Deck 1: Earth As a Planet

Question 1

The set of crustal processes that form new rock,modify it transport it,and break it down is known as the ____ cycle.

A)rock
B)hydrologic
C)metamorphic
D)tectonic

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Differentiation of the inner planets probably means that each of the rocky planetary bodies _____.

A)started out with a cold exterior that was heated by the sun.
B)lost temperature early in its history.
C)went through a period with thick atmospheres.
D)started out hot enough to melt,either partially or completely.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The early planets of the solar system formed as gravity caused larger debris to attract smaller chunks,thereby growing larger through the process of _____.

A)accretion
B)volcanism.
C)metamorphism
D)gravitational collapse

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which branch of geology is concerned with the formation,occurrence,and search for valuable mineral deposits?

A)historical geology
B)physical geology
C)economic geology
D)structural geology

Question 5

The figure below depicts the evolution of the solar system.During which stage would there be the onset of significant accretion?

A)Stage 1
B)Stage 2
C)Stage 3
D)Stage 4

Question 6

Which one of the following is a good example of a closed system?

A)a lake
B)a volcano
C)a tree
D)None of these are examples of a closed system.

Question 7

Which one of the following Earth materials is not part of the regolith?

A)muds in river valleys
B)sands in deserts
C)soil
D)rock fragments from meteorite impacts
E)All of the above are part of Earth's regolith

Question 8

Movements and interactions in the lithosphere and the internal Earth processes that drive them are referred to as the _____ cycle.

A)rock
B)hydrologic
C)metamorphic
D)tectonic

Question 9

The branch of geology that deals with understanding the processes which operate at or beneath the surface of Earth and the materials on which those processes act is called _____.

A)historical geology
B)physical geology
C)economic geology
D)structural geology

Question 10

In the illustration below,which of the three models depicts an "open system?"

A)Model A
B)Model B
C)Model C

Question 11

Which of the inner planets has an atmosphere containing mostly carbon dioxide and has an average surface temperature of 480° Celsius?

A)Mercury
B)Venus
C)Earth
D)Mars

Question 12

The cloud of gas and dust from which the moons and planets of our solar system eventually formed is called the _____.

A)solar nebula
B)condensation cloud
C)nuclear cloud
D)accretionary nebula

Question 13

The figure below depicts the evolution of the solar system.During which stage would the process of nuclear fusion begin?

A)Stage 1
B)Stage 2
C)Stage 3
D)Stage 4

Question 14

Which one of the following is a system?

A)a leaf
B)a tree
C)a mountain range
D)All of these are examples of systems

Question 15

In the illustration below,which of the three models depicts a "closed system?"

A)Model A
B)Model B
C)Model C

Question 16

The model that describes the movement of water through the reservoirs of the Earth System is called the _____ cycle.

A)rock
B)hydrologic
C)metamorphic
D)tectonic

Question 17

The term planetary differentiation refers to the process in which _____.

A)lithospheric plates move around on the underlying asthenosphere in the terrestrial planets
B)Earth separated into concentric layers or zones that differ in composition.
C)the planets of our solar system condensed and accreted
D)Earth originated

Question 18

The formation of Earth and other planetary bodies through the processes of condensation and accretion was essentially complete _____ years ago.

A)456 million
B)4)56 million
C)4)56 billion
D)45.6 billion

Question 19

The study of how rocks deform (break and bend)is referred to as _____.

A)historical geology
B)physical geology
C)economic geology
D)structural geology

Question 20

Earth is a close approximation of a (an) system.

A)open
B)closed
C)isolated
D)restricted

Question 21

The nebular hypothesis proposes that the solar system coalesced out of a swirling cloud of interstellar dust and gas.

Question 22

Which of the inner planets has a regolith that is largely the product of weathering?

A)Mercury
B)Venus
C)Earth
D)Mars

Question 23

An open system can exchange both matter and energy across its boundaries.

Question 24

In the two photographs below,A shows structures within a modern sand dune that are identical to the structures in the sandstone shown in B.Geologists interpret the structures in the ancient sandstone to be formed by the same processes as those that produced the structures in the modern sand dune.A geologist's ability to interpret these structures by comparing them to modern processes is an example of--------------------.

A)paleontology.
B)the nebular hypothesis.
C)uniformitarianism.
D)a systems approach.

Question 25

The tectonic cycle refers to the set of crustal processes that form new rock,modify it,transport it,and break it down.

Question 26

The Principle of Uniformitarianism tells us that _____.

A)Earth is extremely old
B)Earth systems don't change over geologic time because material is continually being cycled around;the amounts taken away balance the amounts added
C)the present is the key to the past
D)All of the above are true

Question 27

The Principle of Uniformitarianism is based on the premise that _____.

A)processes that governed Earth's system were completely different in the past to the processes that we see today.
B)the same processes that operated on Earth in the past are similar to the processes that operate today.
C)processes governing Earth were more violent in the past than they are today.
D)All of the above are true.

Question 28

The study of geology is important to human society because _____.

A)Earth materials and processes affect our lives through our dependence on Earth resources
B)of a need to understand geologic hazards such as volcanic eruptions,floods and earthquakes
C)it is important to understand the physical properties of the natural environment
D)All of the above are important reasons to study geology.

