Exam 1: Introducing Geology,the Essentials of Plate Tectonics,and Other Important Concepts

_______ takes place where moving water,ice,and wind loosen and remove material on the continents.

The concept of plate tectonics regards the earth's ___ as broken into a number of ___ that are in motion relative to each other.

Earth's lithosphere is made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and crust.

The best geologic data currently available indicate that Earth is approximately ___ years old.

After the opening of the North Slope in Alaska the U.S.stopped importing petroleum.

A ______ is a huge ocean wave usually caused by a displacement of the sea floor and commonly associated with massive earthquakes.

Sedimentary rock that becomes deeply buried may be transformed by heat and pressure into _______ rock.

Rock deep within the Earth is _____ and ______.

Among other things,geologists are employed as __.

We depend on geologists for the raw materials we need for survival.

Fossil evidence indicates that complex life forms,capable of generating easily fossilized hard parts like shells or bones,have existed in abundance on Earth since approximately ___ years ago.

A _____,by scientists definition,is something that has been overwhelmingly verified.

The _____ of old seafloor takes place at convergent boundaries.

A _______ boundary occurs where plates move toward one another.

The product of the breakdown of surface rocks by weathering and erosion is __.

_______ are geological forces generated inside the Earth.

A transform plate boundary occurs where two plates converge.

Deeply buried rock that is hot and under pressure can deform like taffy or putty.

Geology uses the scientific method to explain natural aspects of the Earth.

The _______ collectively make up the lithosphere.