Deck 1: The Earth System

Question 1

Which of the following relationships is correct?

A)asthenosphere = crust
B)lithosphere = crust
C)asthenosphere = crust + upper mantle
D)lithosphere = crust + upper mantle

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Approximately 50% of Earth's crust is made up of which element?

A)aluminum
B)iron
C)oxygen
D)silicon

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What are the plates of plate tectonics made up of?

A)asthenosphere
B)crust
C)lithosphere
D)mantle

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following elements is more abundant in Earth's crust than in Earth as a whole?

A)iron
B)magnesium
C)nickel
D)silicon

Question 5

The asthenosphere is

A)cool and strong.
B)cool and weak.
C)hot and strong.
D)hot and weak.

Question 6

On average,Earth's lithosphere is approximately ____ km thick.

A)4
B)20
C)100
D)500

Question 7

The motion of a flowing material in which hot matter rises from the bottom and cool matter sinks from the surface is called

A)accretion.
B)convection.
C)differentiation.
D)fusion.

Question 8

Ninety percent of Earth is made up of which four elements?

A)iron,oxygen,silicon,and magnesium
B)oxygen,nitrogen,hydrogen,and silicon
C)magnesium,aluminum,silicon,and oxygen
D)silicon,calcium,aluminum,and iron

Question 9

Earth exchanges __________ with the rest of the cosmos.

A)energy and mass
B)mass,but not energy,
C)energy,but not mass,
D)neither energy nor mass

Question 10

Which of the following makes up the bulk of Earth?

A)crust
B)inner core
C)mantle
D)outer core

Question 11

Earth's core is made up primarily of

A)iron.
B)lead.
C)oxygen.
D)silicon.

Question 12

Which of the following statements about the scientific method is false?

A)A scientific theory is never considered finally proved.
B)Data used to generate a hypothesis may come from observations,experiments,and chance findings.
C)A theory that has accumulated a substantial body of experimental support is called a hypothesis.
D)A scientific model represents some aspect of nature based on a set of hypotheses and theories.

Question 13

According to the principle of uniformitarianism,

A)geologic processes we observe today have operated in the past.
B)animals evolved at a uniform rate.
C)all of the planets formed from a uniform solar nebula.
D)early Earth was covered by a uniform magma ocean.

Question 14

What powers Earth's external heat engine?

A)gravitational energy
B)radioactive decay
C)solar energy
D)tidal forces

Question 15

How old is Earth?

A)approximately 4.5 thousand years
B)approximately 4.5 billion years
C)approximately 4.5 million years
D)approximately 4.5 trillion years

Question 16

In which of the following subsystems is Earth's magnetic field generated?

A)climate system
B)hydrologic system
C)geodynamo system
D)plate tectonic system

Question 17

Which of the following statements regarding the scientific method is true?

A)A hypothesis must be agreed upon by more than one scientist.
B)A theory is a hypothesis that has withstood many scientific tests.
C)A theory is proven to be true and therefore may not be discarded.
D)A hypothesis cannot predict the outcome of scientific experiments.

Question 18

Living organisms have been on Earth for _________ of Earth's history.

A)less than 1%
B)approximately 20%
C)approximately 50%
D)approximately 80%

Question 19

Earth's climate system involves interactions between the atmosphere and the

A)biosphere.
B)hydrosphere.
C)lithosphere.
D)biosphere,hydrosphere,and lithosphere.

Question 20

Solar energy energizes all of the following major components of Earth system,except the

A)atmosphere.
B)biosphere.
C)hydrosphere.
D)lithosphere.

Question 21

The plate tectonic system is driven by

A)magnetism.
B)the climate system.
C)solar heat.
D)internal heat.

Question 22

Elevation of the ground surface is measured relative to

A)Mount Everest.
B)the equator.
C)sea level.
D)the north pole.

Question 23

The three major global geosystems are

A)climate system,solar system,and geodynamo system.
B)geodynamo system,plate tectonic system,and solar system.
C)climate system,geodynamo system,and plate tectonic system.
D)plate tectonic system,climate system,and solar system.

Question 24

What caused the mass extinctions 65 million years ago that ended the Age of Dinosaurs?

