Question 1

Which of the following would not be considered a catastrophic change in Earth's history?

Accepted Answer

A)  The largest recorded earthquake in the United States which occurred in Alaska in 1964 causing loss of property, life, and changes to the Earth's surface throughout Alaska 
B)  The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami in Japan which caused loss of property, life, and changes to the Earth's surface throughout Japan 
C)  Giant meteorite collisions that left craters as evidence of the event and produced massive dust emissions to the atmosphere impacting life on Earth 
D)  Coral reef diseases caused by climate change 
E)  Massive flooding caused by the melting of the continental glaciers of the Last Ice Age 
A)  The largest recorded earthquake in the United States which occurred in Alaska in 1964 causing loss of property, life, and changes to the Earth's surface throughout Alaska 
B)  The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami in Japan which caused loss of property, life, and changes to the Earth's surface throughout Japan 
C)  Giant meteorite collisions that left craters as evidence of the event and produced massive dust emissions to the atmosphere impacting life on Earth 
D)  Coral reef diseases caused by climate change 
E)  Massive flooding caused by the melting of the continental glaciers of the Last Ice Age

Question 2

Explain how animal and plant life utilize the geosphere.

Accepted Answer

(1) animal life can burrow int

Question 3

Fires in Northern California along with heavy rains can cause a threshold effect to be reached when ___________________ occur.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Fires in Northern California along with heavy...

Question 4

An earthquake would represent the Principle of Uniformitarianism because the event occurs over a very long stretch of geologic time.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Which specific part of the geosphere contains both oceanic and continental crust along with the uppermost layer of the mantle and is broken into various pieces that float on the mantle? ______________________________

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which specific part of the geosphere contains...

Question 6

Explain the process by which James Hutton conceptualized the Principle of Uniformitarianism and how that differs from William Whewell's theory of catastrophic change.

Accepted Answer

Uniformitarianism is a view that geologi

Question 7

Which of the following would not be an example of a threshold effect?

Accepted Answer

A)  A large rain event occurs in the mountains of Northern California allowing the soils to become saturated causing flooding in regions below the mountains 
B)  A second rain event occurs in the same region causing the soils to begin migrating or moving as a landslide 
C)  Recent fires in Northern California scarred the land and a large rain event saturates the soils causing landslides to occur 
D)  All of the above are examples of threshold effect 
A)  A large rain event occurs in the mountains of Northern California allowing the soils to become saturated causing flooding in regions below the mountains 
B)  A second rain event occurs in the same region causing the soils to begin migrating or moving as a landslide 
C)  Recent fires in Northern California scarred the land and a large rain event saturates the soils causing landslides to occur 
D)  All of the above are examples of threshold effect

Question 8

Explain why the ocean cannot meet the freshwater needs of humans today even though it makes up 97.5% of all the water on Earth.

Accepted Answer

The ocean is saline and only 2

Question 9

Which of the following is not a true statement?

Accepted Answer

A)  James Hutton developed a principle known as Uniformitarianism which means that the "past is the key to the present" 
B)  The Principle of Uniformitarianism states that geologic processes occurring in modern time also operating in a similar way in geologic past 
C)  An example of the Principle of Uniformitarianism would be that rocks containing coral fossils formed in an environment in which corals would thrive today 
D)  The Principle of Gradualism states that geologic change occurs over a long stretch of time 
E)  Geologists can explain events such as pyroclastic and lahar deposits observed in real volcanic events such as the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption and apply that knowledge to similar deposits found in the rock record 
A)  James Hutton developed a principle known as Uniformitarianism which means that the "past is the key to the present" 
B)  The Principle of Uniformitarianism states that geologic processes occurring in modern time also operating in a similar way in geologic past 
C)  An example of the Principle of Uniformitarianism would be that rocks containing coral fossils formed in an environment in which corals would thrive today 
D)  The Principle of Gradualism states that geologic change occurs over a long stretch of time 
E)  Geologists can explain events such as pyroclastic and lahar deposits observed in real volcanic events such as the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption and apply that knowledge to similar deposits found in the rock record

Question 10

Which geologic principle states that the "present is the key to the past"? ______________________________

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which geologic principle states that the "present...

Question 11

The Earth's layers formed due to density differences in materials which means that less dense material sank toward the core and heavier elements floated toward the Earth's surface.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Which of the following is not a true statement about the Earth's geosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  The geosphere consists of the core, mantle, and surface 
B)  The densest section of the geosphere is the Earth's mantle where convention occurs 
C)  The geosphere consists of the core, mantle, and surface known as crust 
D)  Below a depth of 100 kilometers, the mantle is hot allowing rocks to be more plastic-like 
E)  The core consists primarily of iron and nickel that sunk to the interior of the Earth because these elements are dense
F) Lighter elements rose to toward the Earth's surface creating less dense crust
G) The pressure deep inside the Earth allows the inner core to be solid even though the temperature is hotter than the outer core 
A)  The geosphere consists of the core, mantle, and surface 
B)  The densest section of the geosphere is the Earth's mantle where convention occurs 
C)  The geosphere consists of the core, mantle, and surface known as crust 
D)  Below a depth of 100 kilometers, the mantle is hot allowing rocks to be more plastic-like 
E)  The core consists primarily of iron and nickel that sunk to the interior of the Earth because these elements are dense
F) Lighter elements rose to toward the Earth's surface creating less dense crust
G) The pressure deep inside the Earth allows the inner core to be solid even though the temperature is hotter than the outer core

Question 13

Which of the following is not on our environment "to-do" list?

