ESS 105 Final Test Questions with Correct Answers Fully Solved Latest 2025
Earth science/geoscience - Answers Includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth.
Geology - Answers The primary Earth science which looks at how the earth formed, its structure and
composition, and the types of processes acting on it.
Landslides - Answers A large amount of earth and rock that moves down a steep slope. It happens when
a layer of rock separates from the layer below it. The force of gravity pulls the loose layer downward.
They are highly destructive.
Hurricanes - Answers Strong storms that start in the ocean and have winds of at least 74 miles an hour.
They begin when a tropical depression forms in the ocean. In the Northwest Pacific, they are called
typhoons. In the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, they are called cyclones.
Earthquakes - Answers Sudden, violent movements of Earth's crust.
Tsunamis - Answers Giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea.
Geochemical Reservoirs - Answers Includes the atmosphere, the oceans, and the solid Earth, which are
further differentiated into several separate reservoirs, not all of which are easily accessible.
Lithosphere - Answers Consists of the crust and uppermost part of the mantle that form the tectonic
plates.
Asthenosphere - Answers A highly viscous region of the upper mantle on which tectonic plates move.
The crust - Answers Outside layer of the Earth. Made of solid rock, mostly basalt and granite. There are
two types; oceanic and continental.
Oceanic crust - Answers Part of the outermost layer of the earth, this is denser, thinner and mainly
composed of basalt.
Continental crust - Answers Part of the outermost layer of the earth, this is less dense, thicker, and
mainly composed of granite.
The mantle - Answers The layer of the earth that lies below the crust, up to 2900 km thick. It consists of
hot, dense iron and magnesium-rich solid rock.
The core - Answers The centre of the Earth, made up of two parts: the liquid outer core and the solid
inner core. The outer core is made of nickel, iron and molten rock. Temperatures here can reach up to
50,000 degrees Celsius.
Plate tectonics - Answers This is the theory that Earth's land masses are in constant motion. The
lithosphere (crust and uppermost part of the mantle) of Earth is a solid layer which floats on the melted
, asthenosphere (mantle). Broken into large pieces, they move and shift slowly into, apart from, and
beside each other.
Alfred Wegener and Continental Drift - Answers A German scientist who hypothesized that all of the
modern-day continents had previously been grouped together in a supercontinent. He suggested that
over millions of years, the continents drifted apart, though he did not know what drove this movement.
Pangaea - Answers From Greek, pan- meaning "all," "-gaea" meaning "land," This is the name given to
the supercontinent Alfred Wegener hypothesized existed before the modern-day continents.
Glacial Deposition - Answers Refers to the settling of sediment left behind by a melted glacier. Till
deposits with the same composition and age have been found in geographically isolated locations,
supporting the theory of continental drift.
Glacial Erosion/Striations - Answers Referring to the scoring/scratches left on rocks from glacial erosion.
These appear much too close to the consistently hot equator, which shows that plates currently at the
equator haven't always been there.
Fossil records - Answers Providing evidence to support the theory of continental drift, as fossils from
certain European flora and prehistoric reptiles, as well as Alpine mountains, exist on multiple continents.
Convection currents - Answers Describes how the plates move in plate tectonics. Heat generated in the
Earth's core by the decay of radioactive elements and heat remaining from the formation of the Earth
rise slowly through the mantle to the asthenosphere, creating currents that move the plates that make
up the crust along the Earth's surface.
Plate boundaries - Answers Refers to the different types of plate tectonics. Includes convergent,
divergent and transform plate boundaries.
Convergent plate boundaries - Answers Refers to the movement of plates towards each other, there are
three types: oceanic-continental, oceanic-oceanic, and continental-continental convergence.
Divergent plate boundaries - Answers Refers to the movement of plates apart from each other. This
space allows for the forming of new crust created by magma that pushes its way up from the mantle.
These create ridges, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Transform plate boundaries - Answers Refers to when two plates slide past each other horizontally. One
example of this is the San Andreas Fault, responsible for many of California's earthquakes.
Oceanic-continental convergence (subduction zones) - Answers A type of convergent plate boundary
that occurs between a continental and oceanic plate. The denser oceanic plate is subducted (pushed
down) below the lighter continental plate. This, in turn, forms trenches and the uplift of mountain
ranges.
Continental-continental convergence (collisions) - Answers A type of convergent plate boundary that
occurs between two continental plates. They meet head-on, and neither are subducted because the
Earth science/geoscience - Answers Includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth.