Question 29

Of the other inner planets of the solar system,Earth's size is most similar to _____.

A)Mercury
B)Venus
C)Mars

Question 30

The hydrosphere comprises all of Earth's water and ice,both on the surface and underground.

Question 31

Activity on Earth's surface has erased all traces of ancient meteorite impacts,such as those still visible on the moon.

Question 32

Hutton's Principle of Uniformitarianism states that the physical processes on Earth have not changed over time.

Question 33

Continental crust is thicker and less dense than oceanic crust.

Question 34

Earth is the only planet we know of that contains water.

Question 35

Throughout Earth's history,though the processes that occur on Earth have not changed,the _____.

A)temperature and composition of the atmosphere has been dramatically different in the past.
B)level of the oceans has fluctuated.
C)location of the continents has varied over time.
D)All of the above are true.

Question 36

Physical geology could use historical geology as a tool to understand processes that formed rocks in the past.

Question 37

Which of the inner planets has an atmosphere too thin to retain much heat and has an average surface temperature of -63° Celsius?

A)Mercury
B)Venus
C)Earth
D)Mars

Question 38

Which of the inner planets has an atmosphere containing mostly nitrogen and has an average surface temperature of 14.6° Celsius?

A)Mercury
B)Venus
C)Earth
D)Mars

Question 39

Earth is a fairly close approximation of a closed system.

Question 40

The "plates" in Earth's plate tectonics are made of fragments of _____.

A)continents
B)the lithosphere
C)oceanic crust
D)the mantle

Question 41

______ geology focuses on how materials and processes in the natural geologic environment affect,and are affected by,human activities.

Question 42

The ______ is the innermost compositional layer of solid Earth.

Question 43

The term ______ refers to the chemical alteration and mechanical breakdown of rock caused by exposure to water,air,and living organisms.

Question 44

The ______ cycle circulates water through various reservoirs of the Earth system: the ocean,the atmosphere,the geosphere,and the biosphere.

Question 45

The innermost planets of the solar system are also referred to as the ______ planets,because of their similarities to Earth.

Question 46

The middle compositional layer of Earth,the______,lies between the core and the crust.

Question 47

The ______ forms the outermost compositional layer of solid Earth.

Question 48

Since 2006,Pluto and Ceres have been classified as .

Question 49

The concept of ______ holds that the processes which govern Earth's systems today have operated in a similar manner throughout geologic time.

Question 50

The model of ______ describes the movement and interactions of large segments of Earth's lithosphere.

Question 51

_____ geology is concerned with the formation,occurrence,and search for valuable mineral deposits.

Question 52

Earth's four very large subsystems are the geosphere,hydrosphere,atmosphere,and ______.

Question 53

The ______ hypothesis states that our solar system coalesced from a swirling cloud of interstellar dust and gas.

Question 54

The ______ cycle describes the set of crustal processes that form new rock,modify it,transport it,and break it down.

Question 55

The physical processes that occur on Earth have not changed over time,but the physical conditions of Earth ______ (have changed/have not changed)dramatically.

Question 56

The growth process in which bits of solid matter gradually gathered together to form the planets is called ______.

Question 57

______is the process by which the terrestrial planets separated into concentric layers of differing chemical composition.

Question 58

The ______ cycle describes the movements and interactions in the geosphere and the internal Earth processes that drive them.

Question 59

______ is the older,thicker,and less dense part of Earth's crust that forms the majority of Earth's land masses.

Question 60

A system is one that does not allow matter to pass through its boundaries,but may allow energy to do so.

Question 61

What is a closed system?

Question 62

Why are meteorites of such interest to scientists?

Question 63

Why is the study of geology important to human society?

Question 64

At the end of the Cretaceous period,an asteroid hit Earth and may have led to the extinction of many species,including the dinosaurs.How do you reconcile this event with Hutton's concept of uniformatarianism?

Question 65

Volcanism is common to the histories of all of the terrestrial planets.What type of volcanic rock is common to all of the terrestrial planets?

Question 66

What is the difference between physical geology and historical geology?

Question 67

How do Mars and Earth differ?

Question 68

In what ways do the biosphere and the lithosphere interact?

Question 69

Impact craters cover the surface of large parts of other terrestrial bodies in the solar system,such as Mars and the Moon.Why don't we see many covering Earth's surface?

Question 70

Given scientists' current understanding of the formation of the Moon,how might the composition of the Moon compare to that of the Earth?

Question 71

Describe the compositional structure of Earth's interior,formed through the process of differentiation.

Question 72

How does applying an Earth systems approach change the way the science of geology is conducted?

Question 73

The illustration below shows four stages in the development of the solar system.Describe the changes that take place in stage 3 of this evolution.

Question 74

The illustration below shows four stages in the development of the solar system.Describe the changes that take place in stage 2 of this evolution.

Question 75

What are the reservoirs of the hydrologic cycle?

Question 76

How do Venus and Earth differ?

Question 77

Earth is not the only planet with regolith.What makes Earth's regolith different from the regolith on other planets and satellites?

Question 78

What are the subsystems of Earth?

Question 79

What is the tectonic cycle?

Question 80

What is the rock cycle?