Question 1

From this cross section of the Grand Canyon, what is the youngest rock or structure of the ones listed below?

Accepted Answer

A)  Late Cenozoic basalts 
B)  Mesozoic sedimentary rocks 
C)  Precambrian sedimentary and igneous rocks 
D)  Precambrian metamorphic rocks and granite 
E)  Hurricane fault and faults along the Grand Wash Cliffs 
A)  Late Cenozoic basalts 
B)  Mesozoic sedimentary rocks 
C)  Precambrian sedimentary and igneous rocks 
D)  Precambrian metamorphic rocks and granite 
E)  Hurricane fault and faults along the Grand Wash Cliffs

Question 2

What factors are the most critical in determining whether a fossil is preserved?

Accepted Answer

A)  the age of the fossil and the age of sediments in which it is preserved 
B)  the temperature of the granite and how fast it cooled 
C)  whether the creature had hard parts and how fast it was buried 
D)  the color of the original organism compared to the color of the sediments in which it is found 
E)  whether the creature was a predator or was prey 
A)  the age of the fossil and the age of sediments in which it is preserved 
B)  the temperature of the granite and how fast it cooled 
C)  whether the creature had hard parts and how fast it was buried 
D)  the color of the original organism compared to the color of the sediments in which it is found 
E)  whether the creature was a predator or was prey

Question 3

The geologic timescale details and divides geologic time based upon:

Accepted Answer

A)  fossil data 
B)  rock thicknesses 
C)  unconformities 
A)  fossil data 
B)  rock thicknesses 
C)  unconformities

Question 4

What type of feature is represented by the boundary between geologic units 2 and 3?

Accepted Answer

A)  cleavage 
B)  unconformity 
C)  anticline 
D)  joint 
A)  cleavage 
B)  unconformity 
C)  anticline 
D)  joint

Question 5

In this diagram, the contact between the granite unit 1) and the lowest layer unit 2) is depositional and the dike unit 6) cuts across both units. What is the oldest unit?

Accepted Answer

A)  the lava flow unit 11) 
B)  the fault unit 10) 
C)  the dike unit 6) 
D)  lowest layer unit 2) 
E)  granite unit 1) 
A)  the lava flow unit 11) 
B)  the fault unit 10) 
C)  the dike unit 6) 
D)  lowest layer unit 2) 
E)  granite unit 1)

Question 6

This figure shows the main subdivisions of the geologic timescale. Which of these is the Cenozoic?

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D

Question 7

The term half life represents the time it takes:

Accepted Answer

A)  to dissolve half of the atoms in the lattice 
B)  for the parent atoms to decay into atoms half their original size 
C)  for half of the parent atoms to decay into daughter atoms 
D)  for the Sun to decrease its size by 50 percent 
A)  to dissolve half of the atoms in the lattice 
B)  for the parent atoms to decay into atoms half their original size 
C)  for half of the parent atoms to decay into daughter atoms 
D)  for the Sun to decrease its size by 50 percent

Question 8

Which of the following materials can be dated with carbon-14 at archaeology sites?

Accepted Answer

A)  bones 
B)  wood 
C)  charcoal 
D)  all of these 
A)  bones 
B)  wood 
C)  charcoal 
D)  all of these

Question 9

The oldest rocks and minerals on Earth's surface have been found in Canada and Australia and are from the:

Accepted Answer

A)  Precambrian Era 
B)  Paleozoic Era 
C)  Mesozoic Era 
D)  Cenozoic Era 
A)  Precambrian Era 
B)  Paleozoic Era 
C)  Mesozoic Era 
D)  Cenozoic Era

Question 10

What is a possible cause of the extinction event called the Great Dying?

