Geol 101: Physical Geology
Spring 2006
EXAM 1
Write your name out in full on the scantron form and fill in the corresponding
ovals to spell out your name. Also fill in your student ID number in the space
provided. Do not include the dash and do not leave any spaces. Make sure you
have all 8 pages of the exam. There are 55 questions. For each question, select
the correct answer and fill in your choice on the scantron form. You MUST use
pencil on the scantron form!
1.
The father of modern geology, James Hutton, hypothesized that the Earth was
much older than had previously been suggested, and promoted the notion that
“the present is the key to the past,” a concept also known as:
A. the rule of ages
B. the principle of catastrophism
C. the principle of sectarianism
D. the principle of uniformitarianism
E. the secularism hypothesis
2.
Which of the following is NOT considered to be one of the four Earth systems?
A. lithosphere
B. asthenosphere
C. hydrosphere
D. biosphere
E. atmosphere
3.
Which of the following combinations are all considered to be terrestrial
planets?:
A. Mercury – Mars – Earth – Jupiter
B. Mars – Venus – Earth – Jupiter
C. Moon – Venus– Mars– Earth
D. Pluto – Saturn – Neptune – Uranus
E. Mercury – Venus – Earth – Mars
4.
During its formational stage, the solar system was called the (1)
___________, with the formation of the sun and planets being complete by about
(2) ________ years ago.
A. (1) big bang
(2) 15 billion years ago
B. (1) big bang
(2) 4.6 billion years ago
C. (1) solar nebula
(2) 15 million years ago
D. (1) solar nebula
(2) 4.6 million years ago
E. (1) solar nebula
(2) 4.6 billion years ago
5.
Which of the following shows Earth’s internal layers in their correct order
from the surface towards the center?
A. crust, core, mantle
B. core, crust, mantle
C. lithosphere, asthenosphere, lower mantle, outer core, inner core
D. inner core, mantle, lithosphere, asthenosphere
E. inner core, outer core, lower mantle, upper mantle, lithosphere
6.
The lithosphere is made up of:
A. the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle
B. solid rock that behaves in a soft and squishy manner
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C. continental crust and oceanic crust only
D. the highest density rocks of all the Earth’s internal layers
E. all of the above
7. South America and Africa do not fit together perfectly when matched up
across the Atlantic Ocean because:
A. they were never together to begin with
B. parts of the continents were long ago subducted
C. their shapes have changed since Pangea broke up
D. the magnetic field has changed since the breakup of the
continents
E. the true boundaries of the continents are actually 900m below
sea level
8.
Evidence that North America used to be connected to Eurasia is given by the
fact that the (1) ___________ in North America match up with the (2)
_________ in Eurasia when the continents are brought back together.
A. (1) Rockies
(2) Alps
B. (1) Rockies
(2) Caledonides
C. (1) Appalachians
(2) Alps
D. (1) Appalachians
(2) Caledonides
E. (1) Cascades
(2) Appalachians
9.
Which of the following is NOT considered to be a part of Gondwana?
A. Asia
B. Africa
C. India
D. Australia
E. Antarctica
10.
Although Pangea’s southern Gondwana continents contain evidence of an ice
age during the Carboniferous Period, there are no equivalent aged glacial
deposits in the northern Laurasia continents because:
A. Gondwana was near the south pole in the Carboniferous, but
Laurasia was near the equator
B. Laurasia was near the south pole in the Carboniferous, but
Gondwana was near the equator
C. the glacial deposits in Gondwana did not form in the
Carboniferous after all
D. Laurasia did not exist during the Carboniferous
E. we haven’t looked hard enough for glacial deposits in Laurasia
11.
One line of evidence that Africa and South America used to be one continent
is that they both show evidence of a type of plant called:
A. Cynognathus
B. Glossopteris
C. Tyrannosaurus
D. Mesosaurus
E. Alto Redwood
12.
Which of the following statements about paleomagnetism at spreading ridges
is TRUE?
