Deck 17: Glaciers and Glaciation

Question 1

What does the upper bedding plane on a sediment layer indicate?

A) a succession of three or more different facies
B) a single episode of sedimentation
C) an end to that cycle of sedimentation or a hiatus in deposition
D) a geologic catastrophe

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What is amber?

A) lignite coal
B) insect coprolites
C) the fossilized remnant of evergreen tree resins
D) petrified wood

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which type of sandstone contains abundant, clayey, matrix material?

A) arkose
B) wacke
C) cherty
D) brownstone

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which common mineral of igneous rocks is the most abundant mineral in detrital sedimentary rocks?

A) calcite
B) quartz
C) orthoclase
D) biotite

Question 5

How are cements formed in sedimentary rocks?

A) They are always present in the original sediment, but they take a while to react.
B) Most are introduced as dissolved substances in pore waters.
C) They are injected as a slurry as dense fluids are forced through the sediments.
D) From decomposition of buried organic matter.

Question 6

What does a sediment layer bounded by two bedding planes indicate?

A) a single episode of sedimentation
B) a succession of three or more different facies
C) a geologic catastrophe
D) a long hiatus

Question 7

Which of the following rocks is lithified from sediment that was deposited in deep water and was essentially unmodified by post- depositional current action?

A) well- sorted, quartz sandstone
B) cross- bedded dune sandstone
C) reddish mudstone with mud cracks
D) wacke with graded bedding

Question 8

In what environment are deltas typically formed, and why are they formed there?

A) around the middles of large lakes far from shore; there is no farther for the sediments to go
B) in submarine river systems because of the "delta" shape of the seafloor basins
C) transitional; decrease in slope (gradient) and sediment carrying power
D) in desert environments in the middles of continents far from the mountains; there is no water or wind left to carry sediment any farther

Question 9

What is a wacke?

A) a sandstone with immature lithic sand grains embedded in a clay- rich matrix
B) a dark, organic- rich, chemical sedimentary rock containing small crystals of halite
C) a limestone with abundant, sand- sized, quartz grains
D) a dark- grey, calcite- rich mudstone or shale containing pyrite

Question 10

What does poor sorting indicate in a sediment?

A) there was no environment of deposition
B) a big velocity increase during deposition
C) that the particles are not the same shape but all the same size
D) short transport distance and/or very rapid deposition

Question 11

cement produces bright- red and yellow colors in some sandstone.

A) Calcite
B) Iron oxide
C) Quartz
D) Clay

Question 12

Which of the following would retain the most detailed impressions of fossilized organisms?

A) an ancient, rainforest lateritic soil buried by basalt lava flows
B) quartz- rich sand deposited in a shallow beachfront environment
C) very fine- grained volcanic ash deposited in an ancient lake
D) gravel and sand stream deposits laid down during flash floods

Question 13

Which of the following is fossilized resin from evergreen trees?

A) saprolite
B) burnt umber
C) amber
D) coprolite

Question 14

What rock type would be made from angular rock fragments >70 mm in size?

A) siltstone
B) shale/mudstone
C) sandstone
D) breccia

Question 15

The process of turning a sediment into a sedimentary rock is called .

A) crystallization
B) lithification
C) redeposition
D) conglomeration

Question 16

Which sediment gets lithified to become sandstone?

A) gravel
B) sand
C) clay and fine silt
D) all clay sized sediment

Question 17

A succession of beds where each is a tabular massive layer with more coarse material at its base and fines near the top is called .

A) graded beds and indicates deep water turbidity currents off the continental slope
B) hummocky cross stratification and indicates a deposit formed by storm enhanced waves or currents
C) cross- beds and indicates dunes, deltas, or migrating channels
D) current ripple marks caused by reversing current directions or tides

Question 18

Which sediment gets lithified to become conglomerate?

A) sand
B) all clay- sized sediment
C) gravel
D) clay and fine silt

Question 19

Flint, chert, and jasper are microcrystalline forms of which mineral?

A) halite; NaCl
B) calcite; CaCO3
C) quartz; SiO2
D) hematite; Fe2O3

Question 20

The type of diagenesis that occurs in the transformation of aragonite to calcite is .

A) recrystallization
B) dehydration
C) decarbonation
D) weathering

Question 21

Which of the following is most likely to be preserved as a carbonized impression?

