Deck 12: Geology and Nonrenewable Minerals

Question 1

The majority of earthquakes and volcanoes occur

A) in the interior of continents
B) on oceanic islands
C) along the edge of plate boundaries
D) in the open ocean
E) in the U.S.

Answer 1

along the edge of plate boundaries

Question 2

The spill of cyanide into the Tisza and Danube Rivers in 2000 could have been prevented if

A) the computer systems monitoring the cyanide volume had not crashed
B) fewer people had withdrawn water from the rivers so the overall flow rate was lower
C) an earthquake warning system had been in place to warn dam managers of the impending quake that broke the dam
D) the mining company had installed a stronger containment dam and a backup settling pond to prevent leakage
E) a newer, more technologically sound settling pond had been in place

Answer 2

the mining company had installed a stronger containment dam and a backup settling pond to prevent leakage

Question 3

Which of the following is true?

A) A portion of the mantle is solid rock and a portion of it is molten.
B) The inner core is liquid, whereas the outer core is solid.
C) Extreme pressure makes the interior of the Earth liquid.
D) The core of the Earth occupies most of its volume.
E) The thickest zone is the crust.

Answer 3

A portion of the mantle is solid rock and a portion of it is molten.

Question 4

Heat and pressure convert

A) igneous rock into sedimentary rock
B) sedimentary rock into metamorphic rock
C) metamorphic rock into igneous rock
D) sedimentary rock into igneous rock
E) metamorphic into sedimentary rock

Question 5

Tectonic plates can slide and grind past each other at a(n)

A) ocean ridge
B) convection cell
C) transform fault
D) subduction zone
E) seam fault

Question 6

The movement of tectonic plates is significant because it

A) explains the formation of waterfalls and river canyons
B) predicts where earthquakes are likely to occur
C) explains the formation of ocean currents
D) predicts where endangered species might be found
E) explains the formation of weather

Question 7

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a mineral?

A) crystal structure
B) Organic
C) naturally occurring
D) solid
E) inorganic

Question 8

One of the reasons the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean caused so much devastation and death is

A) the lack of attention to dire predictions from emergency warning centers
B) the fact that early detection systems indicated the tsunami was not very powerful
C) the lack of buoys or gauges in place to signal the danger to human settlements
D) more than one of these answers is correct
E) this is the first tsunami in recent history, so they have not been considered a danger until this event

Question 9

Which of the following is true of the lithosphere?

A) It is a combination of crust, mantle, and molten rock.
B) It is only composed of molten rock.
C) It is a combination of crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle
D) It is a combination of solid rock and molten rock.
E) It is the rock and mineral area underneath large bodies of water (hydrosphere)

Question 10

Which of the following rocks is most likely to be formed from compacted plant remains?

A) coal
B) limestone
C) rock salt
D) marble
E) granite

Question 11

Lignite and bituminous coal are ____ rocks.

A) metamorphic
B) igneous
C) tectonic
D) ore
E) sedimentary

Question 12

The change of rocks from one type to another is known as

A) Metamorphism
B) the rock cycle
C) Petrography
D) Consolidation
E) Hydrogeology

Question 13

In 2010, the world's top gold producing countries were, in order

A) South Africa, United States, China, Australia and Russia
B) China, Australia, South Africa, United States and Russia
C) Russia, India, China, United States, Brazil
D) India, Brazil, China, United States and Canada
E) Brazil, United States, China, Canada and Australia

Question 14

The asthenosphere is

A) the outer atmosphere
B) the inner core of Earth
C) a zone of hot, partly melted rock, in the crust, that has been compared to pizza dough
D) a zone of hot, partly melted rock, under the mantle, that has been compared to pizza dough
E) a solid region in the mantle

Question 15

All of the following are broad classes of rock except

A) sedimentary
B) igneous
C) metamorphic
D) crystal
E) limestone

Question 16

Convection cells or currents

A) move large volumes of rock and heat within the earth's mantle like giant conveyer belts
B) occur during tsunamis and create an effect of amplifying the waves that repetitively strike a shoreline
C) operate in the ocean and in the atmosphere, but not in any part of the lithosphere
D) are part of the process of earth movement during earthquakes
E) are a feature of the mantle that geologists are just beginning to recognize, but as yet do not understand

Question 17

The epicenter of an earthquake is located

A) deep underground at the very source of the earthquake
B) at the point on land where the majority of movement, and the majority of damage, occurs
C) at the point on land where the earthquake is first detected by a seismograph
D) at the exact middle point of the earthquake's origin along the length of two faults
E) on the earth's surface directly above the focus of the earthquake

Question 18

A friend of yours has granite counter tops installed in her kitchen, and asks you what you know about this type of rock. A reasonable answer would be:

A) it is a type of sedimentary rock (made up of the sediments of dead plant and animal remains)
B) it is a type of rock that is formed by high pressure
C) it is a type of rock that is only found on the ocean floor
D) it is a type of igneous rock that is formed underground
E) it is a type of igneous rock that is formed above ground

Question 19

Which of the following rocks is most likely to be formed from compacted shells and skeletons?