A)major bolide impact
B)massive volcanic eruptions
C)global glaciation
D)all of the above

Question 25

Earth's major layers include (from outermost to innermost):

A)inner core,outer core,mantle,crust.
B)outer core,inner core,mantle,crust.
C)crust,mantle,outer core,inner core.
D)crust,outer core,inner core,mantle.

Question 26

Continental crust is ________ oceanic crust.

A)less dense than
B)the same density as
C)more dense than
D)Geoscientists have no idea how dense the continental crust is.

Question 27

When did biology's Big Bang (evolutionary explosion)occur?

A)approximately 65 million years ago
B)approximately 2.2 billion years ago
C)approximately 540 million years ago
D)approximately 3.5 billion years ago

Question 28

The Mohorovičić discontinuity coincides with the __________ boundary.

A)mantle-core
B)crust-mantle
C)lithosphere-mantle
D)inner core-outer core

Question 29

Earth's atmosphere has been oxygen-rich for __________ of Earth's history.

A)approximately 25%
B)approximately 50%
C)approximately 75%
D)approximately 99%

Question 30

The first evidence of erosion by water in the rock record occurred

A)4000 Ma.
B)3500 Ma.
C)2500 Ma.
D)3800 Ma.

Question 31

How old are the oldest rocks now found on Earth's surface?

A)0.5 billion years
B)4.0 billion years
C)2.5 billion years
D)4.5 billion years

Question 32

Stony meteorites are similar in composition to Earth's

A)mantle.
B)crust.
C)inner core.
D)outer core.

Question 33

The group of meteorites that is similar in composition to Earth's core is

A)stony meteorites.
B)high-density meteorites.
C)iron-nickel meteorites.
D)none of the above.

Question 34

A ___________ aims to predict the complex behavior of Earth systems.

A)scientific hypothesis
B)scientific observation
C)scientific plan
D)scientific model

Question 35

Which of the following statements about convection is true?

A)Heat is transferred from hot material to cool material without inducing a flow.
B)Hot material flows upward and displaces cool material.
C)Cool material flows upward and displaces hot material.
D)Random circulation occurs.

Question 36

The daily rotation of Earth causes the equatorial regions to _______ and the polar regions to ________.

A)bulge outward,flatten
B)flatten,bulge outward
C)bulge inward,flatten
D)flatten,bulge inward

Question 37

Solar energy energizes which of Earth's components?

A)atmosphere
B)biosphere
C)hydrosphere
D)all of the above

Question 38

Large continental masses had formed on Earth by

A)0.3 billion years ago.
B)2.5 billion years ago.
C)1.0 billion years ago.
D)4.0 billion years ago.

Question 39

Change in the ground elevation of Earth's surface is called

A)geodesy.
B)topography.
C)uniformitarianism.
D)none of the above

Question 40

How old are the earliest fossil remains?

A)approximately 65 million years
B)approximately 2200 million years
C)approximately 540 million years
D)approximately 3500 million years

Question 41

The lithosphere is composed of =

A)uppermost crust.
B)lowermost crust.
C)crust and upper mantle.
D)mantle.

Question 42

The densest part of Earth is the

A)oceanic crust.
B)continental crust.
C)mantle.
D)core.

Question 43

Geologist James Hutton advanced the principle of

A)uniformitarianism.
B)uniformity.
C)conformity.
D)universalism.

Question 44

How many major mass extinction events have occurred throughout Earth's history?

A)5
B)10
C)2
D)1

Question 45

Magnetic reversals of Earth's magnetic field are when

A)Earth's north and south poles flip.
B)Earth's magnetic field decreases in intensity.
C)Earth's magnetic poles wander.
D)Earth's magnetic field increases in intensity.

Question 46

In terms of its shape,Earth is

A)a perfect sphere.
B)an imperfect sphere.
C)flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator.
D)bulging at the poles and flattened at the equator.

Question 47

The typical depth of ocean basins is

A)1 to 2 km.
B)10 to 12 km.
C)4 to 5 km.
D)8 to 10 km.

Question 48

The average density of the bulk earth is most similar to that of

A)a stony meteorite (3.0 g/cc).
B)a granite rock (2.7 g/cc).
C)ice (0.9 g/cc).
D)iron meteorite (8 g/cc).

