Question 1

Cooler, older, oceanic lithosphere sinks into the mantle at ______.
subduction zones along convergent plate boundaries
transform fault zones along divergent plate boundaries
rift zones along mid-ocean ridges
sites of long-lived, hot spot volcanism in the ocean basins

Question 2

All of the following are secondary effects of earthquakes except which one?
landslides
fires
ground subsidence
magma

Question 3

In the early part of the 20th century, ______argued forcefully for continental drift.
Karl Wagner
Peter Rommel
Alfred Wegener
Bill Kohl

Question 4

Most of our knowledge about Earth’s interior comes from ______.
Answer
drill holes
volcanic eruptions
seismic waves
examination of deep mine shafts

Question 5

Major damage occurred 400 km from this 8.1 magnitude earthquake in what city in 1985?
Answer
Mexico City
Messina, Italy
Bam, Iran
Kobe, Japan

Question 6

What type of geological event has generated many mountain belts such as the Alps, Urals, and Applachians?
deformation
tensional stresses
folds
continental collisions

Question 7

Subduction of oceanic lithosphere under a continental block gives rise to what type of geologic structure that is characterized by a continental volcanic arc and associated igneous plutons?
Answer
Andean-type plate margin
dome
continental collision
dip-slip fault

Question 8

When an earthquake occurs, energy radiates in all directions from its source. The source is also referred to as the ______.
Answer
inertial point
epicenter
focus
seismic zone

Question 9

The former, late Paleozoic super continent is known as ______.
Answer
Pandomonia
Pancakea
Pangaea
Panatopia

Question 10

Most divergent plate boundaries are situated along the crests of ______.
convergent rifts
trenches
subduction zones
oceanic ridges

Question 11

How are faults, foci, and epicenters related? Faults that are experiencing no active creep (relatively consistent yet minor movements) may be considered “safe”. Rebut or defend this statement.

Question 12

How were earthquake intensities measured before the advent of the Richter Scale? What were the problems with that scale and how is the Richter scale far superior?

Question 13

Would earthquakes of similar magnitudes in different regions of the Earth cause approximately the same levels of damage necessarily?In your discussions, consider both geologic and human-induced factors.

Week IV

Question 1

Which of the following statements is false?
Answer
Cinder cones are built from ejected lava fragments and are usually less than 300 meters high.
Calderas are large collapse depressions having a more or less circular form.
Most volcanoes are fed magma through short conduits, called pipes, that connect a magma chamber to the surface.
Sills are tabular discordant bodies that are produced when magma is injected into fractures.

Question 2

The two general shapes of intrusive igneous bodies are ______and ______.
Answer
lahar; batholith
lacolith; sperolith
tabular; massive
shield cones; nuee ardente

Question 3

What is the name of fossils that are widespread geographically and are limited to a short span of geologic time? These fossils can provide an important method of matching rocks of the same age.
Answer
fossil succession elements
paleontological fossils
superpositional fossils
index fossils

Question 4

Who wrote, “The results, therefore, of our present enquiry is, that we find no vestige of a beginning – no prospect of an end”?
Answer
John Wesley Powell
James Hutton
Charles Darwin
Albert Einstein

Question 5

Magma tends to rise toward Earth's surface principally because
Answer
water is an abundant constituent of magma.
silica is abundant in magma.
magma is a fluid.
rocks become less dense when they melt.

Question 6

The most deadly and destructive of the pyroclastic flows from composite cone volcanoes are known as ______.
Answer
nuee ardentes
calderas
sills
laccoliths

Question 7

Which type of basaltic lava flow has a fairly smooth surface that resembles the twisted braids of ropes?
Answer
aa
pegmatitic
pahoehoe
scoria

Question 8

The age of the Earth has been estimated to be ______years old and dinosaurs became extinct about ______years ago.
Answer
2.21 billion … 1.1 million
6 billion … 2.1 million
4.5 billion … 65 million
7.5 billion … 37 million

Question 9

The Deccan Plateau Hot Spots and Hawaii Hot Spots are examples of ______.
Answer
divergent plate volcanism
convergent plate volcanism
intraplate volcanism (oceanic and continental)
batholiths

Question 10

Which of the following is not a basic type of unconformity?
Answer
nonconformity
disconformity
angular unconformity
misconformity

Question 11

Discuss volcanic hazards. Although commonly thought to be associated with most volcanic eruptions (by the general public), lava is rarely responsible for the loss of life. Which hazards would tend to be more deadly? Finally, indicate and discuss those hazards that are a direct result of a volcanic eruption as well as those hazards that are indirectly linked. (hint: Think of ‘indirectly associated’ hazards as ‘side effects’)
Answer

Question 12

Contrast the philosophies of Catastrophism and Uniformitarianism. What are the major differences inhow each philosophy addresses the age of the Earth? Finally, while neither philosophy should be taken too literally, which philosophy has been deemed more accurate by the scientific community and why?

Question 13

You are asked to interpret the geologic history of a county in California where the geology is quite complex.
Aside from visiting various sites in the county for observing geologic sites firsthand, you are permitted to request four or five different pieces of information or data to aid in your interpretation.
What would you ask for and why?