A) coal
B) limestone
C) rock salt
D) marble
E) granite

Question 20

Gold is removed from the rock that contains it by a series of leaching operations that all involve the use of

A) sulfuric acid
B) nitric acid
C) arsenic
D) highly toxic cyanide salts
E) mercury

Question 21

The rare earth elements that are considered extremely important for widely used modern technologies include

A) scandium and yttrium
B) scandium, yttrium and the 15 lanthanides
C) yttrium, cobalt and the 15 lanthanides
D) scandium, nobelium and the 15 lanthanides
E) the 17 lanthanides alone

Question 22

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Market prices clearly reflect dwindling mineral supplies.
B) High prices would encourage recycling and reuse.
C) Low mineral prices are caused by failure to include the external costs of mining.
D) Low prices encourage waste and faster depletion.
E) Two of these choices are false.

Question 23

Surface mining techniques are used to extract ____% of the coal used in the United States.

A) 20
B) 40
C) 60
D) 80
E) 100

Question 24

Mineral resources are best categorized as which of the following?

A) renewable resources
B) nonrenewable resources
C) alternative energy resources
D) subduction resources
E) organic resources

Question 25

Which of the following is not a problem associated with extracting mineral resources from the ocean?

A) Many of the mineral resources that are found in seawater are in low concentrations.
B) This can be extremely expensive given current technologies.
C) There might be ecological impacts associated with aquatic life.
D) There might be disagreement as to who has legal access and rights to certain resources.
E) There are no valuable mineral resources in the ocean.

Question 26

Slate and marble are ____ rocks.

A) Primary
B) Secondary
C) Metamorphic
D) Igneous
E) Sedimentary

Question 27

The U.S. General Mining Law of 1872 was in effect until

A) 1873
B) 1900
C) 1950
D) 1995
E) This law is still in effect today.

Question 28

Fish populations in one area of Borneo have dropped by 70% due to

A) mining for lithium using mercury
B) mining for plutonium
C) strip mining
D) arsenic pollution secondary to gold mining
E) extracting gold from stream sediments using mercury

Question 29

The most widely used nonmetallic minerals are

A) nitrates and phosphates
B) aluminum and steel
C) carbon and chlorophyll
D) sand and gravel
E) rock and ore

Question 30

Since the 1960's South Korea has imported iron and copper because

A) it has never had the natural reserves of these nonrenewable minerals
B) industrial applications that require these metals has surged since then
C) it exported large amounts of these nonrenewable minerals in the 1950's and since then has not had enough to meet its own demands
D) rapid economic growth alone has outstripped the country's ability to meet demands
E) it is both cheaper and less polluting to import the minerals rather than mine for them in their own country

Question 31

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency

A) mining has polluted about 10% of western watersheds
B) mining has polluted about 40% of western watersheds
C) recent changes in the Clean Water Act has resulted in recovery of 40% of western watersheds
D) mining produces fewer toxic emissions than any other industry in the United States
E) mine explosions are the greatest cause of deaths amongst working age males in the United States

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a method by which to achieve more sustainable use of nonrenewable mineral resources?

A) Reduce waste, recycle, and reuse.
B) Slow population growth.
C) Find substitutes.
D) Reduce mining subsidies.
E) Remove minerals faster so the mining processes do not pollute the air for as long a time period.

Question 33

Which of the following is true of the current materials revolution that is occurring?

A) New materials are being created that act as ideal replacements for many materials.
B) Nanotechnology is likely to be a large component of the materials revolution.
C) Many new materials are more efficient and cost-effective than their counterparts.
D) The production and use of many new materials are far less environmentally damaging.
E) All of these answers are true.

Question 34

As nonrenewable mineral resources are depleted, experts are particularly concerned about manganese, cobalt, chromium, and platinum, which are

A) trace metal resources.
B) strategic metal resources
C) biogenic metal resources
D) magma metal resources
E) trace metal resources

Question 35

Metals such as gold, iron, and copper are often mined via this method.

A) mountaintop removal
B) area strip mining
C) subsurface mining
D) open pit mining
E) minimum impact mining

Question 36

Environmental impact would be greatest mining for ____ ore.

A) a high-grade
B) a moderate-grade
C) a low-grade
D) a plentiful
E) a low- to moderate-grade

Question 37

Which statement best fits as a description of the U.S. General Mining Law of 1872?

A) Land could be purchased at market price for purposes of extracting minerals.
B) A statement had to be made by the prospective owner that the land likely contains hard rock miners.
C) A statement had to be made by the prospective owner that $500 would be spent to improve the land for mineral development.
D) $120 per year had to be paid each year for a 20-acre parcel.
E) All of these except land could be purchased at market price for purposes of extracting minerals.