Accepted Answer

A)  Prevent toxic chemicals from harming the environment 
B)  Protect against the loss of ocean fisheries 
C)  Protect indigenous species, and keep invasive species from destroying ecosystems 
D)  Not be concerned about slowing the increase in human population because increases in mean global population does not put stress on the Earth's resources 
E)  Conserve fossil fuels and firewood resources 
A)  Prevent toxic chemicals from harming the environment 
B)  Protect against the loss of ocean fisheries 
C)  Protect indigenous species, and keep invasive species from destroying ecosystems 
D)  Not be concerned about slowing the increase in human population because increases in mean global population does not put stress on the Earth's resources 
E)  Conserve fossil fuels and firewood resources

Question 14

Which geologic principle states did James Hutton conceptualize when he studied sandstones in Scotland and realized that it took an enormous amount of time to weather sand grains out of rock and redeposit them as new rock material? ______________________________

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which geologic principle states did James Hutton...

Question 15

Events that occur slowly over geologic time can significantly change the Earth's surface such as the deposition of the layers of the Grand Canyon and the erosion of these layers to form the Colorado River.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Explain how increased population correlates with increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and discuss the impacts to the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere if a warming of global temperature continues to rise.

Accepted Answer

Higher populations of humans increase th

Question 17

As we move from the surface of Earth to the interior of the Earth, which is not a true statement?

Accepted Answer

A)  Temperatures decrease with depth inside the Earth 
B)  Earth's layers become denser with depth inside the Earth 
C)  Earth's outer core is liquid 
D)  Earth's inner core is solid 
A)  Temperatures decrease with depth inside the Earth 
B)  Earth's layers become denser with depth inside the Earth 
C)  Earth's outer core is liquid 
D)  Earth's inner core is solid

Question 18

Geologists can look at ancient glacier deposits and understand that glaciers created them by looking at how modern glaciers make deposits-this would be consistent with the Principle of Uniformitarianism.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Which of the following is a true statement about the Earth's crust?

Accepted Answer

A)  The oceanic crust is much thicker as compared to the continental crust because it is similar to the mantle in composition 
B)  The thinnest crust exists where mountains have been uplifted on the surface 
C)  Only the continental crust comprises the lithosphere 
D)  The thickest continental crust exists where mountains have been uplifted on the surface 
E)  The crust contains one major rock type which is similar to the rocks made in the mantle 
A)  The oceanic crust is much thicker as compared to the continental crust because it is similar to the mantle in composition 
B)  The thinnest crust exists where mountains have been uplifted on the surface 
C)  Only the continental crust comprises the lithosphere 
D)  The thickest continental crust exists where mountains have been uplifted on the surface 
E)  The crust contains one major rock type which is similar to the rocks made in the mantle

Question 20

Geologists measure the movement of tectonic plates with sensitive instruments such as GPS to help understand how the movement of tectonic plates impacts the shape of oceans basins, uplifts mountain ranges, and causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 1: Earth Systems

Which of the following would not be considered a catastrophic change in Earth's history?

Explain how animal and plant life utilize the geosphere.

Fires in Northern California along with heavy rains can cause a threshold effect to be reached when ___________________ occur.

An earthquake would represent the Principle of Uniformitarianism because the event occurs over a very long stretch of geologic time.

Which specific part of the geosphere contains both oceanic and continental crust along with the uppermost layer of the mantle and is broken into various pieces that float on the mantle? ______________________________

Explain the process by which James Hutton conceptualized the Principle of Uniformitarianism and how that differs from William Whewell's theory of catastrophic change.

Which of the following would not be an example of a threshold effect?

Explain why the ocean cannot meet the freshwater needs of humans today even though it makes up 97.5% of all the water on Earth.

Which of the following is not a true statement?

Which geologic principle states that the "present is the key to the past"? ______________________________

The Earth's layers formed due to density differences in materials which means that less dense material sank toward the core and heavier elements floated toward the Earth's surface.

Which of the following is not a true statement about the Earth's geosphere?

Which of the following is not on our environment "to-do" list?

Which geologic principle states did James Hutton conceptualize when he studied sandstones in Scotland and realized that it took an enormous amount of time to weather sand grains out of rock and redeposit them as new rock material? ______________________________

Events that occur slowly over geologic time can significantly change the Earth's surface such as the deposition of the layers of the Grand Canyon and the erosion of these layers to form the Colorado River.

Explain how increased population correlates with increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and discuss the impacts to the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere if a warming of global temperature continues to rise.

As we move from the surface of Earth to the interior of the Earth, which is not a true statement?

Geologists can look at ancient glacier deposits and understand that glaciers created them by looking at how modern glaciers make deposits-this would be consistent with the Principle of Uniformitarianism.

Which of the following is a true statement about the Earth's crust?

Geologists measure the movement of tectonic plates with sensitive instruments such as GPS to help understand how the movement of tectonic plates impacts the shape of oceans basins, uplifts mountain ranges, and causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Minerals

Rocks

Geologic Time: a Story in the Rocks

Geologic Resources

The Active Earth: Plate Tectonics

Earthquakes and the Earths Structure

Volcanoes and Plutons

Mountains

Weathering, Soil, and Erosion

Fresh Water: Streams, Lakes, Ground Water, and Wetlands

Water Resources

Glaciers and Ice Ages

Deserts and Wind

Ocean Basins

Oceans and Coastlines

The Atmosphere

Energy Balance in the Atmosphere

Moisture, Clouds, and Weather

Climate

Climate Change

Motions in the Heavens

Planets and Their Moons

Stars, Space, and Galaxies

Filters