Multiple Choice Questions

1. If you were to take a journey to the center of the earth, you would find that:
a. both pressure and temperature increase as you go down
b. both pressure and temperature decrease as you do down
c. pressure increases but temperature decreases as you go down
d. temperature increases but pressure decreases as you go down
e. all of the above

2. You book says the oceanic crust of the Earth varies from 7 to 10 km thick, but the book is WRONG, because
a. geologists have found areas of oceanic crust up to 100 km thick
b. there is no crust in some places on the ocean floor
c. subduction takes place at all plate boundaries
d. earthquakes mean that the crust is always growing
e. I don't know what they were smoking, but they blew it when the converted miles to kilometers

3. Most of the surface of Earth is covered by
a. continents
b. oceans
c. lakes
d. rivers
e. UND hockey players

4. Most of the ocean floor is the flat lying __________ that is/are 2.5 - 4.5 km below the ocean surface.
a. seamounts
b. abyssal plane
c. interior basin
d. continental shelf
e. mid ocean ridge

5. When geophysicists study magnetism in rocks, they can reconstruct apparent polar wander paths. These paths were primarily caused by
a. the rotation of the earth is sometimes faster than at other times
b. volcanoes are most common along continental margins
c. continents have drifted around the globe over time
d. the earth's magnetic poles have not always been in the same places
e. at various times in Earth's history, the north and south magnetic poles have switched

6. When geophysicists study the magnetism of the ocean floors, the find marine magnetic anomalies. These anomalies are due to
a. the rotation of the earth is sometimes faster than at other times
b. volcanoes are most common along continental margins
c. continents have drifted around the globe over time
d. the earth's magnetic poles have not always been in the same places
e. at various times in Earth's history, the north and south magnetic poles have switched

7. Heat flow from the Earth is greatest
a. under continents
b. under mountain ranges
c. under the north and south poles
d. in subduction zones
e. at mid ocean ridges

8. Which part of the Earth contains the most volume?
a. mantle
b. core
c. crust
d. lithosphere
e. biosphere

9. Which is true?
a. rocks are made of minerals, and minerals are compounds made of elements
b. rocks are made of compounds, and compounds minerals are minerals made of elements
c. rocks are made of elements, and elements are the same thing as minerals made of compounds
d. rocks are made of minerals, and minerals are elements made of compounds
e. rocks are made of elements, and elements are made of silicon and oxygen

10. When Wegener first proposed the idea of continental drift, many scientists were skeptical because:
a. he could not explain why it was happening
b. he said continental crust "plowed through" oceanic crust
c. gravity studies suggested the crust was partially melted
d. seismologists showed that the crust could not move
e. both answers (a) and (b) above are correct

11. People who talk about the origin of the universe often talk about the "red shift." What does the red shift tell us?
a. the universe is about 6 billion years old
b. distant galaxies are moving away from earth
c. the universe is mostly gas
d. the universe contains unexpected high amounts of iron
e. red light has a longer wavelength than blue light

12. In what layer of the atmosphere does most weather occur?
a. lithosphere
b. troposphere
c. stratosphere
d. asthenosphere
e. mesosphere

13. The Moho was discovered by studying
a. gravity
b. heat flow
c. magnetism
d. earthquakes
e. friction

14. At which of these places is subduction occurring?
a. east coast of the U.S.
b. east coast of Africa
c. east coast of S. America
d. west coast of S. America
e. west coast of Europe

15. Around 1960, there was lots of money available so seismologists could investigate the ocean floor and set up seismographs. Why?
a. the economy was booming
b. John F. Kennedy was President
c. the National Science Foundation was created
d. Vine and Matthews confirmed seafloor spreading
e. the cold war

16. When preexisting rocks are eroded, eroded material may later be deposited somewhere and eventually become a _____________ rock.
a. igneous
b. metamorphic
c. volcanic
d. sedimentary
e. compositional

17. What are the two most abundant elements in the Earth's crust?
a. oxygen and nitrogen
b. nitrogen and iron
c. silicon and iron
d. oxygen and silicon
e. oxygen and iron

18. The boundary between the crust and the mantle is the
a. P wave shadow zone
b. inner core
c. outer core
d. Benioff zone
e. Moho

19. How thick is the crust of the earth?
a. 0-2 km
b. 2-4 km
c. 0-10 km
d. 2-10 km
e. 0-70 km

20. The asthenosphere is part of the Earth's
a. crust
b. mantle
c. outer core
d. inner core
e. lithosphere

21. Earth's ___________ contains 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.
a. lithosphere
b. asthenosphere
c. hydrosphere
d. atmosphere
e. biosphere

22. The outer (tectonic) layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and outermost mantle, is called the
a. crust
b. mantle
c. outer core
d. inner core
e. lithosphere

23. Geologists and physicists believe the core of the Earth is mostly
a. quartz
b. nickel
c. carbon
d. magnesium
e. iron

24. What ocean floor features are associated with the oldest rocks?
a. subduction zones
b. transform faults
c. reverse faults
d. mid-ocean ridges
e. guyots

25. Where is new lithosphere being formed?
a. subduction zones
b. transform faults
c. reverse faults
d. mid-ocean ridges
e. guyots

26. The Hawaiian Islands are located over a
a. subduction zone
b. mid-ocean ridge
c. guyot
d. transform fault
e. all of the above

27. Pangaea is
a. a type of fold-belt mountain
b. a type of igneous rock associated with transform faults
c. the name of a supercontinent that once existed
d. the theory that explains why earthquakes and volcanoes occur around the Pacific Ocean
e. all of the above

28. The Earth's crust is old and extremely thick
a. in the center of continents
b. at continental margins
c. at transform faults
d. at subduction zones
e. at mid ocean ridges

29. Which comes first?
a. a hypothesis
b. a theory

30. Mesosaurus and Glossopteris are
a. minerals common in granite
b. ancient critters that later evolved into humans
c. ancient continents that later broke up and became present day southern continents
d. ancient continents that later broke up and became present day northern continents
e. fossils that provide evidence for continental drift

Short Answer

1. How are mid-ocean ridges related to seafloor spreading?
2. Describe the lithosphere. In what important way does it differ from the asthenosphere?
3. How does evidence of past glaciations support continental drift?
4. How does a basalt rock become magnetized?