Deck 2: Earths Internal Energy and Plate Tectonics

Question 1

The inner rocky planets include all but which of the following?

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

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The recognition of the Earth's great age was made by _________ upon observation of the features of the Scottish landscape.

A) Isaac Newton
B) Albert Einstein
C) William Wallace
D) James Hutton
E) William McDougal

Answer 2

D

Question 3

As radioactive atoms decay,energy is ___________.

A) absorbed
B) released
C) neither absorbed nor released
D) may be absorbed or released,depending on which isotope is involved in the decay

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The law of gravity states that two bodies attract each other with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the ___________ of the distance between them.

A) first power
B) square
C) cube
D) square root

Question 5

Which of the following is true?

A) Nuclear energy from the sun is from fission whereas energy from radioactive isotopes decaying within the earth is from fusion.
B) Nuclear energy from the sun is from fusion whereas energy from radioactive isotopes decaying within the earth is from fission.
C) Nuclear energy from both places is from fusion.
D) Nuclear energy from both places is from fission.

Question 6

When describing the layers of the Earth based on differentiation due to density,the layer surrounding the core is the rocky _______ nearly 2,900 kilometres thick.

A) mantle
B) crust
C) chondrule

Question 7

The decay product of parent material such as Carbon-14,is:

A) Lead- 206
B) Argon- 40
C) Carbon- 12
D) Nitrogen-14
E) Uranium- 238

Question 8

The outward flow of Earth's internal energy over short time spans results in which of the following natural hazards?

A) Magnetic storms
B) Volcanic eruptions
C) Mass movement
D) All of these are correct
E) None of these are correct

Question 9

The main source of Earth's meteorites nowadays is/are:

A) meteorites from Jupiter's atmosphere
B) rocky materials from Venus's surface
C) the Asteroid belt
D) rocky materials from Mars's surface
E) none of these are correct

Question 10

When describing the layers of the Earth based on differentiation due to strength,which best describes the sequence of layers from the centre to the surface?

A) Core,lithosphere,asthenosphere,mesosphere
B) Core,asthenosphere,mesosphere,lithosphere
C) Core,mesosphere,lithosphere,asthenosphere
D) Core,mesosphere,asthenosphere,lithosphere

Question 11

The outward flow of Earth's internal energy over geologic time has produced our _________________.

A) continents
B) oceans
C) atmosphere
D) all of these are correct
E) none of these are correct

Question 12

When describing the layers of the Earth based on differentiation due to density,the inner core is a 2,450-km diameter _________ mass with temperatures up to 4,300°C.

A) gaseous
B) liquid
C) solid

Question 13

The time needed for a typical atom in an oceanic plate to complete a plate-tectonic cycle is ______________.

A) about a hundred thousand years
B) about a million years
C) about 10 million years
D) in excess of 250 million years
E) about 4 billion years

Question 14

Which of the following is not a basic tenet of plate tectonics?

A) Melted asthenosphere flows upward as magma and cools to form new ocean floor lithosphere.
B) The new lithosphere slowly moves laterally away from the zones of oceanic crust formation on top of the underlying asthenosphere.
C) When the leading edge of a moving slab of oceanic lithosphere collides with another slab,the denser slab turns downward and is pulled by gravity back into the asthenosphere (subduction),while the less-dense,more buoyant slab overrides it.
D) The slab pulled into the asthenosphere begins the process of melting and moves into the liquid core.
E) The slab pulled into the asthenosphere begins the process of reabsorption into the mantle.

Question 15

Which of the following natural hazards is not the direct result of the process of plate tectonics?

A) Earthquakes
B) Volcanic eruptions
C) Flooding
D) Mountain building

Question 16

A Nebula is:

A) a rotating cloud of small solid particles
B) a rotating disk composed from helium and hydrogen
C) a rotating cloud of atmospheric gases (nitrogen and oxygen)
D) a rotating cloud of heterogeneous materials,ice,gas and other solids
E) none of the choices are correct

Question 17

The primary energy sources that make the Earth an active body include all but which of the following?

A) The Earth's internal heat
B) The Sun
C) Gravity
D) The impact of extraterrestrial bodies
E) Photosynthesis

Question 18

When large glacial ice mass is added onto land,land ________ and rock at depth flows ______ in the asthenosphere.

A) lifts,inward
B) lifts,outward
C) sinks,inward
D) sinks,outward
E) nothing will happened since land and rocks are rigid

Question 19

Many materials,like glacier ice and rocks,can ___________________.

A) fracture
B) undergo ductile flow,changing their shape permanently
C) undergo small recoverable elastic deformation
D) all of these are correct
E) none of these are correct

Question 20

What is the meaning of Will Durant's (1885-1981)expression: "Civilization exists by geologic consents,subject to change without notice."?

A) Geologic consents are predictable in time and space.
B) Geologic processes are usually very quick,so there's no time for humans to respond.
C) We still don't completely understand geologic processes.
D) Geologic processes never send us a signal or precursor.

Question 21

The greatest earthquakes in the world occur _______________.

