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Which of the following best describes sets of fractures in relatively fresh bedrock, such as granite, that are roughly parallel to the land surface? A) thermal expansion cracks B) sheeting fractures C) hydrolytic failures D) columnar joints When someone says […]

Subduction zones are downgoing convection cells in the earth but only carry oceanic material into the mantle. When a glacier is retreating, the upstream ice is still moving forward toward the downstream terminus of the glacier. Answer: TRUE Isotherms are […]

Organisms, such as algae and bacteria, that drift with ocean currents are known as ________. A) nekton B) plankton C) benthos organisms D) biomass E) none of these The point in stellar evolution when a star has used up all […]

In a radio telescope, the electromagnetic energy is gathered by ________. A) a glass mirror with a reflective coating, similar to an optical telescope B) a spherical thin metal foil that refracts the radio waves to a point C) a […]

The final stage for a star which is as massive as the Sun is a ________. A) black hole B) main-sequence star C) red giant D) white dwarf Sedimentary rocks with marine fossils are exposed at the top of Mt. […]

During the late Paleozoic, the present-day North America, Europe, western Asia, Siberia, and perhaps China formed the northern continent of ________. A) Gondwanaland B) Laurasia C) Greenland D) Africa E) none of the above We know the age of the […]

Warm fronts generally have steeper slopes than cold fronts. In a hurricane, the greatest wind speeds and heaviest rainfall occur in the region called the eye. Answer: FALSE The asthenosphere is a relatively cool and rigid shell that overlies the […]

An extreme example of the greenhouse effect is thought to be associated with an abundance of carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere. Ash and lapilli are different sized pyroclastic particles. Answer: TRUE The Sun is considered an average star. Answer: […]

Which of the following major discoveries was not made near or after World War II? A) the extensive ranges of mountain chains on the sea floor B) deep focus earthquakes that occur in some regions of the earth C) rift […]

The resistance of a mineral to abrasion is known as ________. A) luster B) cleavage C) streak D) hardness The angle of the noon sun varies by ________ degrees each year. A) 15 B) 23.5 C) 47 D) 73.5 E) […]

What organic compounds are essential for DNA and RNA to form? A) ammonia and methane B) hydrogen sulfide C) carbon dioxide D) oxygen E) amino acids Which of the following is a part of the earth system that could be […]

Continents are, on average, about 2 km higher than sea level. When air is cooled to its dew point, the relative humidity is 100%. Answer: TRUE Bright centers of solar activity are called filaments. Answer: FALSE The concept that the […]

Heavy elements like Pb (lead) and U (Uranium) were generated ________. A) by humans in nuclear reactors B) during the big band when the universe was formed C) by the Sun and expelled to the solar system via the solar […]

Which ocean has the greatest average depth? A) Atlantic B) Pacific C) Indian D) Arctic Thunder and lightning are associated with these clouds. A) cirrostratus B) cumulonimbus C) altostratus D) cirrus Answer: B What two chemical elements are most abundant […]

What two factors speed up rates of chemical reaction and weathering in rocks and soils? A) low temperatures; very dry B) low temperatures; very moist C) high temperatures; very dry D) warm temperatures; very moist The magnitude of a temperature […]

The ancient Greeks proposed an Earth-centered view of the universe. Prevailing winds toward a shoreline typically produce upwelling. Answer: FALSE Most of the energy and mineral resources we use are renewable. Answer: FALSE Standard sea level air pressure is 1013 […]

Floods are the least destructive of all geologic hazards. As the tide rises, water flows in toward the shore as the ebb tide. Answer: FALSE Spits, baymouth bars and sea stacks are all features produced by longshore transport of sediments. […]

Where are the deepest parts of the oceans? A) along the base of the continental slope B) in rift valleys at sea floor spreading center C) in the abyssal plain D) in trenches In order to get oil and gas […]

What fundamental concept states that in a horizontal sequence of conformable sedimentary strata, each higher bed is younger than the bed below it? A) law of original correlation B) theory of correlative deposition C) law of superposition D) theory of […]

Radio telescopes are able to detect very short wave radiation emitted by celestial objects. Halite (sodium chloride) is the most abundant salt found in seawater. Answer: TRUE Solifluction occurs during the warmer summer months. Answer: TRUE The epicenter of an […]

What is the major difference between the crust and the lithosphere? A) The crust is cool and the lithosphere is hot. B) The crust is located above the lithosphere. C) The crust is located between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere. […]

The surface features of ________ are known only through satellite radar mapping. A) Jupiter B) Mercury C) Venus D) Mars Intrusive igneous rocks are often characterized as coarse-grained because ________. A) the pressures at depth cause them to have a […]

