ASPC 151 Past Midterm Questions and Answers
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APSC 151
Geology
Multiple Choice Questions from 1996 – 2001
Prepared by: OniMaster
Opening Notes : None of these answers are guaranteed to be correct. They have been
found from old midterms and old scantron answer sheets in addition to the geology
textbook and online notes from Dr. Hanes. Any answers that I, the writer, was not
convinced were correct were marked with a question mark following the answer. Notes
have been added after the answers in some cases.
Rock Related
Silicates
The three most abundant elements in the continental crust are:
O, Si, Al
Which of the following silicate mineral structures does not involve any polymerization?
Isolated tetrahedral – Polymerization is sharing of oxygen.. when isolated nothing
sharing the oxygen
Which of the following best describes the silica tetrahedron?
SiO4-4
All silicate minerals contain these elements:
Si and O
The building block of the silicate minerals is called the
Silicon oxygen tetrahedron
Quartz and feldspar are minerals that belong to the same silicate structural type. There
compositional difference is due to the replacement of some silicon atoms by another
element to form the feldspars. What is the element that replaces the silicon?
Al
What percentage of the Earth’s crust is composed of silicate minerals?
97%
What is the hardest common silicate mineral?
Quartz – Think Quartz watches
What percentage of the crust, by volume, do oxygen and silicon represent?
98% - By weight it is 74%!
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The fact that hornblende has two cleavage planes at an angle of ca. 124 to each other and
that pyroxene has two cleavage planes at ca. 90 to each other is because:
Pyroxene has a single chain structure whereas amphibole has a double chain
structure
Which of the following minerals displays the most polymerization of Si Tetrahedral
Quartz – may not be the MOST polymerized. Only guess Quartz if you don’t now
the answer
Polymerization in silicate minerals is:
The sharing of oxygen atoms between silica tetrahedral
How many electrons are there in the outer shell of a silicon atom?
4 – Periodic Table; Silicon in group 4A
Which of the following minerals has the most sharing of oxygen atoms?
Muscovite Mica?
Rocks in General
In order for there to be magmatic differentiation by fractional crystallization
Early formed crystals must be separated from the remaining magma
Which of the following is NOT true about stratovolcanoes?
They have magma with a low viscosity – In fact it has very HIGH viscosity – Very
thick
Which of the following is most closely associated with an ophiolite?
Obduction
In a layered intrusion, where would you be most likely to find deposits of chromate?
At the bottom?
Ferromagnesian minerals are generally
Dark in color and heavy – Think Iron and Magnesium
Graphite and diamond are polymorph, with different properties. The softness of graphite
is due to:
The presence of Van Der Waal forces – Dispersion forces – Very Weak
Which of the following is NOT one of the five most abundant mineral groups in the
Earth’s crust?
Iron Oxides?
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Choose the word that fits the blank in the following sentence. “Clay minerals can swell
when water is added because the water molecules can fit into the spaces between the
silicate sheets where the __________ bonds are.”
Van Der Waal’s
Non-silicate minerals supply most of our mineral resources because:
All of the above – They have a simpler crystal structure than the silicates; they
occur in occasional local abundance; metals are concentrated in non-silicates
An example of a silicate mineral with cleavage is
Potassium feldspar – many other possibilities too
In the mineral olivine, which is NOT true?
There is polymerization of the silica tetrahedral – It is isolated tetrahedral
In a sequence of silicate minerals of progressively decreasing polymerization, which of
the following is true (going in direction of decreased polymerization)?
Dunno
An example of a mineral with a framework silicate structure is?
Plagioclase Feldspar
Which of the following sentences is true?
The oceanic crust is more mafic than the continental crust – Lower Down –Oceanic
Crust is mainly Gabbro instead of feldspars etc
The most common mineral in the earth’s crust is:
Feldspar
Which of the following minerals does NOT contain one, or both of Fe and MG as
essential elements?
Plagioclase Feldspar – Not the only one
The core of the Earth is composed primarily of:
Fe and Ni
Which of the following materials would be the best base course of a road?
