Question 1

It took a long time before people in pre-industrial societies fully acknowledged the connection between fossils and living organisms.

Accepted Answer

In pre-industrial societies, the understanding of fossils and their connection to living organisms was not immediate or widespread. It took centuries of observation, collection, and the development of the field of paleontology before the broader connections between fossils and past life forms were fully acknowledged and understood.

Question 2

The Principle of Uniformity is the notion that the geologic features you observe today were formed in the past by the same physical processes we observe operating today.

Accepted Answer

The Principle of Uniformity, often summarized as "the present is the key to the past," suggests that the geological processes we observe today, such as erosion, sedimentation, and volcanic activity, have been operating in the same manner throughout Earth's history. This principle is fundamental to the science of geology.

Question 3

Evidence for the structure of Earth's interior comes largely from deep core drilling.

Accepted Answer

Evidence for the structure of Earth's interior primarily comes from the analysis of seismic waves generated by earthquakes, not from deep core drilling, as drilling has only reached a few kilometers into the Earth's crust, which is very shallow compared to the Earth's radius of about 6,371 kilometers.

Question 4

Earth's magnetic field will reverse orientations in approximately&#10;A) 200 years.&#10;B) 2,000 years.&#10;C) 25 million years.&#10;D) 4.5 million years.

Accepted Answer

Earth's magnetic field reversals are unpredictable, but geological records show they have happened numerous times throughout Earth's history. The last reversal occurred roughly 780,000 years ago, and while the timing of these reversals is irregular, suggesting one might occur every few thousand to millions of years, there is no precise prediction that it will happen in exactly 2,000 years. However, "B" is the closest to the unpredictable nature of these events, as it acknowledges the possibility of a reversal in a relatively short geological timeframe without specifying an exact schedule.

Question 5

Initially, all rocks on Earth were&#10;A) igneous.&#10;B) clastic sedimentary.&#10;C) chemical sedimentary.&#10;D) metamorphic.

Accepted Answer

Initially, all rocks on Earth were igneous, formed from the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. This process occurred during the early formation of the Earth when the planet was extremely hot and volcanic activity was more prevalent. Over time, these igneous rocks could be broken down by weathering and erosion to form sedimentary rocks, or be transformed under heat and pressure into metamorphic rocks.

Question 6

Earth's northern rotation axis will always point toward Polaris.

Accepted Answer

Earth's axis wobbles due to precession, causing the North Celestial Pole to point towards different stars over a 26,000-year cycle. Currently, it points near Polaris, but this will change over time.

Question 7

The most commonly accepted theory of the Moon's formation is that the Moon formed as the result of an impact between Earth and a Mars-sized object.

Accepted Answer

This theory, known as the Giant Impact Hypothesis, suggests that the Moon was formed from the debris left over after a collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized body, often referred to as Theia, around 4.5 billion years ago.

Question 8

During which phase of the Moon could we observe a solar eclipse?&#10;A) full&#10;B) first quarter&#10;C) last quarter&#10;D) new

Accepted Answer

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking all or part of the Sun's light. This can only happen during the new moon phase, when the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun.

Deck 6: Geologic Time , Earth in Space, Plate Tectonics, Rocks and Minerals