Geology - Answers The primary Earth science which looks at how the earth formed, its structure and
composition, and the types of processes acting on it.
Landslides - Answers A large amount of earth and rock that moves down a steep slope. It happens when
a layer of rock separates from the layer below it. The force of gravity pulls the loose layer downward.
They are highly destructive.
Hurricanes - Answers Strong storms that start in the ocean and have winds of at least 74 miles an hour.
They begin when a tropical depression forms in the ocean. In the Northwest Pacific, they are called
typhoons. In the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, they are called cyclones.
Earthquakes - Answers Sudden, violent movements of Earth's crust.
Tsunamis - Answers Giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea.
Geochemical Reservoirs - Answers Includes the atmosphere, the oceans, and the solid Earth, which are
further differentiated into several separate reservoirs, not all of which are easily accessible.
Lithosphere - Answers Consists of the crust and uppermost part of the mantle that form the tectonic
plates.
Asthenosphere - Answers A highly viscous region of the upper mantle on which tectonic plates move.
The crust - Answers Outside layer of the Earth. Made of solid rock, mostly basalt and granite. There are
two types; oceanic and continental.
Oceanic crust - Answers Part of the outermost layer of the earth, this is denser, thinner and mainly
composed of basalt.
Continental crust - Answers Part of the outermost layer of the earth, this is less dense, thicker, and
mainly composed of granite.
The mantle - Answers The layer of the earth that lies below the crust, up to 2900 km thick. It consists of
hot, dense iron and magnesium-rich solid rock.
The core - Answers The centre of the Earth, made up of two parts: the liquid outer core and the solid
inner core. The outer core is made of nickel, iron and molten rock. Temperatures here can reach up to
50,000 degrees Celsius.
Plate tectonics - Answers This is the theory that Earth's land masses are in constant motion. The
lithosphere (crust and uppermost part of the mantle) of Earth is a solid layer which floats on the melted
, asthenosphere (mantle). Broken into large pieces, they move and shift slowly into, apart from, and
beside each other.
Alfred Wegener and Continental Drift - Answers A German scientist who hypothesized that all of the
modern-day continents had previously been grouped together in a supercontinent. He suggested that
over millions of years, the continents drifted apart, though he did not know what drove this movement.
Pangaea - Answers From Greek, pan- meaning "all," "-gaea" meaning "land," This is the name given to
the supercontinent Alfred Wegener hypothesized existed before the modern-day continents.
Glacial Deposition - Answers Refers to the settling of sediment left behind by a melted glacier. Till
deposits with the same composition and age have been found in geographically isolated locations,
supporting the theory of continental drift.
Glacial Erosion/Striations - Answers Referring to the scoring/scratches left on rocks from glacial erosion.
These appear much too close to the consistently hot equator, which shows that plates currently at the
equator haven't always been there.
Fossil records - Answers Providing evidence to support the theory of continental drift, as fossils from
certain European flora and prehistoric reptiles, as well as Alpine mountains, exist on multiple continents.
Convection currents - Answers Describes how the plates move in plate tectonics. Heat generated in the
Earth's core by the decay of radioactive elements and heat remaining from the formation of the Earth
rise slowly through the mantle to the asthenosphere, creating currents that move the plates that make
up the crust along the Earth's surface.
Plate boundaries - Answers Refers to the different types of plate tectonics. Includes convergent,
divergent and transform plate boundaries.
Convergent plate boundaries - Answers Refers to the movement of plates towards each other, there are
three types: oceanic-continental, oceanic-oceanic, and continental-continental convergence.
Divergent plate boundaries - Answers Refers to the movement of plates apart from each other. This
space allows for the forming of new crust created by magma that pushes its way up from the mantle.
These create ridges, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Transform plate boundaries - Answers Refers to when two plates slide past each other horizontally. One
example of this is the San Andreas Fault, responsible for many of California's earthquakes.
Oceanic-continental convergence (subduction zones) - Answers A type of convergent plate boundary
that occurs between a continental and oceanic plate. The denser oceanic plate is subducted (pushed
down) below the lighter continental plate. This, in turn, forms trenches and the uplift of mountain
ranges.
Continental-continental convergence (collisions) - Answers A type of convergent plate boundary that
occurs between two continental plates. They meet head-on, and neither are subducted because the
