Question 1

What evidence might suggest a time interval between two rock layers?

Accepted Answer

A)  a metamorphosed band in the bottom layer 
B)  a metamorphosed band in the top layer 
C)  a coal layer between the two layers 
D)  an irregular boundary between the two layers 
A)  a metamorphosed band in the bottom layer 
B)  a metamorphosed band in the top layer 
C)  a coal layer between the two layers 
D)  an irregular boundary between the two layers

Question 2

Where have the oldest dated sand grains been found on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Australia 
B)  Canada 
C)  The United States 
D)  Africa 
A)  Australia 
B)  Canada 
C)  The United States 
D)  Africa

Question 3

What evidence would lead geologists to conclude that granite underlying sedimentary rock is older than the sedimentary rock?

Accepted Answer

A)  contact metamorphism between the granite and the deepest sedimentary bedding 
B)  fragments of the sedimentary rock included in the granite 
C)  completely horizontal bedding of the sedimentary rock 
D)  pebbles of the granite included in the bedding of the sedimentary rock 
A)  contact metamorphism between the granite and the deepest sedimentary bedding 
B)  fragments of the sedimentary rock included in the granite 
C)  completely horizontal bedding of the sedimentary rock 
D)  pebbles of the granite included in the bedding of the sedimentary rock

Question 4

Metamorphism usually ________ the radioactive-isotope clock.

Accepted Answer

A)  retains 
B)  preserves 
C)  maintains 
D)  resets 
A)  retains 
B)  preserves 
C)  maintains 
D)  resets

Question 5

A student concluded, "The rock record is incomplete because of weathering and erosion." Evaluate this statement.

Accepted Answer

A)  The statement is true. 
B)  The statement is partially true; the student forgot to include metamorphism. 
C)  The statement is partially true; the student forgot to include tectonic forces. 
D)  The statement is partially true; the student forgot to include soft-shelled animals that are now extinct and not fossilized. 
A)  The statement is true. 
B)  The statement is partially true; the student forgot to include metamorphism. 
C)  The statement is partially true; the student forgot to include tectonic forces. 
D)  The statement is partially true; the student forgot to include soft-shelled animals that are now extinct and not fossilized.

Question 6

How do geologists know how to determine half-lives and decay-rates?

Accepted Answer

Radioactive-decay rates are measured in

Question 7

How are the principles of lateral continuity and superposition related?

Accepted Answer

A)  They help to understand the processes that obstructs sedimentary layers. 
B)  They help to extend relative age relationships over larger areas. 
C)  They help to understand cross-cutting relationships. 
D)  They help to show that sediment tends to accumulate in horizontal layers. 
A)  They help to understand the processes that obstructs sedimentary layers. 
B)  They help to extend relative age relationships over larger areas. 
C)  They help to understand cross-cutting relationships. 
D)  They help to show that sediment tends to accumulate in horizontal layers.

Question 8

A rock that is ________ million years old comes from the Archean Eon.

Accepted Answer

A)  4,060 
B)  30 
C)  500 
D)  1,500 
A)  4,060 
B)  30 
C)  500 
D)  1,500

Question 9

What is the most common way to name a geologic period?

Accepted Answer

A)  by the name of the place where rocks of that period were first described 
B)  by the name of the tectonic continent that existed at that time 
C)  by the name of the scientist who first defined that period 
D)  by the name of the metamorphic processes that were occurring at that time 
A)  by the name of the place where rocks of that period were first described 
B)  by the name of the tectonic continent that existed at that time 
C)  by the name of the scientist who first defined that period 
D)  by the name of the metamorphic processes that were occurring at that time

Question 10

The principle that states that geologic features that cut across rocks must form after the rocks that they cut through is the Principle of ...

Accepted Answer

A)  Inclusions. 
B)  Superposition. 
C)  Cross-cutting relationships. 
D)  Original Horizontality. 
A)  Inclusions. 
B)  Superposition. 
C)  Cross-cutting relationships. 
D)  Original Horizontality.

Question 11

How is the absolute age of rock determined?

Accepted Answer

Radioactive-dating methods provide absol

Question 12

Radioactive decay permits geologists to determine the age of some minerals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

A rock that is 400 million years old comes from the ________ Period.

Accepted Answer

A)  Paleozoic 
B)  Phanerozoic 
C)  Precambrian 
D)  Silurian 
A)  Paleozoic 
B)  Phanerozoic 
C)  Precambrian 
D)  Silurian

Question 14

If a person found a fossil and presented it to William Smith, what would the scientist be able to conclude about that fossil?

Accepted Answer

A)  which type of animal it was and where it had lived 
B)  which layer the fossil had come from and where that layer was exposed 
C)  where the fossil was found and what type of animal it was 
D)  when the animal had lived and which layer it had come from 
A)  which type of animal it was and where it had lived 
B)  which layer the fossil had come from and where that layer was exposed 
C)  where the fossil was found and what type of animal it was 
D)  when the animal had lived and which layer it had come from

Question 15

What does a radioactive-isotope aging test on a rock determine?