Accepted Answer

A)  a meteorite impact that killed the dinosaurs 
B)  a great outpouring of lava at the end of the Paleozoic 
C)  a sudden increase in the oxygen content of the atmosphere during the Precambrian 
D)  a new kind of super predator that devoured nearly all of the life in the oceans 
A)  a meteorite impact that killed the dinosaurs 
B)  a great outpouring of lava at the end of the Paleozoic 
C)  a sudden increase in the oxygen content of the atmosphere during the Precambrian 
D)  a new kind of super predator that devoured nearly all of the life in the oceans

Question 11

The geologic relationships in this figure indicate that the lava flow:

Accepted Answer

A)  pushed the trees over 
B)  overlies an angular unconformity 
C)  is younger than the landscape surface partially covered by the lava flow 
D)  that materials beneath the lava flow were uplifted from great depth 
A)  pushed the trees over 
B)  overlies an angular unconformity 
C)  is younger than the landscape surface partially covered by the lava flow 
D)  that materials beneath the lava flow were uplifted from great depth

Question 12

Of the following numbered units, which is the youngest?

Accepted Answer

A)  a sedimentary layer 2) 
B)  the fault and fault scarp 3) 
C)  a sedimentary layer 5) 
D)  the volcano and lava flow 9) 
E)  the highest sedimentary layer 11) 
A)  a sedimentary layer 2) 
B)  the fault and fault scarp 3) 
C)  a sedimentary layer 5) 
D)  the volcano and lava flow 9) 
E)  the highest sedimentary layer 11)

Question 13

The oldest known rock found on Earth is dated at:

Accepted Answer

A)  1 million years old 
B)  500 million years old 
C)  over 4 billion years old 
A)  1 million years old 
B)  500 million years old 
C)  over 4 billion years old

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a way in which fossils can be preserved?

Accepted Answer

A)  They can be replaced by hard materials, such as silica. 
B)  They can be buried and decay, leaving a cavity in the rock. 
C)  They can be preserved in ancient tree sap. 
D)  They can be too small to see but can build diagnostic features in the rocks. 
E)  All of these are ways a fossil can be preserved. 
A)  They can be replaced by hard materials, such as silica. 
B)  They can be buried and decay, leaving a cavity in the rock. 
C)  They can be preserved in ancient tree sap. 
D)  They can be too small to see but can build diagnostic features in the rocks. 
E)  All of these are ways a fossil can be preserved.

Question 15

What kind of geologic feature is shown in this photograph?

Accepted Answer

A)  contact metamorphism 
B)  unconformity 
C)  desert varnish 
D)  desert pavement 
E)  none of these 
A)  contact metamorphism 
B)  unconformity 
C)  desert varnish 
D)  desert pavement 
E)  none of these

Question 16

This figure shows the geologic timescale. Which period listed below would be part of the Cenozoic?

Accepted Answer

A)  Neogene 
B)  Jurassic 
C)  Triassic 
D)  Pennsylvanian 
E)  Cambrian 
A)  Neogene 
B)  Jurassic 
C)  Triassic 
D)  Pennsylvanian 
E)  Cambrian

Question 17

From this cross section of the Grand Canyon, what are the oldest rocks or structures?

Accepted Answer

A)  Late Cenozoic basalts 
B)  Mesozoic sedimentary rocks 
C)  Precambrian sedimentary and igneous rocks 
D)  Precambrian metamorphic rocks and granite 
E)  Hurricane fault and faults along the Grand Wash Cliffs 
A)  Late Cenozoic basalts 
B)  Mesozoic sedimentary rocks 
C)  Precambrian sedimentary and igneous rocks 
D)  Precambrian metamorphic rocks and granite 
E)  Hurricane fault and faults along the Grand Wash Cliffs

Question 18

This figure shows the main subdivisions of the geologic timescale. Which of these is the Precambrian?

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D

Question 19

What defines the boundaries between each of the three eras in the geologic timescale?

Accepted Answer

A)  Two great mass extinctions 
B)  The age of the Earth divided by three 
C)  A decision by the Geological Society of America 
D)  Principles of relative dating 
A)  Two great mass extinctions 
B)  The age of the Earth divided by three 
C)  A decision by the Geological Society of America 
D)  Principles of relative dating

Question 20

Using the data in this table, determine the age of the dike.