Crushed Limestone – Cement is made from Limestone
Which of the following minerals are polymorphs? (list given)
Diamond and Graphite – Polymorphs are same formula, different structure
Which of the following two ions are very close in radius, thus allowing solid solution in
plagioclase feldspar?
Ca and Na – Solid solution means atoms can be “interchanged”
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Non-silicate minerals supply most of our mineral resources because:
All of the above – They have a simpler crystal structure than the silicates; they
occur in occasional local abundance; metals are concentrated in non-silicates
Which of the following is NOT a consequence of the internal atomic structure?
Composition – IE : Hot chocolate does not depend on atomic structure
Which of the following elements is NOT found as an essential constituent of plagioclase
feldspar?
K
What are the two elements that can replace one another in the olivine solid solution?
Mg, Fe
Which of the following minerals would likely be the most economic source of metal Fe?
Magnetite
Which of the following is NOT an abundant metal in the Earth’s crust
Cu – Remember: Titanium is relatively abundant
Where do most scarce metals occur in the Earth’s crust?
By atomic substitution in common silicate metals – AKA they are in silicates
What is the main criterion for the classification of the non-silicate minerals?
The nature of non-metallic atoms
Which of the following minerals is a chloride?
Halite – NaCl – Salt
Which of these minerals is made up entirely of ionic bonds?
Halite – Remember, salt is an ionic compound
The most suitable material for the sub grade of a road is :
Sand and Gravel – Strong material with good drainage
Which of the following minerals is an ore mineral of copper (Cu)?
Chalcopyrite
The average density of the surface rocks of the Earth is closet to:
3 g/cc – Average density of entire Earth is around 5.5
Which of the following minerals has no cleavage?
Olivine
Which of the following minerals is most likely to lead to acid mine-drainage problems?
Pyrite?
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Which of the following is a form of ground failure that is related to Earthquake activity?
Liquefaction – Solid soil turning into fluid
Which of the following is NOT true about feldspar?
It has a single chain silicate structure
Which of the following elements is the most abundant (by weight) in the earth’s crust?
Oxygen
The MOHO is a boundary in the Earth across which, as one goes deeper in the Earth, a
number of changes occur. Only one of the five changes listed below is correct however.
Which is it?
The Si content goes down? – Earth becomes more mafic as one goes lower
Which of the following formula is that of potassium feldspar?
KAlSi3O8
Which of the following pieces of evidence from the geology around the Kingston area is
evidence of a former mountain building event?
Migmatite
Which of the following minerals does not have a sheet structure?
Pyroxene – other possibilities too
Which of the following does not show solid solution characteristics
Quartz (a solid solution is one where elements can be interchanged)
90% by WEIGHT of the Earth is made up of four elements. These four, in decreasing
order of abundance from left to right are:
Fe, O, Si, Mg
Which of the following minerals is classed as an oxide?
Magnetite – Chromite common oxide too
In the mineral olivine, the following ions can substitute for one another :
Iron and Magnesium – Same as question about solid solution
Which of the following statements is true?
Minerals are naturally occurring, organic substances – Remember organic
Which of the following criteria is NOT a suitable one to distinguish quartz from calcite?
Color – Both can be clear
Which of the following minerals has the highest proportion of aluminum?
Ca-rich plagioclase feldspar – Al substitutes for silicon in feldspars
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All mafic minerals contain one or both of these elements
Fe, Mg
What percentage of scarce metals in the Earth’s crust are estimated to occur in nonsilicate minerals?
0.01%
Which of the following is NOT a mineral?
Glass – Has to be manufactured
What kind of bond occurs in Diamond?
Covalent – Strongest bonded substance
What is the bond type in the silica tetrahedral?
Mixed covalent and ionic
Which of the following elements is NOT one of the 8 most abundant element’s in Earth’s
Crust?
Hydrogen
In the mineral olivine which is true?
There is an isolated tetrahedral structure
The main ingredient in the construction of cement is
Limestone
The third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust is:
Al (O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K, Mg by weight %)
What percentage of the crust by volume do oxygen and silicon represent?