Accepted Answer

A)  the age of the rock since metamorphism 
B)  the date of formation of the rock-forming minerals 
C)  the length of time the rock has existed in its location 
D)  the age of the rock since sedimentation 
A)  the age of the rock since metamorphism 
B)  the date of formation of the rock-forming minerals 
C)  the length of time the rock has existed in its location 
D)  the age of the rock since sedimentation

Question 16

Which statement about John Joly's salty ocean theory to calculate Earth's age is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  John Joly's theory gives a more accurate estimate of Earth's age now that more accurate observational data is available. 
B)  Joly believed that the ocean began as a salty body of water and that salt entered it from rock sources at a steady rate. 
C)  Joly's method was less accurate than Kelvin's. 
D)  Joly underestimated the amount of precipitated rock salt in the world. 
A)  John Joly's theory gives a more accurate estimate of Earth's age now that more accurate observational data is available. 
B)  Joly believed that the ocean began as a salty body of water and that salt entered it from rock sources at a steady rate. 
C)  Joly's method was less accurate than Kelvin's. 
D)  Joly underestimated the amount of precipitated rock salt in the world.

Question 17

The fact that the seafloor, riverbeds and other depositional surfaces are not perfectly flat violates the Principle of Original Horizontality.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

How was the geologic time scale constructed and how is it helpful?

Accepted Answer

The geologic time scale is a series of i

Question 19

Why is the decay of potassium to argon used instead of the decay of potassium to calcium?

Accepted Answer

A)  Calcium is prevalent in too many rocks. 
B)  Argon stays in the rock for a longer period of time so it is a more reliable measurement. 
C)  Calcium dissolves in water so cannot be measured accurately. 
D)  Argon is a reactive element and will only be present due to the decay of the potassium isotope. 
A)  Calcium is prevalent in too many rocks. 
B)  Argon stays in the rock for a longer period of time so it is a more reliable measurement. 
C)  Calcium dissolves in water so cannot be measured accurately. 
D)  Argon is a reactive element and will only be present due to the decay of the potassium isotope.

Question 20

Which principle is a geologist applying when deciding that a fossil in a mud layer is older than a fossil in a sandstone layer above it?

Accepted Answer

A)  the principle of inclusions 
B)  the principle of superposition 
C)  the principle of cross-cutting relationships 
D)  the principle of original horizontality 
A)  the principle of inclusions 
B)  the principle of superposition 
C)  the principle of cross-cutting relationships 
D)  the principle of original horizontality

Exam 7: Earth Materials As Time Keepers

What evidence might suggest a time interval between two rock layers?

Where have the oldest dated sand grains been found on Earth?

What evidence would lead geologists to conclude that granite underlying sedimentary rock is older than the sedimentary rock?

Metamorphism usually ________ the radioactive-isotope clock.

A student concluded, "The rock record is incomplete because of weathering and erosion." Evaluate this statement.

How do geologists know how to determine half-lives and decay-rates?

How are the principles of lateral continuity and superposition related?

A rock that is ________ million years old comes from the Archean Eon.

What is the most common way to name a geologic period?

The principle that states that geologic features that cut across rocks must form after the rocks that they cut through is the Principle of ...

How is the absolute age of rock determined?

Radioactive decay permits geologists to determine the age of some minerals.

A rock that is 400 million years old comes from the ________ Period.

If a person found a fossil and presented it to William Smith, what would the scientist be able to conclude about that fossil?

What does a radioactive-isotope aging test on a rock determine?

Which statement about John Joly's salty ocean theory to calculate Earth's age is false?

The fact that the seafloor, riverbeds and other depositional surfaces are not perfectly flat violates the Principle of Original Horizontality.

How was the geologic time scale constructed and how is it helpful?

Why is the decay of potassium to argon used instead of the decay of potassium to calcium?

Which principle is a geologist applying when deciding that a fossil in a mud layer is older than a fossil in a sandstone layer above it?

Why Study Earth

Minerals: Building Blocks of the Planet

Rocks and Rock-Forming Processes

Formation of Magma and Igneous Rocks

Formation of Sediment and Sedimentary Rocks

Formation of Metamorphic Rocks

Earth Materials As Time Keepers

Making Earth

Motion Inside Earth

Deformation of Rocks

Global Tectonics: Plates and Plumes

Tectonics and Surface Relief

Soil Formation and Landscape Stability

Mass Movements: Landscapes in Motion

Streams: Flowing Water Shapes the Landscape

Water Flowing Underground

Glaciers: Cold-Climate Sculptors of Continents

Shorelines: Changing Landscapes Where Land Meets Sea

Wind: a Global Geologic Process

Global Warming: Real Time Change in the Earth System

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