Question 1

As compared with metamorphism,diagenesis ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  means exactly the same thing 
B)  takes place at lower temperatures and pressures 
C)  takes place at higher temperatures and pressures 
D)  takes place at greater depths that are well within the mantle 
A)  means exactly the same thing 
B)  takes place at lower temperatures and pressures 
C)  takes place at higher temperatures and pressures 
D)  takes place at greater depths that are well within the mantle

Question 2

Consult the figure below.Limestone is most likely formed in which of the following environments?

Accepted Answer

A)  shallow-marine clastic 
B)  shallow-marine carbonate 
C)  marine delta 
D)  deep marine 
A)  shallow-marine clastic 
B)  shallow-marine carbonate 
C)  marine delta 
D)  deep marine

Question 3

If a geologist found preserved mud cracks,he or she could conclude that the environment in which they formed ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  was once covered in wet mud 
B)  was once covered in hexagonal plates of mud with curled-up edges 
C)  has been covered in sediment 
D)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  was once covered in wet mud 
B)  was once covered in hexagonal plates of mud with curled-up edges 
C)  has been covered in sediment 
D)  All of the above are correct.

Question 4

If a geologist were to dig below the current beach and find offshore sediments underlain by beach and swamp deposits,then he or she could conclude that ____________ has occurred.

Accepted Answer

A)  transgression 
B)  regression 
A)  transgression 
B)  regression

Question 5

Lithified detritus (breakdown products of preexisting rocks)forms which kind of sedimentary rock?

Accepted Answer

A)  biochemical 
B)  chemical 
C)  clastic 
D)  organic 
A)  biochemical 
B)  chemical 
C)  clastic 
D)  organic

Question 6

Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?

Accepted Answer

A)  biochemical 
B)  clastic 
C)  organic 
A)  biochemical 
B)  clastic 
C)  organic

Question 7

What effect would plants have on a sand dune environment?

Accepted Answer

A)  encourage sand movement 
B)  deter sand movement 
C)  Plants have no effect on a sand dune environment. 
A)  encourage sand movement 
B)  deter sand movement 
C)  Plants have no effect on a sand dune environment.

Question 8

Which environment would most likely produce sedimentary deposits characterized by very well-sorted,very well-rounded grains that are nearly pure quartz?

Accepted Answer

A)  river 
B)  glacier 
C)  beach 
D)  alluvial fan 
A)  river 
B)  glacier 
C)  beach 
D)  alluvial fan

Question 9

Geologists call individual layers of sedimentary rocks _____________,whereas several of them together are called ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  beds; strata 
B)  strata; beds 
A)  beds; strata 
B)  strata; beds

Question 10

Topset,foreset,and bottomset beds are indicative of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  alluvial fans 
B)  lake bottoms 
C)  deltas 
D)  deep-marine settings 
A)  alluvial fans 
B)  lake bottoms 
C)  deltas 
D)  deep-marine settings

Question 11

Which of the following would NOT be definitive evidence that a geologist was looking at a package of rocks from a formerly coastal environment?

Accepted Answer

A)  rippled sedimentary structures 
B)  medium-grained sandstone 
C)  sediment composed of predominantly calcium carbonate 
D)  coal deposits 
A)  rippled sedimentary structures 
B)  medium-grained sandstone 
C)  sediment composed of predominantly calcium carbonate 
D)  coal deposits

Question 12

Asymmetric ripples indicate unidirectional flow,such as in a river,whereas symmetric ripples are indicative of flow in multiple directions,such as when waves wash back and forth in shallow water.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Consult the figure below.The difference between breccia and conglomerate is that conglomerate ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  is finer grained than breccia 
B)  is coarser grained than breccia 
C)  possesses more angular grains than breccia 
D)  possesses more rounded grains than breccia 
A)  is finer grained than breccia 
B)  is coarser grained than breccia 
C)  possesses more angular grains than breccia 
D)  possesses more rounded grains than breccia

