ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY 1010
EXAM #1 SPRING 2001
- Which of the following is among the concerns of Environmental Geology?
A. geological phenomena that may be hazardous to humans B. human activities
that affect geological phenomena C. geological materials that are natural
resources D. all of the above
- If the global human population continues to increase at the present
rate, approximately when will there be twice as many people on Earth as
there are now? A. the year 3000 B. in about 200 years C. in about 100 years
D. by about 2050
- The curve above depicts a projection of human population growth in
the future that could be described as: A. increase to an equilibrium level
and stabilization at that level. B. increase beyond the carrying capacity
of the planet, followed by a catastrophic crash to very low levels. C.
increase to a maximum and a gradual decline to a lower equilibrium level.
- How does increasing population increase risk from geological hazards?
A. Increased mining activity increases earthquake frequency. B. The weight
of large numbers of humans causes the continents to sink. C. Volcanic activity
is related to deep oil well drilling. D. Increased population pressure
causes people to inhabit areas at risk from natural geological processes.
- Which of the following is a true statement? A. With respect to materials,
the Earth can be regarded as a closed system. B. The rock cycle always
proceeds in an orderly progression through each of the classes of rocks
in turn. C. With respect to energy, the Earth can be regarded as a closed
system. D. all of the above E. none of the above
- The present world population is approximately: A. 6 million B. 600
million C. 6 billion D. 600 billion
- A characteristic of scientific hypotheses is that they: A. can be proven
to be true. B. can never be proven to be true. C. must be experimentally
verified. D. must include a mathematical relationship.
- Growth rate of human populations is: A. about the same in all geographic
regions. B. equal to the birth rate. C. equal to birth rate minus death
rate. D. nearly constant throughout human history.
- Faunal Succession is a principle that permits geologists to determine
the relative age of rocks in different geographic areas by using: A. radioisotopes
B. laser thermometry C. fossils D. chicken entrails
- The principle that in undisturbed sequences of sedimentary rocks, younger
rocks lie on top of older rocks, is known as: A. faunal succession B. absolute
age C. superposition D. serendipity
- How old is the Earth? A. 600 million years B. 4.6 billion years C.
15 billion years D. 6000 years
- Which of the following periods belongs in the Mesozoic Era? A. Tertiary
B. Jurassic C. Pennsylvanian D. Cambrian
- If the half-life of a radioisotope is .75 billion years, and only 1/4
of the original parent isotope remains in a crystal, how long ago was the
crystal formed? A. .75 billion years B. 1.5 billion years C. 6 billion
years D. 160 million years
- Which of the following statements could not be true? A. Fossils in
the rocks near Omaha indicate a Pennsylvanian age. B. Carbon 14 dates indicate
the last dinosaurs lived 65 million years ago. C. Radiometric dates of
volcanic ash between sedimentary rocks allow us to calibrate the Geologic
Time Scale. D. None of the above; all could be true.
- When continental crust meets continental crust at a convergent plate
boundary, the result is: A. a mountain range B. a suture C. earthquakes
D. all of the above
- The Moho (Mohorovicic Discontinuity) separates the: A. crust from mantle
B. mantle from core C. inner core from outer core D. tectonic plates
- The Hawaiian Islands are evidence of a: A. subduction zone B. transform
C. hot spot D. meteor impact
- Alfred Wegener proposed the theory that became known as: A. sea floor
spreading B. continental drift C. evolution D. plate tectonics
- Plate tectonics helps explain many geologic phenomena such as: A. the
location of volcanoes B. the location of earthquakes C. the origin of mountain
ranges D. all of the above E. none of the above
- Mid-oceanic ridges are the physiographic expression of: A. crustal
thickening B. divergent plate boundaries. C. continental collisions. D.
submarine races.
- The supercontinent that included all of the major continental masses
is called: A. Laurasia B. Pangaea C. Gondwana D. Atlantis
- Plate boundaries where lithosphere is neither created nor destroyed
are called: A. volcanic arcs B. transforms C. rift zones D. all of the
above
- The tectonic plates are the thickness of the: A. crust B. mantle C.
lithosphere D. continents
- Volcanic arcs and deep oceanic trenches are characteristic features
of plate boundaries known as: A. subduction zones. B. spreading axes C.
transforms D. unconformities E. none of the above
- Predrift reconstruction of the continents is aided by: A. paleomagnetism.
B. matching shapes of continental margins. C. distribution of fossils.
D. all of the above
- A chemically irreducible substance characterized by a unique atomic
number. A. mineral B. element C. compound D. rock
- An atom that contains 6 protons, 8 neutrons, and 6 electrons has an
atomic weight of: A. 6 amu (atomic mass units) B. 14 amu C. 8 amu D. 12
amu E. 20 amu
- An atom that has no charge becomes an ion if it loses or gains: A.
nuclei B. electrons C. protons D. quarks E. neutrons
- Isotopes of an element differ in their: A. atomic number B. number
of neutrons C. number of protons D. number of electrons E. all of the above
- What property of minerals does Mohs Scale measure? A. relative hardness
B. chemical reactivity C. density D. melting point
- Most of the common rock forming minerals are classified as: A. oxides
B. bolides C. silicates D. prelates
- All minerals are: A. solid B. metallic C. compounds D. all of the above
- Which of the following substances is not composed of minerals? A. table
salt B. granite C. volcanic glass D. sandstone
- A rock that forms directly from magma is called: A. igneous B. sedimentary
C. metamorphic D. ore
- Which of the following is most likely to be a volcanic rock? A. granite
B. diorite C. rhyolite D. pegmatite
- The main difference between gabbro and basalt is: A. composition B.
texture C. age D. all of the above
- An igneous rock that crystallizes beneath the surface of the Earth
is described as: A. extrusive B. intrusive C. regressive D. tuff
- A coarse-grained igneous rock composed mostly of quartz and light feldspars
is: A. gabbro B. diorite C. rhyolite D. granite
- Magma that is erupted at the Earth's surface is: A. coarse grained
B. lava C. sedimentary D. gabbro E. none of the above
- If sediment does not feel gritty between your fingers, but does feel
gritty between your teeth, it probably consists of particles the size of:
A. silt B. clay C. sand D. gravel
- Limestones and dolostones are common sedimentary rocks classified according
to their composition as: A. evaporites B. silicates C. organic D. carbonates
- The distinguishing characteristic of coal is a composition that is
largely: A. clay B. water C. silicate D. organic
- A sedimentary rock formed by the evaporation of large volumes of seawater
is: A. agate B. gypsum C. sandstone D. shale
- Almost all limestones are the result of: A. evaporation. B. metamorphism
C. volcanic activity. D. accumulation of skeletal remains of marine organisms.
- A structure characteristic of virtually all sedimentary rocks is: A.
bedding B. cleavage C. phenocrysts D. plutons
- The distinguishing characteristic of coal is a composition that is
largely: A. clay B. water C. silicate D. organic
- A foliated metamorphic rock that usually would make a poor foundation
for large scale construction projects such as dams would be: A. schist
B. basalt C. quartzite D. granite
- Agents of metamorphism include all of the following except: A. heat
B. pressure C. chemical action D. time
- An example of a non-foliated metamorphic rock would be: A. slate B.
quartzite C. rhyolite D. none of the above
- A metamorphic rock composed of alternating bands of light and dark
minerals such as feldspar and biotite would be called: A. granite B. schist
C. diorite D. gneiss
Answers