98% - 74% by weight!!!
Which of the following minerals is an ore mineral of lead?
Galena – Lead = Dense. Galena = Dense
Which of the following leads to a higher melting temperature for a mineral?
Increase in pressure – APSC 131
In which type of igneous rock would you be most likely to find deposits of molybdenum
and tin?
Granite Porphyry
What magma is LEAST likely to reach the surface of the earth?
Felsic – VERY thick
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Which of the following is hardly ever a danger when a stratovolcano erupts?
Lava flow – Because lava is felsic and therefore VERY thick
Why can stratovolcanoes erupt so violently?
Because their magma is felsic to intermediate in composition with high dissolved
water – Whatever that means…
What igneous feature is most likely to be found with strait form massive sulphide
deposits?
Pillow lavas
What is the most important control on the grain size of an igneous rock?
The rate of cooling of the magma
If you were to find an igneous volcanic rock with 50% SiO2 what kind of volcanic feature
would it most likely be associated with?
A lava sheet
What type of lava is MOST likely to cool at the Earth’s surface to produce obsidian?
One with a high viscosity
At the core-mantle boundary, seismic P-waves moving from the mantle into the core:
Are refracted towards the inner core
Which of the following doesn’t have a framework structure?
Olivine – Note: Lots of midterm questions deal with Olivine.. know its structure well
The Mohovoricic Discontinuity (or MOHO) is located:
At the crust-mantle boundary – Some waves travel through mantle, others through
crust, messes with the arrival times at some stations.
What is the main criterion used to name igneous rocks?
Chemical composition
What is the basic reason why Nature has been able to generate a wide range of igneous
rock compositions?
Silicate minerals have different melting points – All melting at different times
Which of the following minerals is HIGHEST on the Bowen Reaction Series (highest
boiling point)
Olivine – Not necessarily the highest melting point of ANY mineral
Layers
Tectonic plates move:
Over the asthenosphere – plastic like and can move
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The inside of the Earth can convect to assist in releasing the Earth’s internal heat. At the
surface of the Earth, what marks the down-going part of the convection?
Convergent plate margins?
Of the following terms, which best represents the composition of the oceanic crust?
Mafic
The rock composition that most closely describes the average composition of the
continental crust is:
Granodioritic
This layer of the Earth contains more than 80% of the Earth’s volume:
Mantle
What type of feldspar are you most likely to find in gabbro?
Ca-Rich plagioclase
Which of the following minerals has just covalent bonding
Diamond – This should be the only mineral that will be given with pure covalent
Which rock best describes the average composition of the oceanic crust?
Gabbro
The asthenosphere can be described as
A plastic layer composed of mantle material – Area beneath lithosphere
Which of the following layers of the Earth is thinnest?
Oceanic Crust – 5km deep at places
Graphite and Diamond are polymorphs because they have the same
Composition – Same as earlier question on polymorphs
At which type of plate boundary are lithospheric plates being destroyed
Convergent boundary – Hitting each other and being destroyed
At which type of plate boundary are new lithosphere plates being produced?
Divergent boundary – Moving apart, therefore forming plates
What term denotes the tendency for an aggregate or a soil to lose its internal cohesion and
fail mechanically during earthquake sharing?
Liquefaction – Fancy wording meaning soil turns to fluid
What kind of plate boundary is the San Andreas fault an example of?
Transform – Sliding past each other
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The lithosphere is defined as:
A rigid layer of crustal and mantle material - It’s the crust and part of the mantle
The lithosphere is closest in thickness to:
100km
Which layer of the Earth is entirely liquid?
The outer core
The rock composition that most closely describes the composition of the mantle is:
Ultramafic
There are two parts to the core. one is liquid. the other is solid. The reason for this
difference is:
Because the liquid one is hotter than the solid one
The Earth’s magnetic field is thought to be generated in this region:
Outer Core – Due to it being liquid
The Mohorovicic discontinuity is located
At the top of the mantle – OR Bottom of the Crust (same point)
The average thickness of the oceanic lithosphere is closest too
100 km
Where do all earthquakes occur?