A) a buried log
B) an oyster shell
C) a dinosaur bone
D) a leaf

Question 22

Fossil insects are sometimes preserved in what material?

A) polished gastroliths
B) carbonized wood
C) petrified wood
D) amber

Question 23

Coal beds originate in what type of depositional environment?

A) deep, marine basins below wave action
B) shallow lakes in a dry, desert region
C) channels of fast- moving streams
D) freshwater coastal swamps and bogs

Question 24

Other than detrital, what other origin can sediments have?

A) accumulation from inorganic precipitation or organic deposition
B) They were put there by the Devil to confuse us.
C) accumulation of debris from meteorite showers
D) erosion and transport

Question 25

Which type of sand depositional environment would probably have the best degree of sorting?

A) river bar
B) beach face
C) delta face
D) dune

Question 26

The largest Canadian deposits and mining operations for bituminous coal occur in .

A) Iqaluit
B) offshore from Newfoundland
C) Ontario
D) Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia

Question 27

Which sediment gets lithified to become shale?

A) gravel
B) clay and fine silt
C) sand
D) all clay sized sediment

Question 28

Consider the small delicate Early Cenozoic ancestors of the modern horse. Which part of these animals was most commonly preserved as fossils?

A) teeth
B) vertebrae
C) hair
D) skull

Question 29

The soft- bodied fossils of the Burgess Shale were preserved by as thin carbon films, due to the selective loss of more volatile components.

A) carbonation
B) replacement
C) carbonization
D) petrification

Question 30

A cherty limestone would contain which major constituents?

A) silica; calcite
B) clay minerals
C) iron oxide; calcite
D) silica; iron oxide

Question 31

Which of the following is a form of calcium carbonate found in cave formations and hot springs deposits?

A) travertine
B) lignite
C) gypsum
D) chert

Question 32

The simple addition of mineral matter to living things with open pores like bone or wood is called

A) putrification
B) carbonization
C) replacement
D) petrification

Question 33

How does most calcium- magnesium carbonate rock form?

A) by direct precipitation from seawater but dolomite selectively dissolves so most carbonate sedimentary rocks are limestone
B) by diagenetic replacement of Ca by Mg in limestone
C) in salt lakes and evaporite basins of continental interiors
D) from volcanic hot springs in the deep sea

Question 34

is a form of calcium carbonate.

A) Chert
B) Gypsum
C) Lignite
D) Travertine

Question 35

What rock type would be made from rounded grains of various rock types ranging from 1 to 250 mm?

A) pebbly mudstone
B) conglomeratic sandstone
C) lithic sandstone
D) conglomeratic mudstone

Question 36

How is a fossil cast or mould formed?

A) Silica fills in all open spaces in the original organic structure.
B) Soft mud surrounds a broken dinosaur bone and hardens to a mudstone cast.
C) An impression of the organism is formed by a thin film of carbon.
D) A mineral such as quartz , calcite, pyrite, or apatite is precipitated in the space left by dissolution of an original shell or other hard part.

Question 37

What economic value do shales have, such as the Queenston Formation below the Niagara escarpment?

A) raw materials for brick making, pottery or tiles
B) high oil contents
C) fine grained detrital gold
D) cut dimension stone for buildings

Question 38

What rock type would be made mostly from particles 1/256 mm and has lots of thin flat laminae and a reddish colour?

A) ferruginous shale
B) calcareous siltstone
C) carbonaceous mudstone
D) Wilma Flintstone

Question 39

Where would you expect turbidites to form?

A) at the base of the continental slope
B) on sandy beaches
C) out the rear end of a dinosaur
D) limestone reefs and banks

Question 40

Carbonized fossils of Opabina, Ottoia, and Wiwaxia would have to come from the .

A) Devonian reefs of the Western Canada Basin
B) Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of Yoho Park, British Columbia
C) Precambrian Ediacaran Fauna such as at Mistaken Point, Newfoundland
D) Cretaceous continental shales like those at Drumheller, Alberta

Question 41

What is probably the single most important, original, depositional feature in all sedimentary rocks?

A) compaction of the mud and clay
B) degree of lithification
C) cementation of the sand grains
D) bedding or stratification

Question 42

The aspect, thickness, and appearance of a rock unit, and reflecting its environmental conditions of origin, is collectively referred to as its .

