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 : The most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America had a Richter scale magnitude closest to w) 6.5 x) 7.5 y) 8.5 z) 9.5
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 8.5
Description : A pair of rivers that mark the approximate southern limit of the Ice Age glaciers in North America are the Missouri and which of the following? w) St. Lawrence x) Ohio y) Delaware z) Tennessee
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- OHIO
Description : The oldest rocks that contain abundant fossils are: w) Precambrian x) Paleozoic y) Mesozoic z) Cenozoic
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- PALEOZOIC
Description : Continents have three major features. The oldest areas of each continent are the: w) folded mountains x) stable platforms y) mountain cores z) shields
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- SHIELDS
Description : Which of the following is the oldest period of tim lasting from the beginnings of the earth to approximately 570 million year ago? w) Precambrian x) Pleistocene (pron: ply-sto-sin) y) Miocene (pron: my-o-sin) z) Jurassic
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- PRECAMBRIAN
Description : Of the following four geologic periods, which is the oldest? w) Devonian x) Silurian y) Permian z) Jurassic
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- SILURIAN
Description : The curved body of water formed when a meandering river reshapes and cuts off one of its bends is called: w) an Essing pond x) an Oxbow lake y) a Swensen pool z) a Groovy pool
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- AN OXBOW LAKE
Description : The deep, least productive part of a lake is calle the: w) littoral zone x) profundal zone y) photic zone z) limnetic zone
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- PROFUNDAL ZONE
Description : A lake or pond community is also known as a: w) pelagic community (pron: pe-laj-ick) x) benthic community (pron: ben-thick) y) lentic community (pron: len-tick) z) lotic community (pron: lot-ick)
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- LENTIC COMMUNITY
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 the mineral name for ordinary salt? w) biotite x) calcite y) halite z) dolomite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- HALITE
Description : The rock in which ground water is LEAST likely to form caverns is: w) sandstone x) limestone y) salt z) rock gypsum
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- SANDSTONE
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 : An area that is not in a major earthquake belt is the region of the w) Andes mountains x) Coast Ranges of Central America y) Appalachian Mountains z) the islands of Japan
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
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 of the following terms is used to describe the angular difference between TRUE north and magnetic north on a topographic map? Is it: w) Magnetic field x) Magnetic intensity y) Magnetic inclination z) Magnetic declination
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- MAGNETIC DECLINATION
Description : The transport of energy or matter across the parallels of latitude in a north-south direction or the reverse is called: w) global transport x) air transport y) meridional transport z) polar transport
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- MERIDIONAL TRANSPORT
Description : The horse latitude which occurs at approximately 30o - 35o north is also known as the: w) doldrums x) calms of Cancer y) calms of Capricorn z) trough of the Pacific
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- CALMS OF CANCER
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 : Which coal is considered a metamorphic rock? w) anthracite coal x) bituminous coal y) lignite coal z) all of these
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- ANTHRACITE
Description : As we have seen with Hurricane Andrew, natural forces can cause great loss of human life. Which of the following natural disasters has resulted in the greatest loss of human life in a single occurrence? w) typhoon x) volcanic eruption y) earthquake z) tornado
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- EARTHQUAKE (ON JANUARY 23, 1556, 830,000 PEOPLE DIED IN SHENSI, CHINW)
Description : Which of the following names is used to describe the zero degree longitudinal line that runs through Greenwich, England? w) Great Circle x) Principle Line y) Longitudinal Maximum z) Prime Meridian
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z --PRIME MERIDIAN
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 : Iceland has a great deal of volcanic activity. The reason for this is: w) it was formed above a mid-ocean rift. x) it is part of the "Ring of Fire". y) two tectonic plates are rubbing against each other under Iceland. z) the American plate is diving under the European plate in this region.
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- IT WAS FORMED ABOVE A MID-OCEAN RIFT.
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 : 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 : 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 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 : 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
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 principal mineral in most sand beaches is w) quartz x) orthoclase y) magnetite z) muscovite
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- QUARTZ
Description : The air around a high pressure area circulates: w) clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere x) counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere y) clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere z) in either direction regardless of hemisphere
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- CLOCKWISE IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE