Deck 22: The Rock Cycle

Question 1

What type of rock is formed after erosion,deposition,and lithification?

A) metamorphic
B) crystalline
C) igneous
D) sedimentary

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which cycle in the Earth System is illustrated in the below figure?

A) hydrologic cycle
B) erosion cycle
C) rock cycle
D) carbon cycle

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Why is the rock cycle important?

A) because it describes how water and rocks interact within the Earth to produce melt
B) because it describes how rocks move throughout the Earth's ocean basins
C) because it explains how long rocks have existed on this planet
D) because it explains how rocks are constantly changing from one type to another

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Identify the correct steps in the transformation of a sedimentary rock into a metamorphic rock.

A) rock eroded away and deposited in ocean basin $\rightarrow$ rock pulled into subduction zone and melted
B) rock weathered and eroded away and deposited in ocean basin $\rightarrow$ rock buried under many layers of sediments
C) rock eroded away and deposited in ocean basin $\rightarrow$ volcano erupts through ocean floor and melts rocks
D) rock eroded away and deposited in alluvial fan $\rightarrow$ rock buried deeply and melted by intrusion

Question 5

If a rock is uplifted and exposed,what is likely the next type of rock that will form?

A) igneous
B) crystalline
C) metamorphic
D) sedimentary

Question 6

Identify the correct sequence of processes in the rock cycle to create an igneous rock,and transform it into a metamorphic rock,and then transform that metamorphic into a new igneous rock.

A) melted and solidified $\rightarrow$ exposed,eroded,and deposited $\rightarrow$ buried deeply
B) melted and solidified $\rightarrow$ buried deeply $\rightarrow$ remelted and solidified
C) eroded and deposited $\rightarrow$ buried deeply $\rightarrow$ remelted and solidified
D) eroded and deposited $\rightarrow$ melted and solidified $\rightarrow$ buried deeply

Question 7

In what geologic setting have Precambrian rocks remained largely unchanged for billions of years?

A) at continent collision zones where the deep crust is exhumed and exposed through erosion
B) protected within the interiors of the continents far from plate boundaries
C) in Antarctica where there is very little to no erosion
D) as metamorphic rocks that are too hard to be transformed

Question 8

Sedimentary rocks form in the rock cycle through deposition at the Earth's surface on top of older rocks.As a result,there are more ______ rocks at the Earth's surface compared to ______ rocks.

A) older; younger
B) igneous; sedimentary
C) younger; older
D) metamorphic; sedimentary

Question 9

How can uplift of metamorphic rocks during mountain building lead to the formation of sedimentary rocks?

A) Percolating groundwater can change metamorphic rocks to sedimentary rocks.
B) Metamorphic rocks turn into sedimentary rocks when exposed to oxygen.
C) Weathering and erosion create sediments from metamorphic rocks,which in turn may become sedimentary rocks.
D) When pressure is reduced,metamorphic rocks convert to sedimentary rocks.

Question 10

If a rock is melted,then erupted at the Earth's surface and solidified,then subsequently weathered,eroded,deposited,and lithified,what two rock types are involved in the sequence?

A) igneous and sedimentary
B) igneous and metamorphic
C) sandstone and gneiss
D) slate and granite

Question 11

If a rock is buried and subjected to high heat and pressure,then uplifted,exposed,eroded away,and deposited,what rock types were involved in the sequence?

A) igneous and sedimentary
B) igneous and metamorphic
C) metamorphic and sedimentary
D) sedimentary only

Question 12

What is the progression of rock types if the steps along the rock cycle proceed as follows?
melting and crystallization $\rightarrow$ weathering,erosion,deposition,and lithification $\rightarrow$ burial

A) sedimentary $\rightarrow$ igneous $\rightarrow$ metamorphic
B) igneous $\rightarrow$ sedimentary $\rightarrow$ metamorphic
C) igneous $\rightarrow$ metamorphic $\rightarrow$ metamorphic
D) metamorphic $\rightarrow$ sedimentary $\rightarrow$ igneous

Question 13

What process must occur for an igneous rock to turn into a sedimentary rock?