The primary goal of Earth Science is ________. A) to develop things that will benefit mankind B) to identify the patterns in nature and use that information to predict the future C) to locate resources D) to protect the environment […]

Using the telescope, Galileo discovered that the planet Mars had polar ice caps not unlike those on Earth. Bajadas develop from coalescence of alluvial fans along fronts of mountain ranges in arid lands. Answer: TRUE The ecliptic and zodiac are […]

Which of the following cloud types is most commonly associated with precipitation? A) nimbostratus B) cirrocumulus C) cirrostratus D) altostratus The precipitation associated with a warm front typically arrives ________ the actual frontal boundary. A) considerably ahead of B) considerably […]

The Spitzer space telescope is ________. A) a planned replacement telescope for Hubble B) a new X-ray detecting observatory C) a thermal infrared detecting telescope D) the next generation gamma ray detecting satellite The ratio of parent to daughter isotopes […]

In what part of a subduction margin might you find rocks deposited on the abyssal plain, far from land? A) Accretionary Wedge B) Volcanic Arc C) Forearc Basin D) Cratonic Basin Glacial ice sheets are the largest glaciers and they […]

The first telescopes, and most amateur telescopes, rely on the human eye to observe objects. Modern telescopes record the observations with ________. A) projection systems B) digital cameras C) photographic film D) polyspectral scanners Which of these instruments is not […]

The large size of insects and amphibians during the Pennsylvanian period has been suggested to be due to ________. A) a lack of predators for early land forms B) an excess of sunlight and water during that time C) an […]

Preserved rocks in North America are generally less than ________. A) 20 km wide B) 10 km thick C) 50 km long D) 3.5 billion years old E) 2.7 g/cm3 in density If you just want to go for a […]

Folds are an example of ________. A) brittle deformation B) ductile deformation C) elastic deformation D) shear deformation A major obstacle the first land plants had to overcome was ________. A) finding food on land where there were no organic […]

The most abundant chemical sedimentary rock is ________. A) limestone B) dolomite C) chert D) rock salt In the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, the ________. A) earth was flat B) earth was in the center of the universe […]

Numerical dates based on radioactivity are very important for studying Precambrian geologic history because fossils are rare or absent. Thunderstorms are usually associated with nimbostratus clouds. Answer: FALSE Shorter wavelengths correspond to more energetic photons. Answer: TRUE More water is […]

Groins are constructed for the purpose of maintaining or widening beaches that are losing sand. During the Ice Age, the climate was occasionally warmer than it is today. Answer: TRUE Continental rocks do not rift because they are too thick. […]

Metamorphism can affect only sedimentary rocks. The major source of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere is from the decay of plants. Answer: FALSE Quartz weathers readily to aluminum-rich clay minerals. Answer: FALSE During the Cenozoic era, the eastern and western margins […]

Most of the world’s landmass is in the northern hemisphere. In the case of light, when a source is moving away, its light appears redder than it actually is. Answer: TRUE At any given moment on Earth, there are about […]

Which convection model suggests “sluggish flow” in the lower mantle? A) slab pull B) layer cake C) whole mantle D) ridge push Inches of mercury is something that would only be used in America. Elsewhere in the world, the mercury […]

In the early 1700’s Kant suggested there were many galaxies visible from Earth but the idea was not popular because ________. A) at that time, people generally believed the earth was the center of the universe. B) only modern satellite […]

Which mineral reacts readily with cool, dilute hydrochloric acid to produce visible bubbles of carbon dioxide gas? A) calcite B) quartz C) gypsum D) plagioclase A red star is ________ our Sun. A) hotter and smaller than B) hotter and […]

Productivity in the oceans is highest in tropical regions. Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. Answer: TRUE Sea level is constant over long periods of the earth’s history, and that is why it is used as a major datum […]

A cT air mass is dry and warm. One magma can produce several different igneous rocks having different mineral compositions. Answer: TRUE Neap tides occur about the time of the first quarter and third quarter phases of the Moon. Answer: […]

What group of animals were the first to leave the ocean to become the first amphibians? A) horn-beaked Cephalopods B) trilobites C) lobe-finned fish D) salamanders The earth is estimated to be approximately 4.6 billion years old. Life appeared early […]

Lunar regolith breccia contains crystalline rock fragments and glassy fragments formed by meteorite impacts. A system with an environmental lapse rate of 5oC/1000 m and a dry adiabatic of 10C is stable. Answer: TRUE The most abundant sedimentary rock is […]

A dry climate is defined as ________. A) a climate where the temperature is over 25oC B) one where the rainfall is less than 10 cm per year C) one were the evaporation exceeds the precipitation D) a climate where […]