GEOLOGY 101 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (VERIFIED
Geology 101 Final Exam
AND WELL DETAILED ANSWERS) LATEST UPDATE 2025/2026
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_528ma
1. 8 abundant elements Fe, Mg, K, Ca, O, Al, Na, Si
on Earth
2. most abundant 1. H2O
volatile gasses on 2. CO2
Earth
3. Divergent Boundaries tectonic plates spreading apart, new crust being formed (ex. mid-ocean
ridges, rift valleys), normal faults
4. Convergent Bound- Two plates colliding and creating either a mountain range/volcanic arcs
aries (2 continental) or a subduction zone (2 oceanic), or trench (oceanic and
continental), reverse faults, old crust (temperature decreases, density
increases)
5. Transform Faults plates slide past one another
strike/slip faults
6. what is the fundamen- SiO4 ^4- tetrahedra
tal building block of
silicate minerals?
7. what is the most com- silicates
mon group of miner-
als?
8. what is the most com- feldspars
mon group of silicate
minerals?
9. chain silicates pyroxene, amphibole
10. sheet silicates biotite and muscovite micas
, Geology 101 Final Exam
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_528ma
11. 3D silicates feldspar, quartz
12. which silicate mineral quartz
has the highest pro-
portion of silica (SiO2)
and is the least dense?
13. which silicate miner- olivine
al has the greatest
proportion of cations,
crystallizes at the
highest temperature,
and is the most dense?
14. how are silicate miner- by linking tetrahedra or adding cations
als bonded?
15. the hawaiian islands shield volcanoes
are on top of what
types of volcanic
mountains?
16. shield volcanoes low silica content, low viscosity, large bases, low angle slopes, pahoehoe,
aa, mafic/basaltic rock, divergent boundaries
17. stratovolcanoes/com- conical shape, tall, alternates eruption style (pryoclastic andesite vs.
posite volcanoes basaltic lava), convergent boundaries
18. domes and cinder small, steep sides, hight silica content, high viscosity, pyroclasts, ex. Fu-
cones jiyama
19. caldera The large hole at the top of a volcano formed when the roof of a volcano's
magma chamber collapses, ex. Yellowstone
, Geology 101 Final Exam
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_528ma
20. fissure eruptions low silica content, low viscosity, near basalt, linear eruptions from cracks
in earth, lave plateaus; (columnar basalt)
21. what are the three conduction, radiation, convection
ways to form igneous
rocks?
22. what is the most com- convection
mon cooling process
on Earth?
23. sill concordant sheetlike intrusions that are going oriented parallel to previ-
ous rock units, going sideways
24. dike discordant igneous rock feature formed when magma is squeezed into a
vertical crack that cuts across rock layers and hardens underground
25. cation a positively charged ion
26. anion a negatively charged ion
27. isotopes one of two or more atoms with the same atomic number (protons) but
with different numbers of neutrons
28. phaneritic coarse grained, cooled slowly
29. aphanitic fine grained, cooled quickly
30. characteristics of sili- low thermal conductivity, poor heat radiators
cate rocks in the crust
and mantle
31. most abundant cation Si
in Earth's crust
Geology 101 Final Exam
AND WELL DETAILED ANSWERS) LATEST UPDATE 2025/2026
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_528ma
1. 8 abundant elements Fe, Mg, K, Ca, O, Al, Na, Si
on Earth
2. most abundant 1. H2O
volatile gasses on 2. CO2
Earth
3. Divergent Boundaries tectonic plates spreading apart, new crust being formed (ex. mid-ocean
ridges, rift valleys), normal faults
4. Convergent Bound- Two plates colliding and creating either a mountain range/volcanic arcs
aries (2 continental) or a subduction zone (2 oceanic), or trench (oceanic and
continental), reverse faults, old crust (temperature decreases, density
increases)
5. Transform Faults plates slide past one another
strike/slip faults
6. what is the fundamen- SiO4 ^4- tetrahedra
tal building block of
silicate minerals?
7. what is the most com- silicates
mon group of miner-
als?
8. what is the most com- feldspars
mon group of silicate
minerals?
9. chain silicates pyroxene, amphibole
10. sheet silicates biotite and muscovite micas
, Geology 101 Final Exam
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_528ma
11. 3D silicates feldspar, quartz
12. which silicate mineral quartz
has the highest pro-
portion of silica (SiO2)
and is the least dense?
13. which silicate miner- olivine
al has the greatest
proportion of cations,
crystallizes at the
highest temperature,
and is the most dense?
14. how are silicate miner- by linking tetrahedra or adding cations
als bonded?
15. the hawaiian islands shield volcanoes
are on top of what
types of volcanic
mountains?
16. shield volcanoes low silica content, low viscosity, large bases, low angle slopes, pahoehoe,
aa, mafic/basaltic rock, divergent boundaries
17. stratovolcanoes/com- conical shape, tall, alternates eruption style (pryoclastic andesite vs.
posite volcanoes basaltic lava), convergent boundaries
18. domes and cinder small, steep sides, hight silica content, high viscosity, pyroclasts, ex. Fu-
cones jiyama
19. caldera The large hole at the top of a volcano formed when the roof of a volcano's
magma chamber collapses, ex. Yellowstone
, Geology 101 Final Exam
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_528ma
20. fissure eruptions low silica content, low viscosity, near basalt, linear eruptions from cracks
in earth, lave plateaus; (columnar basalt)
21. what are the three conduction, radiation, convection
ways to form igneous
rocks?
22. what is the most com- convection
mon cooling process
on Earth?
23. sill concordant sheetlike intrusions that are going oriented parallel to previ-
ous rock units, going sideways
24. dike discordant igneous rock feature formed when magma is squeezed into a
vertical crack that cuts across rock layers and hardens underground
25. cation a positively charged ion
26. anion a negatively charged ion
27. isotopes one of two or more atoms with the same atomic number (protons) but
with different numbers of neutrons
28. phaneritic coarse grained, cooled slowly
29. aphanitic fine grained, cooled quickly
30. characteristics of sili- low thermal conductivity, poor heat radiators
cate rocks in the crust
and mantle
31. most abundant cation Si
in Earth's crust
