Geol 101: Physical Geology
Spring 2001
EXAM 4
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1. Which of these is the correct order for Palouse area geology (from oldest to youngest)?
A. Idaho Batholith granite - Belt rocks - Columbia River flood basalts - loess deposits
B. Belt rocks - Idaho Batholith granite - Columbia River flood basalts - loess deposits
C. Belt rocks - Columbia River flood basalts - Idaho Batholith granite - loess deposits
D. Columbia River flood basalts - Idaho Batholith granite - Belt rocks - loess deposits
E. loess deposits - Columbia River flood basalts - Idaho Batholith granite - Belt rocks
2. Granite Point, along the Snake River, is actually not granite, but (1) _________ and contains the
minerals (2) ____________.
A. (1) basalt; (2) feldspar and pyroxene
B. (1) basalt; (2) feldspar and biotite
C. (1) gneiss; (2) quartz, feldspar, and amphibole
D. (1) gneiss; (2) quartz, feldspar, and muscovite
E. (1) gneiss; (2) quartz, feldspar, and biotite
3. Removal of gravel from the alluvial fan deposit along the Snake River for road construction created a
geologic hazard further upstream because it resulted in:
A. increased deposition along the river valley
B. stream piracy by headward erosion
C. base level being lowered
D. base level being raised
E. the eruption of Mt. Mazama
4. The Bonneville flood happened (1) _______ the Missoula floods and flowed in the (2) _________
direction along the Snake River.
A. (1) before; (2) downstream
B. (1) before; (2) upstream
C. (1) after; (2) downstream
D. (1) after; (2) upstream
E. it is not known which flood happened first
5. Which of the following statements about the cooling of basalt lava flows is correct?
A. the lava forms columnar joints because of cooling and shrinking of the lava
B. the lava cools from the top and the bottom at the same time
C. the center of the lava flow cools last, forming a fractured zone called the entablature
D. if the lava is extruded into water, it may cool rapidly and form pillow basalt
E. all of the above are true
6. During the Cretaceous, plate motions and subduction along the west coast of North America resulted in:
A. microcontinents colliding with North America, forming Oregon and Washington
B. intrusion of the Idaho batholith due to partial melting along the subduction zone
C. extrusion of the Columbia River flood basalts
D. both A and B above
E. both B and C above
7. Plate tectonics theory suggests that the continents were once all combined into a supercontinent called
(1) __________, with the southern part called (2) __________ and the northern part called (3) __________.
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A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
(1) Pangea; (2) Laurasia; (3) Gondwana
(1) Pangea; (2) Gondwana; (3) Laurasia
(1) Laurasia; (2) Gondwana; (3) Pangea
(1) Gondwana; (2) Laurasia; (3) Pangea
(1) Gondwana; (2) Pangea; (3) Laurasia
8. Which of the following is NOT one of the lines of evidence that South America and Africa were once
joined together?
A. they both show evidence of tropical climates in the south during the Carboniferous
B. the shapes of their coastlines are very similar
C. they have similar distributions of rocks that are about 550 million years old
D. they both contain fossils of a type of plant species called Glossopteris
E. they show evidence of simultaneous glaciation, with consistent glacier flow directions
9. The geologic evidence that the northern hemisphere continents were once joined together includes the
matching up of the __________ mountain range in North America with the Caledonides mountain range in
Ireland, Great Britain, Greenland, and Scandinavia.
