Deck 19: Building Earths Surface

Question 1

Each higher number on the Richter scale represents a 10-fold increase in the amount of ground movement in an earthquake.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In general, rocks are better able to handle compressional stress than tensional stress.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Deeply buried rocks tend to break when subject to stress forming faults or joints.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Seismic waves are produced when rocks

A)undergo plastic deformation.
B)are exposed to compressional stress.
C)rupture or break under stress.
D)fold to form synclines or anticlines.

Question 5

What is the name given to the force which tends to pull rocks apart?

A)compressive stress
B)tensional stress
C)shear stress
D)fracture strain

Question 6

The transverse (or S-waves) travel through Earth's crust more rapidly than do the compressional (or P-waves).

Question 7

When subjected to stress, rocks at great depths and high temperature tend to undergo

A)plastic strain.
B)elastic strain.
C)fracture or rupture.
D)no change due to the great pressure.

Question 8

People have found the Principle of Uniformity difficult to accept because they

A)couldn't believe that Earth was over 4 billion years old.
B)believed that geologic features were the result of catastrophic events.
C)couldn't accept the idea that mountains and canyons could be the result of slow, uniform changes.
D)All of the above.

Question 9

Which of the following is not a feature of diastrophism?

A)stress and strain
B)metamorphism
C)faulting
D)folding

Question 10

Stress is the adjustment a rock makes when it is subjected to a strain.

Question 11

Sills are formations of lava that cool on Earth's surface in giant sheets.

Question 12

In general, an arch-shaped fold in sedimentary rock layers is called an anticline.

Question 13

The principle of uniformity states that past geologic processes were very much similar to those of the present.

Question 14

An arch-shaped fold resulting from plastic deformation is called

A)an anticline.
B)a syncline.
C)a plunging fold.
D)an isoclinal fold.

Question 15

A rock that experiences plastic strain in response to stress

A)returns to its original shape when the stress is relieved.
B)cannot return to its original shape when the stress is relieved.
C)cracks or fractures.
D)fails to reach its elastic limit.

Question 16

Most earthquakes originate deep below the crust because the pressures there are enormous.

Question 17

Which of the following is unlikely to result from tensional stress?

A)normal fault
B)reverse fault
C)a graben
D)a horst

Question 18

The chief difference between a joint and a fault is that

A)a joint results from shear stress.
B)jointing takes place at much greater depths than faulting.
C)jointing involves breaking without relative displacement.
D)faults are vertical cracks, whereas joints are horizontal.

Question 19

In a "normal" fault, the hanging wall moves downward relative to the foot wall.

Question 20

The way a given rock responds to a stress depends on

A)its temperature.
B)how slowly or quickly the stress is applied.
C)the confining pressure on the rock.
D)All of the above.

Question 21

The Columbia Plateau in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon

A)is a vast volcanic neck.
B)resulted from the upthrust of sedimentary rock beds.
C)is made of many layers of basalt.
D)is a huge granite dome.

Question 22

Which of the mountain-building processes is most responsible for the features of the Rocky Mountains?

A)compressional folding
B)faulting and upthrust
C)volcanic intrusions
D)None of the above.

Question 23

Compared to an earthquake of magnitude 5, an earthquake of magnitude 7

A)releases about 10 times as much energy.
B)produces 20 times as much ground movement.
C)releases about 60 times as much energy.
D)produces 100 times as much ground movement.

Question 24

Seismic sea waves

A)are more properly called tsunamis than tidal waves.
B)travel at speeds approaching 55 mph.
C)break upon the shore rapidly.
D)All of the above.

Question 25

When the hanging wall slips downward toward the foot wall, the fault is called

A)normal.
B)reverse.
C)thrust.
D)a horst.

Question 26

The point of initial rock movement along a fault during an earthquake is called the

A)epicenter.
B)focus.
C)strike.
D)fault zone.

Question 27

The Sierra Nevada in California is a classic example of

A)compressional folding.
B)faulting and upthrust.
C)volcanic intrusions.
D)None of the above.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about earthquakes is false?

A)Earthquakes usually occur along the boundaries between plates.
B)The difference in the time between the arrival of S and P waves give a clue to the location of an earthquake.
C)Most earthquakes occur within the depth of the continental crust.
D)The location of the focus of an earthquake can be pinpointed by seismic readings from two stations.

Question 29

The main volcanic mountains are those associated with

A)synclines.
B)granitic intrusions.
C)diverging plate boundaries.
D)plates sliding past one another.

Question 30

If you are inside a building when an earthquake occurs, the best strategy is to

A)leave the building at once.
B)lie down in the middle of a room.
C)seek protection under a table or desk.
D)take the elevator to the basement.