EAPS 100 Purdue - Exam 1 Questions
and Answers | Latest Version |
2025/2026 | Correct & Verified
What is geology?
✔✔ Geology is the study of the Earth, its materials, processes, and history.
What are Earth materials called collectively?
✔✔ Earth materials are called rocks, minerals, sediments, and soils.
What is a mineral?
✔✔ A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and
crystal structure.
What makes minerals different from rocks?
✔✔ Minerals have a specific composition and structure, while rocks are mixtures of minerals.
What are the three main types of rocks?
✔✔ Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
How do igneous rocks form?
✔✔ Igneous rocks form when molten rock cools and solidifies.
1
,How do sedimentary rocks form?
✔✔ Sedimentary rocks form from sediments that are compacted and cemented together.
How do metamorphic rocks form?
✔✔ Metamorphic rocks form when existing rocks change due to heat, pressure, or fluids.
What is magma?
✔✔ Magma is molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface.
What is lava?
✔✔ Lava is molten rock that reaches the Earth’s surface.
What is the rock cycle?
✔✔ The rock cycle is the continuous process that changes rocks from one type to another over
time.
What process breaks rocks into smaller pieces?
✔✔ Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces.
What is erosion?
✔✔ Erosion is the movement of weathered material by wind, water, ice, or gravity.
2
, What is deposition?
✔✔ Deposition is the settling of transported sediments.
What is a fossil?
✔✔ A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of ancient life.
What type of rock commonly contains fossils?
✔✔ Sedimentary rock commonly contains fossils.
What is Earth’s outermost layer called?
✔✔ The crust is Earth’s outermost layer.
What layer lies beneath the crust?
✔✔ The mantle lies beneath the crust.
What is the Earth’s core mostly made of?
✔✔ The core is mostly made of iron and nickel.
What are tectonic plates?
✔✔ Tectonic plates are large pieces of Earth’s lithosphere that move over the mantle.
What causes tectonic plates to move?
3
and Answers | Latest Version |
2025/2026 | Correct & Verified
What is geology?
✔✔ Geology is the study of the Earth, its materials, processes, and history.
What are Earth materials called collectively?
✔✔ Earth materials are called rocks, minerals, sediments, and soils.
What is a mineral?
✔✔ A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and
crystal structure.
What makes minerals different from rocks?
✔✔ Minerals have a specific composition and structure, while rocks are mixtures of minerals.
What are the three main types of rocks?
✔✔ Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
How do igneous rocks form?
✔✔ Igneous rocks form when molten rock cools and solidifies.
1
,How do sedimentary rocks form?
✔✔ Sedimentary rocks form from sediments that are compacted and cemented together.
How do metamorphic rocks form?
✔✔ Metamorphic rocks form when existing rocks change due to heat, pressure, or fluids.
What is magma?
✔✔ Magma is molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface.
What is lava?
✔✔ Lava is molten rock that reaches the Earth’s surface.
What is the rock cycle?
✔✔ The rock cycle is the continuous process that changes rocks from one type to another over
time.
What process breaks rocks into smaller pieces?
✔✔ Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces.
What is erosion?
✔✔ Erosion is the movement of weathered material by wind, water, ice, or gravity.
2
, What is deposition?
✔✔ Deposition is the settling of transported sediments.
What is a fossil?
✔✔ A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of ancient life.
What type of rock commonly contains fossils?
✔✔ Sedimentary rock commonly contains fossils.
What is Earth’s outermost layer called?
✔✔ The crust is Earth’s outermost layer.
What layer lies beneath the crust?
✔✔ The mantle lies beneath the crust.
What is the Earth’s core mostly made of?
✔✔ The core is mostly made of iron and nickel.
What are tectonic plates?
✔✔ Tectonic plates are large pieces of Earth’s lithosphere that move over the mantle.
What causes tectonic plates to move?
3