A) stratal index
B) agglomerate properties
C) facies
D) lithology

Question 43

A horizontally bedded succession of thick, well sorted sands, containing moderately dipping layers between the flatlying upper and lower surfaces of each bed are called .

A) oscillation ripple marks indicating reversing tidal currents
B) current ripple marks caused by reversing current directions or tides
C) graded beds and indicate deep water turbidity currents off the continental slope
D) cross- beds and indicate dunes, deltas, or migrating channels

Question 44

What kind of rock are most dripstones and stalactites in caves?

A) limestone
B) opal
C) gypsum
D) chert

Question 45

Sedimentary rocks account for about what percentage of the Earth's outermost 10 kilometres of rock (first percentage). Also, what percentage of the Earth's continental area is covered by sedimentary rocks (second percentage)?

A) 85%; 100%
B) 5%; 75%
C) 65%; 10%
D) 3.5%; 100%

Question 46

Which three elements are further concentrated in a residual brine after NaCl is crystallized?

A) calcium and sulfur
B) potassium and magnesium
C) calcium and titanium
D) iron and chlorine

Question 47

Detrital sedimentary rocks are mainly classified (named) on what basis?

A) grain sizes of the detrital particles
B) degree of compaction and lithification
C) colours of the cementing minerals
D) compositions of soluble minerals

Question 48

What proportion of sedimentary rocks do the mudstones and shales comprise?

A) 95%
B) 50%
C) 5%
D) 25%

Question 49

Which of the following minerals are listed in order of increasing solubility in seawater (from least soluble to most soluble)?

A) calcite, halite, sylvite
B) sylvite, calcite, quartz
C) calcite, quartz, halite
D) halite, calcite, quartz

Question 50

What does the degree of rounding indicate in a sediment?

A) the velocity of transport
B) where the minerals originally came from
C) the distance travelled or duration of time involved in sediment transport
D) whether the sediment was deposited in a stream or the ocean

Question 51

The dominant sediment of tidal flats would likely be .

A) cobbles and other very coarse grained sediments
B) muds and silts with some organic content
C) sands and broken shell fragments
D) turbidites with graded bedding

Question 52

Laterally shifting depositional environments with time always produce .

A) major earthquakes
B) unloading as more sediments accumulate
C) evaporites
D) vertical facies successions

Question 53

What proportion of sedimentary rocks are "limestones"?

A) 50%
B) 5%
C) 20%
D) 10%

Question 54

Which sediment gets lithified to become mudstone?

A) clay and fine silt
B) all clay- sized sediment
C) sand
D) gravel

Question 55

Shales are usually described as weak because they are .

A) too thinly bedded to use for building stone
B) only compacted but not well cemented
C) so porous and permeable
D) devoid of quartz

Question 56

Which type of sandstone contains abundant detrital feldspar grains?

A) wacke
B) orthoquartzite
C) pegmatitic
D) arkose

Question 57

Shales are distinguished from other mudrocks by their .

A) colour
B) sand content
C) fossil content
D) fissility

Question 58

What sedimentary rock type most commonly contains terrestrial plant fossils?

A) massive sandstones
B) quartzite breccia
C) dark organic rich shales
D) silty limestone

Question 59

Which type of sediment undergoes the most compaction as it lithifies to sedimentary rocks?

A) desert dune sand
B) coarse gravel
C) reef limestone
D) marine mud

Question 60

A succession of beds containing small scale asymmetric ripples that alternate their orientations are likely to be .

A) current ripple marks caused by reversing current directions or tides
B) oscillation ripple marks from gentle wave action in a shallow near shore environment
C) hummocks and indicates a deposit formed by storm enhanced waves or currents
D) cross- beds and indicates dunes, deltas, or migrating channels

Question 61

Where do carbonate reefs form?

A) in the arctic
B) where rivers drain tropical rain forest and bury lots of clastic sediment and biomass
C) from hot springs deposits in the deep sea
D) in the tropics between - 30° and +30° Latitude

Question 62

Of sedimentary rocks, what proportion are sandstones?

A) 20%
B) 50%
C) 75%
D) 2%

Question 63

The correct order for increasing carbon content and coal rank is .

