Rocks and Minerals A – B1
9. The table below shows some properties of four
different minerals.
1. Which element is most abundant in Earth’s crust?
(1) nitrogen
(3) oxygen
(2) hydrogen
(4) silicon
2. Which group of elements is listed in increasing order
based on the percent by mass in Earth’s crust?
(1) aluminum, iron, calcium
(2) aluminum, silicon, magnesium
(3) magnesium, iron, aluminum
(4) magnesium, silicon, calcium
3. Oxygen is the most abundant element by volume in
Earth’s
(1) inner core (3) hydrosphere
(2) troposphere
(4) crust
4. What happens to the density and temperature of rock
within Earth’s interior as depth increases?
(1) density decreases and temperature decreases
(2) density decreases and temperature increases
(3) density increases and temperature increases
(4) density increases and temperature decreases
The minerals listed in the table are varieties of which
mineral?
(1) garnet
(3) quartz
(2) magnetite
(4) olivine
9. The basaltic bedrock of the oceanic crust is classified
as
(1) felsic, with a density of 2.7 g/cm3
(2) felsic, with a density of 3.0 g/cm3
(3) mafic, with a density of 2.7 g/cm3
(4) mafic, with a density of 3.0 g/cm3
10. The diagram below shows the index minerals of
Mohs hardness scale compared with the hardness of
some common objects.
5. The data table below shows the density of four
different mineral samples.
A student accurately measured the mass of a sample of
one of the four minerals to be 294.4 grams and its
volume to be 73.6 cm3. Which mineral sample did the
student measure?
(1) corundum
(3) hematite
(2) galena
(4) quartz
6. Which mineral is the major component of drywall?
(1) talc
(3) muscovite mica
(2) calcite
(4) selenite gypsum
7. Which mineral has a metallic luster, a black streak, and
is an ore of iron?
(1) galena
(3) pyroxene
(2) magnetite
(4) graphite
8. Which property is most useful in distinguishing
pyroxene from amphibole?
(1) sample size
(3) type of luster
(2) hardness
(4) angles of cleavage
Which statement is best supported by the diagram?
(1) A fingernail will scratch calcite but not gypsum.
(2) Calcite will be scratched by a copper penny.
(3) The mineral apatite will scratch topaz.
(4) A steel file has a hardness of about 7.5.
11. Which rock is sedimentary in origin and formed as a
result of chemical processes?
(1) granite
(3) breccias
(2) shale
(4) dolostone
12. In which set are the rock drawings labeled with their
correct rock types?
13. The diagram below represents geological processes
that act continuously on Earth to form different rock
types.
15. What is a common use for the mineral that is mined
at the southern end of the two largest Finger Lakes?
(1) making talcum powder
(3) polishing jewelry
(2) vulcanizing rubber
(4) melting ice
16. The gypsum deposits in New York State were formed
(1) as a result of volcanic eruptions
(2) as a result of metamorphism
(3) in a shallow ocean
(4) in a glacial outwash plain
17. The mineral wollastonite has a hardness of 4.5 to 5.
Which New York State mineral could easily scratch
wollastonite?
(1) garnet
(3) talc
(2) halite
(4) gypsum
Which table correctly classifies each rock type?
18. Which combination of temperature and pressure is
inferred to occur within Earth’s stiffer mantle?
(1) 3500°C and 0.4 million atmospheres
(2) 3500°C and 2.0 million atmospheres
(3) 5500°C and 0.4 million atmospheres
(4) 5500°C and 2.0 million atmospheres
19. The photograph below shows an igneous rock.
Base your answers to questions 14 through 17 on the
map below, which shows areas where certain minerals
were mined in significant amounts during 1989.
What is the origin and rate of formation of this rock?
(1) plutonic with slow cooling
(2) plutonic with rapid cooling
(3) volcanic with slow cooling
(4) volcanic with rapid cooling
20. The pie graph below shows the elements comprising
Earth’s crust in percent by mass.
14. In which New York State landscape region was most
of the garnet mined?
(1) Catskills
(3) Tug Hill Plateau
(2) Adirondack Mountains
(4) Erie-Ontario Lowlands
Which element is represented by the letter X?
