True-False (Circle "T" or "F") 1 pt. each

T F 1. Calcite dissolves in acid solutions.

T F 2. Andisols, inceptisols, mollisols and a zilliion other -sols are all confusing terms referring to different types of soils.

T F 3. There is no soil on Mars.

T F 4. Exfoliation is a type of chemical weathering.

T F 5. The parent material has a great influence on the type of soil that forms.

T F 6. Clay minerals cannot be products of weathering.

T F 7. Dissolution and oxidation are both types of chemical weathering.

T F 8. The geological time scale was devised BEFORE absolute dating using radioactivity was invented.

T F 9. Most sedimentary rocks are readily dated by radiometric methods.

T F 10. Carbon-14 can be used to date wood and other vegetable materials used by early Indians of the Americas.

T F 11. Pebbles of granite in sandstone and conglomerate resting on granite suggest that the granite intruded the sedimentary beds.

T F 12. Fossilized trilobites have been found in rocks on the order of 2 billion years old?

T F 13. The Pierre Shale is a Cretaceous Formation that can be seen in some parts of North Dakota (including Grand Forks County).

T F 14. There are no Precambrian rocks exposed in the Grand Canyon.

T F 15. Ripple marks help determine the direction of water or wind current.

T F 16. Limestone can have an organic or an inorganic origin.

T F 17. Sedimentary particles generally become smaller as they are transported by wind or water.

T F 18. Sedimentary particles generally become sorted as they are transported by wind or water.

T F 19. The presence of marine fossils in the present day Grand Canyon area indicates that there was once an ocean there.

T F 20. Sedimentary rock formation generally do not cover large areas or regions greater than a few square miles.

Multiple Choice (Circle letter of correct answer) 2 pts. each

1. What is the primary difference between weathering and erosion?
a. Weathering is the breaking down of rocks by mechanical means; erosion occurs by chemical means.
b. Weathering is the breaking down of minerals; erosion is the breaking down of rocks.
c. Weathering is the breaking down of rocks; erosion is the transportation of rock fragments.
d. Weathering and erosion are synonymous and may be used interchangeably.

2. Mechanical weathering can:
a. change the internal composition of minerals.
b. transport rock and mineral fragments to different locations
c. convert particular minerals into more stable forms
d. change the size and shape of rock structures

3. In the rock cycle, the process that changes a sedimentary rock into an igneous rock involves
a. magma
b. metamorphism
c. erosion
d. weathering

4. In geology, the term "oxidation" often refers to:
a. the chemical combination of a mineral's ions with oxygen
b. displacement of a mineral's ions by H+ or OH- from water
c. the removal of a mineral's ions or groups of ions by water
d. the substitution of water molecules for silicon molecules in a mineral's internal structure

5. Hydrolysis refers to:
a. the chemical combination of a mineral's ions with oxygen
b. the displacement of a mineral's ions by the H+ or OH- ions from water
c. the removal of a mineral's ions or groups of ions by water
d. the substitution of water molecules for silicon molecules in a mineral's internal structure

6. In general, chemical weathering would occur most rapidly in a:
a. cool, moist climate
b. cool, dry climate
c. warm, moist climate
d. warm, dry climate

7. The type of clay developed from the chemical weathering of given rock depends primarily on:
a. the rate a which the rock was weathered
b. the relative percentage of feldspar within a parent rock
c. the climatic conditions under which the chemical weathering took place
d. the rate and environment of deposition of the weathered clay minerals

8. The primary reason pedalfers occur in the eastern United States while pedocals appear in the western United States is because:
a. the East has a more humid climate
b. eastern soils have had a longer time to develop
c. parent materials for the two differ
d. the topography differs

9. The reason that rocks or even footprints on the Moon do not weather is that:
a. the Moon has no atmosphere, and therefore no chemical weathering can occur
b. the temperatures on the Moon are so hot that all water is evaporated
c. the temperatures on the Moon are so cold that all water at the surface exists only as ice
d. the Moon's atmosphere is made exclusively of CO2 and is completely lacking in water