A) metamorphism
B) erosion
C) melting
D) petrogenesis

Question 14

If a rock is buried,then exposed,weathered and eroded,and the sediment is then lithified,after which the rock is melted and solidified,what type of rock is the end result?

A) igneous
B) sedimentary
C) metamorphic
D) clastic

Question 15

Identify the correct sequence of processes in the rock cycle that could create a metamorphic rock and eventually transform it into a sedimentary rock.

A) erosion,deposition,and lithification $\rightarrow$ burial $\rightarrow$ melting
B) burial $\rightarrow$ erosion,deposition,and lithification $\rightarrow$ melting
C) burial $\rightarrow$ melting $\rightarrow$ weathering,erosion,deposition,and lithification
D) melting $\rightarrow$ erosion,deposition,and lithification $\rightarrow$ melting

Question 16

To form a sedimentary rock,which process must happen?

A) melting
B) erosion
C) cooling
D) deep burial

Question 17

What is the rock cycle?

A) the cycle that rocks go through when interacting with water
B) the transformation of one mineral type to another
C) the transfer of material from one rock type to another
D) the cycle that rocks undergo when interacting with air

Question 18

What process is necessary to transform a metamorphic rock into an igneous rock?

A) melting
B) burial
C) erosion
D) deposition

Question 19

Compared to younger rocks,rocks that were created earlier in the Earth's history are likely to be ________.

A) consumed or transformed by processes in the rock cycle
B) preserved intact without alteration
C) igneous rocks
D) found in the deep ocean

Question 20

What is the progression of rock types if the steps along the rock cycle proceed as follows? burial $\rightarrow$ uplift,weathering,erosion,deposition,lithification $\rightarrow$ burial $\rightarrow$ melting and crystallization

A) metamorphic $\rightarrow$ metamorphic $\rightarrow$ igneous $\rightarrow$ sedimentary
B) metamorphic $\rightarrow$ sedimentary $\rightarrow$ metamorphic $\rightarrow$ igneous
C) sedimentary $\rightarrow$ sedimentary $\rightarrow$ igneous $\rightarrow$ metamorphic
D) igneous $\rightarrow$ sedimentary $\rightarrow$ igneous $\rightarrow$ igneous

Question 21

The rock cycle is driven by __________.

A) the Earth's internal energy alone
B) external forces acting on the Earth alone
C) the Earth's internal and external sources of energy
D) geologic time and cyclothymic action

Question 22

Which of the following is true of how atoms make their way through the rock cycle?

A) Not all atoms follow the same path through the rock cycle the same way or at the same rate.
B) When an igneous rock forms,atoms become locked in a mineral crystal; they will remain a part of this mineral as they move through the rock cycle.
C) Atoms must become a part of a new mineral every time a rock changes from one type to another as it progresses through the rock cycle.
D) All atoms will pass through the rock cycle every 100,000 years; this is why very old rocks are so rare.

Question 23

Why are so few Precambrian-age rocks found on the Earth?

Question 24

Describe how the rock cycle is linked to plate tectonics.

Question 25

The amount of time a material stays within a given reservoir in the Earth System is its _________.

A) residence time
B) temporal cycle
C) mass-transfer cycle
D) cyclic rate

Question 26

The rock cycle,hydrologic cycle,and carbon cycle are all examples of _________.

A) mass-transfer cycles
B) temporal cycle
C) biogeochemical cycles
D) Earth System reservoirs

Question 27

What is a cycle? A reservoir? What happens during a mass-transfer cycle? Summarize these concepts using the rock cycle as an example.

Question 28

The rock cycle is an example of a ___________.

A) astronomical cycle
B) temporal cycle
C) geochemical cycle
D) hydrologic cycle

Question 29

Illustrate the rock cycle.Be sure to include the three types of rocks and the processes that convert one rock type to another.

Question 30

Describe the changes that occur (i.e.,what happens to the rock)along a pathway through the rock cycle as seen below:
Sedimentary rock $\rightarrow$ Igneous rock $\rightarrow$ Sedimentary rock $\rightarrow$ Metamorphic rock