A) where plates collide with each other
B) where plates separate from one another
C) where plates slide past each other
D) in the interiors of individual plates

Question 22

Which of the following is attributed to the Canadian geophysicist J.Tuzo Wilson?

A) Theory of continental drift
B) Theory for hot spot volcanoes
C) Discovery for slab-pull mechanism
D) Discovery of magnetic reversal of the poles
E) Sea floor spreading hypothesis

Question 23

After lava cools below the ______ point,about 550°C,atoms in iron-bearing minerals become magnetized in the direction of the Earth's magnetic field at that time and place.

A) magnetization
B) critical
C) triple
D) Curie
E) solidus

Question 24

The three basic classes of collisions include all but which of the following?

A) Oceanic plate versus oceanic plate
B) Mantle versus lithospheric plate
C) Continental plate versus continental plate
D) Oceanic plate versus continental plate

Question 25

The hotspot-melting-through-lithosphere process forms lines of extinct volcanoes on the ocean floor,from youngest to oldest,________________________.

A) with random ages along the lines
B) in a direction pointing toward the sun
C) pointing at 90 degrees to the direction of plate movement
D) pointing in the opposite direction of plate movement
E) pointing in the direction of plate movement

Question 26

When oceanic lithosphere collides with another oceanic plate,the ________ in the process of subduction.

A) older,colder plate goes beneath the younger,warmer plate
B) younger,warmer plate goes beneath the older,colder plate
C) plates both disappear downward
D) plates pile up,forming mid-ocean ridges

Question 27

If sea-floor spreading occurs at a constant rate,the widths of magnetized seafloor stripes have _____ ratios as the lengths of time between successive reversals of the Earth's magnetic field.

A) opposite
B) critical
C) triple
D) two to one
E) the same

Question 28

The grandest continental convergent zone in the modern world is the ongoing collision of _______________.

A) the Africa plate by the Arabia plate
B) the Somalia plate by the Africa plate
C) the Asia plate by the India plate
D) the North American plate by the Pacific plate
E) the Africa plate by the South American plate

Question 29

At which of the following locations does subduction occur?

A) Along collision zones between continental and oceanic plates
B) Along collision zones between two continental plates
C) Above mantle hot spots
D) At sea floor spreading zones
E) At rift zones

Question 30

The active triple junction in _________ Africa is geologically young,forming about 25 million years ago.

A) southwestern
B) southeastern
C) western
D) northeastern
E) southern

Question 31

The oldest rocks on the ocean floors are about ________ years in age because time needed to complete the tectonic cycle is more than _______.

A) 50,000;60,000
B) 1 million;2 million
C) 200 million;250 million
D) 2 billion;2.5 billion
E) 4.5 billion;4.57 billion

Question 32

All of the continents were once combined into a single supercontinent called __________________.

A) Laurasia
B) Gondwanaland
C) Tethys
D) Panthalassa
E) Pangaea

Question 33

The Hawaiian Islands are located _________.

A) above the midoceanic ridge
B) above a hot spot in the mesosphere
C) above a midoceanic trench
D) above a midoceanic subduction zone
E) above a rift zone

Question 34

The majority of the Earth's greatest earthquakes between 1900-2013 were caused by the _________.

A) subduction of the Nazca plate
B) convergence of the India into the Arabian plates
C) divergence of the Somali and the India plates
D) subduction of the Pacific plate
E) divergence of the Australian and the Nazca plates

Question 35

Hot spots account of the eruption of approximately _____ of all magma.

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 80%

Question 36

The Himalayas are located at which of the following tectonic plate boundaries?

A) Divergent
B) Subduction
C) Transform
D) Convergent
E) A hot spot

Question 37

Which of the following are incorrectly matched?

A) Transform plate boundary-Shear
B) Convergent zone-Compression
C) Divergent zone-Tension
D) Hot spot-Shear
E) Continental rift zone-Tension

Question 38

Moving progressively away from the ridges,the ocean water depths increase systematically with seafloor age due to all but which of the following?

A) Cooling and contraction of the oceanic crust with a resultant increase in density
B) Isostatic down warping due to the weight of sediments deposited on the sea floor
C) Erosion of the older ocean floor by deep ocean currents

Question 39

Velocity of the plates depends on ______________.

A) atmospheric pressure
B) hydrostatic pressure (thickness of the oceanic water)
C) the properties of the mesosphere
D) the properties of the asthenosphere
E) combined atmospheric pressure and hydrostatic pressure

Question 40

As an observer moves away from the oceanic ridges,the seafloor volcanic rocks and islands ___________________.

A) become progressively older
B) become progressively younger
C) do not change significantly in age

Question 41

The stages in a model of a new developing sea are:

A) centering,doming,rifting,and spreading.
B) hot spot,shield volcano,oceanic spreading,and trench developing.
C) plate subduction,doming,rifting,and spreading.
D) centering,doming,rifting,and continental erosion.
E) none of the choices are correct.

Question 42

Floating atop the hot,buoyant rock of the mantle is a mosaic crust of more dense rocks.