Question 38

United States dependence on foreign countries for mineral resources other than oil could occur in the future because of the emerging demand for

A) lithium for cell phone, laptop and electric car batteries
B) lithium for LED lights
C) silver nitrate for cell phone, laptop and electric car batteries
D) mercury for digital camera batteries
E) granite kitchen counter tops

Question 39

Advantages of using microorganisms for mining include all of the following except reduced

A) land disturbance
B) air pollution
C) water pollution
D) time to remove minerals
E) water and air pollution

Question 40

Mountaintop removal has been used extensively in the state of _____ where over _____ have been removed.

A) Michigan, 100
B) Colorado, 50
C) West Virginia, 500
D) Virginia, 400
E) Kentucky, 300

Question 41

The 2000 leakage of a cyanide leaching pond in Romania that release toxic metals into the Danube and Tisza Rivers was an entirely preventable event.

Question 42

Important nonrenewable mineral resources in the Earth's crust are distributed relatively evenly across the planet.

Question 43

High risk zones for earthquakes and tsunamis are not well known, and so events like the recent tsunami in Japan cannot be anticipated and preparations cannot be made in advance.

Question 44

Nonrenewable mineral resources renew over millions to billions of years.

Question 45

Surface mining can result in deforestation.

Question 46

The world's reserves of the strategic mineral tungsten are found in the United States and China, with about half of the total located in each of the two countries

Question 47

Mangrove forests can be helpful in damping down the effects of tsunamis. However, coral reefs do not have any beneficial role in the face of a tsunami.

Question 48

Underwater mountains or ridges usually form at the subduction zone, where two oceanic plates collide.

Question 49

Plate tectonics has helped to promote global biodiversity over geologic time.

Question 50

The purpose of the 1872 U.S. General Mining Law was to encourage mineral exploration on public lands and help develop the western territories

Question 51

The Pollution Prevention Pays program was initiated by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) in 1975. Which of the following are actions that have been taken by 3M as part of this program?

A) There has been less use of hazardous raw materials.
B) Nanotechnology has replaced heavy metals used in production.
C) Overall waste production has not increased, but stayed level through 1998.
D) More than one of these choices are correct.
E) Nanotechnology has replaced heavy metals used in production and nanotechnology has replaced heavy metals used in production.

Question 52

The amount of ground movement in a 5.0 earthquake is 20 times greater than in a 3.0 earthquake.

Question 53

Which of the following best describes a sustainable use of nonrenewable minerals?

A) recycle and reuse 60-80% of mineral resources
B) stop focusing on population growth as a factor
C) stop all mining of nonrenewable mineral resources
D) reduce mining subsidies
E) reduce mining subsidies and recycle and reuse 60-80% of mineral resources

Question 54

Slate and shale are types of sedimentary rock.

Question 55

The term urban mine refers to

A) the vast amount of plastic in computer modules that can be recycled
B) a mine located within a city's limits
C) vast amounts of gold, platinum and rare earth metals found in electronic wastes
D) recycling plants in your local neighborhood
E) community gardens that also have recycling plants

Question 56

The dirt wall left after contour mining is called a spoil.

Question 57

The San Andreas fault in California is an example of a transform fault.

Question 58

Mountaintop removal is more damaging to the environment than subsurface mining.

Question 59

Volcanoes are normally associated with transform faults.

Question 60

The United States National Academy of Sciences says that the federal government is not doing enough to evaluate potential risks from engineered nanomaterials.

Question 61

The inner portion of the mantle is the ____________________, a zone of hot, partly melted flowing pliable rock.

Question 62

Granite is a type of ____________________ rock.

Question 63

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

On the figure of the tectonic plates, choose the letter that represents the continental crust.

Question 64

The slowest of the cycles that occur on earth is the ____________cycle.

Question 65

One of the environmental problems with gold mining is the leach ponds that contain ____________________.

Question 66

____________________ forms when a preexisting rock is subjected to high temperatures.

Question 67

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

On the figure of the tectonic plates, choose the letter that represents the asthenosphere.

Question 68

Nanotechnologists envision that in the future garbage can be turned into edible food.

Question 69

The external process that results in the breaking down of rocks into smaller particles is best described as ____________________.

Question 70

A volcano is created when ____________________ rises in a plume through the lithosphere.

Question 71

Heating ores to release the metals they contain is called ____________________.

Question 72

Of the actions recommended for preserving our supply of nonrenewable metals and minerals, the one that has the lowest environmental impact is to____________________.

Question 73

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

On the figure of the tectonic plates, choose the letter that represents the lithosphere.

Question 74

Mining waste accounts for about ___________________of all U.S. solid waste.

Question 75

A(n) ____________________ is an element or inorganic compound that occurs naturally in the Earth's crust.

Question 76

The Richter scale measures the amplitude of ____________________.

Question 77

A ____________ _____________can be formed when two tectonic slide and grind past each other at a fracture in the lithosphere.

Question 78

Earthquakes and volcanoes are caused by ____________________as they separate, collide, and slide past one another.

Question 79

So far ____________________ methods are economically feasible only with low-grade ores for which conventional mining methods are too expensive.

Question 80

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice

On the figure of the tectonic plates, choose the letter that represents the subduction zone.