A. there is no clear paleomagnetic signal in rocks at spreading ridges
B. rocks along spreading ridges show the same paleomagnetic north, no
matter what their age
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C. the paleomagnetic pattern on one side of a ridge is the mirror image
of the other side of the ridge
D. there is evidence that Earth’s magnetic poles reverse every 11 years
or so
E. the paleomagnetic characteristics of rocks next to spreading ridges
are still unknown
13.
The mid-Atlantic ridge is an example of a spreading ridge. As a result of
the process of (1) _________ that occurs at this ridge, the oldest oceanic
crust in the north Atlantic must be located (2) ____________:
A. (1) seafloor spreading
(2) along the ridge itself
B. (1) seafloor spreading
(2) along the coasts of N.
America and Europe
C. (1) seafloor spreading
(2) with a striped pattern of
repeating old and young rocks
D. (1) subduction
(2) along the ridge itself
E. (1) subduction
(2) along the coasts of N.
America and Europe
14.
Which of the following combinations is a correct match between (1) a type
of plate boundary; and (2) a characteristic feature of that type of plate
boundary?
A. (1) divergent
(2) subduction zone
B. (1) convergent
(2) transform fault
C. (1) transform
(2) subduction zone
D. (1) transform
(2) island arc
E. (1) divergent
(2) rift valley
15.
Which of the following statements about convergent plate boundaries is
TRUE?
A. when two plates collide, at least one of the plates will always
subduct
B. the collision of oceanic crust against continental crust will
result in subduction of the continent
C. there are only two types of convergent boundaries: ocean-ocean
and ocean-continent
D. if two ocean plates collide, melting of the subducted plate
creates an island arc of volcanoes
E. it takes two continents colliding in order to form a volcanic
arc mountain range
16.
The top of Mt. Everest exhibits (1) __________ which indicates that (2)
___________.
A. (1) a suture zone
(2) it must be an oceancontinent plate boundary
B. (1) a caldera
(2) it must be a volcano
C. (1) constant elevation
(2) the collision between India
and Asia is now complete
D. (1) glacial features
(2) it used to be near the south
pole as part of Gondwana
E. (1) sea shell fossils
(2) it is made of old ocean
floor that got uplifted during collision
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17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
The main driving force behind plate tectonics is (1) __________ in the
mantle. Sometimes, a large plume of hot magma rises all the way to the
surface, creating a (2) ___________.
A. (1) convection
(2) hot spot
B. (1) melting
(2) volcano
C. (1) cooling
(2) lava lamp
D. (1) jets
(2) Plinian column
E. (1) subduction
(2) chain of volcanic islands
Which of the following statements about atoms is TRUE?
A. atoms are only about 1 mm wide
B. atoms are the smallest particles that uniquely identify an
element
C. different atoms of the same element always have the same number
of neutrons
D. the atomic number (number of protons) of an element can vary
E. isotopes are different elements that have very similar atoms
The negatively charged particle in an atom is a/an (1) ______; the
positively charged particle is a/an (2) ______.
A. (1) proton
(2) electron
B. (1) neuron
(2) positron
C. (1) electron (2) proton
D. (1) negatron
(2) positron
E. (1) muon
(2) moron
An atom that gains extra
_______ charge.
A. (1) cation
B. (1) anion
C. (1) molecule
D. (1) cation
E. (1) anion
electrons forms a/an (1) _______ with a (2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
positive
positive
positive
negative
negative
Sodium chloride is a compound that
which forms with (2) _______ bonds.
A. (1) diamond
(2)
B. (1) table salt
C. (1) sugar
(2)
D. (1) mica
(2)
E. (1) graphite
(2)
we usually refer to as (1) ______ and
covalent
(2) ionic
covalent
van der Waals
metallic
22.
The type of chemical bonding that forms the strongest bonds (e.g. in
diamond) is:
A. ionic
B. van der Waals
C. metallic
D. covalent
E. hydrogen
23.
