Question 1

What kind of unconformity is visible in this figure? The unconformity in the question is indicated by the Arrow B.

Accepted Answer

A) Disconformity 
B) Nonconformity 
C) Angular unconformity 
A) Disconformity 
B) Nonconformity 
C) Angular unconformity

Question 2

You are studying an outcrop where the base layer is limestone and the layer directly on top of that is sandstone.Near the base of the sandstone are small, weathered pieces of limestone entirely contained within the sandstone.Explain how these pieces of limestone came to be contained within the sandstone.

Accepted Answer

The limestone was exposed at the surface

Question 3

The oldest rocks on Earth date back to 4.28 billion years old and were found in western Australia.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Assuming that humans went extinct today, do you think that they would be good index fossils? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Yes.Modern humans ha

Question 5

A deposit of volcanic tuff contains the isotope potassium-40, which is slowly decaying into argon-40.How might the apparent age of the sample be affected if the volcanic tuff is heated and remains heated for a long period of time?

Accepted Answer

A) The rate of decay will speed up. 
B) The sample will appear older than it really is. 
C) The sample will appear younger than it really is. 
D) Heat will have no effect on the age of the sample. 
A) The rate of decay will speed up. 
B) The sample will appear older than it really is. 
C) The sample will appear younger than it really is. 
D) Heat will have no effect on the age of the sample.

Question 6

A worm burrow is an example of which type of fossilization?

Accepted Answer

A) Mummification 
B) Cast and mold 
C) Carbonization 
D) Trace fossil 
A) Mummification 
B) Cast and mold 
C) Carbonization 
D) Trace fossil

Question 7

The white granite of the Idaho Batholith near Boise, Idaho, contains dark gray xenoliths of metamorphic material.Which is older? How do you know?

Accepted Answer

A) Granite; the principle of superposition 
B) Xenoliths; the principle of cross-cutting relations 
C) Granite; the principle of unconformities 
D) Xenoliths; the principle of inclusions 
A) Granite; the principle of superposition 
B) Xenoliths; the principle of cross-cutting relations 
C) Granite; the principle of unconformities 
D) Xenoliths; the principle of inclusions

Question 8

Which particle of an atom will determine the atomic number of an element?

Accepted Answer

A) Proton 
B) Nucleus 
C) Neutron 
D) Electron 
A) Proton 
B) Nucleus 
C) Neutron 
D) Electron

Question 9

What scientific development made accurate numerical dating possible?

Accepted Answer

A) Discovery of radioactivity 
B) Correlation of rock layers 
C) Development of radar 
D) Discovery of X-rays 
A) Discovery of radioactivity 
B) Correlation of rock layers 
C) Development of radar 
D) Discovery of X-rays

Question 10

A neutron is a combination of a(n)________ and a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

A) cation; isotope 
B) nucleus; electron 
C) electron; proton 
D) ion; isotope 
A) cation; isotope 
B) nucleus; electron 
C) electron; proton 
D) ion; isotope

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of a trace fossil?

Accepted Answer

A) A spider encased in amber 
B) Petrified wood 
C) Gastroliths 
D) A skeleton 
A) A spider encased in amber 
B) Petrified wood 
C) Gastroliths 
D) A skeleton

Question 12

What is the definition of relative dating?

Accepted Answer

A) Putting events in order from first to last 
B) Using radioactive materials to determine an age 
C) Counting tree rings to determine an age 
D) Calculating dates based on the theory of relativity 
A) Putting events in order from first to last 
B) Using radioactive materials to determine an age 
C) Counting tree rings to determine an age 
D) Calculating dates based on the theory of relativity

Question 13

Name the periods of the Paleozoic era in order from oldest to youngest.

Accepted Answer

Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian

Question 14

What is the half-life of potassium-40?

Accepted Answer

A) 1.3 billion years 
B) 704 million years 
C) 14.1 billion years 
D) 4.5 billion years 
A) 1.3 billion years 
B) 704 million years 
C) 14.1 billion years 
D) 4.5 billion years

Question 15

By putting events in order, scientists can use the order to determine how long ago certain geologic events took place.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Explain how the feature in this image formed.

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary strata were deposi

Question 17

A basalt dike is found in a body of granite.Which is older and why?

Accepted Answer

The granite is older

Question 18

A detrital sedimentary rock can be radiometrically dated because the clasts formed at the same time as the rock.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

All isotopes are unstable.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

You are trying to determine the age of a lava flow using an isotope with a half-life of 1.5 million years.If the sample has gone through four half-lives, what is the age of the rock?

Accepted Answer

A) 1.5 million years 
B) 6 million years 
C) 375,000 years 
D) 5 billion years 
A) 1.5 million years 
B) 6 million years 
C) 375,000 years 
D) 5 billion years

Exam 9: Geologic Time

What kind of unconformity is visible in this figure? The unconformity in the question is indicated by the Arrow B.

The oldest rocks on Earth date back to 4.28 billion years old and were found in western Australia.

Assuming that humans went extinct today, do you think that they would be good index fossils? Why or why not?

A deposit of volcanic tuff contains the isotope potassium-40, which is slowly decaying into argon-40.How might the apparent age of the sample be affected if the volcanic tuff is heated and remains heated for a long period of time?

A worm burrow is an example of which type of fossilization?

The white granite of the Idaho Batholith near Boise, Idaho, contains dark gray xenoliths of metamorphic material.Which is older? How do you know?

Which particle of an atom will determine the atomic number of an element?

What scientific development made accurate numerical dating possible?

A neutron is a combination of a(n)________ and a(n)________.

Which of the following is an example of a trace fossil?

What is the definition of relative dating?

Name the periods of the Paleozoic era in order from oldest to youngest.

What is the half-life of potassium-40?

By putting events in order, scientists can use the order to determine how long ago certain geologic events took place.

Explain how the feature in this image formed.

A basalt dike is found in a body of granite.Which is older and why?

A detrital sedimentary rock can be radiometrically dated because the clasts formed at the same time as the rock.

All isotopes are unstable.

You are trying to determine the age of a lava flow using an isotope with a half-life of 1.5 million years.If the sample has gone through four half-lives, what is the age of the rock?

An Introduction to Geology

Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Matter and Minerals

Magma, Igneous Rocks, and Intrusive Activity

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Weathering and Soil

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Crustal Deformation

Earthquakes

Earths Interior

Divergent Boundaries

Convergent Boundaries

Mass Wasting

Running Water

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

Deserts and Winds

Shorelines

Global Climate Change

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

Energy and Mineral Resources

Touring Our Solar System

Filters

A neutron is a combination of a(n) and a(n).