Marine Science 111 Final PASSED Actual
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is the age of the universe? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- 13.7 billion years
Explain the Big Bang Theory - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Basically, there was this super hot
and dense singularity that blew up and created everything we know now.
What is meant by absolute zero? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The temperature where there is
absolutely no kinetic energy and particles stop moving
What are dark matter and dark energy? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Dark matter makes up
30% of the universe and it doesn't interact with electromagnetic spectrum, meaning that it
doesn't interact with light. Dark energy is 65% of our universe and we think that this can
counteract gravity.
What is the age of our solar system? How did it form? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Our solar
system is 5 billion years old and it started as a nebula, or a cloud of gas. Eventually, a
supernova gave it some spin and then it flattened out into a disc with a sun in the center.
Outer parts cooled off and created planets.
Why does the presence of a magnetic field give evidence for liquid salty oceans on Europa
and Callisto - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Ice doesn't have enough conductivity to possess a
magnetic field so it has to be liquid.
Explain the possible sources and evidence of water on Mars. What does this mean for the
possibility of life? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- There is something called recurring slope
lineae which only appear in the warm season. There is also radar evidence of liquid water
under polar glaciers. This means that there could be life on mars in the past, present, or
maybe future.
What are the possible sources of water for the oceans on Earth? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Oceans come from mantle rock in the earth and also from small icy comets from outer space.
,How have estimates of the age of Earth changed over time? Who were the individuals we
talked about that are credited with these ideas? What is the current consensus? Why do we
have to use things off-planet to date the age of Earth? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Ussher-
who thought that it was Sunday, October 23, 4004BC because of the bible
Lord kelvin thought that it was 20-40million years ago because that was the amount of time
that it took for molten rock to cool.
John joly thought it was 90-100 million years based on the rare of salt addition to the ocean
Rutherford and Boltwood dated rocks using radioactivity and dated the earths rocks and
minerals to about 1.64 million years.
Today it is accepted that the earth is 4.7 billion years old, and we figure that out from the
same method as Rutherford but using much older rocks from outer space because they are the
same rocks that make earth
How much of a radioactive isotope would be left after 2 half-lives? 3? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- 50% at 2 half lives and 25% at 3.
When were the major mass extinction events? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The Cambrian
extinction was 540 million years ago and this is what caused a diversification in life
The Permian extinction happened 250 million years ago, and it left the world 96% extinct
The next was the Triassic extinction and it was 208 million years ago and It left 50% extinct
but now the dinosaurs ruled
The next was the cretaceous extinction and it was 65 million years ago and it left 50% extinct
and killed off the dinosaurs.
What happened during the Cambrian Explosion? Life - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- life
diversified
How does the tilting of the earth affect seasons? What happens during the Autumnal and
Vernal Equinoxes? The Winter and Summer Solstices? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Whichever side is tilted closer to the sun by 23.5 degrees has summer. When its summer
solstice we have the longest day of the year, when its winter solstice we have the shortest day
of the year. When we have our equinoxes, the day and night are exactly the same length.
How does the tilting of the earth affect living organisms? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- It
creates seasons, which affect what an organism eats, lives and avoids.
,What is the average land elevation on earth? The average depth of the oceans? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Land elevation is 840m and depth is 3688m
What are the main ocean basins and what are some features of both. - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Atlantic- second largest
Pacific- biggest and deepest
Indian- smaller then the atlantic but deep
Southern- no real northern boundary, but meets as an antarctic convergence when warm and
cold water mix
Arctic- smallest and shallowest
how long does it take water to completely cycle in the atmosphere? Oceans? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- In the atmosphere it happens 29x a year, the ocean cycles once every 4219
years
How does the size of a reservoir affect its resistance time - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- the
larger the reservoir, the more resistance time it has.
