Question 1

The image below shows a series of graded beds.How many graded beds are shown?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 
B)  3 
C)  6 
D)  9 
A)  1 
B)  3 
C)  6 
D)  9 B

Question 2

Biochemical limestones are dominated by carbonate mud and fragments of

Accepted Answer

A)  siliceous shells of planktonic diatoms and foraminifera. 
B)  skeletons of marine invertebrates made of calcite and aragonite. 
C)  the phosphatic bones of fish. 
D)  the organic breakdown products of wood and leaves from trees. 
A)  siliceous shells of planktonic diatoms and foraminifera. 
B)  skeletons of marine invertebrates made of calcite and aragonite. 
C)  the phosphatic bones of fish. 
D)  the organic breakdown products of wood and leaves from trees. B

Question 3

What are the steps involved in the formation of a clastic sedimentary rock?

Accepted Answer

Clastic sedimentary rocks are formed by the following steps: weathering of Earth materials,downslope movement and erosion,transportation,deposition,and finally lithification as a sedimentary rock.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT true? Sediments deposited in a beach environment are typically

Accepted Answer

A)  well sorted. 
B)  medium-grained. 
C)  composed of angular grains. 
D)  composed of mostly quartz. 
A)  well sorted. 
B)  medium-grained. 
C)  composed of angular grains. 
D)  composed of mostly quartz.

Question 5

Thick accumulations of sediments and fossils in the deep ocean tend to be ___________-sized because of the low amount of energy in the environment.

Accepted Answer

A)  cobble 
B)  gravel 
C)  sand 
D)  clay 
A)  cobble 
B)  gravel 
C)  sand 
D)  clay

Question 6

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. 
D)  climate conditions at the time of deposition. 
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. 
D)  climate conditions at the time of deposition.

Question 7

Death Valley is currently sinking partly due to the weight of continuously accumulating sediment shed from the mountains that border the valley.What phenomenon is this an example of and what depositional environment is created by the sediment deposition?

Accepted Answer

A)  regression and deltas 
B)  subsidence and deltas 
C)  regression and alluvial fans 
D)  subsidence and alluvial fans 
A)  regression and deltas 
B)  subsidence and deltas 
C)  regression and alluvial fans 
D)  subsidence and alluvial fans

Question 8

The majority of the rocks that form at the surface of the Earth are

Accepted Answer

A)  intrusive igneous rocks. 
B)  foliated metamorphic rocks. 
C)  sedimentary rocks. 
D)  non-foliated metamorphic rocks. 
A)  intrusive igneous rocks. 
B)  foliated metamorphic rocks. 
C)  sedimentary rocks. 
D)  non-foliated metamorphic rocks.

Question 9

Grains become rounded primarily during

Accepted Answer

A)  weathering at the outcrop. 
B)  lithification. 
C)  transportation. 
D)  deposition. 
A)  weathering at the outcrop. 
B)  lithification. 
C)  transportation. 
D)  deposition.

Question 10

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 11

Symmetric ripples form when

Accepted Answer

A)  wind blows in a consistent direction and deposits sediment in an arid climate. 
B)  water flows in a consistent direction and deposits sediment in layers. 
C)  water deposits sediment in layers,but the direction of flow periodically changes. 
D)  a mountain stream reaches a flat basin and sediment is deposited in a fan-shaped pattern. 
A)  wind blows in a consistent direction and deposits sediment in an arid climate. 
B)  water flows in a consistent direction and deposits sediment in layers. 
C)  water deposits sediment in layers,but the direction of flow periodically changes. 
D)  a mountain stream reaches a flat basin and sediment is deposited in a fan-shaped pattern.

Question 12

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 13

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

Accepted Answer

A)  beds; strata 
B)  strata; beds 
C)  laminations; graded beds 
D)  graded beds; laminations 
A)  beds; strata 
B)  strata; beds 
C)  laminations; graded beds 
D)  graded beds; laminations

Question 14

Sea level rises locally,and marine sediments are deposited on top of terrestrial sediments during events termed

Accepted Answer

A)  transgressions. 
B)  regressions. 
C)  turbidity currents. 
D)  cross bedding. 
A)  transgressions. 
B)  regressions. 
C)  turbidity currents. 
D)  cross bedding.

Question 15

What is an alluvial fan? How is it different from a marine delta?

Accepted Answer

An alluvial fan is a wedge-shaped accumu

Question 16

When graded beds are observed in a rock outcrop,this tells geologists that a

Accepted Answer

A)  turbidity current deposited these beds,depositing finer material first. 
B)  turbidity current deposited these beds,depositing coarser material first. 
C)  slurry deposited these beds with little sorting. 
D)  glacier deposited these beds,depositing coarser material first. 
A)  turbidity current deposited these beds,depositing finer material first. 
B)  turbidity current deposited these beds,depositing coarser material first. 
C)  slurry deposited these beds with little sorting. 
D)  glacier deposited these beds,depositing coarser material first.

Question 17

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 by a glacier. 
C)  has been subjected to a major climate change event. 
D)  was the site of a mass extinction event. 
A)  was once covered in wet mud. 
B)  was once covered by a glacier. 
C)  has been subjected to a major climate change event. 
D)  was the site of a mass extinction event.

Question 18

Two major sources of energy,coal and oil shale,are considered ________ sedimentary rocks.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

Which of the three types of rock would you expect to be most abundant at the Earth's surface? Why? How does this relate to how these rocks form?

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary rocks are expected to be the

Exam 7: Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

The image below shows a series of graded beds.How many graded beds are shown?

Biochemical limestones are dominated by carbonate mud and fragments of

What are the steps involved in the formation of a clastic sedimentary rock?

Which of the following is NOT true? Sediments deposited in a beach environment are typically

Thick accumulations of sediments and fossils in the deep ocean tend to be ___________-sized because of the low amount of energy in the environment.

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

Death Valley is currently sinking partly due to the weight of continuously accumulating sediment shed from the mountains that border the valley.What phenomenon is this an example of and what depositional environment is created by the sediment deposition?

The majority of the rocks that form at the surface of the Earth are

Grains become rounded primarily during

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

Symmetric ripples form when

Limestone is most likely formed in which of the following environments?

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

Sea level rises locally,and marine sediments are deposited on top of terrestrial sediments during events termed

What is an alluvial fan? How is it different from a marine delta?

When graded beds are observed in a rock outcrop,this tells geologists that a

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

Two major sources of energy,coal and oil shale,are considered ________ sedimentary rocks.

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

Which of the three types of rock would you expect to be most abundant at the Earth's surface? Why? How does this relate to how these rocks form?

Cosmology and the Birth of the 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

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of the 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: the 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

Prelude: and Just What Is Geology

Filters

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