Sandstone / Granite

6. Shale / Slate / Gneiss

7. Sedimentary rocks / Cement

8. Folding / Compression

9. Normal faults / Tension

10. Plastic deformation / Rate of application of stress

Discussion Questions -- Answer the following discussion questions. Be as complete as possible. Illustrate your answers with diagrams or sketches.

1. Discuss four lines of evidence, noted before the worldwide exploration of the ocean basins, that supported the concept of continental drift and the former existence of a super continent, Pangea.

2. Rocks behave (deform) in principally three ways within the Earth. Characterize each type of behavior. What geologic structure or phenomenon results from each type of behavior? What factor(s) influence how a rock behaves/deforms?
   Suggestion: Consider formatting your answer as a table.

3. Briefly explain how foliation is created during metamorphism.

4. How does the magnetic properties of the ocean floor support sea-floor spreading?

5. The Earth's interior is thought to consist of concentric shells or layers defined by changes in composition, physical state and crystal phase.
   1. Draw a neat, well-labeled diagram that illustrates what you know (name of layers, compositions, physical state) about the internal structure of planet Earth.
   2. Discuss two lines of evidence that support the model you draw.

6. Discuss three observations that suggest the Earth's core is probably composed mostly of iron.
   (Note: Be sure your discussion clearly explains how the observations you mention support an iron core.)

7. 1. Discuss three lines of evidence for the asthenosphere.
   2. How does the concept of an asthenosphere fit with plate tectonic theory?

8. Describe the different types of seismic waves. Make sure you include the following information: name, type of motion of particles that occurs when that wave passes, and relative speeds of the wave types. How do seismic waves help us understand the Earth's core?

9. Explain exactly how the behavior of seismic waves shows the physical state of the deep parts of the Earth. Which kind of seismic waves show that? ("Physical state" means solid, liquid or gas.)

10. Discuss four factors that may contribute to the intensity of an earthquake. Include a brief explanation of how each factor can increase the potential for destruction during a quake.

11. Discuss the geologic circumstance that can be inferred from each of the following rocks and geologic structures.
    1. A well-rounded conglomerate mixed with coarse, rounded sand.
    2. A limestone with abundant fossil clams and snails.
    3. A slate.
    4. A graben, a valley or basin with normal faults on both sides.
    Note: Be sure to discuss the basis for your interpretations. Use sketches or diagrams to illustrate your discussion.