Name _______________________________ Date __________________
Science SOL ES.8
1. What is true about the two
principal sets of mountain ranges
in North America?
A Both were created a very long time
ago by sea-floor spreading along
mid-ocean ridges.
B Both came into existence at about
the same geologic time.
C The western mountains (Rockies) are
taller than the ones in the East
(Appalachians) because the eastern
mountains are still growing.
D The western mountains (Rockies) are
taller than the ones in the East
(Appalachians) because the eastern
mountains have been worn down by
erosion.
2. The mountains of the western
part of Virginia and their rolling
foothills to the west of the river
fall-line are the result of what
geologic process?
A
B
C
D
faulting in the Earth’s crust
volcanism and subduction
folding and weathering
sedimentation and erosion
Use the following diagram to answer
the next three questions.
3. Order the top three rock layers
from oldest to most recent.
A
B
C
D
sandstone, shale, limestone
limestone, shale, sandstone
shale, limestone, sandstone
sandstone, limestone, shale
4. The feature indicated by the
arrow most likely occurred as a
result of what?
A
B
C
D
cementation
sedimentation
earthquake activity
volcanic eruption
5. Which of the four types of rocks
shown are often porous?
A
B
C
D
sandstone only
sandstone and shale
sandstone, shale, and limestone
All four can be porous.
6. At the boundary between two
lithospheric plates, where a light
continental plate and a dense
oceanic plate collide, what
generally happens?
A
B
C
D
The oceanic plate is forced down
under the continental plate.
The two plates just stop moving.
Mountains develop on edge of the
oceanic plate.
The continental slips under the
ocean plate.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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21
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Science SOL ES.8
7. Of the following processes, which
is a description of “weathering”?
C
A Volcanoes erupt, sending out great
clouds of steam, gases, and
suspended solid particles, thus
changing the climate worldwide.
B The effect of wind, water, and
alternate cooling and heating, break
rocks.
D
C Water vapor turns to rain, which falls
to Earth.
D The sun heats tropical air and water
masses which flow toward the
temperate zones.
8. Many scientists believe that
convection currents in the mantle
between South America and
Africa caused the separation of
the two continents and the
formation of the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge. Which diagram best
represents the currents described
in their theory?
9. The diagram below illustrates
which type of mass movement?
Tilted fenceposts and
telephone poles
Broken wall
A
Zone of soil
Strata bending
downhill
B
A
B
C
D
slump
talus
landslide
creep
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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22
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Name _______________________________ Date __________________
Science SOL ES.8
10. When two continental plates
collide, what landform develops?
12. Which rock is the youngest in
this cross-section?
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
rift zone
valley
mountains
trench
11. What would be the correct
sequence for the development of
a mature river?
1
3
A
B
C
D
A
B
G
F
13. Which two layers show
unconformity?
2
A
B
C
D
4
14. What caused the shift in layers B,
D, and E?
1, 2, 3, 4
2, 3, 4, 1
1, 3, 4, 2
4, 2, 3, 1
A
B
C
D
F and D
A and B
E and F
C and D
folding
faulting
rifting
weathering
Profile of the James River
A
B
C
Use this diagram to answer the next
three questions.
D
E
15. At which location does the James
River enter the Coastal Plain?
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Science SOL ES.8
16. Between which two points would
the greatest erosion occur?
20. Where will the velocity decrease
and deposition occur?
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
A to B
B to C
C to D
D to E
A
B
C
D
17. Which point on the diagram
represents the Fall Line?
21. Where will erosion be the
greatest?
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
B
C
D
E
18. In which province of Virginia
does the James originate?
A
B
C
D
22. Where is the velocity slowest?
A
B
C
D
Appalachian Plateau
Blue Ridge Mountains
Valley and Ridge
Piedmont
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
Use the Diagram of a River to answer
the next four questions.
Diagram of a River
A
B
C
D
19. Where will the velocity be the
greatest?
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 1999, 2000 S.S. Flanagan & D.E. Mott
24
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Name _______________________________ Date __________________
Science SOL ES.8
Use this chart the answer the next four questions.