(1) silicon
(3) nitrogen
(2) lead
(4) hydrogen
Base your answers to questions 21 through 23 on the
block diagram below, which shows a portion of Earth’s
crust. Letters A, B, C, and D indicate sedimentary layers.
21. Which event occurred most recently?
(1) formation of layer A
(2) formation of layer D
(3) tilting of all four sedimentary rock layers
(4) erosion of the igneous rock exposed at the surface
22. The igneous rock is mostly composed of potassium
feldspar and quartz crystals that have an average grain
size of 3 millimeters. The igneous rock is most likely
(1) granite (2) pegmatite (3) gabbro (4) pumice
23. Which processes produced rock layer B?
(1) subduction and melting
(2) uplift and solidification
(3) heat and pressure
(4) compaction and cementation
Base your answers to questions 24 through 26 on the
block diagrams of four rock outcrops, A, B, C, and D,
located within 15 kilometers of each other. The rock
layers have not been overturned.
24. When the rock layers at outcrops A, B, C, and D are
correlated, which rock layer would be determined to be
the oldest?
(1) quartzite (2) marble (3) gneiss (4) sandstone
25. Which stream velocity carried only clay particles to
the depositional environment where the shale formed?
(1) 0.02 cm/s (2) 0.05 cm/s (3) 10 cm/s (4) 20 cm/s
26. By which process was the quartzite formed?
(1) deposition of clastic sediment
(2) precipitation from seawater
(3) metamorphism of sandstone
(4) cementation of shells
27. The diagram below shows some features in a cave.
Which type of rock was chemically weathered by acidic groundwater to produce the cave and its features?
(1) siltstone (2) basalt (3) quartzite (4) limestone
Rocks and Minerals B2 - C
Base your answers to questions 1 through 5 on the passage and cross section below, which explain how some precious
gemstones form. The cross section shows a portion of the ancient Tethys Sea, once located between the Indian-Australian
Plate and the Eurasian Plate.
Precious Gemstones
Some precious gemstones are a form of the mineral
corundum, which has a hardness of 9. Corundum is a rare mineral
made up of closely packed aluminum and oxygen atoms, and its
formula is Al2O3. If small amounts of chromium replace some of the
aluminum atoms in corundum, a bright-red gemstone called a ruby is
produced. If traces of titanium and iron replace some aluminum
atoms, deep-blue sapphires can be produced.
Most of the world’s ruby deposits are found in metamorphic
rock that is located along the southern slope of the Himalayas, where
plate tectonics played a part in ruby formation. Around 50 million
years ago, the Tethys Sea was located between what is now India and
Eurasia. Much of the Tethys Sea bottom was composed of limestone
that contained the elements needed to make these precious
gemstones. The Tethys Sea closed up as the Indian-Australian Plate
pushed under the Eurasian Plate, creating the Himalayan Mountains.
The limestone rock lining the seafloor underwent metamorphism as it
was pushed deep into Earth by the Indian-Australian Plate. For the
next 40 to 45 million years, as the Himalayas rose, rubies, sapphires,
and other gemstones continued to form.
1. Which element replaces some of the aluminum
atoms, causing the bright-red color of a ruby? [1]
2. State one physical property of rubies, other than a
bright-red color, that makes them useful as gemstones
in jewelry. [1]
3. Identify the metamorphic rock in which the rubies and sapphires that formed along the Himalayas are usually found. [1]
4. During which geologic epoch did the events shown in the cross section of the Tethys Sea occur? [1]
5. What type of tectonic plate boundary is shown in the cross section? [1]
Base your answers to questions 6 and 7 on the passage and photograph below. The passage describes the properties of
porphyritic rocks. The photograph shows a sample of andesite rock that has a porphyritic texture.
Porphyritic Rocks
6. Identify the evidence shown by the photograph that indicates
Igneous rocks that have two distinctly different that two different cooling events occurred during the formation
crystal sizes have a porphyritic texture. They contain of this rock. [1]
large, coarse-grained crystals called phenocrysts,
which are visible to the naked eye. These crystals are
surrounded by fine-grained crystals called
groundmass.
7. The andesite sample in the photograph has a small percentage
of quartz. List three other minerals that are found in this sample.
[1]
Base your answers to questions 8 through 11 on the passage below.
Earth’s Early Atmosphere
Early in Earth’s history, the molten outer layers of
Earth released gases to form an early atmosphere.
