GEO 2200 - Physical Geography
Exam Questions for Lecture 30: Plate Tectonics, Geomorphology Beginning

1. Compared to oceanic crust, continental crust is

    a. denser.
    b. usually formed with less than 50 percent silica and is rich in iron and magnesium.
    c. generally more complex in content and structure.
    d. essentially composed of basalt.
    e. thinner.

2. The evidence that convinced most geologists that the Earth's crust was comprised of individual, non-stationary plates was

    a. bands of crystalline rock near mid-oceanic ridges in which magnetic orientation of crystals alternated as one moved away from the ridge.
    b. the existence of mountain ranges near the leading edges of the hypothesized plates.
    c. similarities of plants and animals on the east coast of South America and west coast of Africa.
    d. existence of similar mineral ore bodies on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
    e. geological strata found in Montana that contained fossils of tropical organisms - the region had to have been in the tropics at an earlier time.

3. Which of the following is not an example of a kind of tectonic plate boundary?

    a. Convergent boundary - two plates collide.
    b. Divergent boundary - two plates are pushed away from each other by magma intrusion in a spreading sea floor zone.
    c. Transform fault boundary - two plates move laterally in different directions.
    d. Normal fault boundary - tensional forces pull two plates away from one another.
    e. None of these answers is a kind of tectonic plate boundary.

4. If you want to avoid earthquakes, in which of the following areas would be the safest to live?

    a. convergent plate boundary
    b. divergent plate boundary
    c. island arc along a subduction zone
    d. shield or craton
    e. mountain range

5. Vertical elevation differences in local landscape are referred to as

    a. relief.
    b. an order of relief.
    c. topography.
    d. crust.
    e. slope angle.

6. The undulating form that gives Earth's surface its character and general configuration is called

    a. relief.
    b. an order of relief.
    c. topography.
    d. crust.
    e. slope angle.

7. The process of isostatic adjustment is most closely associated with which of the following.
  
    a. lithospheric plate collisions
    b. high pressure and temperature deep in the Earth
    c. volcanic activity
    d. sea-floor spreading
    e. buoyancy

8. Glaciers that once covered the Hudson Bay area in Canada melted 8,000 years ago. As a result, the bay is gradually rising. In another 10,000 years or so, it will have risen above sea level and will become dry. This process is a good example of

    a. catastrophism.
    b. isostasy.
    c. accretion.
    d. orogenesis.
    e. evapotranspiration

9. According to the text, what percent of the Earth's crust is composed of only eight natural elements?

    a. 10
    b. 25
    c. 50
    d. 75
    e. 99

10. The three most abundant elements in Earth's crust are

    a. rock, water, and tectonics.
    b. magnesium, potassium, and oxygen.
    c. nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon.
    d. iron, aluminum, and granite
    e. oxygen, silicon, and aluminum.

11. The major rocks of Earth's crust are classified into principal types based on

    a. element composition.
    b. relative and absolute locations.
    c. mineral composition.
    d. the rock-forming process that created them.
    e. their ages.

12. What type of rock forms from the solidification of molten material?

    a. sedimentary
    b. metamorphic
    c. igneous
    d. ancient
    e. volcanic

13. A rock transformed from any other rock through profound physical and/or chemical processes is referred to as

    a. sedimentary
    b. metamorphic
    c. igneous
    d. ancient
    e. volcanic

14. Limestone is a type of __________ rock that forms when _____________.

    a. igneous; magma cools
    b. igneous; lava cools
    c. sedimentary; calcium carbonate precipitates, or organic material contaning calcium carbonate accumulates in a water environment
    d. sedimentary; broken fragments of rock are deposited in a water environment and then sedimented together.
    e. metemorphic; rock fragments of any type are subjected to the temperature and pressure typical of the deep ocean.
   
15. The history of life on Earth is chronicled in which type of rock?

    a. sedimentary
    b. metamorphic
    c. igneous
    d. ancient
    e. volcanic

16.  The variety of surface features on the Earth results from

    a. tectonic activity.
    b. gravity.
    c. weathering.
    d. erosion.
    e. all of these answers are correct.

17. Which of the following is not true of terranes?

    a. They are smaller-scale migrating crustal pieces, i.e. microplates.
    b. They may accrete onto continents and thereby increase the size of the continents.
    c. They are framed by fracture zones.
    d. They are very similar in composition to the continents to which they attach.
    e. They can move thousands of kilometers from their place of origin.