MSCI 112 QUIZ AND TEST QUESTIONS VERIFIED
ANSWERS
divergent plate boundaries are under what kind of force - Answers - tensional
reverse or thrust faults result from - Answers - two of the earths surface are being
compressed
Why is the average elevation of the continental crust significantly higher than adjacent
ocean crust - Answers - because ocean crust is denser than continental crust and under
the principle of isostasy settled further into the underlying asthenosphere, relatively, to
displace and equivalent mass of asthenosphere
the low velocity zone identified in plots of seismic wave velocity with depth in the earth -
Answers - occurs as the asthenosphere directly underlying the lithosphere exists close
or at the melting point of some of the common minerals found in the mantle due to a
combination of temperature and pressure that is present and may partially melted
(molten)
walking across the desert in Arizona, you find a meteorite composed largely of iron and
small amounts of nickel. the iron-nickel mineral crystals form an unusual crystal
structure called "weidenstatten" that we can only replicate tp be present deep in the
interior of large bodies of the earth. That observation suggests - Answers - when
combined with other astronomical observations, hypothesis and theories we think there
have been very catastrophic collisions of large planetary bodies that may have formed
and evolved as a plant similar to the earth that exploded and rained pieces of deep
interiors of other bodies to the surface of the earth where we can observe and make
measurements and from hypothesis and test them through variations remote sensing
method (e.g. gravity/density of other plants, analyzing light reflected from other bodies
to interpret composition at the surface
the earth's magnetic field - Answers - varies a lot and in the past has reversed itself
many times
changes and the change in the magnetic field through time is well documented in
measuring the magnetic orientation of minerals in ocean crust increasingly further from
mid-pcean ridges
provided some key evidence shaping the modern "theory" of plate tectonics
the following diagram is illustrative - Answers - highlights the process of two plates
being pulled apart by convection in the asthenosphere with iron and magnesium rich
sillicate minerals forming new ocean crust from molten materials rising up depth
,consider the diagram showing the relationship between the depth of the seafloor and
the age of ocean crust and also the the bathymetric cross section across the mid
atlantic ridge. which statements are true and help explain the observation in the diagram
shown below or relevant to the processes shaping the basin ocean - Answers - you
would expect the youngest crust to also possess the highest heat flow and be much
warmer tan very old ocean crust
because the isostatic adjustment of the ocean plates, increasingly older ocean crust
tends to be found in increasingly deeper parts of the ocean
the shape (height, width, and steepness) of a mid ocean ridge such as the mid atlantic
ridge is strongly influenced by the rate of sea floor spreading between the two divergent
plates
changes in the rates of sea floor spreading is a primary control on ridge volume and
thus an important driver of large scale changes in global sea level throughout earth
history
consider the diagram linked here of earthquake locations as a functions of depth and
distance from oceanic trenches in the western pacific ocean which statements are true
or correctly supported by plots of earthquake locations shown - Answers - this pattern of
earthquake locations defines a planar surface delineating the boundary between a
section of older, denser oceanic plate subducting underneath another oceanic plate
by analyzing the earthquake waves, we can see that their are regions where waves are
tensional in nature that align with the zone of high degrees of bending of the plate and
charge in orientation from parallel to further the surface to be inclined and subjecting
below the adjacent plate
such the areas with abundant and frequently large earthquakes are sites of large
potential risk for geohazards such as tuimanis, rapid movements vertically in the
elevation of coastal environments, as well as direct disturbance from earthquake
surface waves
the three dimensional inclined plane defined by these earthquake locations is called the
bennioff zone
solid materials that do not possess and orderly, crystalline arrangement of atoms are
called - Answers - Minerals
isotopes of a given element have - Answers - the same atomic number but different
atomic masses
the chemical formula (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 describes which of the following minerals - Answers
- olivine
, the most common rock-forming minerals in the crust are - Answers - sillicates
the property of "cleavage" used to help identify minerals in hand sized sampled refers to
- Answers - the splitting of the mineral aling planer surfaces
rocks that form from solidification from a molten rock are called - Answers - igneous
as wwe go deeper into the earth and pressure increases, we encounter minerals with: -
Answers - more compact crystal structures
compared to oceanic crust the continental crust is usually _______ and ______ -
Answers - less dense and thicker
assuming that the direction rate of seafloor spreading of the mid-atlantic ridge will
remain constant at 30mm/yr for the next 50 million years, the distance between new
york and london will - Answers - increase by 1500 kilometers
match the correct type of plate boundary with the kind of forces acting upon it and the
relative motion of the plate - Answers - transverse boundaries are under horizontally
shearing forces and move by each other side by side
fracture zones - Answers - may result in shifts in magnetic "striping" across the
transform fault
the west coast of north american exhibits very different character of the plate boundary
with the pacific plate, with sections of the boundary exhibiting divergent, convergent and
transverse motions. this is explainable because - Answers - the plate boundaries can be
irregular or curved yielding different relative motions depending on the direction of each
plate movement and the orientation of a section of the plate boundary
some sections of a plate move at a different rate and add a "twisting" movement relative
to other plates
the relatively thin plates must fit together in a spherical shaped body
consider the diagram of a convergent boundary such as found along the west coast of
south america. which statement is true - Answers - this type of plate boundary is
classified as "convergent" between an oceanic and continental plate
the narrow and deep trenches are areas where submarine landslides and cascades of
sediment down into the trench may be common especially associated with earthquakes
the continental arc has mineral composition that is characterized as felsic or slalic and is
enriched in minerals like quartz, orthoclase feldspars and mica relative to crust forming
