MEA 101 Exam #1 [2026] UPDATED ACTUAL Exam
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
• Horizontal strata (layers) extend laterally until
they thin to zero thickness (pinch out) at the
edge of their basin of deposition. -✓✓ Law
• Changes in the Earth's crust during
geological history have resulted from the
action of continuous and uniform processes
that we can observe today. -✓✓ Theory
• The Younger Dryas cold period 12,000 years
ago was caused by a meteorite impact. -✓✓ Hypothesis
• The structure of the Earth's crust results from
the interaction of rigid lithosphere pieces that
moves slowly over the underlying mantle. -✓✓ Theory
• Sediment that is deposited into a basin
will form sedimentary layers that are
initially deposited horizontally. -✓✓ Law
• What was Alfred Wegener's main hypothesis? -✓✓ Earth's landmasses used to form a
single supercontinent (Pangea)
• Which observations did Wegener NOT use to support his continental
drift hypothesis? -✓✓ . Patterns of earthquake locations within ocean
basins
• A scientific hypothesis offers a well-defined natural cause to explain a
natural phenomenon. At the time, Wegner's hypothesis was not widely
accepted. Why not? -✓✓ Because he couldn't offer an explanation of how the
continents could have moved
• What defines the earth's insides? -✓✓ Thin crust, big core
• What is the lithosphere? -✓✓ crust and upper mantle
• As you move from a continent toward a mid-ocean ridge
from either side, the age of the seafloor crust gets
_________ and the thickness of the overlying sediment
gets _______. -✓✓ Younger; Thinner
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
• Horizontal strata (layers) extend laterally until
they thin to zero thickness (pinch out) at the
edge of their basin of deposition. -✓✓ Law
• Changes in the Earth's crust during
geological history have resulted from the
action of continuous and uniform processes
that we can observe today. -✓✓ Theory
• The Younger Dryas cold period 12,000 years
ago was caused by a meteorite impact. -✓✓ Hypothesis
• The structure of the Earth's crust results from
the interaction of rigid lithosphere pieces that
moves slowly over the underlying mantle. -✓✓ Theory
• Sediment that is deposited into a basin
will form sedimentary layers that are
initially deposited horizontally. -✓✓ Law
• What was Alfred Wegener's main hypothesis? -✓✓ Earth's landmasses used to form a
single supercontinent (Pangea)
• Which observations did Wegener NOT use to support his continental
drift hypothesis? -✓✓ . Patterns of earthquake locations within ocean
basins
• A scientific hypothesis offers a well-defined natural cause to explain a
natural phenomenon. At the time, Wegner's hypothesis was not widely
accepted. Why not? -✓✓ Because he couldn't offer an explanation of how the
continents could have moved
• What defines the earth's insides? -✓✓ Thin crust, big core
• What is the lithosphere? -✓✓ crust and upper mantle
• As you move from a continent toward a mid-ocean ridge
from either side, the age of the seafloor crust gets
_________ and the thickness of the overlying sediment
gets _______. -✓✓ Younger; Thinner
