Ess 101 Final - Exam Questions With
Answers.
joints facilitate weathering because - ANSWER- they increase the acidity of the water
and they provide more surface area for the weathering front to attack
why did the rill depth increase on the limestone boulders measured on three different
alpine glacial moraines studied along the valley floor? - ANSWER- the lower moraine
was older and subject to longer weathering
frost wedging occurs in rock because - ANSWER- water expands when it freezes to
form ice
H+ ions utilized in hydrolysis weather reactions come from _____ - ANSWER- carbonic
acid
Over time angular joint blocks will _______ due to surface weathering - ANSWER-
become rounded
Oolites form from ______ - ANSWER- precipitation of calcite around sand grains
oscillated by waves
According to the principle of inclusions the closest age for the formation of a
conglomerate rock ____ - ANSWER- would be the average clast (pebble) age
compromising the conglomerate
a minimum of ____ seismic stations is necessary to determine the focus of an
earthquake - ANSWER- 3
if an earthquake occurs, the _____ waves are the second waves to arrive at a seismic
station - ANSWER- S
high temperature is conductive to _____ deformation in rock - ANSWER- ductile
a high strain rate is conducive to ______ deformation in rock - ANSWER- brittle fracture
the ______ is exposed in the center or an eroding anticline - ANSWER- oldest rock
a reverse fault - ANSWER- may have repeating strata exposed in a vertical cross-
section AND may result in older rock units overlying younger units in a vertical cross-
section
, ________ is an example of elastic deformation - ANSWER- filling and emptying a
reservoir, and isostatic unloading of the earth's lithosphere following deglaciation
which metamorphic rock has been subject to the highest grade of heat and pressure? -
ANSWER- gneiss
What kind of faults bound mountains and valleys of the Basin and Range province in
Nevada and Utah? - ANSWER- normal faults
what kind of stress would expect to cause normal faulting? - ANSWER- tensile
(extension)
at what kind of plate margin would you expect to find normal faulting? - ANSWER-
divergent
what hypothesis did we discuss to explain Basin and Range tectonics (i.e. to explain
why a divergent margin might be forming under Nevada and Utah?) Hint: we infer the
same geologic cause to explain the broad uplift of the continental crust and subsequent
erosion of Grand Canyon - ANSWER- the spreading ridge was subducted under
California and is now positioned under Nevada and Utah
overturned folds may evolve into - ANSWER- thrust faults
Where do earthquakes occur in the Pacific Northwest? - ANSWER- near the surface
within the North American plate, deep within the Juna de Fuca plate, and at the
Cascadia subduction zone
How did geologists determine the exact day of offset on the Cascadia subduction zone
in 1700 AD? - ANSWER- they had accurate tsunami logs from Japan that recorded this
event
as the northern Great Lakes isostatically reboud _______ - ANSWER- their waters will
eventually drain south through the Mississippi River system
What is the difference between relative and numerical dating? - ANSWER- relative
dating uses stratigraphic principles and the fossil record to put deposits and events in
order, numerical dating uses isotopic decay to determine the age
in metamorphic rocks with foliation, the texture develops as a result of - ANSWER- the
alignment of platy (flat) minerals perpendicular to the maximum pressure on the body of
the rock
what diagnostic criteria did you use to identify sedimentary conglomerate - ANSWER-
large rounded clasts within the rock matrix
Answers.
joints facilitate weathering because - ANSWER- they increase the acidity of the water
and they provide more surface area for the weathering front to attack
why did the rill depth increase on the limestone boulders measured on three different
alpine glacial moraines studied along the valley floor? - ANSWER- the lower moraine
was older and subject to longer weathering
frost wedging occurs in rock because - ANSWER- water expands when it freezes to
form ice
H+ ions utilized in hydrolysis weather reactions come from _____ - ANSWER- carbonic
acid
Over time angular joint blocks will _______ due to surface weathering - ANSWER-
become rounded
Oolites form from ______ - ANSWER- precipitation of calcite around sand grains
oscillated by waves
According to the principle of inclusions the closest age for the formation of a
conglomerate rock ____ - ANSWER- would be the average clast (pebble) age
compromising the conglomerate
a minimum of ____ seismic stations is necessary to determine the focus of an
earthquake - ANSWER- 3
if an earthquake occurs, the _____ waves are the second waves to arrive at a seismic
station - ANSWER- S
high temperature is conductive to _____ deformation in rock - ANSWER- ductile
a high strain rate is conducive to ______ deformation in rock - ANSWER- brittle fracture
the ______ is exposed in the center or an eroding anticline - ANSWER- oldest rock
a reverse fault - ANSWER- may have repeating strata exposed in a vertical cross-
section AND may result in older rock units overlying younger units in a vertical cross-
section
, ________ is an example of elastic deformation - ANSWER- filling and emptying a
reservoir, and isostatic unloading of the earth's lithosphere following deglaciation
which metamorphic rock has been subject to the highest grade of heat and pressure? -
ANSWER- gneiss
What kind of faults bound mountains and valleys of the Basin and Range province in
Nevada and Utah? - ANSWER- normal faults
what kind of stress would expect to cause normal faulting? - ANSWER- tensile
(extension)
at what kind of plate margin would you expect to find normal faulting? - ANSWER-
divergent
what hypothesis did we discuss to explain Basin and Range tectonics (i.e. to explain
why a divergent margin might be forming under Nevada and Utah?) Hint: we infer the
same geologic cause to explain the broad uplift of the continental crust and subsequent
erosion of Grand Canyon - ANSWER- the spreading ridge was subducted under
California and is now positioned under Nevada and Utah
overturned folds may evolve into - ANSWER- thrust faults
Where do earthquakes occur in the Pacific Northwest? - ANSWER- near the surface
within the North American plate, deep within the Juna de Fuca plate, and at the
Cascadia subduction zone
How did geologists determine the exact day of offset on the Cascadia subduction zone
in 1700 AD? - ANSWER- they had accurate tsunami logs from Japan that recorded this
event
as the northern Great Lakes isostatically reboud _______ - ANSWER- their waters will
eventually drain south through the Mississippi River system
What is the difference between relative and numerical dating? - ANSWER- relative
dating uses stratigraphic principles and the fossil record to put deposits and events in
order, numerical dating uses isotopic decay to determine the age
in metamorphic rocks with foliation, the texture develops as a result of - ANSWER- the
alignment of platy (flat) minerals perpendicular to the maximum pressure on the body of
the rock
what diagnostic criteria did you use to identify sedimentary conglomerate - ANSWER-
large rounded clasts within the rock matrix
