Description : The aquifer of a famous artesian formation in the Great Plains is a layer of rock called the: w) Clinton limestone x) Dakota sandstone y) Pierre shale z) Vermont marble
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- DAKOTA SANDSTONE
Description : Which of the following is the most important chemically-active fluid involved in the formation of rocks? w) hydrochloric acid x) sulfuric acid y) water z) methane
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- WATER
Description : What is the name of the white clay which has been used for thousands of years in the fabrication of ceramic bodies? Is it: w) Talc x) Kaolin y) Feldspar z) Quartz
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- KAOLIN
Description : The principal mineral in most sand beaches is w) quartz x) orthoclase y) magnetite z) muscovite
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- QUARTZ
Description : Orthoclase is what number on Moh's hardness scale? w) 4 x) 5 y) 6 z) 7
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 6
Description : Which of the following pairs of minerals are difficult to tell apart because both are always dark in color and almost equally hard? w) muscovite and orthoclase x) muscovite and quartz y) hornblende and talc z) hornblende and augite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- HORNBLENDE AND AUGITE
Description : Which of these pairs of minerals are always found in granites? w) muscovite and calcite x) quartz and orthoclase y) hornblende and talc z) augite and magnetite
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- QUARTZ AND ORTHOCLASE
Description : Which of the following minerals is NOT a silicate? w) orthoclase x) muscovite y) augite (pron: aw-jIt) z) magnetite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- MAGNETITE
Description : Fine parallel lines, or striations, are most likel to be seen on a cleavage surface of which of the following minerals? w) quartz x) orthoclase y) hornblende z) plagioclase (pron: play-gee-o-klase)
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- PLAGIOCLASE
Description : Which one of the following minerals does NOT contain silica tetrahedrons? w) quartz x) muscovite y) halite z) orthoclase
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- HALITE
Description : In geological studies, arkose contains which of th following minerals which gives it a reddish color? w) orthoclase x) calcite y) aragonite (pron: a-rag-o-nite) z) quartz
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- ORTHOCLASE
Description : Fossils are rarely found in such rocks as: w) limestone x) sandstone y) shale z) granite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- GRANITE
Description : When clay hardens into rock, it forms: w) coal x) limestone y) shale z) quartzite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- SHALE
Description : A rock composed of cemented sand and gravel is: w) shale x) conglomerate y) granite z) marble
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- CONGLOMERATE
Description : When shale weathers, it forms mostly: w) clay x) quartz y) soluble carbonates z) slate
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- CLAY
Description : Which of the following is an igneous rock? w) Granite x) Shale y) Coal z) Slate
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- GRANITE
Description : An example of a rock whose minerals have been crushed into thin sheets or bands is: w) shale x) schist y) conglomerate z) granite
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- SCHIST
Description : Which of the following pairs contains one igneous and one sedimentary rock? w) shale and marble x) sandstone and quartzite y) granite and limestone z) obsidian and gneiss
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- GRANITE AND LIMESTONE
Description : Of the following, the rock that is most resistant to both chemical and mechanical weathering is: w) shale x) limestone y) marble z) quartzite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- QUARTZITE
Description : Sulfuric acid aerosols from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo reduced the rate of global warming last year. They also contributed to the record size of: w) acid rainfalls in Europe x) the anchovy catch off Peru y) the ozone hole over Antarctica z) fish kills in the Amazon River
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- THE OZONE HOLE OVER ANTARCTICA
Description : Carbonic acid is extremely active in the chemical weathering of: w) feldspar x) quartz y) carbon z) quartzite
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- FELDSPAR
Description : The streak of a mineral can be obtained most easil by performing which of the following tests? w) rubbing the mineral on an unglazed white tile x) putting the mineral into acid y) scratching the mineral with a diamond z) examining the mineral under a microscope
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- RUBBING THE MINERAL ON AN UNGLAZED WHITE TILE
Description : Certain substances are classified as water pollutants, others as air pollutants and still others as land pollutants. Which of the following pollutes all three parts of our environment? w) fluorocarbons x) smog y) acid rain z) ozone
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- ACID RAIN
Description : Which of the following gases is given off in the acid test of a carbonate mineral? w) chlorine x) nitrogen y) carbon dioxide z) sulfur dioxide
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- CARBON DIOXIDE
Description : Which is a metamorphic rock, slate or shale?
