University of Texas, San Antonio GEO 1123; Exam 2, modules 5-8 | Questions and answers latest 2026/2027.

University of Texas, San Antonio GEO 1123; Exam 2, modules 5-8 | Questions and answers latest 2026/2027. Module 5 Question 1 5 / 5 pts Hawaii is the oldest island of the Hawaiian Island chain. false true Question 2 5 / 5 pts The ________ is Earth's outermost rocky layer that is broken into plates. asthenosphere mesosphere lithosphere core Incorrect Question 3 0 / 5 pts A global positioning system (GPS) locator at site A reveals that it is moving at 2.1 centimeters per year to the east. A second GPS locator is tracking site B, which is moving at 2.0 centimeters per year to the west. What sort of plate boundary is between these two points? convergent impossible to tell based on this information alone transform divergent Question 4 5 / 5 pts Alaska's Aleutian Islands formed as part of a volcanic island arc along a(n) ________ boundary. divergent convergent transform Question 5 5 / 5 pts The oldest rocks on the seafloor are much younger than the oldest rocks on the continents. true false Question 6 5 / 5 pts You are dropped off by helicopter at a site on the land. You are told that it is a plate boundary. Almost immediately, you feel an earthquake. You look around and note the absence of volcanoes, but you notice an offset stream channel, and find a vertical fault with two kinds of rock on either side of it. What sort of plate boundary are you most likely on? transform plate interior (hot spot) convergent divergent Question 7 5 / 5 pts Why was Wegener's idea of continental drift rejected? It implied that the continents would have floated over ocean crust It lacked compelling evidence that the continents had been connected in the past. all possible answers It proposed tidal forces as the mechanism for the motion of continents. Question 8 5 / 5 pts Rock in the asthenosphere is mostly molten. false true Question 9 5 / 5 pts Continent-continent convergence results only in subduction. true false Question 10 5 / 5 pts Examine the two figures. Which shows whole-mantle convection? Choose the correct model that represents whole-mantle convection neither model both models AB Question 11 5 / 5 pts Plate tectonics implies that Earth must be expanding. falsetrue Question 12 5 / 5 pts Alfred Wegener included all of the following lines of evidence as supporting his "continental drift" hypothesis except one. Which was NOT part of Wegener's evidence? late Paleozoic glacial features similar fossils on widely-separated continents the geometrical fit between South America and Africa stripes of reverse magnetism on either side of oceanic rides Question 13 5 / 5 pts In general, rocks of the continental crust are less dense than rocks of the oceanic crust. false true Question 14 5 / 5 pts The temperature below which magnetic material can retain a permanent magnetization is called the ________. Darcy temperature fracture zone hot spot Curie point Question 15 5 / 5 pts Among the following choices, the closest match for the East Pacific Rise is ________. the Mariana Trench the San Andreas Fault the Mid-Atlantic Ridge the Appalachian Mountains Question 16 5 / 5 pts Cooler, older, oceanic lithosphere sinks into the mantle at ________. transform fault zones along divergent plate boundaries subduction zones along convergent plate boundaries sites of long-lived, hot spot volcanism in the ocean basins rift zones along oceanic ridges Question 17 5 / 5 pts The San Andreas fault in California is a good example of a(n) ________ plate boundary. transform convergent divergent Question 18 5 / 5 pts Plates move at about the same rate your fingernails grow, a few centimeters per year. false true Question 19 5 / 5 pts Iceland sits on a(n) ________ plate boundary. divergent transform convergent Question 20 5 / 5 pts When new oceanic lithosphere is generated at an oceanic ridge, what happens to the plate it's attached to? The plate stays the same size. The plate sinks into the lower mantle. The plate gets larger. The plate gets smaller. ________ was a supercontinent that existed in the late Paleozoic era of geologic time. Rodinia Pangaea Panthalassa A volcanic island arc is the result of ________. subduction of continental crust underneath continental crust subduction of oceanic crust underneath continental crust subduction of continental crust underneath oceanic crust subduction of oceanic crust underneath oceanic crust Which one of the following