A) bituminous, lignite, anthracite, peat
B) peat, lignite, bituminous, anthracite
C) anthracite, lignite, peat, bituminous
D) lignite, peat, bituminous, anthracite

Question 64

How does a sediment become transformed into a sedimentary rock?

A) by destruction of all bedding and original depositional features
B) by compaction and dewatering , followed by cementation
C) by processes of polymorphism
D) by multiple cycles of redeposition

Question 65

Most chemical sediments derive from .

A) accumulations of organic matter
B) industrial waste from multi- national corporations
C) detrital minerals that are a single, pure, inorganic compound
D) the soluble products of weathering, carried in solution to a warm, evaporating basin

Question 66

The oldest multicellular organisms from the are known only as imprints and have no hard body parts for any of the fauna.

A) Permo- Triassic massive extinction event
B) Precambrian Ediacaran Fauna
C) Azoic Acasta Gneiss
D) Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale

Question 67

Which indirect fossil features are most likely to cut across and disrupt bedding (stratification) in the host sedimentary rock?

A) dinosaur footprints; sandy conglomerate
B) carbonized leaves; clayey lakebeds
C) turbidite casts; wacke
D) burrows; muddy, fine- grained sandstone

Question 68

Which of the following describes the correct order for relative solubility of minerals in sedimentary rocks?

A) Evaporate minerals, quartz, and calcite all have the same relative solubility.
B) Evaporate minerals are more soluble than calcite and quartz.
C) Evaporate minerals are more soluble than quartz and less soluble than calcite.
D) Evaporate minerals are less soluble than quartz and calcite.

Question 69

An irregular pile of laminated sandy beds which are lens shaped in two directions and have low angle cross stratifications are called .

A) graded beds and indicates deep water turbidity currents off the continental slope
B) current ripple marks and indicate uniform tidal currents
C) hummocky cross stratification and indicates a deposit formed by storm enhanced waves or currents
D) oscillation ripple marks from gentle wave action in a shallow near shore environment

Question 70

What do most limestones, gypsum, rock salts like halite or potash (sylvite), and chert have in common?

A) They are all organic precipitates.
B) They are all formed by organisms on the ocean floor.
C) They are all directly pertinent to the global carbon cycle.
D) They are all considered chemical or biochemical sediments.

Question 71

Which of the following sedimentary features can each be used to determine paleocurrent directions?

A) mud cracks and ripple marks
B) grain size sorting and ripple marks
C) fossils and mud cracks
D) ripple marks and cross stratification

Question 72

Which of the following sedimentary rocks is usually biochemical in origin?

A) wacke
B) limestone
C) bedded salt
D) sandstone

Question 73

Which limestone consists mainly of tiny, marine fossils composed of calcite?

A) dolostone
B) coquina
C) chalk
D) chert

Question 74

Beaches, bars, deltas, lagoons, and tidal flats are all environments.

A) marine
B) continental
C) transitional
D) alcoholic

Question 75

What does a sand that contains significant amounts of sand- sized rock fragments, blocky feldspar, and angular prismatic grains of ferromagnesian minerals suggest?

A) that it has travelled a great distance in a uniform flow or has had more than one cycle of weathering, transport, and deposition.
B) that it has travelled a short distance and was likely deposited very close to the source of the particles
C) that it had a very low velocity of transport and likely a shallow stream gradient
D) that it was derived from uplifted and eroded older sedimentary rocks

Question 76

The geologist's technical term for a fossilized piece of excrement is a .

A) marbled meadow- muffin
B) burrow cast
C) coprolite
D) gastrolith

Question 77

Where would you expect the thickest deposits of biogenic ooze to occur?

A) on the deep ocean floor
B) in tropical rainforests
C) limestone reefs and banks
D) sandy beaches

Question 78

Which of the following sedimentary rocks would you expect to have originally been deposited by fast- moving streams?

A) oolitic limestone
B) conglomerate
C) mudstone
D) wacke

Question 79

Oolitic limestone is most likely to form in what type of depositional environment?

A) acidic, organic- rich waters in freshwater swamps and bogs
B) deep, marine waters below most wave action
C) shallow, clear, marine waters with vigorous current activity
D) quiet, muddy, lagoons and bays

Question 80

Which one of the following is commonly preserved in the fossil record as moulds?

A) mammal teeth
B) brachiopods
C) dinosaur bones
D) leaves