Name ______Date ______
Geology Final Review Maloney/Zaratin
The Lithosphere
The rock at Earth’s surface forms a continuous shell around the Earth called the lithosphere. Most of the lithosphere is covered by a thin layer of water called the hydrosphere (oceans, lakes, streams).
Rocks and Minerals
Rocks are made of minerals. Minerals are identified by physical properties such as streak (colored powder), hardness (resistance to scratching) and luster (reflection of light).
Rocks are classified according to how they form. Igneous rocks form when molten material (magma or lava) cools and hardens. Sedimentary rocks form when sediments (rock fragments) and organic materials (plants/shells) get buried, compressed and cemented together. Fossils can be found in sedimentary rocks. Metamorphic rocks form when a pre-existing rock is exposed to heat and pressure.
Changes in rocks are shown by the rock cycle.
Directions: Place an X in the column for which the description is true.
Description / Igneous / Sedimentary / MetamorphicA / Pebbles cemented together
B / Found in an area of volcanoes
C / Contains fossils
D / Rocks exposed to extreme pressure & heat
E / Layers of sand cemented together
F / Magma cooled and hardened
G / Made of minerals
H / Classified by how it forms
Weathering and Erosion
Many forces wear away Earth’s surface and change its appearance. Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces called sediment. Soil is made of weathered rock, organic material, water and air.
Weathering is caused by the action of expanding ice, temperature SCAN
changes, animal and plant activity and the action of chemicals.
Erosion is the movement of sediment to a new location.
Gravity, moving water, wind and glaciers are all agents of erosion.
Earth’s Interior
Earth is divided into 4 layers: Crust (outermost layer), Mantle (liquid-like plastic), Outer Core (liquid iron), Inner Core (solid iron and nickel).
Crustal Movements
Major crustal movements have affected large portions of Earth’s lithosphere. The Theory of Continental Drift states that the present positions of the continents are different from those of the past. Evidence that the continents were once joined together is that the continents fit together like pieces of a jig-saw puzzle and there are similar fossils among different continents.
The Theory of Plate Tectonics explains that Earth’s lithosphere is divided into a series of plates that “float” on the upper mantle. The plates are in constant motion due to the convection currents in the mantle.
Crustal plates may collide or subduct and form mountains, slide past each other or move away from each other.
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Volcanoes form in weak spots in the crust where molten material or magma comes to the surface. Lava that flows out of the volcano will harden and form new land.
Earthquakes are a natural shaking of Earth’s crust. They can be caused by volcanic eruptions, the movement of rock along a fault, or plate movement.
Geologists have observed that there is a pattern where earthquakes and volcanoes occur. The most active sites border the Pacific Ocean, commonly known as the “Ring of Fire.”
Topographic Maps
Topography refers to the shape of the land. The shape of the land is shown on topographic maps. Contour lines connect points of the same elevation on the map. Closely spaced lines indicate a steep slope. Widely spaced contour lines indicate a gentle slope.
Review Questions:
_____ 1. The layer of rock and sediment on Earth’s surface is the
(1) atmosphere (2) troposphere (3) hydrosphere (4) lithosphere
_____ 2. The hydrosphere is mostly
(1) solid rock (2) liquid rock (3) liquid water (4) gaseous water
_____ 3. The inner most layer of Earth is the
(1) inner core (2) outer core (3) mantle (4) air pockets
_____ 4. All rocks contain
(1) fossils (2) sand particles (3) minerals (4) air pockets
Directions: Base your answers to questions 5-6 on the chart below which lists the physical properties of nine minerals.
_____ 5. Which mineral has a green streak?
(1) diamond (2) olivine (3) pyrite (4) quartz
_____ 6. Which mineral contains iron, has a metallic luster, and has the same color and streak?
(1) magnetite (2) pyrite (3) galena (4) olivine
Directions: Base your answers to questions 7-8 on the diagram of the Rock Cycle below.
_____ 7. Igneous rocks form by the
(1) cementing together of loose rock particles (2) compaction of sediment
(3) cooling and hardening of liquid rock material (4) heat and pressure on rocks
_____ 8. Rocks that contain sand particles and fossils are classified as
(1) igneous (2) metamorphic (3) sedimentary
_____ 9. Which is an example of physical weathering?
(1) cracking of rock by freezing water (2) movement of sediment down a hill
(3) reaction of limestone with acid rain (4) formation of a sandbar at the mouth of a river
_____ 10. The main force that causes movement of loose rock material over Earth’s surface is
(1) gravity (2) glaciers (3) wind (4) ocean currents
_____ 11. Most erosion on Earth is caused by
(1) wind (2) moving water (3) glaciers (4) ground water
_____ 12. The process that breaks solid bedrock into smaller pieces is known as
(1) physical weathering (2) erosion
(3) chemical weathering (4) deposition
_____ 13. The movement of loose sediment and rock material is known as
(1) physical weathering (2) erosion
(3) chemical weathering (4) deposition
_____ 14. The diagram shows what happens to rock carried by a stream as time passes.
Which process of change is represented by the diagram?
(1) deposition (2) metamorphism (3) condensation (4) weathering
_____ 15. Refer to the cartoon below.
The cartoon character on the right realizes that the sand castle will eventually be
(1) folded (2) metamorphosed (3) eroded (4) deposited
_____ 16. The collision between two crustal plates can cause the formation of a(n)
(1) ocean basin (2) valley (3) mountain range (4) island
_____ 17. Fossils of organisms that lived in shallow oceans have been found high up in
mountains. This is evidence of
(1) erosion (2) crustal movement (3) weathering (4) volcanic eruption
_____ 18. The diagram shows land features that have been displaced by
(1) faulting
(2) folding
(3) landslides
(4) deposition
Directions: Base your answers to questions 19-21 on the diagram below. The diagram shows how scientists think some of the continents were connected in the past.
_____ 19. What evidence suggests that the continents were once joined?
(1) shapes of the continents appear to fit together
(2) same fossils of plants and animals are found on all these continents
(3) same rock structures exist where continents would have been joined
(4) all of these facts are evidence of continental joining
_____ 20. For the past 250 million years, Africa and South America have
(1) rotated around each other (2) moved further apart (3) moved closer together
_____ 21. The Theory of Plate Tectonics suggests that the continents move because of
(1) Earth’s orbiting of the sun (2) Earth’s rotation
(3) the convection of heat energy in Earth (4) the moon’s gravitational pull on Earth
_____ 22. The diagrams show cross sections of exposed bedrock layers. Which cross section shows the least evidence of crustal movement?
_____ 23. Which position is closest to a major earthquake and volcano zone?
(1) A
(2) B
(3) C
(4) D
_____ 24. A student plotted the locations of major earthquakes for the past twenty years. This map shows that most earthquakes occur
(1) near large rivers (2) at the edges of crustal plates
(3) in the tropics (4) in the inner core
Directions: Base your answers to questions 25-28 on the map below:
Use the contour map of an island below. Points A through G are locations on the island. Elevations are in meters.
_____ 25. Which point is nearest the steepest slope?
(1) F (2) B (3) C (4) D
_____ 26. In which direction does Cinder River flow?
(1) southeast (2) southwest (3) northeast (4) northwest
_____ 27. What is the approximate elevation of point F?
(1) 15 meters (2) 20 meters (3) 25 meters (4) 40 meters
_____ 28. If you were to walk from point F to point A, the elevation would
(1) decrease (2) increase (3) stay the same
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