Question 1

As of 2015, what was the deepest drill core yet taken that allowed scientists to study the Earth's interior?

Accepted Answer

A) 7.6 km 
B) 12.3 km 
C) 15 km 
D) 50.5 km 
A) 7.6 km 
B) 12.3 km 
C) 15 km 
D) 50.5 km

Question 2

Scientists have subdivided the upper mantle into three sections based on environmental and compositional differences.What are these three subdivisions and how do they compare to each other?

Accepted Answer

The uppermost mantle is the lithospheric

Question 3

Which layer of Earth makes up more than 82 percent of the volume of the planet?

Accepted Answer

A) Outer core 
B) Crust 
C) Mantle 
D) Inner core 
A) Outer core 
B) Crust 
C) Mantle 
D) Inner core

Question 4

Which one of the following is not one of the three compositionally distinct layers of the Earth's interior?

Accepted Answer

A) Crust 
B) Mantle 
C) Lower mantle 
D) Core 
A) Crust 
B) Mantle 
C) Lower mantle 
D) Core

Question 5

________ is the process where materials separate into different layers due to density.

Accepted Answer

A) Shearing 
B) Differentiation 
C) Phase change 
D) Tensional stress 
A) Shearing 
B) Differentiation 
C) Phase change 
D) Tensional stress

Question 6

How does water get from the surface to the middle of the mantle?

Accepted Answer

A) Percolation via pores and fractures 
B) Subterranean streams 
C) Seawater seeping into the interior at mid-ocean rifts 
D) Subducting oceanic lithosphere 
A) Percolation via pores and fractures 
B) Subterranean streams 
C) Seawater seeping into the interior at mid-ocean rifts 
D) Subducting oceanic lithosphere

Question 7

What will happen to a seismic wave when it is reflected?

Accepted Answer

A) The wave will be bent. 
B) The wave will undulate. 
C) The wave will be bounced back toward its source. 
D) Nothing will change the wave. 
A) The wave will be bent. 
B) The wave will undulate. 
C) The wave will be bounced back toward its source. 
D) Nothing will change the wave.

Question 8

How is the shape of Earth affected by its rotation?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth is perfectly round. 
B) The poles are further from the center of Earth than the equator. 
C) The equator is further from the center of Earth than the poles. 
A) Earth is perfectly round. 
B) The poles are further from the center of Earth than the equator. 
C) The equator is further from the center of Earth than the poles.

Question 9

Outside of the crust, the layer that scientists know the most about is the mantle.Other than via seismic waves, how else do geologists obtain information about the composition of the mantle?

Accepted Answer

A) Drill cores 
B) Volcanoes 
C) Sonar 
D) Seismic waves 
A) Drill cores 
B) Volcanoes 
C) Sonar 
D) Seismic waves

Question 10

The inner core and the outer core are compositionally the same.The major difference between them is the states of matter in which they exist.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which of the following factors contributed toward the early increase in temperature in the Earth's interior?

Accepted Answer

A) Impact from planetesimals 
B) Friction between landmasses 
C) Friction between landmasses and radioactive decay 
D) Radioactive decay and impact from planetesimals 
A) Impact from planetesimals 
B) Friction between landmasses 
C) Friction between landmasses and radioactive decay 
D) Radioactive decay and impact from planetesimals

Question 12

According to the geothermal gradient, there is an increase in temperature with increasing depth.If that is the case, why isn't the entire interior of the planet molten?

Accepted Answer

The great internal p

Question 13

Why do seismic waves follow strongly curved paths as they move through the interior?

Accepted Answer

A) Their paths are altered by changes in temperature. 
B) Their paths are altered by reflection off dense materials. 
C) Their velocities are altered by changes in chemistry. 
D) Their velocities are changed because of increasing pressure with depth. 
A) Their paths are altered by changes in temperature. 
B) Their paths are altered by reflection off dense materials. 
C) Their velocities are altered by changes in chemistry. 
D) Their velocities are changed because of increasing pressure with depth.

Question 14

This seismic tomographic slice of Earth indicates the variations in S-wave speeds through the interior.Through which region will S waves move the fastest?

Accepted Answer

A) Pacific Ocean 
B) Farallon plate 
C) Mid-Atlantic Ridge 
D) Africa 
A) Pacific Ocean 
B) Farallon plate 
C) Mid-Atlantic Ridge 
D) Africa

Question 15

What are the three main mechanisms of convective flow in the outer core?

Accepted Answer

1.Heat conducts out of the core into the

Question 16

What physical property of continents makes them difficult to subduct?

Accepted Answer

A) Age 
B) Temperature 
C) Low density 
D) Thickness 
A) Age 
B) Temperature 
C) Low density 
D) Thickness

Question 17

An earthquake occurs in California.What is the minimum magnitude an earthquake can have if it is to be picked up by seismographic networks around the world?

Accepted Answer

A) M 5.5 
B) M 7 
C) M 8 
D) M 9.5 
A) M 5.5 
B) M 7 
C) M 8 
D) M 9.5

Question 18

________ is a technique to view three-dimensional changes in composition and density by using seismology.

Accepted Answer

A) Magnetometry 
B) Paleomagnetism 
C) Chemical convection 
D) Seismic tomography 
A) Magnetometry 
B) Paleomagnetism 
C) Chemical convection 
D) Seismic tomography

Question 19

What seismic shadowing zone is visible in this image?

Accepted Answer

A) P-wave shadow 
B) S-wave shadow 
C) Surface wave shadow 
D) Seismic ray shadow 
A) P-wave shadow 
B) S-wave shadow 
C) Surface wave shadow 
D) Seismic ray shadow

Question 20

Which layer is thought to be the birthplace of deep mantle plumes?

Accepted Answer

A) Transition zone 
B) Outer core 
C) D" layer 
D) Shadow zone 
A) Transition zone 
B) Outer core 
C) D" layer 
D) Shadow zone

Exam 12: Earths Interior

As of 2015, what was the deepest drill core yet taken that allowed scientists to study the Earth's interior?

Scientists have subdivided the upper mantle into three sections based on environmental and compositional differences.What are these three subdivisions and how do they compare to each other?

Which layer of Earth makes up more than 82 percent of the volume of the planet?

Which one of the following is not one of the three compositionally distinct layers of the Earth's interior?

________ is the process where materials separate into different layers due to density.

How does water get from the surface to the middle of the mantle?

What will happen to a seismic wave when it is reflected?

How is the shape of Earth affected by its rotation?

Outside of the crust, the layer that scientists know the most about is the mantle.Other than via seismic waves, how else do geologists obtain information about the composition of the mantle?

The inner core and the outer core are compositionally the same.The major difference between them is the states of matter in which they exist.

Which of the following factors contributed toward the early increase in temperature in the Earth's interior?

According to the geothermal gradient, there is an increase in temperature with increasing depth.If that is the case, why isn't the entire interior of the planet molten?

Why do seismic waves follow strongly curved paths as they move through the interior?

This seismic tomographic slice of Earth indicates the variations in S-wave speeds through the interior.Through which region will S waves move the fastest?

What are the three main mechanisms of convective flow in the outer core?

What physical property of continents makes them difficult to subduct?

An earthquake occurs in California.What is the minimum magnitude an earthquake can have if it is to be picked up by seismographic networks around the world?

________ is a technique to view three-dimensional changes in composition and density by using seismology.

What seismic shadowing zone is visible in this image?

Which layer is thought to be the birthplace of deep mantle plumes?

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

Geologic Time

Crustal Deformation

Earthquakes

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

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