If “X” represents a type of cation, and “Y” represents a type of anion with
an equal but opposite charge to “X”, the correct way to write out the formula
of the chemical compound produced by the bonding of “X” and “Y” is:
A. YX
B. XY
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C.
D.
E.
24.
25.
Y2X
X2Y
dependent on which atom is bigger
Which of the following statements about minerals is TRUE?
A. whenever elements comes together in a specific ratio, a mineral
is formed
B. water and ice are both minerals
C. all minerals have a characteristic organized internal atomic
structure
D. all minerals must have more than one element in their chemical
formula
E. glass is a mineral
Which of the following minerals can also be characterized as a native
element?:
A. silica
B. ice
C. phlogopite mica
D. feldspar
E. graphite
26. The two most abundant elements, comprising about 84% of all the atoms in
the Earth’s crust, are:
A. silicon and aluminum
B. chlorine and sodium
C. hydrogen and helium
D. iron and oxygen
E. oxygen and silicon
27.
28.
The process of atomic substitution in a mineral is when impurity atoms
substitute for similar sized atoms in the crystal lattice during growth of
the mineral. The property of the mineral that is altered as a result is the:
A. hardness
B. color
C. crystal shape
D. cleavage
E. density
The softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale is:
A. quartz
B.
calcite
C. gypsum
D. talc
E. diamond
29. The most abundant mineral family is the (1) ________ and the second-most
abundant is the (2) _______:
A. (1) silicates
(2) oxides
B. (1) oxides
(2) silicates
C. (1) carbonates
(2) oxides
D. (1) nonsilicates
(2) silicates
E. (1) silicates
(2) carbonates
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30. The silica
_________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
anion contains (1) _______ arranged into a shape called a (2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
one silicon and one oxygen
four silicons and one oxygen
four silicons and four oxygens
one silicon and four oxygens
one silicon and four oxygens
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
silicate
pyramid
tetrahedron
tetrahedron
pyramid
31. Which of the following silicate minerals has an atomic arrangement in the
form of sheets?
A. plagioclase
B. olivine
C. table salt
D. quartz
E. mica
32.
33.
Which of the following is NOT a ferromagnesian silicate?:
A. plagioclase feldspar
B. garnet
C. biotite mica
D. pyroxene
E. olivine
Metals occur in the Earth as ore minerals, often in the form of sulfides,
such as the so-called fool’s gold (FeS2), which is more accurately called:
A. native gold
B. hematite
C. pyrite
D. galena
E. magnetite
34.
Minerals can NOT form by the following process:
A. crystallization of magma or lava
B. by hydrothermal processes
C. the alteration of existing minerals
D. growth of bones in living organisms
E. evaporation
35.
On average, the geothermal gradient inside the Earth is about:
A. 1000°C per kilometer
B. 100°C per kilometer
C. 50°C per kilometer
D. 25°C per kilometer
E. 10°C per kilometer
36. The inside of the earth is not completely molten (i.e. liquid) because:
A. it never gets hot enough to melt rocks deep in the earth
B. the melting temperature of rocks increases as pressure increases
C. its chemistry always causes it to be a solid with the
consistency of salt water taffy
D. the earth would collapse in on itself if it were
E. none of the above because the inside of the earth is completely
molten
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37. The different types of magma, in order from lowest to highest silica
content, are:
A. felsic, intermediate, mafic, ultramafic
B. felsic, mafic, intermediate, ultramafic
C. mafic, ultramafic, intermediate, felsic
D. ultramafic, mafic, felsic, intermediate
E. ultramafic, mafic, intermediate, felsic
38.
39.
Which of the following types of lava has the lowest viscosity and therefore
flows the fastest and furthest?
A. felsic
B. intermediate
C. mafic
D. magma
E. ketchup
When lava erupts and cools, if may form a groundmass of small crystals
occurring together with larger phenocrysts that grew in the magma while it
was still inside the Earth. The resultant type of igneous rock texture is
called:
A. aphanitic
B. phaneritic
C. porphyritic
D. pyroclastic
E. pegmatitic
40.