A. Rocky
B. Cascade
C. Alps
D. Appalachian
E. Sierra Nevada
10. Africa and South America both show fossil evidence of a type of freshwater reptile called:
A. Cynognathus
B. Glossopteris
C. Mesosaurus
D. Tyrannosaurus
E. Simonsaurus
11. What was the final, convincing piece of evidence that plate tectonics is real?
A. evidence of sea floor spreading from paleomagnetic studies
B. the fact that polar reversals happen
C. the fact that the Earth has ice ages from time to time
D. the theory of evolution
E. the fact that coastlines seem to match up across the oceans
12. We see evidence for sea floor spreading in which of the following?
A. the presence of mid-ocean ridges with active volcanism
B. the fact that oceanic crustal rocks get older as you move further from the ridge
C. bands of crust parallel to ocean ridges showing alternating magnetic polarity
D. all of the above
E. none of the above
13. There are at least (1) _____ tectonic plates made up of oceanic and continental (2) ___________.
A. (1) 25; (2) asthenosphere
B. (1) 17; (2) asthenosphere
C. (1) 50; (2) crust
D. (1) 25; (2) lithosphere
E. (1) 17; (2) lithosphere
14. Pangea began to break up some time during the:
A. Cambrian Period
B. Triassic Period
C. Hadean Eon
D. Holocene Epoch
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E. Carboniferous Period
15. The three types of tectonic plate boundaries are:
A. normal, reverse, and strike-slip
B. active, passive, and extinct
C. divergent, convergent, and transform
D. seismic, volcanic, and subducting
E. ocean-ocean, ocean-continent, and continent-continent
16. The East African Rift Valley is an example of a/an:
A. divergent plate boundary
B. convergent plate boundary
C. passive plate boundary
D. subduction zone plate boundary
E. ocean-continent plate boundary
17. The oldest oceanic crust is only 180 million years old because:
A. all older oceanic crust was subducted at subduction zones
B. there were no oceans more than 180 million years ago
C. plate tectonics has only been happening for the last 180 million years
D. we are unable to tell the age of anything older than 180 million years
E. the Earth is 180 million years old
18. Subduction at an ocean-ocean convergent plate boundary results in the development of a line of
volcanic islands called an (1) ___________ made up of (2) __________ volcanic rocks.
A. (1) archipelago; (2) limestone
B. (1) atoll; (2) andesite
C. (1) atoll; (2) basalt
D. (1) island arc; (2) andesite
E. (1) island arc; (2) basalt
19. The approximate speed of tectonic plate movement is:
A. about a meter per year
B. completely imperceptible except over time periods of centuries
C. about the rate your fingernails grow
D. 60 mph
E. warp-speed, Scotty
20. It is generally believed the main driving force for plate tectonics is:
A. tidal forces between the Earth, Sun, and Moon
B. lavas pushing through the crust at mid-ocean ridges
C. shrinking of the Earth as it cools
D. convection in the mantle
E. the power of positive thinking
21. An example of a renewable resource is:
A. groundwater
B. oil
C. gold
D. coal
E. wind
22. Which of the following resources is NOT a fossil fuel?
A. oil shales
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B.
C.
D.
E.
uranium-235
coal
tar sand
natural gas
23. Which of the following shows the correct order for the products of ongoing coalification?
A. bituminous coal - lignite - anthracite - peat
B. peat - bituminous coal - lignite - anthracite
C. peat - lignite - bituminous coal - anthracite
D. anthracite - lignite - bituminous coal - peat
E. lignite - peat - bituminous coal - anthracite
24. Most of our coal formed from plants that decayed in peat swamps that existed during the:
A. Devonian and Carboniferous Periods
B. Carboniferous and Permian Periods
C. Precambrian
D. last 5,000 years
E. Industrial Revolution
25. A good example of a type of cap rock in an oil reservoir is:
A. sandstone
B. limestone
C. conglomerate
D. shale
E. none of the above
26. Which of the following is an example of a structural trap in an oil reservoir?
A. sandstone layer
B. unconformity
C. stratigraphic pinch-out
D. coral reef material
E. an anticline
27. Which of the following sources of energy is currently the most effective for supplying the energy
needs of society?