10. The oldest rocks found on Earth are dated at:
a. 4.6 billion years
b. 4.6 million years
c. 4.6 trillion years
d. 570 million years

11. Using certain characteristics to arrange rock units or geologic events in chronological order is called:
a. age dating
b. absolute dating
c. relative dating
d. geometric dating

12. Determining a specific age for a geologic event, feature, or rock unit using quantitative date is called:
a. age dating
b. absolute dating
c. relative dating
d. geometric dating

13. The principle of states that in any undeformed sequence of rock strata, the youngest strata will be at the top and the oldest at the bottom.
a. original horizontality
b. superposition
c. cross-cutting relationships
d. inclusions

14. Before the principle of superposition can be applied to a tilted sequence of rock layers:
a. the mode of tectonic deformation must be determined
b. relative dates of inclusions must be noted
c. the upper surface of a sedimentary layer must be determined
d. a lava flow with visible vesicles must be present

15. The half-life of a radioactive isotope refers to:
a. one-half of the total lifespan of a parent isotope
b. the time it takes for the ratio of parent to daughter isotopes to be 1:2 (half as many parent isotopes as daughter isotopes)
c. the time it takes for the ratio of parent to daughter isotopes to be 2:1 (twice as many parent isotopes as daughter isotopes)
d. the time it takes for half of the parent isotopes to decay to daughter isotopes

16. Sedimentary rocks constitute approximately what % of the rocks exposed at the Earth's land surface
a. 75%
b. 50%
c. 20%
d. 5%

17. Sedimentary rocks are important for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
a. they contain information about the Earth's geologic history
b. they contain most of our fossil fuels, coal, oil, and natural gas
c. they contain most of our precious gems, such as diamonds and emeralds
d. they contain most of our groundwater

18. Most sediments are:
a. detrital, resulting from solid particles precipitating from solution in water
b. detrital, composed of solid fragments of other rocks that have undergone mechanical weathering
c. chemical, resulting from precipitation from solution in water
d. chemical, resulting from organisms that have extracted the minerals from water

19. Detrital sediment texture is identified on the basis of:
a. the mineral composition of the particles
b. the relative percentages of each of the three categories of particle sizes
c. the way the sediments clump together in the form of sedimentary rocks
d. the size, shape, and arrangement of the particles

20. Which of the following transport media generally results in the most well-sorted sediments?
a. wind
b. glaciers
c. rivers
d. landslides

21. Which of the following transport media generally results in the most poorly sorted sediments?
a. wind
b. glaciers
c. rivers
d. ocean waves

22. Which of the following sedimentary structures would indicate deposition had occurred in a shallow lake during cycles
of drought?
a. graded bedding
b. ripple marks
c. mudcracks
d. cross-bedding

23. The most abundant types of sedimentary rock are:
a. sandstone
b. limestone
c. mudstone
d. conglomerate and breccia

24. Of the following, the most likely environment of deposition for shale is:
a. an ocean shoreline
b. at the end of a glacier
c. the bottom of a river
d. the bottom of a lagoon

25. Quartz arenite, arkose, and graywacke differ in all of the following ways EXCEPT:
a. they have different mineral compositions
b. they are different colors
c. they have different particle sizes
d. they have different environments of deposition

Shortish Answer 5 pts. each

1. Why is quartz such a common constituent in detrital sedimentary rocks?

2. Why do we not have a detailed time scale for the Precambrian? (Why is it not divided like the Phanerozoic?)

3. Why is it often difficult to determine the absolute age of a sedimentary rock?

4. What are fossils? Why are they important when studying sedimentary rocks?

5. What is the difference between shale and siltstone. Why do geologists bite such rocks to tell them apart?

6. What sorts of sedimentary rocks are deposited in deep ocean basins