Cooling and solidification of that molten surface
formed the early lithosphere approximately 4.4
billion years ago. Around 3.3 billion years ago,
photosynthetic organisms appeared on Earth and
removed large amounts of carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere, which allowed Earth to cool even
faster. In addition, they introduced oxygen into
Earth’s atmosphere, as a by-product of
photosynthesis. Much of the first oxygen that was
produced reacted with natural Earth elements, such
as iron, in the lithosphere and produced new
varieties of rocks and minerals. Eventually,
photosynthetic organisms produced enough oxygen
so that it began to accumulate in Earth’s
atmosphere. About 450 million years ago, there was
enough oxygen in the atmosphere to allow for the
development of an ozone layer 30 to 50 kilometers
above Earth’s surface. This layer was thick enough to
protect organisms developing on land from the
ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
9. Identify one mineral with a red-brown streak that formed when
oxygen in Earth’s early atmosphere combined with iron. [1]
10. Identify the temperature zone of the atmosphere in which the
ozone layer developed. [1]
11. Complete the pie graph below to show the percent by volume
of nitrogen and oxygen gases currently found in Earth’s
troposphere. Label each section of the graph with the name of the
gas. The percentage of other gases is shown. [1]
8. State one reason why the first rocks on Earth were
most likely igneous in origin. [1]
Base your answers to questions 12 through 15 on the passage below.
Asbestos
Asbestos is a general name given to the fibrous
varieties of six naturally occurring minerals used
in commercial products. Most asbestos minerals
are no longer mined due to the discovery during
the 1970s that long-term exposure to high
concentrations of their long, stiff fibers leads to
health problems. Workers who produce or
handle asbestos products are most at risk, since
inhaling high concentrations of airborne fibers
allows the asbestos particles to become trapped
in the workers’ lungs. Chrysotile is a variety of
asbestos that is still mined because it has short,
soft, flexible fibers that do not pose the same
health threat.
12. State one reason for the decline in global asbestos use after 1980.
[1]
13. Chrysotile is found with other minerals in New York State mines
located near 44° 30' N, 74° W. In which New York State landscape
region are these mines located? [1]
14. What determines the physical properties of minerals, such as the
long, stiff fibers of some varieties of asbestos? [1]
15. The chemical formula for chrysotile is Mg3Si2O5(OH)4. State the
name of the mineral found on the Earth Science Reference Tables that
is most similar in chemical composition. [1]
Base your answers to questions 16 and 17 on the map below.
The map shows the approximate area in a portion of North
America where some sedimentary rock layers composed of
gypsum, halite, and potassium salt minerals are found in Earth’s
crust.
16. Identify one New York State landscape region in which deposits
of gypsum and halite are commonly found. [1]
17. Identify the sedimentary rock composed of halite and explain
how this rock is usually formed. [1]
Base your answers to questions 18 and 19 on the diagram below of a mineral classification scheme that shows the
properties of certain minerals. Letters A through G represent mineral property zones. Zone E represents the presence of all
three properties. For example, a mineral that is harder than glass, has a metallic luster, but does not have cleavage, would
be placed in zone B. Assume that glass has a hardness of 5.5.
18. In which zone would the mineral potassium feldspar be placed? [1]
19. State the name of one mineral listed on the Properties of Common
Minerals Table that could not be placed in any of the zones. [1]
Graywacke
Graywacke is a type of sandstone composed of a great variety of minerals. Unlike a “clean” sandstone where both the sandsized grains and cement are composed mostly of quartz, graywacke is a “dirty” sandstone which can be composed of
potassium feldspar, plagioclase feldspar, calcite, hornblende, and augite, as well as quartz. Graywacke can be used for
paving highways. The hard, massive bedrock is first drilled and then blasted into large chunks. Stone crushers grind these
chunks into pebble-sized pieces. Truckloads of the graywacke pebbles are then hauled to plants where asphalt for paving is
made.
Base your answers to questions 20 through 22 on the passage below.
20. State one difference in the mineral composition of a “clean” sandstone and a “dirty” sandstone. [1]
21. Identify one rock-forming process that must have occurred after the sediments were deposited to form graywacke. [1]
22. State one negative environmental impact a graywacke quarry could have on the area where it is located. [1]