Question 1

In the area immediately surrounding an igneous intrusion,a host limestone is locally metamorphosed to produce marble.Which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) The intrusive igneous rock must be older than the limestone. 
B) The limestone must be older than the marble. 
C) The marble must be older than the intrusive rock. 
D) The relative ages of the three units cannot be determined with the information given. 
A) The intrusive igneous rock must be older than the limestone. 
B) The limestone must be older than the marble. 
C) The marble must be older than the intrusive rock. 
D) The relative ages of the three units cannot be determined with the information given.

Question 2

Relative ages expressed on the geologic time scale primarily resulted from the study of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) fossil content and spatial relationships among igneous rocks 
B) fossil content and spatial relationships among sedimentary rocks 
C) radiometric dating of igneous rocks 
D) radiometric dating of sedimentary rocks 
A) fossil content and spatial relationships among igneous rocks 
B) fossil content and spatial relationships among sedimentary rocks 
C) radiometric dating of igneous rocks 
D) radiometric dating of sedimentary rocks

Question 3

Magma has intruded into some limestone,and a marble rind formed surrounding the granite pluton.The marble rind must be younger than the limestone according to the principle of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) superposition 
B) baked contacts 
C) original horizontality 
D) original continuity 
A) superposition 
B) baked contacts 
C) original horizontality 
D) original continuity

Question 4

How is the half-life of a radioactive parent isotope defined?

Accepted Answer

A) the time it takes for half of the parent isotope to decay to daughter isotope 
B) half the time it takes for the parent isotope to completely decay 
C) the time it takes the parent isotope to go through half the decay steps necessary to produce a stable daughter isotope 
D) half of the average rate of decay of the parent isotope 
A) the time it takes for half of the parent isotope to decay to daughter isotope 
B) half the time it takes for the parent isotope to completely decay 
C) the time it takes the parent isotope to go through half the decay steps necessary to produce a stable daughter isotope 
D) half of the average rate of decay of the parent isotope

Question 5

Concerning the relative ages of the granite and sandstone,________.

Accepted Answer

A) the granite must be older,according to the principle of superposition 
B) the sandstone must be older,according to the principle of superposition 
C) the granite must be older,according to the principle of components 
D) their relative ages cannot be determined from the information given 
A) the granite must be older,according to the principle of superposition 
B) the sandstone must be older,according to the principle of superposition 
C) the granite must be older,according to the principle of components 
D) their relative ages cannot be determined from the information given

Question 6

James Hutton,the "father of geology," put forth the principle of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism 
A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism

Question 7

If horizontal sedimentary strata overlie tilted strata (and no fault is present),the surface between the horizontal and tilted strata must be a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

A) conformable sedimentary contact 
B) angular unconformity 
C) disconformity 
D) nonconformity 
A) conformable sedimentary contact 
B) angular unconformity 
C) disconformity 
D) nonconformity

Question 8

Which method of correlation is most reliable for determining age equivalence among bodies of rock that are physically separated by vast distances?

Accepted Answer

A) lithologic correlation 
B) fossil correlation 
C) inclusion correlation 
D) unconformity correlation 
A) lithologic correlation 
B) fossil correlation 
C) inclusion correlation 
D) unconformity correlation

Question 9

If a basalt body cuts across a fault,what are the relative ages of the basalt and the fault?

Accepted Answer

A) The fault must be older,according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships. 
B) The basalt must be older,according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships. 
C) The basalt must be older,according to the principle of original horizontality. 
D) Their relative ages cannot be determined from the information given. 
A) The fault must be older,according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships. 
B) The basalt must be older,according to the principle of cross-cutting relationships. 
C) The basalt must be older,according to the principle of original horizontality. 
D) Their relative ages cannot be determined from the information given.

Question 10

A radiometric age for a mineral crystal within an igneous rock measures the amount of time that has passed since the ________.

Accepted Answer

A) atoms within the crystal were part of a body of molten magma 
B) crystal solidified 
C) temperature of the crystal became equal to the Curie point for the mineral 
D) temperature of the crystal became equal to the closure temperature for the mineral 
A) atoms within the crystal were part of a body of molten magma 
B) crystal solidified 
C) temperature of the crystal became equal to the Curie point for the mineral 
D) temperature of the crystal became equal to the closure temperature for the mineral

Question 11

The oldest geologic unit is ________.

Accepted Answer

A) Layer 1 
B) Layer 8 
C) Layer 5 
D) Layer 10 
A) Layer 1 
B) Layer 8 
C) Layer 5 
D) Layer 10

Question 12

How much of a radioactive parent isotope will remain after three half-lives have passed?

Accepted Answer

A) one-third 
B) three-halves 
C) one-eighth 
D) one-sixth 
A) one-third 
B) three-halves 
C) one-eighth 
D) one-sixth

Question 13

Numerical ages for boundaries between time units on the geologic time scale primarily resulted from the study of ________,in conjunction with relative age data.