Lithosphere – (which translates to crust and upper mantle)
At constructive plate margins, what’s the dominant magma composition generated by
partial melting?
Mafic
In the theory of plate tectonics, the outer part of the Earth moves like a conveyer belt.
The conveyor belt is called.
The asthenosphere – Because it can flow
A location where one plate is diving beneath another plate is
The northwest part of North America (vanouver/rockies)
The San Andreas Fault marks a plate boundary. At this plate boundary:
Plates are sliding past each other – Called a Transform boundary
Which of the following is an example of a place where two continents collided?
Himalayas (India/Asia)
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In the region of the Himalayan mounting the continentally crust is twice as thick as
normal. How thick is it?
70km – therefore 35km normally
Which of the following layers of the Earth is the thinnest?
Oceanic Crust – Around 5km thick
In the earlier history of the Earth, it is though that the continental crust was formed from
magma produced by the partial melting of ___________ during subduction of
lithospheric plates.
Oceanic Crust?
Some of the boundaries between layers of the Earth are though to mark compositional
differences. Which of the boundaries listed below is NOT a compositional boundary?
Lithosphere to asthenosphere – The boundary occurs in the MIDDLE of the mantle
Earthquakes
The Richter Magnitude Scale for earthquakes is based on:
A measure of the maximum amplitude on a seismogram
Which of the following will NOT help to determine the recurrence history of large (> 7.5
magnitude) earthquakes in a region.
Setting up seismic station to record the foci of earthquakes over a 20 year period
In which of the following parts of the Earth is the seismic S-wave velocity the lowest?
The continental crust – Slowest section, liquid core = second slowest
The velocity of seismic P-waves is?
Directly proportional to the elasticity and inversely proportional to the density of
the medium they pass through
With reference to the Plate Tectonic Theory, if you wanted to draw the boundaries of
active plates of the glove, which of the following would give you the most complete
picture?
A map showing Earthquake distribution
Following an earthquake, which seismic wave with reach a seismograph station first?
P wave – P stands for primary… primary stands for first (in this case)
What is the minimum number of seismic stations needed to uniquely locate the focus of
an earthquake?
3 – Three overlapping circles specify ONE point
In general, the degree of damage experienced by a building during an earthquake is less:
If it is built on rock – Almost guaranteed to be on midterm – very common
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Which one of the following features may indicate an upcoming major earthquake?
A seismic gap along an active fault zone – Meaning one hasn’t happened in a while,
and all this time stress has been building in the rocks.
The velocity of seismic P and C waves is directly proportional to which of the following
rock property?
Elastic modulus
A Seismograph located between 105 and 140 degrees around the Earth from an
earthquake focus will receive:
No waves
The distance between a seismological recording station and the earthquake focus is
determined from :
The arrival times of P and S waves – Like thunder and lightning
A 6.5 Richter magnitude earthquake releases how many times more energy than a 4.5
Richter magnitude earthquake?
900 – Because a Richter 2 Earthquake releases 30x more energy than Richter 1
The maximum speed of tsunami waves is closest to:
600km/hr
This type of seismic wave propagates through material by compressing and dilating the
rocks in the direction the energy wave is traveling:
P waves – Like sound waves – Compressing spring
Which of the following is used to describe what occurs to produce an earthquake?
Elastic rebound – Rocks with stored energy snap back
The destructive damage to buildings by seismic vibrations is NOT dependent on which of
the following?
The velocity of the P waves – Beneath the surface
In the Earth, only 10% of Earthquakes occur at depths greater than
100km
Which one of the following decreases in going from the mantle into the outer core
P Wave velocity – S waves stop
The velocity of seismic P waves is inversely proportion to which of the following
parameters of the material they are passing through?
Density
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Which of following types of seismic waves arrive first at a seismic station 500 km away
from the seismic station?