Question 49

The first appearance of Homo sapiens on Earth occurred in

A)16 Ma.
B)0.16 Ma.
C)1.6 Ma.
D)1600 Ma.

Question 50

Which of the following is not an integral part of the scientific method?

A)experimentation
B)observation
C)belief
D)criticism

Question 51

The ability of Earth's atmosphere to retain heat is referred to as the

A)solar effect.
B)radiation effect.
C)biosphere effect.
D)greenhouse effect.

Question 52

A scientific hypothesis that stands repeated testing can be elevated to a scientific

A)model.
B)fact.
C)theory.
D)idea.

Question 53

The largest jump in density within Earth is at the

A)crust-mantle boundary.
B)mantle-core boundary.
C)upper mantle-lower mantle boundary.
D)outer core-inner core boundary.

Question 54

Which of the following of Earth's layers contains the least amount of iron?

A)crust
B)mantle
C)outer core
D)inner core

Question 55

The highest topographic point above sea level on Earth is at

A)Mount Himalaya.
B)Mount Mauna Loa.
C)Mount Marianas.
D)Mount Everest.

Question 56

Devices used to detect earthquakes are called

A)thermometers.
B)vibraphones.
C)seismometers.
D)tilt meters.

Question 57

The average density of continental crust is ________ g/cm³.

A)2.8
B)3.4
C)3.0
D)4.0

Question 58

The typical elevation of the land surface occurs within a range of _______ above sea level.

A)0 to 20 km
B)0 to 1 km
C)0 to 10 km
D)0 to 5 km

Question 59

Which of the following of Earth's layers contains the greatest amount of sulfur?

A)crust
B)mantle
C)outer core
D)inner core

Question 60

Continents float high because they are

A)denser than the mantle.
B)less dense than the mantle.
C)the same density as the mantle.
D)thicker than the mantle.

Question 61

"Deep time" refers to time measured in _______ of years.

A)hundreds
B)thousands
C)millions
D)billions

Question 62

The inner core is solid relative to the outer core because of

A)an increase in temperature with depth.
B)a decrease in temperature with depth.
C)an increase in pressure with depth.
D)a decrease in pressure with depth.

Question 63

The largest topographic change relative to sea level on Earth is at

A)the Grand Canyon.
B)Mount Mauna Loa.
C)the Marianas Trench.
D)Mount Everest.

Question 64

Roughly how much extraterrestrial material falls on Earth annually?

A)a million tons
B)a billion tons
C)a thousand tons
D)a few hundred tons

Question 65

A Danish seismologist was the first to discover

A)Earth's overall layering.
B)the Moho.
C)the two-part core.
D)the core.

Question 66

The idea that Earth is a sphere is an example of a scientific

A)fact.
B)hypothesis.
C)theory.
D)dogma.

Question 67

Continental crust is ____ than oceanic crust so the oceans cover the oceanic floor rather than the continents.

A)is thinner
B)occupies less surface area
C)is less dense
D)is hotter

Question 68

What geologic feature most directly connects the plate tectonic and climate systems?

A)earthquakes
B)volcanic activity
C)earth's magnetism
D)the oceans

Question 69

According to Wiechert's hypothesis,the chemical layering of Earth is mainly due to

A)its size.
B)gravity.
C)magnetism.
D)its mass.

Question 70

What are the three geodynamic systems?

A)atmosphere,biosphere,geosphere
B)the climate,the plate tectonic,the geodynamo systems
C)lithosphere,asthenosphere,cryosphere
D)atmosphere,hydrosphere,lithosphere

Question 71

The density of most rocks ranges from ___ to ___ g/cm³.

A)0; 1
B)1; 2
C)3; 4
D)5; 6

Question 72

Which scientist may have been the first to discover that the core consisted of two parts?

A)German Emil Wiechert
B)Englishman Henry Cavendish
C)German-American Beno Gutenberg
D)Dane Inge Lehman

Question 73

Geologic processes can take place of over times that last from

A)seconds to billions of years.
B)minutes to weeks.
C)years to decades.
D)seconds to centuries.

Question 74

Studies that determine the depth of the seafloor would be considered scientific

A)fact.
B)hypothesis.
C)theory.
D)observations.

Question 75

The statement "planet within a planet" refers to which part of Earth?

A)the crust
B)the mantle
C)the core
D)none of these