A. hydroelectric energy
B. tidal energy
C. solar energy
D. wind energy
E. geothermal energy
28. Which of the following statements about nuclear power is incorrect?
A. nuclear power is far more efficient than oil for generating energy
B. nuclear power plants produce fusion reactions to generate power
C. the radioactive decay of uranium-235 is the basis for producing nuclear energy
D. nuclear power supplies about 17% of the world's energy needs
E. a by-product of nuclear power generation is radioactive waste that can be an
environmental hazard
29. The green mineral, (1) ________ can be mined to produce (2) __________.
A. (1) magnetite; (2) silver
B. (1) sphalerite; (2) copper
C. (1) galena; (2) lead
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D. (1) magnetite; (2) gold
E. (1) malachite; (2) copper
30. Which type of mineral deposit forms as a result of deposition by water flowing on the Earth's surface?
A. magmatic
B. residual
C. hydrothermal
D. metamorphic
E. placer
31. Diamonds can be a type of magmatic mineral deposit that forms inside a rock type called:
A. basalt
B. sandstone
C. calcite
D. chromite
E. kimberlite
32. Which of the following is an example of a geologic risk?
A. a city in a region prone to tsunami waves
B. a forest during peak fire season
C. an uninhabited volcanic island
D. an earthquake in the middle of the Sahara desert
E. an avalanche in a mountainous region on Antarctica
33. Which of the following is potentially a geologic hazard?
A. earthquake
B. volcanic eruption
C. landslide
D. meteorite impact
E. all of the above
34. Which of the following is NOT an example of a rapid onset hazard?
A. meteorite impact
B. flash flood
C. slump
D. tsunami
E. earthquake
35. Which of the planets does not revolve around the Sun within the plane of the ecliptic?
A. Earth
B. Venus
C. Neptune
D. Pluto
E. Uranus
36. Between which two planets does the asteroid belt occur?
A. Mercury and Venus
B. Earth and Mars
C. Mars and Jupiter
D. Saturn and Uranus
E. Neptune and Pluto
37. The terrestrial planets consist of:
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A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Venus, Mars, Earth, and Europa
Mars, Earth, Venus, and the Moon
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
Earth is the only terrestrial planet
38. A piece of space debris that enters the Earth's atmosphere is called a (1) _______ but if it hits the
ground it is called a (2) _________.
A. (1) asteroid; (2) meteorite
B. (1) comet; (2) meteorite
C. (1) meteor; (2) fireball
D. (1) meteor; (2) meteorite
E. (1) meteorite; (2) meteor
39. The meteorite impact that killed of the dinosaurs was the Chicxulub meteorite that hit the _________.
A. Arizona desert, USA
B. Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
C. Tunguska region, Siberia
D. Manicougan region, Canada
E. Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia
40. Chondrites, carbonaceous chondrites, and achondrites are all types of:
A. stony meteorites
B. stony-iron meteorites
C. iron meteorites
D. comets
E. asteroids
41. The planet that is closest in size to Earth is:
A. Mercury
B. Mars
C. Venus
D. Jupiter
E. Pluto
42. The Hellas meteorite impact site, Olympus Mons volcano, and the Valles Marineris rift valley, are all
features on:
A. Mercury
B. Mars
C. Venus
D. Jupiter
E. Pluto
43. The only three bodies in the solar system that show clear evidence of active volcanic activity are:
A. Mercury, Venus, and Earth
B. Mars, Venus, and Earth
C. Venus, Earth, and Io
D. Earth, Io, and Triton
E. Earth, Io, and Europa
44. The two types of rock that make up most of the Moon's surface are:
A. basalt and granite
B. basalt and limestone
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C. diorite and anorthosite
D. anorthosite and limestone
E. anorthosite and basalt
45. The major components of the atmosphere when Earth first formed were:
A. oxygen, nitrogen, and argon
B. oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapor
C. water vapor, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen
D. water vapor, nitrogen, and sulfur
E. nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and hydrochloric acid
46. The main process for creating oxygen in the atmosphere was:
A. meteorite impacts
B. photosynthesis by cyanobacteria
C. breakdown of water vapor by ultraviolet radiation
D. the formation of limestone
E. outgassing during volcanic eruptions
47. The explosion of advanced life forms began about ________ years ago.
A. 4.6 billion
B. 3.5 billion
C. 2 billion
D. 600 million
E. 6 million
48. The most likely candidates for extraterrestrial life in the solar system are:
A. Earth and the Moon
B. Venus and Mars
C. Jupiter and Saturn
D. Mars and Io
E. Mars and Europa
49. The idea that evolutionary change may be a gradual, imperceptible process is called:
A. phyletic gradualism
B. punctuated equilibrium
C. natural selection
D. species diversification
E. a load of codswallop
50. It is difficult to find fossil evidence of the earliest multicellular eukaryotic organisms because:
A. there are no multicellular eukaryotic organisms
B. rocks of that age are rare
C. they were jelly-like and had no hard parts to be preserved as fossils
D. they were a rare form of vertebrate animal
E. none of the above
BONUS QUESTIONS
51. An example of a continent-continent convergent plate boundary is:
A. the East African Rift Valley
B. the San Andreas fault
C. the Cascadia subduction zone
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D. the Himalayas
E. the Phillipines
52. Which of the following countries is most dependent on geothermal energy?
A. United States of America
B. Iceland
C. Canada
D. South Africa
E. Brazil
53. Which of the following is not a geologic risk for the city of Seattle?
A. avalanches
B. volcanic eruptions
C. earthquakes
D. floods
E. lahars
54. Which of the following planets have rings around them?
A. Jupiter
B. Saturn
C. Uranus
D. Neptune
E. all of the above
55. Where is the safest place to build a house?
A. Seattle, Washington
B. Los Angeles, California
C. Davenport, Iowa
D. Valdez, Alaska
E. Moscow, Idaho
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