Compression-rare fraction waves – P (primary) waves
As seismic S-waves, moving deeper into the earth through the mantle, cross the boundary
between the mantle and the outer core:
The S Waves are stopped at the boundary – Liquid has no shear modulus –
Therefore transverse (shear) waves are stopped.
Which of the following is thought to account for the slowing down of seismic waves in
the low velocity zone?
Existence of partially melted rocks – Melted rocks have lower elasticity
Which of the following geological features is likely to be associated with an earthquake?
A fault
The deepest earthquakes in the Earth occur at depths around
700km
Which of the following is NOT true about tsunami?
They have amplitude of 50m or more in deep ocean water – The number 50 can be
changed to 30 if I recall correctly
How much greater is the energy release of a Richter magnitude 6 earthquake compared to
a Richter magnitude 5 earthquake?
30 times – 10 times the AMPLITUDE, 30 times the energy released
In attempts to predict earthquakes on the short term, Earth scientists have used the fact
that dilatancy results from stress build-up in the rocks. This can lead to all but one of the
following occurrences prior to a quake. Which is the one that does NOT occur?
the ground in the area sinks? – Ground tends to BULGE
This type of seismic wave is characterized by back and forth movements at right angles
to the direction of energy propagation
S Waves – Transverse waves – shear waves – S waves
The epicenter of an earthquake is
Located a the Earth’s surface directly above the focus
Earthquakes and microseismicity can be triggered by human activity in a number of
ways. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
Implementation of seismometers
Approximately how many Richter 7 and greater Earthquakes does the Earth experience
annually?
20
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Worldwide, how frequent are 8 to 9 magnitude earthquakes?
1
Which of the following would NOT aid in predicting Earthquakes?
Pumping of water down fault zones – Sets off small earthquakes
Which of the following is an example of a place where two continents are pulling apart?
North/South America and Europe/Africa – Atlantic Ocean expanding
The San Andreas fault marks a plate boundary. At this boundary, :
Plates are sliding past each other – Transform boundary
Origins of Earth
Where do most meteorites originate from?
From the asteroid belt – Between Mars and Jupiter
We know the mass of the earth to be 6 x 10^24 because
The gravitation effect of the earth on other bodies has been determined
The following indicates that the material of the earth behaves plastically
The earth is flattened at the poles
The creating and testing of Earth models to compare the seismic results to the model is
called the approach of inverse theory modeling. When we create our model to test, we
need to stipulate certain things about the model. Which of the following do we need to
stipulate?
The seismic velocities in the various materials of the earth model; The distribution
of the various materials in the Earth model
In the Kingston Area, the time gap represented by the unconformity between the
basement rocks and the overlying sedimentary rocks is around how many years?
500 million years
The average geothermal gradient near the surface of the Earth is closest to
25oC/km – Temperature increases 25 degrees for every km down you go
If you wanted to figure out the mass and density of the Earth by studying the interaction
of the Earth with the moon, you need all but one of the following. Which is the one you
don’t need?
The rate of revolution of the Earth about its axis?
The moment of inertia of rotating body is proportional to:
The mass of the body and the way the mass is distributing within it
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Which meteorite type is the best approximation to the AVERAGE composition of the
Earth?
Chondrite meteorite
Which of the following was NOT a major source of internal heating of the Earth in its
early stages of formation?
Solar Energy – Major source was Earth getting thunked by small meteors with Ke
Which is an example of a place where two continents have collided?
Kingston Ont
The radius of the Earth is closest to:
6000km
We can determine the moment of inertia of the Earth by:
Studying the precession of the Earth
The energy that causes plates to move is derived from:
The Earth’s internal heat
Which heat source dominates in the biosphere?
External solar energy – Currently more energy comes from sun than anywhere else
The best scientific estimate for the age of the Earth is:
4500 Million years
In order to determine the mass of the Earth by studying the dynamics of the earth-moon
system, which of the following do we need to know about the moon?
Its orbital velocity
Which one is the following represents the greatest expanse of time?
Precambrian – 87% of the time span is called Precambrian. Time up until
multicelled organisms with shells.
