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 : 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 : 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 : Continental shelves range in width from: w) 1,500 to 5,000 kilometers x) 1,500 to 3,000 kilometers y) 0 to 5,000 kilometers z) 0 to 1,500 kilometers
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- 0 TO 1,500 KILOMETERS
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 : We know that the OUTER core is liquid because: w) P waves pass through it x) S waves pass through it y) P waves cannot pass through it z) S waves cannot pass through it
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- S WAVES CANNOT PASS THROUGH IT
Description : Which of the following is the name of the partly melted rock layer on which the plates move? w) lithosphere x) asthenosphere y) hydrosphere z) outer core
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- ASTHENOSPHERE
Description : Waves generated by underwater earthquakes are called: w) tsunamis (pronounced su-nam-ees) x) a bore y) a tidal wave z) neap tidal wave
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- TSUNAMIS
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 : On the Phanerozoic (pron: fan-eh-reh-zO-ik) time scale, which of the following geologic periods occurred approximately 500 to 570 million years ago? Is it: w) Cambrian x) Ordovician (pron: ord-eh-vish-en) y) Carboniferous z) Silurian
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- CAMBRIAN
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 : On the Richter scale, a magnitude 6 earthquake is how much larger than a magnitude 4 earthquake? w) 1.5 times x) 4 times y) 15 times z) 100 times
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- 100 TIMES
Description : If all the Earth's ice melted, the increase in sea level would be approximately: w) 100 meters x) 2 meters y) 70 meters z) 20 meters
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 70 METERS
Description : The earth's climate has been warming since the las glacial period which ended about how many years ago? w) 1,000 to 2,000 years ago x) 10,000 to 20,000 years ago y) 100,000 to 200,000 years ago z) 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 years ago
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- 10,000 TO 20,000 YEARS AGO
Description : The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is in the range of: w) 1-10 parts per million x) 10-100 parts per million y) 100-1000 parts per million z) 1000-10,000 parts per million
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 100-1000 PARTS PER MILLION (the exact number is 350 ppm as of the time of this article)
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 : The surface of a "desert pavement" is composed mainly of which of the following? w) loose sand x) sand and clay y) pebbles and boulders z) concrete and cement
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- PEBBLES AND BOULDERS
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 : 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 : The speed of sound (at sea level) in air is: w) 340 meters per second x) 400 meters per second y) 500 meters per second z) 760 kilometers per second
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- 340 METERS PER SECOND
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 : 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 : 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 : 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
Description : A geologic feature called a kimberlite indicates the possibility of thepresence of which of the following? w) rubies x) diamonds y) sapphires z) opals
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- DIAMONDS
Description : The wind-chill index outside is -10 F when the wind blows at 20 mph and the air temperature is 20 F. To what temperature will a dry object cool when placed outside? w) 20 F x) 10 F y) -10 F z) -20 F
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- 20 F
Description : The oldest rocks that contain abundant fossils are: w) Precambrian x) Paleozoic y) Mesozoic z) Cenozoic
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- PALEOZOIC