most accurately describes the volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands? volcanoes associated with a mid-Pacific oceanic ridge and spreading centervolcanoes associated with subduction and a convergent plate boundary volcanoes fed by a long-lived hot spot below the Pacific lithospheric plate volcanoes associated with a mid-Pacific transform fault In the early part of the twentieth century, ________ argued forcefully for the idea of continental drift. Richard Wagner Alfred Wegener James Hutton Harry Hess The ________ is weaker and less rigid than the overlying lithosphere. core lower mantle asthenosphere Continental rifts are associated with ________ plate boundaries. convergent all kinds of transform divergent The ________ is an example of a modern convergent boundary where two continents meet. northerly movement of India relative to Eurasia northwestern movement of Baja California and a sliver of western California westward movement of South America over the (subducting) Nazca plate Arabian Peninsula slamming into North Africa under the Red Sea Divergent boundaries are limited to the seafloor. false true Slabs of oceanic lithosphere sink at subduction zones because the subducted slab is denser than the underlying asthenosphere. In this process, called ________, Earth's gravity tugs at the slab, drawing the rest of the plate toward the subduction zone. slab pull ridge push convection Ten million years from now, the East African rift valley system will most closely resemble the modern ________. Appalachian Mountains San Andreas Fault Red Sea Peru-Chile Trench If the South Atlantic basin is widening by seafloor spreading. Africa and South America will move________. move closer together stay in the same position move farther apart Module 6 Question 1 5/5 Points Earth's core is interpreted to consist mainly of ________. granite mostly solid rock with a small amount of melt due to the temperature-pressure regime basalt iron and nickel Question 2 5 / 5 pts Three of the following statements are wrong. One is correct. Which of the following statements is correct? S waves travel through solids, but only P waves travel through liquids. P waves travel through solids; S waves do not. P and S waves travel through liquids, but P waves do not travel through solids. P and S waves travel through liquids, but S waves do not travel through solids Question 3 5 / 5 pts The record of an earthquake obtained from a seismic instrument is a(n) ________. epitaph seismogram P-S graph seismograph Question 4 5 / 5 pts Which one of the following is true of most tsunamis? They only occur in the Pacific Ocean basin. Their wave heights decrease and wavelengths increase as they move into shallower water. They are faster than seismic surface waves. They are usually started by sudden movement on a megathrust fault, and have wavelengths that are many kilometers long and wave heights of less than a meter. Question 55 / 5 pts Thrust faults shorten the crust horizontally and thicken it vertically. false true Question 6 5 / 5 pts Seismic waves may reflect, but not diffract or refract, as they encounter different layers in Earth's interior. true false Question 7 5 / 5 pts When an earthquake occurs, energy radiates in all directions from its source region, called the ________, the spot in Earth's crust where a fault slips. hypocenter seismic zone epicenter scarp Question 8 5 / 5 pts Our greatest source of knowledge about Earth's interior comes from ________. seismic waves drill holes deep mine shafts volcanic eruptions Question 9 5 / 5 pts The mountains and valleys of the Basin and Range Province of western United States formed in response to tensional stresses and normal faulting. true false Incorrect Question 10 5 / 5 pts In cities with vulnerable water lines ___________ is the greatest hazard due to earthquakes liquefaction fires subsidence tsunamis Question 11 5 / 5 pts In a reverse fault, the hanging wall block moves up with respect to the footwall block. true false Question 12 5 / 5 pts Which one of the following statements about the crust is NOT true? Oceanic crust has an average composition of granite. It is the thinnest of the major subdivisions. Continental rocks are compositionally different than oceanic rocks. It is thickest where prominent mountains exist. Question 13 5 / 5 pts Examine the graph. After a P wave (blue line) has been traveling for 5 minutes, how much distance has been covered by an S wave (red