The Atlantic Ocean is opening up a rate closes to:
5cm/year
For the rocks in the Kingston Area, what is the approx. time gap between the
metamorphic rocks of the basement and the flat lying sedimentary rocks on top?
2 million years
The sedimentary rocks immediately above and below an angular unconformity record a
history of :
Deposition-folding-erosion-deposition?
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The ratio of the diameter of the earth measured pole to pole to the diameter is 299/300
because:
The earth is a rotating body – APSC 111 – Mass moves toward equator
In using the approach of “inverse theory” to determine the structure of the earth,
seismologists:
Make a computer model of the Earth and see if the travel times measured at seismic
stations fit the model
Approximately 450 million years ago, where was the Kingston area on the surface of the
globe?
Near the Equator
The moon is thought to have formed early in the history of the Earth by:
A glancing impact on the Earth of a Mars-sized body with the ripping off of
material to form the moon
Other
An ore deposit is
A mineral deposit that can be mined profitably
By plate tectonic processes, Europe and North America are moving apart from each
other. Given the average rate of plate motions, how long would it take the continents to
move apart one meter?
20 years – rate of 5cm/year… 5cm * 20 = 1m
Which of the following is the best material (of the five listed) to build a structure with in
order to minimize potential damage from ground shaking during an earthquake.
Wood – Almost guaranteed to be on midterm
Which of the following is LEAST likely to reduce the population growth rate of a
country?
Decrease in per capita consumption
The discovery, based on the seismic wave studies, of the shadow zone:
Was strong evidence for the existence of a core
The production of a commodity has been growing exponentially with time at a rate of 9%
per year. The time required to double the annual production at this growth rate is closes
to:
8 years – x1 = x2 * ekt
The growth rate of the human population is close to:
2% per year – May have changed – valid as of 2000
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A beaker of water contains one single-cell bacterium at 10 AM in the morning. The
bacterium multiples by simple cell division every 10 mins as does every new cell
produced. Thus the double time for this rate of cell production is 10 mins. If the jar will
be full at 4PM that afternoon, at what time is the jar half full of cells?
3:50 – doubles every ten mins.. ten mins before its double.. it will be half
The definition of the reserve of a commodity is:
The economic amount of a commodity discovered by not yet extracted
A general equation for the exponential growth of something (y) as a function of time (t)
in years has the form y = e ^ (kt). If the “k” value is equal to 0.035, what is the doubling
time for the growth of that thing?
20 years – e(0.035)t = 2
Which of the following is the explanation of why sandy soils make the best material for
the sub grade of roads?
a and b – they provide good drainage; they have high strength – Quartz is strong…
and there is room between grains for water to seep through
If the present exponential growth rate of human population continues at the same rate in
the future, the world’s population will have doubled by:
~2042
What is the present population of the Earth?
~6 Billion
An unconformity is:
A gap in the rock record?
Plutonium is a radioactive element that decays spontaneously. Its half life is 24000 years.
If a given quantity is store,. How much of the original will be left after 72,000 years.
1/8 – ½^(72000 / 24000)
Radiometric (ie absolute, or geochronological) dates have been attached to the relative
time scale by the determination of:
Dunno
Which of the following tends to favor plastic flow, rather than brittle failure
High pressure and High Temperature? High temp for sure… because lower mantle
is more plastic and hotter.. dunno about the pressure, probably higher too
The production of a commodity has been growing exponentially with time at a rate of 5%
per year. The time required to double is closest to
15 years - 2 = e0.05t
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The level of affluence of a society in broad terms is inversely proportional to which of the
following:
Population Level – More people… less resources / person
In y = e^(kt) k is what?
The growth rate / 100
Approximately what fraction of the crude oil resources are thought to be in the Mid-East?
9/10
Which method is most likely to show the form of convection cells in the mantle?
Dunno
If human population were to continue to grow at same exponential growth it is currently
at,. when would population double?
~40 years
What kind of road structure would you construct over a swamp?
