Physical Science

Quartz is a mineral because it is

Granite is a rock because it is

One of the following mineral properties can be determined by observing, rather than doing something to a sample.

When hit with a hammer, most minerals will

An igneous rock that formed by rapid cooling will probably have crystals that are

Igneous rocks are

A fine-crystalline igneous rock is probably

Minerals that break along certain planes have

Rhyolite (fine-crystalline) is to granite (coarse-crystalline) as basalt is to

Ferromagnesian minerals

Residual elements that did not fit into the crystal structure of minerals formed during cooling

Most rocks are composed of minerals that are

Particles resulting from weathering of rocks are compressed and cemented to form

Conglomerate, sandstone, and claystone are identified by

Which of the following statements about metamorphic rocks is not true?

Materials that settle out of water are known as

In which type of rock would you expect to find fossils?

A rock made up of cemented sand grains is

Which of the following does not belong with the others?

The elements that occur most frequently in the earth's crust are

Most of the earth's mass is contained in the

The idea of a spreading sea floor along the Mid-Atlantic ridge is supported by

The north end of a compass needle actually points toward a

According to the plate tectonics theory, sea-floor spreading occurs at a

The San Andreas Fault is the site of a

The presence of an oceanic trench, a chain of volcanic mountains along the edge of a continent, and deep-seated earthquakes is characteristic of

According to the plate tectonics theory, new crustal material is created at

The Himalayan Mountains were formed as a result of

When an oceanic plate and continental plate converge

Japan is a group of arc islands associated with

One of the following cooled too quickly to allow crystals to form.

Heat and pressure can change slate to the metamorphic rock schist. What is probably formed when more heat and pressure acts on schist?

Magma that cools slowly beneath the earth's surface produces

A fine-grained igneous rock made of mostly orthoclase feldspar, quartz crystals, and a few ferromagnesian crystals is probably

Igneous rocks are classified by

People have found the principle of uniformity difficult to accept because

The way a given rock responds to a stress depends on

When subjected to stress, rocks at great depths and high temperature tend to undergo

A rock that experiences plastic strain in response to stress

An arch-shaped fold resulting from plastic deformation is called

The chief difference between a joint and a fault is that

Seismic waves are produced when rocks

Which of the following statements about earthquakes is false?

If you are inside a building when an earthquake occurs, the best strategy is to

The point of initial rock movement along a fault during an earthquake is called the

Sedimentary rocks are classified by

Metamorphic rocks are classified according to

What process in the rock cycle are you performing if you mix your garbage in your garden

What are the two elements that occur most frequently in minerals found in the crust?

How was Hawaiian Islands formed?

Which sequence of processes occurs in the correct order?

Weathering involves the

Which of the following materials is least susceptible to chemical weathering?

The type of mass movement characterized by the slow downhill movement of soil is called

Glaciers form when

A stream in its youth exhibits which of the following sets of characteristics?

Which of the following statements about a meandering stream is true?

Where are the least dense rocks found on the earth?

Dissolving a rock in acid is the equivalent of

Carrying rock fragments to a new location is called

What is the core of the earth mostly made of?

Why do seismic waves show a sudden increase at the mohorovicic discontinuity?

What causes the presence of red soils of Oklahoma and Georgia?

The Age of the Mammals is known as the _____.

What type layers make up Columbia Plateau in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon?

The oldest fossils are about how many years old?

Which of the following is not a common way for fossils to form?

The fossilization process by which the original material is dissolved and new materials added is called

A road cut shows layers of sedimentary rock that are uptilted. From this observation one could conclude that the rocks

Correlating and relative dating of rock units is made possible by application of the principle of

Fossils are useful for all of the following except

To serve as a geologic clock, a process must

The process that has yielded the most accurate estimate of the age of the earth is measurement of

The geologic time scale defines eras in terms of

Correlation and relative dating through the use of index fossils is limited because

Earth's atmosphere is composed chiefly of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.

What era would you find dinosaur fossils?

Name the two dominant life forms in the Cambrian period.

Cenozoic

An airplane flying at 35,000 feet is above what percent of the earth's atmosphere?

Normal atmospheric pressure is enough to support a column of mercury approximately

Your ears "pop" when an unpressurized plane climbs higher because

Nearly 1400 watts/meter² of solar energy reaches the outermost atmosphere of the earth. What fraction of this energy on average actually reaches the surface?

A psychrometer measures

The majority of the sun's radiation output occurs as

The greenhouse effect results in warmer temperatures near the surface because

The interaction between ultraviolet light and ozone that protects life on the surface takes place in the

On a clear, calm night, you would expect the air in the bottom of a valley to be

Hot air rising from the equatorial regions eventually cools and descends to form