Question 43

Iron forms about one-third of the Earth's mass,and although it is much denser than ordinary rock,it melts at a much lower temperature.

Question 44

Why are continent-continent collision zones not associated with volcanism?

A) They are not located at the plate boundaries.
B) They are relatively distant from the liquid outer core,which is a magma source.
C) There is sliding between continents,which act as a lid
D) The continental rock stacks into extra-thick masses,which act as a barrier to rising magma
E) None of the choices are correct

Question 45

Increasing pressure causes rock to decrease in volume and become denser and more rigid.

Question 46

The Earth's layering can be described either as 1)separations based on differing densities due to varying chemical and mineral compositions,or 2)layers with different strengths.

Question 47

The oldest Earth rocks found to date are 4.03 billion years old in Northwest Territories of Canada.

Question 48

Both temperature and pressure decrease continuously from the Earth's surface to the core.

Question 49

The father(s)of plate Tectonics is(are)________________ and the proof for the concept comes from _______________.

A) Marie Curie;parallel bands of magnetized rocks
B) Alfred Hesse;chemical composition of continental rocks
C) Claire Simson;water depth in oceans
D) Tuzo Wilson;alternating polarities of seafloor rocks
E) Patrick Abbott and Susan Wilson;parallel bands of magnetized rocks

Question 50

The young Earth had a much larger number of radioactive isotopes but a much lower heat production from them than it does now.

Question 51

The two main constituents of the Sun are the lightweight elements hydrogen (H)and helium (He).

Question 52

Wrapped around the core is a nearly 2,900-km-thick,rocky mantle comprising 83% of the Earth's volume.

Question 53

The concept of isostasy applies a buoyancy principle to the low-density continents and mountain ranges that float on the less dense mantle below.

Question 54

The Earth is comprised,from core to atmosphere,of density-stratified layers.

Question 55

Increasing temperature causes rock to expand in volume and become denser and more capable of flowing under pressure.

Question 56

The next four planets outward beyond Earth are Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune.

Question 57

During the last glacial period the weight of the ice sheet caused the land around Hudson's Bay to sink more than a kilometre.

Question 58

When you look at the list of Earth's Greatest Earthquakes (1900-2013)the dominant cause of earthquakes is(are):

A) collision of the plates
B) spreading of the plates
C) worldwide rifting
D) hot spots
E) subduction

Question 59

When the oceanic plate subducts beneath Japan,a portion of the oceanic plate in the mesosphere generates earthquakes only at (in):

A) the periphery of the subducting oceanic plate
B) the interior of the subducting oceanic plate
C) both periphery and interior of the subducting oceanic plate
D) the mesosphere,due to the rigidity of this zone
E) none of the choices are correct

Question 60

The centre of the Earth is composed of a dense,iron-rich core measuring about 7,000 km in diameter.

Question 61

When data from the Earth's magnetic field locked inside seafloor rocks became widely understood,skeptics around the world were convinced that seafloor spreading occurs and that the concept of plate tectonics is valid.

Question 62

Pangaea covered 60% of the Earth's surface while Panthalassa covered the remaining 40%.

Question 63

The deep ocean trenches are the tops of the subducting plates turning downward to re-enter the asthenosphere.

Question 64

Radioactive isotopes in rocks act as clocks that can be used to date the age of the igneous rock.

Question 65

The breakup of Pangaea about 180 million years ago created two large continental masses,Laurasia and Gondwanaland.

Question 66

The gigantic pieces of lithospheric plates diverging,sliding past,or colliding with each other are directly responsible for the vast majority of the earthquakes,volcanic eruptions,and mountains on Earth.

Question 67

The nuclear fusion in the Sun forms helium from splitting hydrogen atoms,this process also require some energy absorption.

Question 68

The rates of plate movement are comparable to those of human fingernail growth.

Question 69

James Hutton revolutionized our understanding of the Earth by hypothesizing that the time required to shape the Earth was very great.

Question 70

Rock is capable of flow only if increasing pressure and decreasing temperature are applied.

Question 71

Hot spots have active volcanoes above them on the Earth's surface and moving plates carry the volcanoes away from their hot-spot source.

Question 72

Subducted slabs completely melt in the core and mix with the surrounding magma at the centre of the Earth.

Question 73

The outer core is mostly liquid,and the viscous movements of convection currents within it are responsible for generating plate tectonics.

Question 74

The map of earthquake epicentres can be viewed as a connect-the-dots puzzle.

Question 75

The oldest seafloor rocks are found nearest the mid-ocean ridges.

Question 76

The distribution of several fossils on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean and the continuity of geologic structure on different continents suggests that all the continents were once part of Pangaea.

Question 77

The greatest mountain ranges on Earth lie on the ocean bottoms and extend more than 65,000 kilometres.

Question 78

Above the oceanic ridges,the ocean is relatively deep compared to further away from the ridges.

Question 79

The floor of the Atlantic Ocean is striped by parallel bands of magnetized rock that show alternating polarities in a pattern that is symmetrical and parallel to the mid-ocean spreading centre.

Question 80

Chondrules are small rounded stony meteorites approximately 10,000 years old.