line) generated by the same earthquake? Using the graph of time versus distance determine the answer to the question about seismic wave arrival time. 3100 km 2500 km 1900 km 1200 km Question 14 5 / 5 pts This photo shows an anticline. Fold false true Question 15 5 / 5 pts Horsts and grabens are bounded by ________. normal faults thrust faults transform faults Question 16 5 / 5 ptsThe amount of destruction caused by earthquake vibrations is affected by the ________. nature of the surface material intensity and duration of the seismic vibrations all possible answers design of structures like roads and buildings Question 17 5 / 5 pts Earth has ________ distinct kinds of crust. 2314 Question 18 5 / 5 pts What kind of fold is illustrated in this photograph? At what sort of tectonic boundary situation is it likely to have formed? Determine the type of fold pictured in the photograph, and the type of tectonic boundary it would be associated with. anticline; divergent anticline; convergent syncline; convergent syncline; divergent Question 19 5 / 5 pts The ________ is a layer in Earth's interior that is in a liquid state. Outer core Asthenosphere Lower Mantle Oceanic Crust Question 20 5 / 5 pts Which kind of seismic wave is responsible for the most shaking (and thus, the most damage to human structures)? P waves scarp waves surface waves S waves Mountain belts form by ________. accretion of terranes all possible answers orogenesis eruption of a continental volcanic arc During an earthquake near Port Royal, Jamaica, the water-saturated sand on which the city was built vigorously shook. As a result, the sand particles lost contact with one another, giving the mixture the consistency of a thick milk shake. Anything supported by the ground, such as buildings and people, either floated or sank. One eyewitness stated: "Whole streets with inhabitants were swallowed up. . . . Some were swallowed quite down, and cast up again by great quantities of water; others went down and were never more seen." This is a description of ________. landslide subsidence tsunami liquefaction What kind of fault is illustrated in this figure? normal fault thrust fault reverse fault strike-slip fault Earth's divergent oceanic ridge system produces a belt of earthquake activity where seafloor spreading generates many frequent quakes of small magnitude. true false With regard to earthquakes, what distinguishes intensity from magnitude? Magnitude is a measure of how much energy is released by the earthquake, but intensity is a rough measure of local shaking. Intensity is a measure of how much energy is released by the earthquake, but magnitude is a rough measure of local shaking. Magnitude cannot be measured from a distance using seismograms. Intensity and magnitude both depend on people reporting their experiences. The ________ is the site of initial rupturing associated with an earthquake. hypocenter (focus) epicenter The earthquake belt with the greatest level of activity is the ________. Alpine-Himalayan Belt Circum-Pacific Belt San Andreas Fault East Pacific Rise Most orogenesis occurs along ________ plate gent convergent transform In general, buildings constructed on loose sediments fare better in an earthquake than buildings constructed on bedrock false true Terranes are relatively small crustal fragments (microcontinents, volcanic island arcs, or oceanic plateaus) that may be accreted to continents when subduction brings them to a trench. false true Module 7 Question 1 5 / 5 pts Water vapor is the most abundant gaseous component dissolved in most magmas. true false Question 2 5 / 5 pts The Andes are an example of a continental volcanic arc forming at convergent plate boundary. false true Question 3 5 / 5 pts Which one of the following shows the correct order (from left to right) of decreasing magma viscosity? (remember that viscosity is resistance to flow, so you should pick the answer that has the most viscous lava type on the left, and the least viscous (most runny) on the right. andesite, rhyolite, basalt basalt, andesite, rhyolite rhyolite, andesite, basalt andesite, basalt, rhyolite Question 4 5 / 5 pts If you want to melt a rock, even partially, there are three methods you can employ. Which of the following is NOT a way that melting is triggered in rocks in the Earth? removing water adding heat adding water releasing pressure Question 5 5 / 5 pts A volcanic island arc is the result of ________. subduction of oceanic crust underneath