How much of the earth's surface is covered by water? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- 70%
Why was the invention of the sextant and chronometer (a very accurate clock) essential for
ocean navigation for GPS satellites? How do you determine your latitude and longitude using
a sextant and chronometer? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- You use the angle of the sun to the
land to determine what angle you are for longitude
Convert GPS coordinated between DDMMSS and DDMM.MM - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Find polaris (the north star) in the night sky - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The temperature
where there is absolutely no kinetic energy and particles stop moving
Why are there "shadow zones" for P- and S-waves during earthquakes - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Because the earth is not made of all of the same material so the paths the
waves take curve and doesn't get to some parts of the earth
, What are the different types of seismic waves and how does each "behave"? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Primary or p waves are the fastest and first to arrive. They compress and
travel parallel to the travel direction. They can go through all states of matter.
Secondary waves or s waves are slower than p waves but faster than surface waves. They
move perpendicular to the travel direction. They can only go through solids
Describe each stage of the Wilson cycle and give an example of an ocean basin in each stage.
- CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Continental rifting - rifts form like the east African rift valleys
Young- then the plates diverge and makes a small little sea lie the red sea.
Mature- the ocean is fully formed and growing like the Atlantic
Subduction- the ocean starts to shrink like the pacific ocean
Closing - the ocean is about to close like the Mediterranean
Collision- ocean becomes completely closed, like the Himalayas.
How does particle motion differ between transverse and compressional waves - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- P waves are parallel to travel direction and s waves are perpendicular
How does continental crust differ from oceanic crust? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Continental has a low density and is made of mostly granite. Oceanic is denser and made of
mostly basalt
How can hotspots be used to measure speed and direction of plates? Use Hawai'i as an
example. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- you can measure how old each island is and how far
away from each other they are and then you can determine how fast the plate is moving.
What is a hotspot? How are they different from geologic activity at plate boundaries? -
CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Hot spots are isolated volcanic activity that has nothing to do
with a plate boundary.
What are the layers of the earth using mineral/chemical properties? Mechanical/physical
properties? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Physical: lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere,
outer core, and inner core
Mineral/chemical: crust, mantle, core
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is the age of the universe? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- 13.7 billion years
Explain the Big Bang Theory - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Basically, there was this super hot
and dense singularity that blew up and created everything we know now.
What is meant by absolute zero? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The temperature where there is
absolutely no kinetic energy and particles stop moving
What are dark matter and dark energy? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Dark matter makes up
30% of the universe and it doesn't interact with electromagnetic spectrum, meaning that it
doesn't interact with light. Dark energy is 65% of our universe and we think that this can
counteract gravity.
What is the age of our solar system? How did it form? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Our solar
system is 5 billion years old and it started as a nebula, or a cloud of gas. Eventually, a
supernova gave it some spin and then it flattened out into a disc with a sun in the center.
Outer parts cooled off and created planets.
Why does the presence of a magnetic field give evidence for liquid salty oceans on Europa
and Callisto - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Ice doesn't have enough conductivity to possess a
magnetic field so it has to be liquid.
Explain the possible sources and evidence of water on Mars. What does this mean for the
possibility of life? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- There is something called recurring slope
lineae which only appear in the warm season. There is also radar evidence of liquid water
under polar glaciers. This means that there could be life on mars in the past, present, or
maybe future.
What are the possible sources of water for the oceans on Earth? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Oceans come from mantle rock in the earth and also from small icy comets from outer space.
,How have estimates of the age of Earth changed over time? Who were the individuals we
talked about that are credited with these ideas? What is the current consensus? Why do we
have to use things off-planet to date the age of Earth? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Ussher-
who thought that it was Sunday, October 23, 4004BC because of the bible
Lord kelvin thought that it was 20-40million years ago because that was the amount of time
that it took for molten rock to cool.
John joly thought it was 90-100 million years based on the rare of salt addition to the ocean
Rutherford and Boltwood dated rocks using radioactivity and dated the earths rocks and
minerals to about 1.64 million years.
