EAPS 100 Midterm Study Guide
Questions with 100% Correct
Answers
The Earth's mantle is composed of a rock called peridotite. It can begin melting through
which of the following processes? - Answer- Decreasing pressure, while keeping
temperature constant
_______ is a rock formed from solidification of magma that forms during partial melting
of the Earth's mantle? - Answer- Basalt
Mid ocean ridges are underwater mountain ranges, where new oceanic crust is
produced. If you were to dredge pieces of rock from a modern mid-ocean ridge, which
of the rocks below would be most likely? - Answer- Pillow basalt
What process leads to partial melting of the Earth's mantle and the production of large
volumes of basaltic magma at mid-ocean ridges? - Answer- Melting triggered by
decompression as the Earth's mantle flows upward
The organisms that produce shells made out of calcium carbonate are utilizing what
component of seawater? - Answer- Dissolved ions
Chemical weathering is a major process during which rock is broken down through
chemical reactions and dissolved ions are incorporated into natural waters. Which of the
following parameters will lead to increased chemical weathering if all other variables are
kept the same? - Answer- Increasing surface area
Clastic rocks are distinguished from crystalline rocks in that they are composed or
weathered bits of rock (clasts) that have been transported as sediment and deposited in
a location that is different from where their constituent rocks formed. What is one
feature of clastic rocks that you could use to distinguish them? - Answer- Clastic rocks
are typically composed of rounded clasts
Which of the following processes is not an example of mechanical weathering? -
Answer- Rainwater infiltrating a crack and dissolving rock
Which of the following is least likely to trigger a mass wasting event from a steep slope?
- Answer- A drought
, Coal is a sedimentary rock composed of organic matter and frequently contains plant
fossils. Which of the following statements can we infer to be true about the depositional
environment in which coal formed? - Answer- Coal was originally deposited in a
biologically productive terrestrial ecosystem.
Minerals do not have _________? - Answer- Randomly arranged atoms
Which of the following is not a mineral?
Diamond (C) extracted from a kimberlite
Quartz (SiO2) crystals extracted from a granite
Ice (H2O) crystals in a snow flake
A cubic zirconia (ZrO2) crystal grown in a laboratory - Answer- A cubic zirconia (ZrO2)
crystal grown in a laboratory
What are the two most common elements in Earth's crust? - Answer- Silicon (Si) and
Oxygen (O)
A cooling magma begins to grow crystals. We can say that this magma is ________ the
crystallizing mineral. - Answer- Saturated with respect to
Ionic bonding occurs when ______? - Answer- Atoms lose or gain valence electrons to
make positively or negatively charged ions that can then bond
The unit cell leads to all of the following mineral properties except which one? - Answer-
Mineral size
The smallest repeatable unit in a crystalline sold is known as the _________? - Answer-
Unit cell
Heating a magma will ________ crystallization and solidification into a rock. - Answer-
Inhibit
What are the three main types of rock? - Answer- Igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary
What is the most common class of mineral within the Earth's crust?
Hint: Remember the most common elements in the Earth's crust. - Answer- Silicate
Minerals
In the above diagram of a river system where are most sedimentary clasts/grains
produced? - Answer- 1
Which of the following areas is most at risk for the development of a debris flow? -
Answer- volcano
A river requires _______ to transport large pieces of rock (i.e., sedimentary clasts)
when compared to smaller clasts. - Answer- faster flowing water
Questions with 100% Correct
Answers
The Earth's mantle is composed of a rock called peridotite. It can begin melting through
which of the following processes? - Answer- Decreasing pressure, while keeping
temperature constant
_______ is a rock formed from solidification of magma that forms during partial melting
of the Earth's mantle? - Answer- Basalt
Mid ocean ridges are underwater mountain ranges, where new oceanic crust is
produced. If you were to dredge pieces of rock from a modern mid-ocean ridge, which
of the rocks below would be most likely? - Answer- Pillow basalt
What process leads to partial melting of the Earth's mantle and the production of large
volumes of basaltic magma at mid-ocean ridges? - Answer- Melting triggered by
decompression as the Earth's mantle flows upward
The organisms that produce shells made out of calcium carbonate are utilizing what
component of seawater? - Answer- Dissolved ions
Chemical weathering is a major process during which rock is broken down through
chemical reactions and dissolved ions are incorporated into natural waters. Which of the
following parameters will lead to increased chemical weathering if all other variables are
kept the same? - Answer- Increasing surface area
Clastic rocks are distinguished from crystalline rocks in that they are composed or
weathered bits of rock (clasts) that have been transported as sediment and deposited in
a location that is different from where their constituent rocks formed. What is one
feature of clastic rocks that you could use to distinguish them? - Answer- Clastic rocks
are typically composed of rounded clasts
Which of the following processes is not an example of mechanical weathering? -
Answer- Rainwater infiltrating a crack and dissolving rock
Which of the following is least likely to trigger a mass wasting event from a steep slope?
- Answer- A drought
, Coal is a sedimentary rock composed of organic matter and frequently contains plant
fossils. Which of the following statements can we infer to be true about the depositional
environment in which coal formed? - Answer- Coal was originally deposited in a
biologically productive terrestrial ecosystem.
Minerals do not have _________? - Answer- Randomly arranged atoms
Which of the following is not a mineral?
Diamond (C) extracted from a kimberlite
Quartz (SiO2) crystals extracted from a granite
Ice (H2O) crystals in a snow flake
A cubic zirconia (ZrO2) crystal grown in a laboratory - Answer- A cubic zirconia (ZrO2)
crystal grown in a laboratory
What are the two most common elements in Earth's crust? - Answer- Silicon (Si) and
Oxygen (O)
A cooling magma begins to grow crystals. We can say that this magma is ________ the
crystallizing mineral. - Answer- Saturated with respect to
Ionic bonding occurs when ______? - Answer- Atoms lose or gain valence electrons to
make positively or negatively charged ions that can then bond
The unit cell leads to all of the following mineral properties except which one? - Answer-
Mineral size
The smallest repeatable unit in a crystalline sold is known as the _________? - Answer-
Unit cell
Heating a magma will ________ crystallization and solidification into a rock. - Answer-
Inhibit
What are the three main types of rock? - Answer- Igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary
What is the most common class of mineral within the Earth's crust?
Hint: Remember the most common elements in the Earth's crust. - Answer- Silicate
Minerals
In the above diagram of a river system where are most sedimentary clasts/grains
produced? - Answer- 1
Which of the following areas is most at risk for the development of a debris flow? -
Answer- volcano
A river requires _______ to transport large pieces of rock (i.e., sedimentary clasts)
when compared to smaller clasts. - Answer- faster flowing water
