Quiz 5
1. The scientific study of earthquakes and seismic waves is known as _______.
C) seismology
2. Fragments of unmelted rocks that are sometimes incorporated in magma are known as
_______.
E) xenoliths
3. _______ are the first waves to leave the focus after an earthquake.
A) P-waves
4. The _______ is the part of the Earth's interior where rocks start to melt.
B) asthenosphere
5. A _______ wave is an elastic rebound wave that travels outward in all directions from
the point of an earthquake.
E) seismic
6. In the figure above, what is the approximate time of the arrival of the P-waves?
B) 2 minutes, 15 seconds
7. According to the figure above, what is the approximate S-P travel time?
A) 1 minute, 45 seconds
8. The Earth's density as a whole is approximately 2.8 g/cm3.F
9. P-waves travel by compression-expansion. T
10. The mantle makes up roughly 80% of the Earth's volume. T
11. A large, destructive wave sometimes caused by am earthquake is called a _______.
TSUNAMI
12. _______ is the bouncing back of a wave from an interface between two mediums.
REFLECTION
13. The theory that stress is continually built up along a fault and released when
earthquake occurs is known as _______.
ELASTIC REBOUND
14. The method of using data from three seismic stations to locate an earthquake is
known as _______.
TRIANGULATION
15. _______ are fragments of unmelted rock that are sometimes incorporated in magma.
XENOLITHS
16. The area inside the Earth where rocks start to turn plastic is known as the _______.
ASTHENOSPHERE
17. In the figure below, what is the approximate speed of S-waves and the P-waves as
the earthquake starts?
B) 6km/sec and 3km/sec
18. Describe the method of triangulation.
Having seismograms from three different stations we could see the arrival of the P-wave
and the S-wave and from there we could determine the S-P interval. Once we have these
data then using the graph of S-P interval against distance we could determine the radius
in miles or kilometers from the epicenter to the respective station and tracing these three
circles, one per each station we could determine the epicenter (where the three circles
meet).
19. In the figure below, how does the location of the largest earthquakes correlate with
plate boundaries?
All these earthquakes happen to indicate the boundary of a plate, also knowing that the
most powerful earthquakes are located at subduction zones, we could infer that these
volcanoes point to convergent type boundaries.
Quiz 6
1. The Hawaiian Islands are composed of what type of volcanoes?
A) shield
2. The degree to which a substance resists flow is known as _______.
E) viscosity
3. The igneous rock in the figure below has what type of texture?
A) glassy
4. A _______ is a mixture of molten and solid rock.
C) fractional melt
5. The figure below is an igneous rock with what type of texture?
B) aphanitic
6. The figure below has what type of texture?
D) porphyritic
7. Which of the following terms best describes the lava in the figure below?
A) low viscosity
8. The smallest type of tephra is known as _______.
B) volcanic ash
9. Fine grained igneous rocks have a _______ texture.
A) aphanitic
10. The presence of higher amounts of water usually results in the lower of the melting
temperature. TRUE
11. Hawaiian eruptions are extremely violent and produce large pyroclastic flows.
FALSE
12. Igneous rocks high in feldspars and silicates are known as felsic rocks. TRUE
13. Vulcanian eruptions are not very explosive and only release ash 5km into the air.
FALSE
14. The most violent volcanic eruptions in history are classified as _______ eruptions.
Plinian
15. When magma is injected horizontally between layers and solidifies, a _______
forms. Sill
16. Igneous rocks with small crystals undergo _______ cooling. Fast
Short Essay
17. Other than lava flows, please list three hazards associated with volcanoes.
Primary hazard- shaking, explosion;
secondary – mudslides (lahars), tremors, tsunamis, floods; climate change – increase of
acid rains.
18. Contrast the igneous rock textures associated with those rocks formed internally and
externally.
Cooling rate determines the crystal size. If the cooling rate is slow – rock has bigger
crystal size, faster – rock has smaller grains size. We can classify igneous rocks into 2
types – volcanic (same as extrusive) which has small grains or crystal size and plutonic
(same as intrusive) which has bigger grains or crystals. Igneous rocks textures phaneritic (visible grains), porphyritic (mixture of small crystals in a ground mass), and
alphanitic (fine grained texture).
19. How does the presence of water affect the melting temperature of a rock?
More water in the rock – less temperature we need to melt it, it’s easier to melt the rock.
20. Discuss the difference between a sill and a dike.
A dike is an intrusive body of magma that intrudes vertically and a sill is an intrusive
body of magma that intrudes horizontally.
21. What is the correlation between volcanoes and plate boundaries?
Volcanic activity occurs along plate boundaries. The great majority of the world's active
volcanoes are located along plate boundaries. Volcanoes are generally found in
convergent type of boundaries (subduction zones). This generates a lot of geologic
activities such as earthquakes, mountain buildings, and volcanoes formation. Water
released from the subducting plate lowers the melting temperature of the overlying
mantle wedge and creates magma. Usually this magma is more viscous because it
contains high amount of silica. This magma often does not reach the surface and cools at
depth. When it does reach the surface, a volcano is formed.
Quiz 7
1. _______ is the type of weathering in the figure below.
A) Frost wedging
2. __________________consists of sediment particles that are mechanically transported
by suspension within a stream or river.
B) suspended load
3. A _______ involves a rotational movement of rock or regolith.
D) slump
4. Glacial ______________ are usually multiple, straight, and parallel, representing the
movement of the glacier using small rocks and pebbles, embedded in the base of the
glacier, as cutting tools.
C) striations
5. Small boulders carried along underneath the glacier provide the abrasive power to cut
trough-like glacial ________________.