Question 14

Because the velocity of sediment settling (deposition)is positively related to grain size for waterborne sediments,fluvial deposits are more likely than glacial deposits to ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  be well sorted 
B)  include coarse grains, such as cobbles 
C)  include fine grains, such as clay 
D)  have angular grains 
A)  be well sorted 
B)  include coarse grains, such as cobbles 
C)  include fine grains, such as clay 
D)  have angular grains

Question 15

If water is the transport mechanism of sediment,the grain size of sedimentary deposits most closely indicates the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  geographic extent of the weathering source rock at outcrop 
B)  average velocity of the water from the time of erosion until deposition 
C)  velocity of the water at the moment the sediment settled to the bottom 
A)  geographic extent of the weathering source rock at outcrop 
B)  average velocity of the water from the time of erosion until deposition 
C)  velocity of the water at the moment the sediment settled to the bottom

Question 16

Sedimentary deposition is a continuous process: rivers,lakes,and the ocean deposit sediments nonstop at a fairly constant rate.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Swamps,channels,floodplains,and submarine slopes all play a role in the development of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  deltas 
B)  marine deltas 
C)  alluvial fans 
A)  deltas 
B)  marine deltas 
C)  alluvial fans

Question 18

Which of the following might cause a scientist to be unsure as to whether he or she was looking at a package of rocks from a formerly terrestrial environment?

Accepted Answer

A)  the presence of red beds 
B)  the presence of layered beds deposited by water 
C)  the presence of a fan or triangle-shaped package of sediment 
D)  the presence of well-sorted sandstone 
A)  the presence of red beds 
B)  the presence of layered beds deposited by water 
C)  the presence of a fan or triangle-shaped package of sediment 
D)  the presence of well-sorted sandstone

Question 19

In which of the following phenomena are sediment records NOT preserved?

Accepted Answer

A)  transgression 
B)  regression 
A)  transgression 
B)  regression

Question 20

What is the foremost requirement for the accumulation of sediment?

Accepted Answer

A)  a source of sediment 
B)  sinking of a portion of the Earth's surface 
C)  the presence of sedimentary rocks 
D)  erosive action 
A)  a source of sediment 
B)  sinking of a portion of the Earth's surface 
C)  the presence of sedimentary rocks 
D)  erosive action

Exam 6: Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

As compared with metamorphism,diagenesis ____________.

Consult the figure below.Limestone is most likely formed in which of the following environments?

If a geologist found preserved mud cracks,he or she could conclude that the environment in which they formed ____________.

If a geologist were to dig below the current beach and find offshore sediments underlain by beach and swamp deposits,then he or she could conclude that ____________ has occurred.

Lithified detritus (breakdown products of preexisting rocks)forms which kind of sedimentary rock?

Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?

What effect would plants have on a sand dune environment?

Which environment would most likely produce sedimentary deposits characterized by very well-sorted,very well-rounded grains that are nearly pure quartz?

Geologists call individual layers of sedimentary rocks _____________,whereas several of them together are called ____________.

Topset,foreset,and bottomset beds are indicative of ____________.

Which of the following would NOT be definitive evidence that a geologist was looking at a package of rocks from a formerly coastal environment?

Asymmetric ripples indicate unidirectional flow,such as in a river,whereas symmetric ripples are indicative of flow in multiple directions,such as when waves wash back and forth in shallow water.

Consult the figure below.The difference between breccia and conglomerate is that conglomerate ____________.

Because the velocity of sediment settling (deposition)is positively related to grain size for waterborne sediments,fluvial deposits are more likely than glacial deposits to ____________.

If water is the transport mechanism of sediment,the grain size of sedimentary deposits most closely indicates the ____________.

Sedimentary deposition is a continuous process: rivers,lakes,and the ocean deposit sediments nonstop at a fairly constant rate.

Swamps,channels,floodplains,and submarine slopes all play a role in the development of ____________.

Which of the following might cause a scientist to be unsure as to whether he or she was looking at a package of rocks from a formerly terrestrial environment?

In which of the following phenomena are sediment records NOT preserved?

What is the foremost requirement for the accumulation of sediment?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and 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

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Rock Groups

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earths Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters

Geologists call individual layers of sedimentary rocks _,whereas several of them together are called .