Description : Which one of the following is an example of chemical weathering? w) the splitting of a boulder x) the grinding of pebbles into sand y) the cleavage of a feldspar crystal z) the rusting of hornblende
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- THE RUSTING OF HORNBLENDE
Description : A rock composed of cemented sand and gravel is: w) shale x) conglomerate y) granite z) marble
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- CONGLOMERATE
Description : The black sand of the Hawaiian Islands is composed of which of the following? w) dark limestone x) quartz y) gypsum z) basalt
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- BASALT
Description : High quality crop soil requires humus as a major component. Which of the following best describes the composition of humus w) fine sand particles x) decaying organic matter y) mineral like clay matter z) chemical fertilizers
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- DECAYING ORGANIC MATTER
Description : A type of volcano composed of mainly pyroclastics is termed: w) cinder cone x) shield cone y) composite cone z) none of these
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- CINDER CONE
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
Description : A volcano which is composed of lava flows and pyroclastic material and which is steep-sided and very tall is known as: w) Syncline x) Composite cone y) Anticline z) none of these
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- COMPOSITE CONE
Description : When clay hardens into rock, it forms: w) coal x) limestone y) shale z) quartzite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- SHALE
Description : When shale weathers, it forms mostly: w) clay x) quartz y) soluble carbonates z) slate
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- CLAY
Description : The principal aquifer of the artesian wells of Florida is a: w) porous sandstone x) fissured limestone y) series of clay beds z) mass of pumice
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- FISSURED LIMESTONE
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 : Which of the following are barchans? w) deflation basins x) oases y) crescent-shaped dunes z) sand storms
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- CRESCENT-SHAPED DUNES
Description : The saltation of sand grains refers to the sand grains: w) being coated with salt x) moving in jumps and bounces y) moving in a steady stream z) being cemented together
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- MOVING IN JUMPS AND BOUNCES
Description : Most earthquakes originate at depths of between w) the surface and 100 kilometers x) 100 kilometers and 500 kilometers y) 500 kilometers and 700 kilometers z) 700 kilometers and the outer core
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- THE SURFACE AND 100 KILOMETERS
Description : Which of the following is TRUE of an earthquake's epicenter and focus? w) they are the same x) the focus is above the epicenter y) the epicenter is at the earth's surface z) the focus is at the earth's inner core
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- THE EPICENTER IS AT THE EARTH'S SURFACE
Description : In geological studies, a fault in the earth's surface in which the hanging wall has moved down relative to the footwall is termed: w) normal fault x) reverse fault y) upthrust fault z) none of these
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- NORMAL FAULT
Description : In geological studies, a fracture in the earth's surface along which movement has taken place is termed: w) tension fracture x) gash fracture y) fault z) none of these
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- FAULT
Description : Of the following choices, the color purple on a topographic map indicates what surface feature? w) vegetation x) water y) photorevision z) rock formations
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- PHOTOREVISION
Description : Of the following, the color blue on a topographic map indicates what surface feature? w) vegetation x) water y) photorevision z) rock formations
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- WATER
Description : In studies of the surface of the earth, a reverse fault having a dip between 10 and 45 degrees is known as a: w) thrust fault x) normal fault y) strike-slip fault z) neither of these
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- THRUST FAULT
Description : In geological studies, a fault in the earth's surface in which the hanging wall has moved UP relative to the footwall is termed: w) overthrust fault x) reverse fault y) tear fault z) none of these
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- REVERSE FAULT
Description : Which of the following areas is closest to the total surface area of the earth in square kilometers? w) 500 million x) 500 billion y) 500 thousand z) 5 billion
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- 500 MILLION
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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : Which of the following is the mineral name for ordinary salt? w) biotite x) calcite y) halite z) dolomite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- HALITE
Description : Which of the following minerals is a source of lead? w) Bauxite x) Hematite y) Malachite z) Galena
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- GALENA