A) grooves
6. ____________ is the set of processes that breaks down the rock in place, no
movement is involved.
B) weathering
7. As soon as a rock particle (loosened by the weathering processes) is transported
somewhere else, that process is called __________.
A) erosion
8. __________________ is simply movement down slope due to gravity.
D) mass wasting
9. ___________________________ involves a chemical change in at least some of the
minerals within a rock during its break down.
B) chemical weathering
10. ___________________________ involves physically breaking rocks into fragments
without changing the chemical make-up of the minerals within it.
A) mechanical weathering
11. Anthropogenic sulfur and nitrogen contribute to chemical weathering.
TRUE
12. Angular large boulders indicate that these rocks have travelled a long way. FALSE
13. Chemical _______________ is basically a process used to remove minute amounts of
rock from the substrate by a solution.
weathering
14. What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering is the chemical and physical breakdown of rock exposed to air, moisture, and
living organisms. Erosion is the wearing away of bedrock and transport of loosened
particles by a fluid such as water. Erosion describes the transport of regolith from one
place to another, weathering happens in place.
15. Explain the primary difference between mechanical weathering and chemical
weathering?
Mechanical weathering is the breakdown of rock into solid fragments by physical
processes that do not change the rock’s mineral composition. Chemical weathering is the
decomposition of rocks and minerals by chemical and biochemical reactions.
16. Explain the similarities and differences between root wedging and frost wedging.
Both root wedging and frost wedging are considered mechanical weathering. In frost
wedging, water gets inside and freezes. In root wedging, plant roots get inside and grow.
17. Discuss the similarities and the differences between bedload, suspended load, and
dissolved load.
The largest particles, which form the “”bed load” (boulders, cobbles, and pebbles), roll or
slide along the stream bed due to the force of the flowing water. The smallest particles
like silt and clay move in the “suspended load”, although these particles do not actually
float, they do not sink to the bottom as long as the water is flowing. Soluble materials are
carried as a “dissolved load”, these soluble material could also contain organic matter.
18. Discuss a basic soil profile.
Soil Profile is the sequence of soil horizons from the surface down to the underlying rock.
O Horizon – Organic matter
A Horizon – Dark colored layer (humus present)
E Horizon – Light colored layer (little humus)
B Horizon – Accumulation of clay minerals
C Horizon – Weathered parent rock
QUIZ # 8
1. When all the grains in a rock are roughly the same size, the rock is said to be _______.
B) well sorted
2. Sediment that is carried and deposited by the wind is known as _______ sediment.
E) eolian
3. _____________ sedimentary rocks are made of particles derived from the breakdown
of pre-existing rocks (sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous).
A) clastic
4. Which of the following is a type of sedimentary rocks formed by the precipitation of
minerals dissolved in a lake, river, or seawater?
C) chemical
5. _____________ sedimentary rocks are produced as a result of life activities of plants
and animals.
B) biogenic
6. A _______ is a sedimentary deposit that forms where a stream enters a standing body
of water.
A) delta
7. . _______ is the reduction of pore space in sediment as a result of the weight of the
overlying sediments.
B) compaction
8. A turbulent, gravity driven flow consisting of water and sediment is known as a
_______.
C) turbidity current
10. Mudcracks are sedimentary structures that are formed in wet/dry environments.
TRUE
11 A semi-enclosed body of coastal water where fresh water mixes with marine water is
known as a delta. FALSE
12. Conglomerates are formed by wind. FALSE
13. Coal is a classified as a chemical sedimentary rock.10. Mudcracks are sedimentary
structures that are formed in wet/dry environments. FALSE
15 _______ is the process in which substances dissolved in pore water are precipitated
out and join grains together. CEMENTATION
16. Most of the sediment on land is transported by _______. WATER/RIVERS
17. Seasonal lakes that form in arid areas are known as _______. PLAYAS
21. Explain the differences between sorting and roundness.
Sorting refers to the range of sediment grain sizes in a rock. Well sorted means the grain
sizes in the rock are all the same, whereas poorly sorted means there is a wide range of
sizes represented. Roundness refers to how close the grains are to being perfectly
spherical. The range of roundness is from angular to round.
22. Explain the primary difference between mechanical weathering and chemical
weathering?
Mechanical weathering is the physical breakdown of an object into smaller
components without changing its chemical composition. Changes in temperature, the
freezing and thawing of water and plant growth are forces of mechanical weathering.
Chemical weathering refers to the breakdown of an object into particles with a
different mineral composition than the original object. Water is perhaps the most
powerful agent of chemical weathering: Over time, it can dissolve many kinds of rocks
into a solution that has a different chemical makeup than the original substance. Other
types of chemical weathering involve more complicated chemical reactions with oxygen,
carbon dioxide, water or other compounds.
23. Explain the difference between a material that is poorly sorted and a material that is
well sorted.
Poorly sorted materials have a wide range of grain sizes represented. A great example of
a poorly sorted material is glacial till. Well sorted material has only one grain size
represented. A great example of a well sorted material is quartz sand.
Discuss the similarities and differences between calcareous and siliceous ooze.
Calcareous and siliceous oozes are biogenic sediments that form on the sea floor from
small organisms. Calcareous oozes form when small, calcareous marine organisms die,
fall to the sea floor, and decompose. Siliceous oozes form when small, siliceous marine
organisms die, fall to the sea floor, and decompose.
Explain the difference between a delta and an estuary.
Although both form in coastal environments, there are some differences. A delta is a
sedimentary deposit, usually in the shape of a triangle that forms when a stream enters a
standing body of water. An estuary is a semi-enclosed body of coastal water in which
fresh water mixes with sea water.