Today it is accepted that the earth is 4.7 billion years old, and we figure that out from the
same method as Rutherford but using much older rocks from outer space because they are the
same rocks that make earth
How much of a radioactive isotope would be left after 2 half-lives? 3? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- 50% at 2 half lives and 25% at 3.
When were the major mass extinction events? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The Cambrian
extinction was 540 million years ago and this is what caused a diversification in life
The Permian extinction happened 250 million years ago, and it left the world 96% extinct
The next was the Triassic extinction and it was 208 million years ago and It left 50% extinct
but now the dinosaurs ruled
The next was the cretaceous extinction and it was 65 million years ago and it left 50% extinct
and killed off the dinosaurs.
What happened during the Cambrian Explosion? Life - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- life
diversified
How does the tilting of the earth affect seasons? What happens during the Autumnal and
Vernal Equinoxes? The Winter and Summer Solstices? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Whichever side is tilted closer to the sun by 23.5 degrees has summer. When its summer
solstice we have the longest day of the year, when its winter solstice we have the shortest day
of the year. When we have our equinoxes, the day and night are exactly the same length.
How does the tilting of the earth affect living organisms? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- It
creates seasons, which affect what an organism eats, lives and avoids.
,What is the average land elevation on earth? The average depth of the oceans? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Land elevation is 840m and depth is 3688m
What are the main ocean basins and what are some features of both. - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Atlantic- second largest
Pacific- biggest and deepest
Indian- smaller then the atlantic but deep
Southern- no real northern boundary, but meets as an antarctic convergence when warm and
cold water mix
Arctic- smallest and shallowest
how long does it take water to completely cycle in the atmosphere? Oceans? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- In the atmosphere it happens 29x a year, the ocean cycles once every 4219
years
How does the size of a reservoir affect its resistance time - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- the
larger the reservoir, the more resistance time it has.
How much of the earth's surface is covered by water? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- 70%
Why was the invention of the sextant and chronometer (a very accurate clock) essential for
ocean navigation for GPS satellites? How do you determine your latitude and longitude using
a sextant and chronometer? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- You use the angle of the sun to the
land to determine what angle you are for longitude
Convert GPS coordinated between DDMMSS and DDMM.MM - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Find polaris (the north star) in the night sky - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The temperature
where there is absolutely no kinetic energy and particles stop moving
Why are there "shadow zones" for P- and S-waves during earthquakes - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Because the earth is not made of all of the same material so the paths the
waves take curve and doesn't get to some parts of the earth
, What are the different types of seismic waves and how does each "behave"? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Primary or p waves are the fastest and first to arrive. They compress and
travel parallel to the travel direction. They can go through all states of matter.
Secondary waves or s waves are slower than p waves but faster than surface waves. They
move perpendicular to the travel direction. They can only go through solids
Describe each stage of the Wilson cycle and give an example of an ocean basin in each stage.
- CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Continental rifting - rifts form like the east African rift valleys
Young- then the plates diverge and makes a small little sea lie the red sea.
Mature- the ocean is fully formed and growing like the Atlantic
Subduction- the ocean starts to shrink like the pacific ocean
Closing - the ocean is about to close like the Mediterranean
Collision- ocean becomes completely closed, like the Himalayas.
How does particle motion differ between transverse and compressional waves - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- P waves are parallel to travel direction and s waves are perpendicular
How does continental crust differ from oceanic crust? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Continental has a low density and is made of mostly granite. Oceanic is denser and made of
mostly basalt
How can hotspots be used to measure speed and direction of plates? Use Hawai'i as an
example. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- you can measure how old each island is and how far
away from each other they are and then you can determine how fast the plate is moving.
What is a hotspot? How are they different from geologic activity at plate boundaries? -
CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Hot spots are isolated volcanic activity that has nothing to do
with a plate boundary.
What are the layers of the earth using mineral/chemical properties? Mechanical/physical
properties? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Physical: lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere,
outer core, and inner core
Mineral/chemical: crust, mantle, core