at mid ocean ridge
ANSWERS
divergent plate boundaries are under what kind of force - Answers - tensional
reverse or thrust faults result from - Answers - two of the earths surface are being
compressed
Why is the average elevation of the continental crust significantly higher than adjacent
ocean crust - Answers - because ocean crust is denser than continental crust and under
the principle of isostasy settled further into the underlying asthenosphere, relatively, to
displace and equivalent mass of asthenosphere
the low velocity zone identified in plots of seismic wave velocity with depth in the earth -
Answers - occurs as the asthenosphere directly underlying the lithosphere exists close
or at the melting point of some of the common minerals found in the mantle due to a
combination of temperature and pressure that is present and may partially melted
(molten)
walking across the desert in Arizona, you find a meteorite composed largely of iron and
small amounts of nickel. the iron-nickel mineral crystals form an unusual crystal
structure called "weidenstatten" that we can only replicate tp be present deep in the
interior of large bodies of the earth. That observation suggests - Answers - when
combined with other astronomical observations, hypothesis and theories we think there
have been very catastrophic collisions of large planetary bodies that may have formed
and evolved as a plant similar to the earth that exploded and rained pieces of deep
interiors of other bodies to the surface of the earth where we can observe and make
measurements and from hypothesis and test them through variations remote sensing
method (e.g. gravity/density of other plants, analyzing light reflected from other bodies
to interpret composition at the surface
the earth's magnetic field - Answers - varies a lot and in the past has reversed itself
many times
changes and the change in the magnetic field through time is well documented in
measuring the magnetic orientation of minerals in ocean crust increasingly further from
mid-pcean ridges
provided some key evidence shaping the modern "theory" of plate tectonics
the following diagram is illustrative - Answers - highlights the process of two plates
being pulled apart by convection in the asthenosphere with iron and magnesium rich
sillicate minerals forming new ocean crust from molten materials rising up depth
,consider the diagram showing the relationship between the depth of the seafloor and
the age of ocean crust and also the the bathymetric cross section across the mid
atlantic ridge. which statements are true and help explain the observation in the diagram
shown below or relevant to the processes shaping the basin ocean - Answers - you
would expect the youngest crust to also possess the highest heat flow and be much
warmer tan very old ocean crust
because the isostatic adjustment of the ocean plates, increasingly older ocean crust
tends to be found in increasingly deeper parts of the ocean
the shape (height, width, and steepness) of a mid ocean ridge such as the mid atlantic
ridge is strongly influenced by the rate of sea floor spreading between the two divergent
plates
changes in the rates of sea floor spreading is a primary control on ridge volume and
thus an important driver of large scale changes in global sea level throughout earth
history
consider the diagram linked here of earthquake locations as a functions of depth and
distance from oceanic trenches in the western pacific ocean which statements are true
or correctly supported by plots of earthquake locations shown - Answers - this pattern of
earthquake locations defines a planar surface delineating the boundary between a
section of older, denser oceanic plate subducting underneath another oceanic plate
by analyzing the earthquake waves, we can see that their are regions where waves are
tensional in nature that align with the zone of high degrees of bending of the plate and
charge in orientation from parallel to further the surface to be inclined and subjecting
below the adjacent plate
such the areas with abundant and frequently large earthquakes are sites of large
potential risk for geohazards such as tuimanis, rapid movements vertically in the
elevation of coastal environments, as well as direct disturbance from earthquake
surface waves
the three dimensional inclined plane defined by these earthquake locations is called the
bennioff zone
solid materials that do not possess and orderly, crystalline arrangement of atoms are
called - Answers - Minerals
isotopes of a given element have - Answers - the same atomic number but different
atomic masses
the chemical formula (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 describes which of the following minerals - Answers
- olivine
, the most common rock-forming minerals in the crust are - Answers - sillicates
the property of "cleavage" used to help identify minerals in hand sized sampled refers to
- Answers - the splitting of the mineral aling planer surfaces
rocks that form from solidification from a molten rock are called - Answers - igneous
as wwe go deeper into the earth and pressure increases, we encounter minerals with: -
Answers - more compact crystal structures
compared to oceanic crust the continental crust is usually _______ and ______ -
Answers - less dense and thicker
assuming that the direction rate of seafloor spreading of the mid-atlantic ridge will
remain constant at 30mm/yr for the next 50 million years, the distance between new
york and london will - Answers - increase by 1500 kilometers
match the correct type of plate boundary with the kind of forces acting upon it and the
relative motion of the plate - Answers - transverse boundaries are under horizontally
shearing forces and move by each other side by side
fracture zones - Answers - may result in shifts in magnetic "striping" across the
transform fault
the west coast of north american exhibits very different character of the plate boundary
with the pacific plate, with sections of the boundary exhibiting divergent, convergent and
transverse motions. this is explainable because - Answers - the plate boundaries can be
irregular or curved yielding different relative motions depending on the direction of each
plate movement and the orientation of a section of the plate boundary
some sections of a plate move at a different rate and add a "twisting" movement relative
to other plates
the relatively thin plates must fit together in a spherical shaped body
consider the diagram of a convergent boundary such as found along the west coast of
south america. which statement is true - Answers - this type of plate boundary is
classified as "convergent" between an oceanic and continental plate
the narrow and deep trenches are areas where submarine landslides and cascades of
sediment down into the trench may be common especially associated with earthquakes
the continental arc has mineral composition that is characterized as felsic or slalic and is
enriched in minerals like quartz, orthoclase feldspars and mica relative to crust forming
at mid ocean ridge
