IB Marine Science SL UPDATED ACTUAL
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
Abyssal Hill - CORRECT ANSWER- Small sediment-covered inactive volcano or intrusion
of molten rock less than 200 meters (650 ft) high, thought to be associated with seafloor
spreading. Abyssal hills punctuate the otherwise flat abyssal plain.
Abyssal Plain - CORRECT ANSWER- Flat, cold, sediment-covered ocean floor between the
continental rise and the oceanic ridge at a depth of 3,700 to 5,500 meters (12,000 to 18,000 ft).
Abyssal plains are more extensive in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans than in the Pacific.
Active Margin - CORRECT ANSWER- The continental margin near an area of lithospheric
plate convergence; also called Pacific-type Margin
Bathymetry - CORRECT ANSWER- The discovery and study of submerged contours.
Continental Margin - CORRECT ANSWER- The Submerged outer edge of a continent,
made of granitic crust; includes the continental shelf and continental slope. Compare Ocean
Basin.
Continental Rise - CORRECT ANSWER- The wedge of sediment forming the gentle
transition from the outer (lower) edge of the continental slope to the abyssal plain; usually
associated with passive margins.
Continental Shelf - CORRECT ANSWER- The gradually sloping submerged extension of a
continent, composed of granitic rock overlain by sediments; has features similar to the edge of
the nearby continent.
Continental Slope - CORRECT ANSWER- The sloping transition between the granite of the
continent and the basalt of the seabed; the true edge of a continent.
,Epicenter - CORRECT ANSWER- The point on Earth's surface directly above the focus of
an earthquake.
Fracture Zone - CORRECT ANSWER- Area of Irregular, seismically inactive topography
marking the position of a once-active transform fault
Guyot - CORRECT ANSWER- A flat-topped, submerged, inactive volcano
Hydrothermal Vent - CORRECT ANSWER- A spring of hot, mineral- and gas-rich seawater
found on some oceanic ridges in zones of active seafloor spreading.
Ice Age - CORRECT ANSWER- One of several periods (lasting several thousand years
each) of low temperature during the last million years. Glaciers and polar ice were derived from
ocean water, lowering sea level at least 100 meters (328 feet).
Island Arc - CORRECT ANSWER- Curving chain of volcanic islands and seamounts almost
always found paralleling the concave edge of a trench.
Ocean Basin - CORRECT ANSWER- Deep-ocean floor made of basaltic crust. Compare
Continental Margin.
Oceanic Ridge - CORRECT ANSWER- Young seabed at the active spreading center of an
ocean, often unmasked by sediment, bulging above the abyssal plain. The boundary between
diverging plates. Often called a mid-ocean ridge, though less than 60% of the length exists at
mid-ocean.
Passive Margin - CORRECT ANSWER- The continental margin near an area of lithospheric
plate divergence; also called an Atlantic-type margin.
Seamount - CORRECT ANSWER- A circular or elliptical projection from the seafloor, more
than 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) in height, with a relatively steep slope of 20-25 degrees
,Shelf Break - CORRECT ANSWER- The abrupt increase in slope at the junction between
continental shelf and continental slope.
Submarine Canyon - CORRECT ANSWER- A deep, V-shaped valley running roughly
perpendicular to the shoreline and cutting across the edge of the continental shelf and slope.
Transform Fault - CORRECT ANSWER- A plane along which rock masses slide
horizontally past one another.
Asthenosphere - CORRECT ANSWER- The hot, plastic layer of the upper mantle below the
lithosphere, extending some 350 to 650 kilometers (220 to 400 miles) below the surface.
Convection currents within the asthenosphere power plate tectonics
Basalt - CORRECT ANSWER- The relatively heavy crustal rock that forms the seabeds,
composed mostly of oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and iron. Its density is about 2.9 g/cm^3
Body Wave - CORRECT ANSWER- A seismic wave that moves through the interior of the
earth, as opposed to the earth's surface.
Buoyancy - CORRECT ANSWER- The ability or tendency to float in water or air or some
other fluid.
Catastrophism - CORRECT ANSWER- The theory that Earth's surface features are formed
by catastrophic forces such as the biblical flood. Catastophists believe in a young Earth and a
literal interpretation of the biblical account of Creation
Conduction - CORRECT ANSWER- The transfer of heat through matter by the collision of
one atom with another
, Continental Crust - CORRECT ANSWER- The solid masses of the continents, composed
primarily of granite
Continental Drift - CORRECT ANSWER- The theory that the continents move slowly across
the surface of Earth.
Convection - CORRECT ANSWER- Movement within a fluid resulting from differential
heating and cooling of the fluid. Convection produces mass transport or mixing of the fluid.
Convection Current - CORRECT ANSWER- A single closed-flow circuit of rising warm
material and falling cool material
Convergent Plate Boundary - CORRECT ANSWER- A region where plates are pushing
together and where a mountain range, island arc, and/or trench will eventually form; often a site
of much seismic and volcanic activity
Core - CORRECT ANSWER- The innermost layer of Earth, composed primarily of iron,
with nickel and heavy elements. The inner core is thought to be a solid 6000 degrees Celsius
(11000 degrees Fahrenheit) sphere, the outer core a 5000 degrees Celsius (9000 degrees
Fahrenheit) liquid mass. The average density of the outer core is about 11.8 g/cm^3.
Crust - CORRECT ANSWER- The outermost solid layer of Earth, composed mostly of
granite and basalt; the top of the lithosphere. The crust has a density of 2.7-2.9 g/cm^3 and
accounts for 0.4% of Earth's mass
Curie Point - CORRECT ANSWER- The temperature above which a material loses its
magnetism
Density - CORRECT ANSWER- The mass per unit volume of a substance, usually
expressed in grams per cubic centimeter
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
Abyssal Hill - CORRECT ANSWER- Small sediment-covered inactive volcano or intrusion
of molten rock less than 200 meters (650 ft) high, thought to be associated with seafloor
spreading. Abyssal hills punctuate the otherwise flat abyssal plain.
