GLY1102 Exam Review Questions with Verified
Correct Answers
Which type of plate boundary is least likely to produce volcanoes?
Transform
New oceanic crust is created at ________ plate boundaries.
divergent
Continental lithosphere is ________ than oceanic lithosphere.
thicker, but less dense
Large portion of western North America were ______ during the middle part of the Jurassic.
covered with a vast inland sea
The theory of Plate tectonics explains how the continents move around the surface of the
Earth. Describe each kind of boundary and what they produce.
Divergent: plates move apart to create rifts/ridges
Convergent: plates move towards each other to create mountains/volcanoes, trenches or
islands
Transform: plates slide next to each other
All can produce earthquakes!!!
The geologic time scale is broken into progressively smaller intervals of time. From largest
amount of time to smallest, the order is:
Eon, Era, Period, Epoch
This is the geologic Era, nicknamed the "Age of the Dinosaurs":
Mesozoic
The Periods of the Mesozoic, from oldest to youngest are:
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous
In which period did non-avian dinosaurs become extinct?
, Cretaceous
List the three kinds of rocks and describe how they are formed.
Igneous: formed from the cooling of magma/lava
Metamorphic: any rock that undergoes heat and/or pressure to change its structure
Sedimentary: collection of small chunks of any kind of other eroded rock that is fused together
or the precipitation of minerals in water
What is the difference between extrusive and intrusive igneous rock?
Extrusive: lava cooled on Earth's surface
Intrusive: magma cooled beneath Earth's surface
True or False?: All radioactive isotopes decay at the same rate.
False
When talking about the radioactive decay of elements inside of minerals, the term "parent"
and "daughter" refer to:
The original atomic nucleus and the product after it undergoes radioactive decay
Approximately what percentage of parent isotopes should be remaining, after a radioactive
material (e.g., rock, mineral), has undergone 3 half-lives?
12.5%
True or False?: Radiometric dating is useful to determine the numerical age of sedimentary
rock.
False, can only tell when it was first formed in magma/lava, not when rock came together
List the three standard geologic time abbreviations in order from shortest to longest period
and state the period of time they stand for.
Ka (thousand), Ma (million), Ga (billion)
The oldest mineral grain on Earth was found in Australia. Radiometric dating determined the
age was ____ years old.
4.4 billion or 4.4 Ga
When the Geologic time scale was being developed, which method of assigning ages to rock
units was used first - relative dating or absolute dating?
Relative
Correct Answers
Which type of plate boundary is least likely to produce volcanoes?
Transform
New oceanic crust is created at ________ plate boundaries.
divergent
Continental lithosphere is ________ than oceanic lithosphere.
thicker, but less dense
Large portion of western North America were ______ during the middle part of the Jurassic.
covered with a vast inland sea
The theory of Plate tectonics explains how the continents move around the surface of the
Earth. Describe each kind of boundary and what they produce.
Divergent: plates move apart to create rifts/ridges
Convergent: plates move towards each other to create mountains/volcanoes, trenches or
islands
Transform: plates slide next to each other
All can produce earthquakes!!!
The geologic time scale is broken into progressively smaller intervals of time. From largest
amount of time to smallest, the order is:
Eon, Era, Period, Epoch
This is the geologic Era, nicknamed the "Age of the Dinosaurs":
Mesozoic
The Periods of the Mesozoic, from oldest to youngest are:
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous
In which period did non-avian dinosaurs become extinct?
, Cretaceous
List the three kinds of rocks and describe how they are formed.
Igneous: formed from the cooling of magma/lava
Metamorphic: any rock that undergoes heat and/or pressure to change its structure
Sedimentary: collection of small chunks of any kind of other eroded rock that is fused together
or the precipitation of minerals in water
What is the difference between extrusive and intrusive igneous rock?
Extrusive: lava cooled on Earth's surface
Intrusive: magma cooled beneath Earth's surface
True or False?: All radioactive isotopes decay at the same rate.
False
When talking about the radioactive decay of elements inside of minerals, the term "parent"
and "daughter" refer to:
The original atomic nucleus and the product after it undergoes radioactive decay
Approximately what percentage of parent isotopes should be remaining, after a radioactive
material (e.g., rock, mineral), has undergone 3 half-lives?
12.5%
True or False?: Radiometric dating is useful to determine the numerical age of sedimentary
rock.
False, can only tell when it was first formed in magma/lava, not when rock came together
List the three standard geologic time abbreviations in order from shortest to longest period
and state the period of time they stand for.
Ka (thousand), Ma (million), Ga (billion)
The oldest mineral grain on Earth was found in Australia. Radiometric dating determined the
age was ____ years old.
4.4 billion or 4.4 Ga
When the Geologic time scale was being developed, which method of assigning ages to rock
units was used first - relative dating or absolute dating?
Relative
