Name: __________________________
AP Environmental Science
Geology: The Physical Basis for Environmental Science
16 September 2013
pp. 33-39
1. ______________________ is the study of Earth’s physical feature, processes, and history.
2. On the diagram of the Earth below, label the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust using the lines
provided. Label where the asthenosphere would be found.
3. On the diagram above, color the layers that would be molten red. Color the layers that would be solid
blue.
4. Complete the following paragraph to summarize the theory of plate tectonics.
Heat from the inner layers of Earth drive _____________________ currents that flow in loops in
the ______________________. These currents push the mantle’s soft rock __________________
upward and downward as if on a giant ______________________ belt. Large plates of
________________________ “float” on this flowing mantle like an ever-moving jigsaw puzzle.
Scientist’s hypothesize that there are about ___________ major tectonic plates and likely
numerous smaller plates. Evidence suggests that at least twice in Earth’s history, all landmasses
were joined together in a single ________________________. This most recently occurred 225
million years ago. Scientists dubbed the supercontinent _____________________.
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5. Match the geological feature of the Earth in Column A with the type of plate boundary that it signifies in
Column B.
Column A
Column B
_____ volcanic island arc
_____ trench/ subduction zone
_____ rift valley
_____ mid-ocean ridge
_____ mountain ranges (usually containing
volcanoes)
A. Convergent plate boundary
B. Divergent plate boundary
6. Match Earth’s geologic features in Column A with the type of plate boundary that it typifies in Column B.
Column A
_____ California’s San Andreas Fault
_____ Alaska’s Aleutian Island chain
_____ Mid-Atlantic Ridge
_____ Himalayan Mountains
_____ Mariana Trench
_____ Mount Saint Helens & the Cascades
_____ Andes Mountains
_____ Iceland
Column B
A. Convergent plate boundary
B. Divergent plate boundary
C. Transform plate boundary
7. Describe how the topography resulting from tectonics processes can shape the climate, affect living
things, and provide evolutionary pressure.
___________________________________________________________________________________
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8. The _________________ describes the very slow geologic process by which rocks and the minerals
that comprise them are heated, melted, cooled, broken down, and reassembled.
9. What is the difference between a rock and a mineral? ______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
10. List five things that the type of rock in a particular region can affect.
a. ____________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________
c. ____________________________________________
d. ____________________________________________
e. ____________________________________________
11. What is the difference between magma and lava? _________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
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12. Match the term in Column A with its definition in Column B.
Column A
Column B
_____ intrusive igneous rock
A. Forms when sediment layers accumulate over time and
the resulting weight and pressure of overlying layers
physically press them together (compaction) or glue
them together (cementation).
B. Small particles of rock that form when existing rocks are
weathered and eroded into small pieces, transported by
wind or water, and deposited downhill, downstream, or
downwind.
C. Forms when pre-existing rock is subjected to high
temperature, high pressure, and/or chemically active
fluids resulting in reshaping of the rock’s internal
crystalline structure.
D. Forms below or on the earth’s surface when molten rock
wells up from the earth’s upper mantle or deep crust and
cools slowly allowing minerals of different types to
aggregate.
E. Forms below or on the earth’s surface when molten rock
wells up from the earth’s upper mantle or deep crust and
cools quickly giving minerals little time to grow.
_____ extrusive igneous rock
_____ sedimentary rock
_____ sediments
_____ metamorphic rock
12. Match the rock in Column A with its type in Column B.
Column A
Column B
_____ basalt
_____ sandstone
_____ granite
F. Intrusive igneous rock
G. Extrusive igneous rock
H. Sedimentary rock
_____ shale
_____ slate
_____ limestone
_____ marble
_____ coal
I.
Metamorphic rock
13. What is the USArray? Why is it significant? _____________________________________________
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