MAJOR DIVISIONS OF GEOLOGIC TIME IN USE BY THE
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
EON
ERA
PERIOD OR
SYSTEM
EPOCH OR
SERIES
APPROX. NUMBER
OF MILLIONS
YEARS AGO
APPROX. LENGTH
IN MILLIONS OF
YEARS
Quarternary
Recent
Pleistocene
Pliocene
Miocene
Oligocene
Eocene
Paleocene
0 – .1
.1 – 1.6
1.6 – 12
12 – 28
28 – 40
.1
.6
10.4
15
12
40 – 66.4
26.4
Cenozoic
Tertiary
Mesozoic
Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic
66.4 – 144
144 – 208
208 – 245
77.6
64
37
Paleozoic
Permian
Pennsylvanian
Mississippian
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovocian
Cambrian
245 – 286
286 – 320
320 – 360
360 – 408
408 – 438
438 – 505
505 – 570
41
34
40
48
30
67
65
570 – 900
900 – 1,600
1,600 – 2,500
330
700
900
Phanerozoic
Proterozoic
Archearn
Late Proterozoic (Z)
Middle Proterozoic (Y)
Early Proterozoic (X)
Oldest known rocks in U. S. 3,600 million years; oldest rocks: 3,900; Earth’s age: 4,800.
23. The sediments of the Fall Line
formed from 140 to 1 million
years ago. In which era were they
initially deposited?
A
B
C
D
cenozoic
mesozoic
paleozoic
protozoic
24. Triassic rock layers are found in
the Piedmont. They were formed
how many million years ago?
A
B
C
D
208-245
28-40
144-208
245-286
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Science SOL ES.8
25. The coastal plain is the youngest
area of Virginia to be formed. In
which era did this occur?
A
B
C
D
paleozoic
cenozoic
mesozoic
proterozoic
26. Rocks in the Blue Ridge are
approximately 1.2 million years
old. They were formed in which
era?
A
B
C
D
Continue
proterozoic
archean
cenozoic
paleozoic
27. The faults shown are due to
which of the following earth
movements?
A
B
C
D
compression
shearing
tension
none of the above
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 1999, 2000 S.S. Flanagan & D.E. Mott
26
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Name _______________________________ Date __________________
Science SOL ES.8
Use the table below to answer the next two questions.
Earthquakes In and Around Virginia
Date
{Year-MoDay}
Maximum
Intensity
1774-02-21
1833-08-27
1852-04-29
1852-11-02
1875-12-23
1885-10-10
1897-08-03
1897-08-03
1897-08-31
1898-02-05
1907-02-11
1918-04-10
1919-09-06
1929-12-26
1954-01-02
1969-11-20
1975-11-11
1976-09-13
VI
VI
VI
VI
VII
VI
VII
VIII
VII
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
Felt Area
{Sq. Miles}
Locality
58,000
52,000
174,500
32,000
50,000
25,000
280,000
280,000
34,000
5,600
65,000
65,000
1,000
1,000
2,050
100,000
100,000
9,000
Petersburg
Goochland County
Greyson County
BuckinghamCounty
BuckinghamCounty
Nelson County
Giles County
Giles County
Wytheville
Arvoniz
Luray
Warren County
Albemarle County
Bell County, KY; Lee County
Giles County
Elgood, WV; Rich Creek, VA
Giles County
Carroll County
28. The majority of earthquakes of VI
magnitude or greater have
occurred in which county?
30. The earthquake region of Virginia
is unstable due to what
geological occurrence?
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
Buckingham
Nelson
Giles
Warren
sandstone formation
karst region
old granite bedrock
heavily eroded bedrock
29. The first earthquake recorded
occurred where?
A
B
C
D
Carroll County
Petersburg
Giles County
Warren County
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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27
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Name _______________________________ Date __________________
Science SOL ES.8
31. Which two of the following
provinces of Virginia are prone to
earthquakes?
32. Why is there a concentration of
epicenters in eastern Tennessee?
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
Coastal Plain and Piedmont
Piedmont and Ridge and Valley
Ridge and Valley and Plateau
Blue Ridge and Coastal Plain
the area is a hotspot of volcanic
activity
the area sits above an old rift zone
the area sits above a minor fault line
the epicenters were recorded from
rebound P waves
33. The physiographic provinces of
Virginia run from northeast to
southwest. Which of the following
theories explains this direction?
A
B
C
D
During the Pangean era, the state of
Virginia was bent due to rifting.
The African continent slammed into
North America, causing the shift.
Glaciation shifted the geological
landscape.
Weathering of landforms changed
the topographic landscape.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Name _______________________________ Date __________________
Science SOL ES.8
34. The eastern boundary of the
Piedmont is the Fall Line. What is
the Fall Line?
A
B
C
D
an area formed by the meeting of
fresh and tidal waters
an area formed by deep channels in
the coastal rivers
an area where two environmentally
diverse areas meet
an area of large rapids, making
western river travel impossible
35. The Ridge and Valley province
was formed from which type of
orogeny?
A
B
C
D
the folding of the area due to the
collision of Africa and North America
the rifting of Pangea into separate
continents
the shifting of faults causing the
uplifting of mountains
the ancient volcanic activity being
eroded away by time
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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