Fill – Need to get some sort of good sub grade first to put over the mud
The major cost factor in the use of concrete is
Production costs of manufacturing concrete
In determining the depth to the soil rock interface (IE boundary) using seismic refraction
techniques, the critical distance refers to:
The distance along the ground surface where the first energy waves of the refracted
wave and the wave through the soil arrive simultaneously.
To assess the future use of a non renewable resource, we do four of the following things.
Which one don’t we need to do?
Assess how much of the resource has been used up to the present time – Who cares
what’s been used? Only what’s left and how fast we use it etc is important
A way of explaining why atoms bond with other atoms is to say that:
They are more stable if they fill their outer electron shells – APSC 131
Which of the following bonds involves a week electrostatic attraction between
“molecules”?
Van Der Waal’s
What did Brad R Allenby claim to be the next great challenge for the engineering
profession?
- We have no clue. Question appeared on 2001 Midterm
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It has been claimed that this person has had more impact on the atmosphere than any
other single organism. Who is that person?
Henry Ford
Assuming a bell shaped form for the future use of crude oil with time and based on
current estimates of the remaining accessible oil in the ground, what percentage of these
crude oil resources will be used up in our lifetime?
80%
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Which of the following features of an igneaous rock can be used to give us an idea of its
Chemical Compisition?
Colour?
Which of the following is a reason why felsic magmas have a higher viscosity than mafic
magmas?
They have high Si content?
If I sent you to explore for Cu-Au-Mo-Sn ore deposits of the porophory vein type, what
rock type would you look for?
Granite
Clay minerals have crystal structures similar to those of:
Micas
Metamoprhism may produce all of the following except:
Vesicularity
A Bauxite ore deposit would most likely occur over which of the following rocks?
Syenite
A thing, planar igneous rock body that intrudes across pre existing rock layers is a:
Dyke (Like your mom, j/k)
Which of the following is not a form of mechanical weathering?
Leaching
With which rock type or rock structure do you associate the formation of Karst
topography?
Limestone
Which of the following rocks is the most immature?
Breccia
A sampe of basalt in which the remanent magnetic fiend is oriented horizontally probably
formed and cooled :
Near the equator
What is the solid by product of the chimcal weathering of pyroxene?
Which of the following rocks always has a foiliation?
Slate
Abundant fossil evidence did not appear in the geologic record until about how long ago?
65 Million Years
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Which of the following rocks coudld be produced by the metamorphism of Shale?
Garnet-Muscovite Shist
The main criterion for the classification of regional metamorphic rocks is
Foliation State
What is the solid by-product of the chemical weathering of feldspar?
Clay
The main classification criterion for clastic sedimentary rocks is
Particle size
Which magma composition will generally have the lowest concentration of dissolved
water?
Mafic
The original source rock, in which kerogens occur, for the formation of tar, oil and gas is:
Shale
The fact that fossil organisms succeed one another in a definite and determinable order is
the basis for
The principle of biotic sucession
The two most abundant minerals in most shales are
Quartz and Feldspar
In the first 500 million years of the Earth’s history, the earth’s atmosphere was probably:
Rich in carbon dioxide and low in oxygen
To obtain the best estimate of the Earth’s Temperature 50 000 years ago, we can
Measure the oxygen isotope ratios in ice cores and lake bottom muds
Which of the following lists magma types in order of increasing viscosity
Basaltic, andesitic, granitic
Which of the following was NOT evidence used by Alfred Wigener in his arguments
supporting the continental drift hypothesis?
Paleomagnetism
A poryphritic igneous rock indicates;
A two stage cooling history
The continents fit together best in the pangae configuration when:
The outer edges of the continental shelves are matched
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Why are salt domes important targets for oil exploration?
The form antiformal fold structures above them
As an ocean basin widens with time, the oceanic lithosphere at a passive continental
margin:
Gets denser
For a mass of rock on a potential failure plane, which of the following terms in the Safety
factor equation will increase the safety factor if it is increased?
Angle of Internal Friction
If you just being to partially melt a shale, the liquid produced would have what
composition?