oceanic crust subduction of oceanic crust underneath continental crust subduction of continental crust underneath continental crust subduction of continental crust underneath oceanic crust Question 6 5 / 5 pts Multiple plutons can coalesce (merge) to form a(n) ________. dike sill batholith neck Question 7 5 / 5 pts Gases like water vapor or carbon dioxide that get released from lava or magma are referred to as tephra. false true Question 8 5 / 5 pts Mauna Loa, a volcano in Hawaii, is an excellent example of a ________. Use the diagram and photo to determine the type of volcanic landform pictured. volcanic neck cinder cone composite volcano shield volcano Question 9 5 / 5 pts ________ is a dangerous, fast moving, hot, turbulent cloud of volcanic gases and solid lava ash fall pyroclastic flow Question 10 5 / 5 pts The Columbia Plateau in the northwestern United States is an excellent example of ________. an eroded shield volcano a caldera pyroclastic flow deposits flood basalts Question 11 5 / 5 pts ________ tend to increase the explosive potential of a magma body beneath a volcano by the greatest amount. High viscosity and very low levels of dissolved gas Low viscosity and lots of dissolved gas Low viscosity and very low levels of dissolved gas High viscosity and lots of dissolved gas Question 12 5 / 5 pts When mantle peridotite partially melts beneath an oceanic ridge, ________ magma is produced. intermediate, or andesitic ultramafic felsic, or granitic mafic, or basaltic Question 13 5 / 5 pts Which of the following factors help determine whether a volcanic eruption will be violent or relatively quiescent? composition of the lava amount of dissolved gases in the lava temperature all possible answers Question 14 5 / 5 pts ________ volcanoes are closely associated with convergent plate boundaries and subduction zones. shield volcanoes seamounts cinder cones composite or stratovolcanoes Question 15 5 / 5 pts Magma generation almost always involves partial melting, not complete melting of the source rock. false true Question 16 5 / 5 pts A high viscosity means that a lava is very fluid or runny. true false Question 17 5 / 5 pts Which of the following best describes the bedrock in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California? cinder cone laccolith made of basalt batholith made of granite dike made of andesite Question 18 5 / 5 pts Crater Lake in Oregon actually occupies a caldera, not a crater. true false Question 19 5 / 5 pts The difference between lava and magma is lava is ______________. viscosity temperature location composition Question 205 / 5 pts Generally speaking, Hawaiian volcanoes are more explosive than the volcanoes of the Cascade Range. true false Module 8 Question 1 5 / 5 pts A granite dike cuts across a shale. The dike gives a radiometric date of 84 million years old. The shale was therefore deposited more than 84 million years ago. True False Question 2 5 / 5 pts Sedimentary layers can be important indicators of past environmental conditions that existed when the sediments were deposited. false true Question 3 5 / 5 pts Which of the following describes radioactive decay by beta particle emission? The daughter isotope has an atomic number one less than the parent and a mass number two less. The daughter isotope has an atomic number two less than the parent and a mass number four less. The atomic number of the daughter isotope is one more than the parent; the mass numbers are the same. The mass number of the daughter isotope is one more than the parent and both isotopes have the same atomic number. Question 4 5 / 5 pts All else being equal, in a horizontal sequence of sedimentary rock layers, each higher bed is younger than the bed below it. This idea is the principle of ________. cross-cutting relationships lateral continuity superposition original horizontality Question 5 5 / 5 pts The strata shown on the left can be correlated with units J, I, and H, on the right. Use the two stratigraphic columns to answer the question about correlation of rock units. True False Question 6 5 / 5 pts The process by which geologists identify and match sedimentary strata and other rocks of the same ages in different areas is called superposition. true false Question 7 5 / 5 pts When radioactive potassium-40 decays, the stable daughter isotope ________ is produced. Argon-40 Lead-206 Strontium-87 Nitrogen-14 Question 8 5 / 5 pts Indirect evidence of ancient life, such as footprints, bite