Last Answer : ANSWER: SLATE
Description : Identification of Calcite in sedimentary rock can be done by using (A) the rock will glow in the dark (B) the rock will break to form smooth surfaces (D) the rock will taste salty (C) hydrochloric acid will cause the calcite to fizz
Last Answer : hydrochloric acid will cause the calcite to fizz
Description : Pangaea is the name of a former continent that included: w) all the continents x) only Europe and Asia y) only South America and Africa z) only North and South America
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- ALL THE CONTINENTS
Description : What mineral is the most dense? w) hematite x) cinnabar y) marcasite z) rhodochrosite
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- CINNABAR
Description : Which of the following mountain ranges was formed during the Mesozoic era? w) Rocky Mountains x) Cascades y) Appalachian z) Sierra Nevada
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- SIERRA NEVADA
Description : Cloud droplets unite most easily to form raindrops in clouds containing which of the following substances? w) ozone x) plant pollen y) carbon tetrachloride z) large salt crystals
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- LARGE SALT CRYSTALS
Description : Which of the following is an average number of inches of snow equal to one inch of rain? w) 1 inch x) 5 inches y) 10 inches z) 25 inches
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 10 inches
Description : When the difference in the temperature of the wet-bulb thermometer and dry-bulb thermometer is large, what does it indicate about the air? w) it is very dry x) it is nearly saturated y) it is very warm z) it is very cold
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- IT IS VERY DRY
Description : What is considered to be the oldest lake in North America? w) Mono Lake, CA x) Lake Superior, MI y) The Great Salt Lake, UT z) Crater Lake, OR
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- MONO LAKE, CA
Description : On which of the following does the capacity of a kilogram of air for holding water depend? w) the air pressure x) the air temperature y) the dust content of the air z) the ions in the air
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- THE AIR TEMPERATURE
Description : What is considered to be the approximate difference in average temperature between the "little ice age" and today? w) 1 to 3 degrees centigrade x) 5 to 8 degrees centigrade y) 10 to 12 degrees centigrade z) 15 to 20 degrees centigrade
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- 1 TO 3 DEGREES CENTIGRADE
Description : What form of runoff is water that flows down a slope within the upper layers of the soil rather than on top of them? w) interflow x) extraflow y) endoflow z) detrital runoff
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- INTERFLOW
Description : When does the air cool most rapidly? Is it during w) a cloudy day x) a cloudy night y) a sunny day z) a clear night
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- A CLEAR NIGHT
Description : The approximate average yearly rainfall in centimeters for the United States is: w) 25 centimeters x) 50 centimeters y) 75 centimeters z) 100 centimeters
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 75 CENTIMETERS
Description : Valleys formed by glaciers always have which of the following characteristics? w) U-shaped cross sections x) straight courses y) uniform slopes z) bedrock floors
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- U-SHAPED CROSS SECTIONS
Description : When the front of a glacier is stationary for a long time, the glacier will do which of the following? w) form many crevasses x) melt away y) not erode its bed z) build a large terminal moraine
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- BUILD A LARGE TERMINAL MORAINE
Description : Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas. What is the current rate in parts per million per year of atmospheric increase of this gas? w) 0.15 ppm per year (parts per million) x) 1.5 ppm per year y) 15 ppm per year z) 150 ppm per year
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- 1.5 PPM PER YEAR
Description : The largest single component, by weight, in the average American landfill is: w) toxic waste x) diapers y) newspapers z) pizza boxes
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- NEWSPAPERS
Description : North American Indians used this mineral of volcanic origin to make tips for arrows: w) obsidian x) quartz y) flint z) pumice
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- OBSIDIAN
Description : Which animal is the center of the timber-harvest controversy in the Pacific Northwest? w) blackfooted ferret x) California condor y) northern spotted owl z) gray wolf
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL
Description : Biomass energy is w) formed through photosynthesis x) caused by heat due to the large mass of the Earth y) has been used for only a few years z) the predominant source of commercial heat energy in the northern regions of the United States
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- FORMED THROUGH PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Description : In geological studies, the Mohorovicic Discontinuity, commonly called the Moho, is the boundary between the w) the mantle and the crust x) asthenosphere and the mantle y) mantle and the outer core z) outer core and the inner core
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- THE MANTLE AND THE CRUST
Description : Which of the following is the approximate ratio of the area of the continents to the area of the earth's oceans? w) 2:1 x) 1:1 y) 2:5 z) 1:10
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 2:5
Description : Which of the following distances in kilometers is closest to the diameter of the earth? w) 750 kilometers x) 2,750 kilometers y) 12,750 kilometers z) 127,500 kilometers
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 12,750 KILOMETERS
Description : Safety aside, for which of the following reasons is alcohol used in preference to mercury in a minimum thermometer? w) Alcohol has a higher boiling point x) Alcohol has a lower freezing point y) Alcohol contracts more uniformly z) Alcohol can be dyed for visibility
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- ALCOHOL HAS A LOWER FREEZING POINT
Description : The core of the earth is thought to be composed of which of the following? w) basalt and granite x) compressed gases y) uranium and lead z) iron and nickel
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- IRON AND NICKEL