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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 a radioactive decay process is 0.40. How
many half-lives have elapsed since the material was 100% parent atoms?
A) less than l
B) more than 3
C) between l and 2
D) between 2 and 3
Why would astronomers be interested in placing a gamma ray detecting observatory in
space?
A) to map gamma ray emissions from radioactive elements on Earth
B) to detect nuclear weapons tests on Earth
C) to map high-energy electromagnetic waves from distant sources that would be
blocked out or scattered by Earth's atmosphere
D) to map gamma ray emissions coming from the Sun
Coastal Alaska and Norway are in the ________ group of climates.
A) humid tropical climates
B) dry
C) humid middle-latitude, mild winters
D) humid middle-latitude, severe winters
E) polar
An important tool in understanding the actual numerical dates of past geologic events is
________.
A) radioactivity
B) fossils
C) unconformities
D) depositional rates
E) cross-cutting relationships
Which of the following changes may occur during metamorphism?
A) Certain minerals may recrystallize.
B) The rock becomes more compact.
C) Crystals may grow larger.
D) all of the above
A poleward-moving ocean current is ________.
A) warm
B) cold
C) warm only in the Northern Hemisphere
D) warm only in the Southern Hemisphere
What kind of man made feature would likely lead to sand loss on a beach regardless of
active margin (west coast North America) versus passive margin (east and Gulf coast of
North America) setting for the coastline?
A) dam construction
B) building too close to sea-cliff and allowing urban runoff to seep into the rocks along
the cliff
C) constructing a highway bridge over a bay mouth
D) construction of offshore oil platforms
The period of time required for the Moon to complete a cycle of phases is called the
________ month.
A) equinox
B) sidereal
C) synodic
D) zodiacal
E) Julian
In the past approximately 100 years, global temperatures have ________.
A) increased by nearly 5oC
B) decreased by nearly 5oC
C) decreased by nearly 1oC
D) increased by nearly 1oC
E) not changed significantly
Highland climates usually experience ________ compared to the adjacent lowlands.
A) higher winds
B) smaller temperature and precipitation variations
C) similar patterns of change
D) faster and larger changes
E) slower but larger changes
When air is unstable, the environmental lapse rate is ________.
A) less than the wet adiabatic rate
B) zero
C) greater than the dry adiabatic rate
D) greater than both the wet and dry adiabatic rates
If you live on the east coast of Florida or the Gulf Coast, why might you hope for an El
Nio year?
A) It will decrease the chances of heavy summer thunderstorms and floods.
B) It will decrease the probability of tropical cyclones.
C) It will bring clear, cool summer conditions, albeit dry.
D) It will produce a warmer summer, but with less rain than normal.
Which of the following is determined by making direct observations in the area affected
by an earthquake?
A) epicenter
B) focus or hypocenter
C) magnitude
D) intensity
The Appalachians and Himalaya are a classic collisional mountain belts yet the
elevation of the Appalachians mountains is a tiny fraction of the lofty Himalaya. Why
are these two collisional mountain belts so different?
Which of the following devices measures both wind direction and speed?
A) anemometer
B) wind vane
C) wind sock
D) None of these can measure both wind speed and direction.
Given enough time, what factor is typically most important in soil formation?
A) bedrock type
B) slope direction
C) climate
D) months of snow cover
The largest mass extinction in the Phanerozoic occurred in the ________.
A) Jurassic
B) Devonian
C) Permian
D) Cambrian
E) Miocene
The waste gas released by plants as they synthesize food sugars from carbon dioxide
and water is ________.
A) oxygen
B) methane
C) nitrogen
D) carbon dioxide
Earlier we discussed the concept of isostasy, where lower density rocks rise higher than
higher density rocks. How is the variation of water depth at spreading centers (ridges)
controlled by isostasy?
A) Volcanic rocks are lighter than other rocks, and so the abundant volcanic rocks at the
ridges are lower density features that produce the seafloor topography.
B) It has nothing to do with isostasy; the areas are simply high because there are chains
of active volcanos along the ridge crest, producing the topography.
C) Oceanic ridges are sites where the lithosphere is carried into the mantle on one side
(aka subduction zones), and the volcanos along these margins produce the ridge by
buildup of lower density crust.
D) The lithosphere cools as it moves away from the ridge axis by sea floor spreading,
and cooler rocks are lower density, so the sea floor gets deeper as the lithosphere gets
more dense.
The overall effect of aerosols is to ________.
A) warm the planet
B) cool the planet
C) increase ocean temperatures
D) increase CO2
E) decrease CO2
Travertine, a form of limestone commonly found in caves, forms ________.
A) when water in a cave is heated
B) when water in a cave is cooled
C) when carbon dioxide in the water escapes into the air
D) when carbon dioxide from the air contacts the moisture in the cave
An important condition for the formation of coal is ________.
A) abundant plant and animal life in a region
B) decomposition of organic matter with abundant oxygen
C) incomplete decomposition of organic matter due to a lack of oxygen
D) acid rich waters that reduce the organic matter to pure carbon
Because of the Coriolis effect, surface ocean currents are deflected to the ________ of
their path of motion in the Northern Hemisphere.
A) right
B) left
C) west
D) east
Short term earthquake prediction research has focused on ________.
A) looking at when and where earthquakes have occurred in the past to develop a model
for the timing of future earthquakes
B) measuring the rate of motion on various faults and the strength of the rocks along the
faults to determine when the stress buildup will exceed the strength of the rocks
C) looking for precursors such as changes in topography, animal behavior, foreshocks,
radon emission, etc., that might signal an imminent earthquake
D) measuring vertical changes in elevation along faults to determine whether a fault
zone is inflating before a major rupture
Which one of the following statements best describes erosion?
A) disintegration and decomposition of rocks and minerals at the surface
B) movement of weathered rock and regolith toward the base of a slope
C) the process by which weathered rock and mineral particles are removed from one
area and transported elsewhere
D) the combined processes of leaching, eluviation, and mass wasting
The differences in summer and winter temperatures are greatest for locations ________.
A) near the equator
B) near the tropic of Cancer or Capricorn
C) near 60 degrees north or south latitude
D) near the Poles
E) The location does not affect the range of temperatures.
A super cooled liquid needs to ________ to turn into a solid.
A) sublimate
B) collide with an object
C) lose volume
D) increase volume
E) coalesce with other liquids
The position on Earth's surface directly above the earthquake source is called the
________.
A) epicenter
B) inertial point
C) focus
D) seismic zone
The figure above is an oblique Google earth image from southwestern North America
looking approximately north. The view is approximately 50km across. The area is a
classic area of normal faulting.
The area labeled C shows an active fault bounding the range. Which best describes the
motion on the fault?
A) west side up
B) east side up
C) north side down
D) south side down
E) right lateral strike-slip
The loess deposited in many parts of the Midwest ________.
A) was once glacial outwash deposits
B) is in the form of transverse dunes
C) is uniformly thick
D) had its source in desert regions