Accepted Answer

A) fossil content and spatial relationships among igneous rocks 
B) fossil content and spatial relationships among sedimentary rocks 
C) radiometric dating of igneous rocks 
D) radiometric dating of sedimentary rocks 
A) fossil content and spatial relationships among igneous rocks 
B) fossil content and spatial relationships among sedimentary rocks 
C) radiometric dating of igneous rocks 
D) radiometric dating of sedimentary rocks

Question 14

Based on the figure,what is the age of Layer 7 relative to Layer 3?

Accepted Answer

A) Layer 7 is younger than Layer 3. 
B) Layer 7 is older than Layer 3. 
C) Layer 7 and Layer 3 are the same rock type,so they are the same age. 
D) Their relative ages cannot be determined 
A) Layer 7 is younger than Layer 3. 
B) Layer 7 is older than Layer 3. 
C) Layer 7 and Layer 3 are the same rock type,so they are the same age. 
D) Their relative ages cannot be determined

Question 15

In the 1800s Lord Kelvin estimated the age of the Earth,utilizing a number of assumptions.Which wrong assumption was the primary reason why his estimate (approximately 20 million years)was so wildly inaccurate?

Accepted Answer

A) that the Earth was once hotter than it presently is today 
B) that the Earth may have been molten when first formed 
C) that no new heat has been added to the Earth since its initial formation 
D) that the Earth would lose heat over time through radiation into outer space 
A) that the Earth was once hotter than it presently is today 
B) that the Earth may have been molten when first formed 
C) that no new heat has been added to the Earth since its initial formation 
D) that the Earth would lose heat over time through radiation into outer space

Question 16

Which of the following geologic principles is NOT a result of gravity?

Accepted Answer

A) original horizontality 
B) cross-cutting relationships 
C) original continuity 
D) superposition 
A) original horizontality 
B) cross-cutting relationships 
C) original continuity 
D) superposition

Question 17

In an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks,younger layers overlie older layers,according to the principle of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism 
A) superposition 
B) original continuity 
C) original horizontality 
D) uniformitarianism

Question 18

Which of the following geologic principles is a direct result of gravity?

Accepted Answer

A) baked contacts 
B) cross-cutting relationships 
C) original horizontality 
D) inclusions 
A) baked contacts 
B) cross-cutting relationships 
C) original horizontality 
D) inclusions

Question 19

The surfaces named contacts #2 and #3 are examples of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) conformable sedimentary contacts 
B) faults 
C) baked contacts 
D) unconformities 
A) conformable sedimentary contacts 
B) faults 
C) baked contacts 
D) unconformities

Question 20

Why is radiocarbon dating only rarely applied in geological work?

Accepted Answer

A) No substances on Earth contain significant amounts of carbon-14. 
B) The half-life of carbon-14 is so long that it is effectively a stable isotope. 
C) The half-life of carbon-14 is so short that it can only be used to date materials that are less than 70,000 years old. 
D) Carbon-14 is destroyed by the heat of magma. 
A) No substances on Earth contain significant amounts of carbon-14. 
B) The half-life of carbon-14 is so long that it is effectively a stable isotope. 
C) The half-life of carbon-14 is so short that it can only be used to date materials that are less than 70,000 years old. 
D) Carbon-14 is destroyed by the heat of magma.

Exam 12: Deep Time: How Old Is Old

In the area immediately surrounding an igneous intrusion,a host limestone is locally metamorphosed to produce marble.Which of the following statements is correct?

Relative ages expressed on the geologic time scale primarily resulted from the study of ________.

Magma has intruded into some limestone,and a marble rind formed surrounding the granite pluton.The marble rind must be younger than the limestone according to the principle of ________.

How is the half-life of a radioactive parent isotope defined?

Concerning the relative ages of the granite and sandstone,________.

James Hutton,the "father of geology," put forth the principle of ________.

If horizontal sedimentary strata overlie tilted strata (and no fault is present),the surface between the horizontal and tilted strata must be a(n)________.

Which method of correlation is most reliable for determining age equivalence among bodies of rock that are physically separated by vast distances?

If a basalt body cuts across a fault,what are the relative ages of the basalt and the fault?

A radiometric age for a mineral crystal within an igneous rock measures the amount of time that has passed since the ________.

The oldest geologic unit is ________.

How much of a radioactive parent isotope will remain after three half-lives have passed?

Numerical ages for boundaries between time units on the geologic time scale primarily resulted from the study of ________,in conjunction with relative age data.

Based on the figure,what is the age of Layer 7 relative to Layer 3?

In the 1800s Lord Kelvin estimated the age of the Earth,utilizing a number of assumptions.Which wrong assumption was the primary reason why his estimate (approximately 20 million years)was so wildly inaccurate?

Which of the following geologic principles is NOT a result of gravity?

In an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks,younger layers overlie older layers,according to the principle of ________.

Which of the following geologic principles is a direct result of gravity?

The surfaces named contacts #2 and #3 are examples of ________.

Why is radiocarbon dating only rarely applied in geological work?

Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags,cracks,and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

A Biography of Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

a Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

the Rock Cycle in the Earth System

the Earths Interior, revisited: Seismic Layering, gravity, and the Magnetic Field

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

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