Which of the following list of minerals is in the correct crystallization
order according to Bowen’s Reaction Series (note that not all possible
minerals in the series are shown)?
A. Na-plagioclase, Ca-plagioclase, K-feldspar, quartz
B. amphibole, Ca-plagioclase, K-feldspar, muscovite mica
C. olivine, quartz, muscovite mica, amphibole
D. olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, biotite mica
E. quartz, muscovite mica, K-feldspar, Na-plagioclase
41.
Which of the following lists of igneous rocks contain rock types that
belong together in the same group?
A. basalt; andesite; rhyolite
B. basalt; gabbro; diorite
C. gabbro; diorite; dacite
D. granite; diorite; basalt
E. granite; andesite; rhyolite
42.
How many active volcanoes are there in the world?
A. about a million
B. around 10,000
C. around 1,500
D. around 800
E. less than 100
43.
The type of volcanic hazard that involves a mudflow made of ash is called
a:
A. lahar
B. tsunami
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C.
D.
E.
pyroclastic flow
debris avalanche
ash fall
44. Which of the following combinations is NOT a correct match of a volcanic
hazard and a corresponding example?
A. ejected lava bombs (e.g., Galeras, Colombia)
B. pyroclastic flow (e.g., Pompeii in AD 79)
C lava flow (e.g., Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo)
D. lahar (e.g., Armero, Colombia in 1985)
E. toxic gas cloud (e.g., Kilauea, Hawaii)
45.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a nonexplosive eruption?
A. shield volcano
B. low-viscosity lava
C. typically mafic lava
D. Plinian column
E. examples in Hawaii, Iceland and Galapagos
46.
Volcanoes with steep slopes that form from the accumulation of viscous lava
and pyroclastic flows are:
A. shield volcanoes
B. stratovolcanoes
C. composite volcanoes
D. both A and B above
E. both B and C above
47.
An explosive eruption that causes the top of a volcano to collapse into the
underlying empty magma chamber creates a large circular hole in the volcano
called a:
A. caldera
B. crater
C. lava dome
D. cinder cone
E. maar crater
48.
The most active volcano in the
known eruption that occurred in
__________.
A. (1) Crater Lake
B. (1) Mt. St. Helens
C. (1) Mt. St. Helens
D. (1) Mt. Mazama
E. (1) Mt. Shasta
49.
Cascades is (1) __________ but the largest
pre-historic times was the eruption of (2)
(2) Mt. St. Helens
(2) Lassen Peak
(2) Mt. Mazama
(2) Mt. Tehama
(2) Mt. St. Helens
Which western US volcano last erupted about 70,000 years ago?
A. Mount Mazama
B. Mount Rainier
C. Mount Hood
D. Craters of the Moon
E. Yellowstone
50. Which of the following features were NOT produced when Mount St. Helens
erupted in 1980?
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A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
lahar
lateral blast
pahoehoe lava flows
pyroclastic flow
Plinian column
BONUS QUESTIONS
51.
Which of the following can be rearranged to spell the name of a mineral
which dissolves readily in diluted hydrochloric acid?
A. cami
B. lite mood
C. freds pal
D. ice talc
E. i no vile
52.
What does the atomic model on the right represent?
A. diamond
B. graphite
C. quartz
D. the silica anion
E. DNA structure
53.
What do we
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
54.
The world’s largest lava dome is:
A. Lassen Peak, California
B. Mount St. Helens, Washington
C. Craters of the Moon, Idaho
D. Yellowstone, Wyoming
E. Mauna Loa, Hawai’i
55.
call mafic lava that is smooth and syrupy?
magma
pahoehoe
a’a
spatter
cinders
I have made sure that my name and student ID number are correctly filled in
on the scantron sheet and I will remember to hand in the scantron sheet and
take the test question sheet with me when I leave. I will check my grade on
the WebCT website.
A.
yes
B. no
C. 42
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