marks, and gastroliths are called _____________ fossil assemblages trace fossils body fossils Question 9 5 / 5 pts A lava flow includes fragments of limestone in it. Which rock unit is older, the lava flow or the limestone? limestone lava flow Incorrect Question 10 0 / 5 pts Catastrophism and uniformitarianism differed in which way? none of the possible answers all possible answers Catastrophism argued for a young Earth, while uniformitarianism argued for an old Earth. Catastrophism emphasized rapid change, while uniformitarianism argued for slow, gradual change being more important. Question 11 5 / 5 pts A worm would stand a poor chance of being fossilized because ________. worms were very rare during the geologic pastworms have no hard parts worms live in the shallow ocean worms contain no carbon-14 Question 12 5 / 5 pts A(n) ________ is an erosional unconformity with parallel beds or strata above and below. angular unconformity disconformity nonconformity Question 13 5 / 5 pts The principle of ________ is the concept that ancient life forms evolved in a definite order and therefore their fossils can help determine the geologic ages of strata. superposition cross-cutting relationships fossil assemblage fossil succession Question 14 5 / 5 pts Which of the following geologic observations would NOT bear directly on working out the sequence of geologic events in an area? a well-exposed dike of basalt in sandstone inclusions of sandstone in a granite pluton an unconformity between a granite and sandstone the feldspar and quartz contents of a granite Question 15 5 / 5 pts Which would make a better index fossil for the present day? ________ Scarlet Macaw Red Tailed Hawk Penguin Pigeon Question 16 5 / 5 pts Sandstone strata and a mass of granite are observed to be in contact. Which of the following statements is correct? The granite is older if the sandstone contains pebbles of the granite. The sandstone is younger if it shows evidence of contact metamorphism. The sandstone is younger if the granite contains sandstone inclusions. The granite is older if it contains inclusions of sandstone. Question 17 5 / 5 pts The longest subdivision of the geologic time scale is the ________. era period epoch eon Question 18 5 / 5 pts The four basic units that make up the geologic time scale are the eon, the aria, the episode, and the period. false true Question 19 5 / 5 pts According to the figure, the age of the Dakota Sandstone must be less than 160 million years, and greater than 66 million years old Use the cross sectional diagram and the information provided to determine if the statement is correct or incorrect True False Incorrect Question 20 0 / 5 pts Permineralization and carbonization are methods of correlating rock units. True False Who first formulated the principle of uniformitarianism? Lyell Steno Aristotle Hutton Examine the figure that shows the sequence of strata in three Colorado Plateau national parks. Which unit(s) are shared by Grand Canyon National Park and Zion National Park? Kaibab only Toroweap and KaibabKaibab and Moenkapi Moenkopi and Chinle Which is most useful for determining the age of the raisins in raisin bread, relative to the bread in which they are found? principle of inclusions principle of cross-cutting relationships principle of superposition principle of original horizontality The white arrow in this cross-section points to an unconformity (black line). What kind of unconformity is it? Determine the type of unconformity represented by the black wavy line, and noted by the white arrow. angular unconformity disconformity dike nonconformity Assuming that this is an undisturbed sedimentary sequence (that is, superposition is valid), and that unit G is Cambrian in age, unit F could be Ordovician. false true Using the known rates of radioactive decay to date the crystallization of certain minerals is known as ___________dating. radiometric conventional relative fossil assemblage A datable mineral crystal contains 40% parent isotope. How many half-lives have passed since the crystal formed? more than 1 but less than 2 1 more than 3 more than 2 but less than 3 Which of the following is an essential characteristic of an index fossil? The organism lived for a very limited period of geologic time. We now live in the ________ era. Mesozoic Paleozoic Cenozoic Proterozoic Examine the geologic timescale shown here. Which is the earliest period listed in the Mesozoic? Triassic Cambrian Permian Cretaceous