Granitic
If I sent you to explore for placer gold, what rock type should you look for?
A tropical region may eventuall develop a soil called a:
Laterite
The grain size of a sandstone at a single outcrop can be used to infer:
If the Earth’s magenetic field did not occasionall reverse polarity:
The sea floor would not produce linear magnetic anomalies
If I were to send you to explore for oil in what rock would you be most likely to find it?
Quartz Sandstone
With which one of the following will lahars be most likely associated?
Felsic volcanoes
In what kind of rock structure would you look for a deposit of Ni-Cu sulfides?
A Layered intrusion
An igneous rock composied of large equal sized crystals consisting of 50% calcic
plagioclase and 50% pyroxene is termed a :
Gabbro
Of all of the following, which has the lowest metamorphic grade?
Slate
Which term best descrives a process that produces joints in rocks?
Unloading
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In comparing the first biollion years of Earth History with the present, there have been
some secular changes. Which of the following has increased between then and now?
Oxygen Levels
Which of the following, if found abundantly in sandstone, might suggest that rocks in the
source area had Not experienced extensive chemical weathering?
Feldspar Grains
Which of the following pieces of evidence form the geology around Kingston is evidnce
for a former mountain building event?
Cross beds
Which is the most abundtant type of sedimentary rock?
Shale
Which of the following soil types is generally the most suitable one for agriculture?
Pedalfer
Which of the following rock types is most likely to be poorly sorted?
Conglomerate
Minerals found in metamorphic rocks can indicate:
The composition of the parent material
What is the most abundant type of volcanic rock in the oceanic crust?
Gabbro
Which type of volcanic cone is the largest?
Sheild Volcano
Which of the following rock types has provided evidence for a change over Earth history
in the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere?
Banded Iron Formation
Which of the following rock types would tend to chemically weather the least rapidly?
Gabbro
The most important factor controlling slope stability, of those listed below, is:
Angle of the potential failure plane
On average, how often does the Earth’s magnetic field reverse?
1,000,000 years
What is the main criterion used to name igneous rocks?
The chemical composition
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Aporximately how old is the oldest Oceanic crust in the ocean basins?
200 Million years
A fault plan strikes east-west and dips steeply to the north,. Visual evidence of scratches
on the fault plane indicate tht the fault movement was vertical (ie entirely dip-slip, with
no strike-slip motion) Precambrain rocks occur south of the fault while Ordovician rocks
(ie Phanerozoic) occur north of the fault. What kind of fault is it.
Normal Fault
Which of the following types of mass movement generally has the lowest velocity?
Syemetrical sand ripples are most likely produced by
Ocean Waves
When a chunk of limestone is completely weathered, what solid material remains behind?
Quartz Grains
The Hawaiian Islands are located where the pacific plate is
Migrating over a hot spot
In which of these setting is one most likely to find a nuee ardente?
At a constructive plate boundary
Reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field:
Provided strong evidence for sea-floor spreading
Which of the following factors helps determine whether a volcanic reaction will be
violant or not?
Temperature, silicon content, and the amount of dissolved gas of the magma
The oldest ocean crust in the ocean basins is found closest to:
Japan
The main criterion for the classification of regional metamorphic rocks is
Foiliation state
What pair of minerals is most common in detrital sedimentary rocks?
Clay and Quartz
Which of these rocks is produced by the metamorphism of Basalt?
A dry hot region may eventually develop a soil called a :
Pedocal
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Which ore-deposit type results from the development in a magma chamber of a liquid
that is immiscible with the silicate liquid?
Which of the following is the most common extrusive igneous rock?
Gabbro
For a mass of rock on a potential failure plane, which of the following terms in the safety
factor equation will DECREASE the safety factor if it is decreased?
None of the above (the options were Weight of block, angle of internal friction,
water content, and angle of potential failure plane)
Marble is a metamorphic rock that forms from:
Which one of the following corresponds to the highest grade of metamorphism?
Gneiss
Which of the following rocks is least likely to have foiliation?