ESS 101: ADVANCED INTRODUCTION
TO GEOLOGY AND SOCIETAL
IMPACTS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WITH VERIFIED SOLUTIONS. JUST
RELEASED
1. Which seismic wave is characterized by a shearing motion perpendicular to the direction of
wave travel and cannot propagate through liquid media?
A. P-wave
B. Love wave
C. Rayleigh wave
D. S-wave
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: S-waves (secondary or shear waves) move material side-to-side
and require shear strength to propagate, which liquids like the outer core lack.
2. The Wadati-Benioff zone is associated with which plate tectonic setting?
A. Subduction zones
B. Continental rifting
C. Transform boundaries
,D. Mid-ocean ridges
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: The Wadati-Benioff zone is a planar zone of seismicity
corresponding to the downgoing slab in a subduction zone.
3. According to Bowen’s Reaction Series, which mineral is the first to crystallize from a cooling
mafic magma?
A. Quartz
B. Olivine
C. Biotite
D. Muscovite
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Olivine is the first mineral to crystallize at high temperatures in
the discontinuous series of Bowen’s Reaction Series.
4. What is the primary driving mechanism for plate motion involving the gravitational pull of
cold, dense oceanic lithosphere into the mantle?
A. Slab pull
B. Mantle convection
C. Ridge push
D. Tidal forces
, Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Slab pull is considered the dominant force in plate tectonics,
where the weight of the subducting plate pulls the rest of the plate behind it.
5. Which geological principle states that in an undeformed sequence of sedimentary rocks,
each layer is older than the one above it?
A. Principle of Original Horizontality
B. Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
C. Principle of Superposition
D. Principle of Faunal Succession
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: The Principle of Superposition states that younger strata lie on
top of older strata in undisturbed sequences.
6. A ‘lahar’ is a specific type of volcanic hazard characterized by:
A. Fast-moving clouds of hot ash and gas
B. Volcanic mudflows of ash, debris, and water
C. Fluid lava flows with a ropey texture
D. Toxic gas emissions from a crater lake
Answer: B
TO GEOLOGY AND SOCIETAL
IMPACTS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WITH VERIFIED SOLUTIONS. JUST
RELEASED
1. Which seismic wave is characterized by a shearing motion perpendicular to the direction of
wave travel and cannot propagate through liquid media?
A. P-wave
B. Love wave
C. Rayleigh wave
D. S-wave
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: S-waves (secondary or shear waves) move material side-to-side
and require shear strength to propagate, which liquids like the outer core lack.
2. The Wadati-Benioff zone is associated with which plate tectonic setting?
A. Subduction zones
B. Continental rifting
C. Transform boundaries
,D. Mid-ocean ridges
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: The Wadati-Benioff zone is a planar zone of seismicity
corresponding to the downgoing slab in a subduction zone.
3. According to Bowen’s Reaction Series, which mineral is the first to crystallize from a cooling
mafic magma?
A. Quartz
B. Olivine
C. Biotite
D. Muscovite
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Olivine is the first mineral to crystallize at high temperatures in
the discontinuous series of Bowen’s Reaction Series.
4. What is the primary driving mechanism for plate motion involving the gravitational pull of
cold, dense oceanic lithosphere into the mantle?
A. Slab pull
B. Mantle convection
C. Ridge push
D. Tidal forces
, Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Slab pull is considered the dominant force in plate tectonics,
where the weight of the subducting plate pulls the rest of the plate behind it.
5. Which geological principle states that in an undeformed sequence of sedimentary rocks,
each layer is older than the one above it?
A. Principle of Original Horizontality
B. Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
C. Principle of Superposition
D. Principle of Faunal Succession
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: The Principle of Superposition states that younger strata lie on
top of older strata in undisturbed sequences.
6. A ‘lahar’ is a specific type of volcanic hazard characterized by:
A. Fast-moving clouds of hot ash and gas
B. Volcanic mudflows of ash, debris, and water
C. Fluid lava flows with a ropey texture
D. Toxic gas emissions from a crater lake
Answer: B