Accepted Answer

A)  500 
B)  1,000 
C)  40,000,000 
D)  500,000,000 
E)  1,000,000,000 
A)  500 
B)  1,000 
C)  40,000,000 
D)  500,000,000 
E)  1,000,000,000

From this cross section of the Grand Canyon, what is the youngest rock or structure of the ones listed below?

What factors are the most critical in determining whether a fossil is preserved?

The geologic timescale details and divides geologic time based upon:

What type of feature is represented by the boundary between geologic units 2 and 3?

In this diagram, the contact between the granite unit 1) and the lowest layer unit 2) is depositional and the dike unit 6) cuts across both units. What is the oldest unit?

This figure shows the main subdivisions of the geologic timescale. Which of these is the Cenozoic?

The term half life represents the time it takes:

Which of the following materials can be dated with carbon-14 at archaeology sites?

The oldest rocks and minerals on Earth's surface have been found in Canada and Australia and are from the:

What is a possible cause of the extinction event called the Great Dying?

The geologic relationships in this figure indicate that the lava flow:

Of the following numbered units, which is the youngest?

The oldest known rock found on Earth is dated at:

Which of the following is NOT a way in which fossils can be preserved?

What kind of geologic feature is shown in this photograph?

This figure shows the geologic timescale. Which period listed below would be part of the Cenozoic?

From this cross section of the Grand Canyon, what are the oldest rocks or structures?

This figure shows the main subdivisions of the geologic timescale. Which of these is the Precambrian?

What defines the boundaries between each of the three eras in the geologic timescale?

Using the data in this table, determine the age of the dike.

The Nature of Geology

Investigating Geologic Questions

Plate Tectonics

Earth Materials

Igneous Environments

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Sedimentary Environments

Deformation and Metamorphism

Seafloor and Continental Margins

Mountains, Basins, and Continents

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Climate and Weathering

Glaciers, Shorelines, and Changing Sea Levels

Weathering, Soil, and Unstable Slopes

Streams and Flooding

Water Resources

Energy and Mineral Resources

Geology of the Solar System

Filters

Exam 9: Geologic Time

From this cross section of the Grand Canyon, what is the youngest rock or structure of the ones listed below?

What factors are the most critical in determining whether a fossil is preserved?

The geologic timescale details and divides geologic time based upon:

What type of feature is represented by the boundary between geologic units 2 and 3?

In this diagram, the contact between the granite unit 1) and the lowest layer unit 2) is depositional and the dike unit 6) cuts across both units. What is the oldest unit?

This figure shows the main subdivisions of the geologic timescale. Which of these is the Cenozoic?

The term half life represents the time it takes:

Which of the following materials can be dated with carbon-14 at archaeology sites?

The oldest rocks and minerals on Earth's surface have been found in Canada and Australia and are from the:

What is a possible cause of the extinction event called the Great Dying?

The geologic relationships in this figure indicate that the lava flow:

Of the following numbered units, which is the youngest?

The oldest known rock found on Earth is dated at:

Which of the following is NOT a way in which fossils can be preserved?

What kind of geologic feature is shown in this photograph?

This figure shows the geologic timescale. Which period listed below would be part of the Cenozoic?

From this cross section of the Grand Canyon, what are the oldest rocks or structures?

This figure shows the main subdivisions of the geologic timescale. Which of these is the Precambrian?

What defines the boundaries between each of the three eras in the geologic timescale?

Using the data in this table, determine the age of the dike.

The Nature of Geology

Investigating Geologic Questions

Plate Tectonics

Earth Materials

Igneous Environments

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Sedimentary Environments

Deformation and Metamorphism

Seafloor and Continental Margins

Mountains, Basins, and Continents

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Climate and Weathering

Glaciers, Shorelines, and Changing Sea Levels

Weathering, Soil, and Unstable Slopes

Streams and Flooding

Water Resources

Energy and Mineral Resources

Geology of the Solar System

Filters