Abyssal Plain - CORRECT ANSWER- Flat, cold, sediment-covered ocean floor between the
continental rise and the oceanic ridge at a depth of 3,700 to 5,500 meters (12,000 to 18,000 ft).
Abyssal plains are more extensive in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans than in the Pacific.
Active Margin - CORRECT ANSWER- The continental margin near an area of lithospheric
plate convergence; also called Pacific-type Margin
Bathymetry - CORRECT ANSWER- The discovery and study of submerged contours.
Continental Margin - CORRECT ANSWER- The Submerged outer edge of a continent,
made of granitic crust; includes the continental shelf and continental slope. Compare Ocean
Basin.
Continental Rise - CORRECT ANSWER- The wedge of sediment forming the gentle
transition from the outer (lower) edge of the continental slope to the abyssal plain; usually
associated with passive margins.
Continental Shelf - CORRECT ANSWER- The gradually sloping submerged extension of a
continent, composed of granitic rock overlain by sediments; has features similar to the edge of
the nearby continent.
Continental Slope - CORRECT ANSWER- The sloping transition between the granite of the
continent and the basalt of the seabed; the true edge of a continent.
,Epicenter - CORRECT ANSWER- The point on Earth's surface directly above the focus of
an earthquake.
Fracture Zone - CORRECT ANSWER- Area of Irregular, seismically inactive topography
marking the position of a once-active transform fault
Guyot - CORRECT ANSWER- A flat-topped, submerged, inactive volcano
Hydrothermal Vent - CORRECT ANSWER- A spring of hot, mineral- and gas-rich seawater
found on some oceanic ridges in zones of active seafloor spreading.
Ice Age - CORRECT ANSWER- One of several periods (lasting several thousand years
each) of low temperature during the last million years. Glaciers and polar ice were derived from
ocean water, lowering sea level at least 100 meters (328 feet).
Island Arc - CORRECT ANSWER- Curving chain of volcanic islands and seamounts almost
always found paralleling the concave edge of a trench.
Ocean Basin - CORRECT ANSWER- Deep-ocean floor made of basaltic crust. Compare
Continental Margin.
Oceanic Ridge - CORRECT ANSWER- Young seabed at the active spreading center of an
ocean, often unmasked by sediment, bulging above the abyssal plain. The boundary between
diverging plates. Often called a mid-ocean ridge, though less than 60% of the length exists at
mid-ocean.
Passive Margin - CORRECT ANSWER- The continental margin near an area of lithospheric
plate divergence; also called an Atlantic-type margin.
Seamount - CORRECT ANSWER- A circular or elliptical projection from the seafloor, more
than 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) in height, with a relatively steep slope of 20-25 degrees
,Shelf Break - CORRECT ANSWER- The abrupt increase in slope at the junction between
continental shelf and continental slope.
Submarine Canyon - CORRECT ANSWER- A deep, V-shaped valley running roughly
perpendicular to the shoreline and cutting across the edge of the continental shelf and slope.
Transform Fault - CORRECT ANSWER- A plane along which rock masses slide
horizontally past one another.
Asthenosphere - CORRECT ANSWER- The hot, plastic layer of the upper mantle below the
lithosphere, extending some 350 to 650 kilometers (220 to 400 miles) below the surface.
Convection currents within the asthenosphere power plate tectonics
Basalt - CORRECT ANSWER- The relatively heavy crustal rock that forms the seabeds,
composed mostly of oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and iron. Its density is about 2.9 g/cm^3
Body Wave - CORRECT ANSWER- A seismic wave that moves through the interior of the
earth, as opposed to the earth's surface.
Buoyancy - CORRECT ANSWER- The ability or tendency to float in water or air or some
other fluid.
Catastrophism - CORRECT ANSWER- The theory that Earth's surface features are formed
by catastrophic forces such as the biblical flood. Catastophists believe in a young Earth and a
literal interpretation of the biblical account of Creation
Conduction - CORRECT ANSWER- The transfer of heat through matter by the collision of
one atom with another
, Continental Crust - CORRECT ANSWER- The solid masses of the continents, composed
primarily of granite
Continental Drift - CORRECT ANSWER- The theory that the continents move slowly across
the surface of Earth.
Convection - CORRECT ANSWER- Movement within a fluid resulting from differential
heating and cooling of the fluid. Convection produces mass transport or mixing of the fluid.
Convection Current - CORRECT ANSWER- A single closed-flow circuit of rising warm
material and falling cool material
Convergent Plate Boundary - CORRECT ANSWER- A region where plates are pushing
together and where a mountain range, island arc, and/or trench will eventually form; often a site
of much seismic and volcanic activity
Core - CORRECT ANSWER- The innermost layer of Earth, composed primarily of iron,
with nickel and heavy elements. The inner core is thought to be a solid 6000 degrees Celsius
(11000 degrees Fahrenheit) sphere, the outer core a 5000 degrees Celsius (9000 degrees
Fahrenheit) liquid mass. The average density of the outer core is about 11.8 g/cm^3.
Crust - CORRECT ANSWER- The outermost solid layer of Earth, composed mostly of
granite and basalt; the top of the lithosphere. The crust has a density of 2.7-2.9 g/cm^3 and
accounts for 0.4% of Earth's mass
Curie Point - CORRECT ANSWER- The temperature above which a material loses its
magnetism
Density - CORRECT ANSWER- The mass per unit volume of a substance, usually
expressed in grams per cubic centimeter
