Earth History and Global Change

GEOL-1122    Fall 2009

PRACTICE for LECTURE TEST #3

 

 

Name __________________________

PART I - Multiple Guess (42 pts. - 2 pts each question)

1) Obler’s Paradox indicates that the Universe has definite limits based on:

      a) The observed expansion of surrounding galaxies

      b) Black areas between the most distant galaxies

      c) Mathematical calculations based on gravitational measurements

      d) Information obtained from aliens that were interrogated by the CIA and FBI

 

2) Which of the following best describes the Milky Way?

      a) A rotating spiral-shaped galaxy

      b) A non-rotating irregular-shaped galaxy

      c) A rotating elliptical-shaped galaxy

      d) A non-rotating disc-shaped galaxy

 

3) Which of the following is a characteristic of the Sun?

      a) It is in the main sequence stage of stellar development.

      b) Energy is produced through fission of helium into hydrogen.

      c) It is 13 to 20 billion years old.

      d) All of the above

 

4) The two major lines of evidence that support the Big Bang Theory are:

      a) Overall shape and randomness of the Universe

      b) Composition and rotational energy of stars

      c) Observed expansion and background radiation in space

      d) Remnant sound waves and debris in space

 

5) Which of the following is a characteristic of our Solar System?

      a) The inner and outer planets have similar compositions but much different sizes.

      b) The Sun rotates once approximately every 25 days on an axis that is nearly perpendicular to the plane of planetary orbits.

      c) The distance from the Sun to the outermost planet Neptune is approximately 1,000 light years.

      d) All of the above

 

6) The Nebular Hypothesis explains which of the following characteristics of the earth?

      a) Composition of the current atmosphere

      b) Difference in the composition of the core and mantle

      c) Origin of mountain belts like the Himalayas and Alps

      d) All of the above

 

7) The widely-accepted 4.6 billion year age for the earth is based on:

      a) Fossil ages from oldest moon and earth rocks

      b) Radiometric ages of moon rocks and meteorites

      c) Isotopic ages of the oldest metamorphic rocks

      d) Estimates of cooling rates for the earth and other planets

 

8) The Hadean or pre-geologic time was characterized by which of the following conditions?

      a) High crustal temperatures

      b) Large continental landmasses

      c) Widespread fires

      d) All of the above

 

9) Which of the following statements concerning granulites is correct?

      a) They are mostly Archean in age.

      b) They formed when crustal temperatures were higher.

      c) They formed at low pressures but high temperatures.

      d) All of the above

 

10) Which of the following is commonly used as evidence that free oxygen appeared in the atmosphere during the Proterozoic?

      a) Appearance of redbeds

      b) Appearance of greenstones

      c) Appearance of uranium- and sulfide-rich sediments

      d) All of the above

 

11) Which of the following is a typical characteristic of Banded Iron Formations?

      a) Hematite (iron oxide) layers

      b) Interbedded chert

      c) Proterozoic age

      d) All of the above

 

12) Which of the following is believed to have been responsible for the formation of Earth’s oceans and its earliest atmosphere?

      a) Carbonate dissolution

      b) Volcanic degassing

      c) Soil dehydration

      d) All of the above

 

13) Which of the following compounds serves as energy supply and storage in life forms?

      a) Proteins

      b) Water

      c) Carbohydrates

      d) Nucleic Acids

      e) Glutamates

 

14) Which of the following is a commonly used as evidence of lower crustal temperatures in the Proterozoic?

      a) Absence of granulites

      b) Presence of widespread glacial deposits

      c) Decrease in abundance of volcanic rocks

      d) All of the above

 

15) Earth’s ozone most likely formed by:

      a) Photosynthesis

      b) Hydrolysis

      c) Photochemical dissociation

      d) Volcanic degassing

 

16) There was minimal evolutionary change in the Archean because:

      a) Only prokaryotes existed for much of this time.

      b) There was an absence of water.

      c) Solar radiation (sunlight) was much weaker.

      d) All of the above

 

17) The age of the oldest eukaryote fossils are:

      a) Archean

      b) Proterozoic

      c) Paleozoic

      d) Mesozoic

 

18) Which of the following is not one of the 4 most abundant elements found in life forms?

      a) Hydrogen

      b) Calcium

      c) Nitrogen

      d) Oxygen

 

19) Which of the following is a large component of most continents that consists of Precambrian basement rocks overlain by flat-lying sedimentary sequences?

      a) Continental Shield

      b) Stable platform

      c) Mobile belt

      d) Peneplain

       

20) Which of the following statements concerning the Taconic Orogeny is not correct?

      a) It formed mountains along eastern North America.

      b) It was the first episode of Appalachian Mountain building.

      c) It caused extensive regional metamorphism along eastern Georgia

      d) It occurred in the Ordovician Period.  

 

21) Which of the following oceans was destroyed during the Alleghanian (Appalachian) Orogeny?

      a) Panthalass

      b) Iapetus

      c) Indian

      d) Mediterranean

 

PART II - Guess in the Blanks (48 pts. - 2 pts. each question)

 

22) Write a definition of for the Universe. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

23-24) Describe the proposed (and most widely accepted) composition and age of the

      universe?

      Composition: Mostly _________________________________________

      Age: ___________________________(Give units.)

 

25) What is the name of the nearest galaxy to our Milky Way? ________________________

 

26) Define a light year. _______________________________________________________

 

27) Provide the age ranges (including units) for the following:

     Archean: ___________________________________________

    Proterozoic: _________________________________________

 

28) The boundary between the Archean and Proterozoic is recognized by the appearance of _________________________________ .

 

29-30) Describe Greenstone Belts and what they indicate about the Archean.

      ____________________________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________________________

 

31-33) (6 points) Describe the two most important changes that modern civilization is causing to the atmosphere.  Also describe the long-term effect of these changes.

      a) ___________________________________________________________________

            __________________________________________________________________

      b) ___________________________________________________________________

            __________________________________________________________________

 

34-35) Define chemosynthesizers and explain why they are believed to be the oldest life forms.

      _________________________________________________________________

      _______________________________________________________________________

 

36) Explain why evolution occurred at a much faster rate after eucaryotes appeared.     

      _______________________________________________________________________

 

37) Give an example of a modern mobile belt found on South America. _________________

 

38-39) List the five major continental landmasses that were present at the beginning of the Paleozoic.  _________________, _________________, _________________, _________________, and _________________.

 

40) _____________________ is the supercontinent that formed by the end of the Paleozoic?

 

41-42) What were the Ediacarian Fossils?  Why are they important? ___________________

      _______________________________________________________________________

      _______________________________________________________________________

 

43) The second major episode of Appalachian Mountain building that occurred in the Devonian was called the ___________________ Orogeny

 

44-45) The two major causes of the change in sea level and the formation of epicontinental seas are _______________________________ and ___________________________ .

 

 

PART III - Geologic Time Scale (10 pts. - 1 point each blank)

  Fill in the correct Era or Period name for each blank.

 

                  ERA

 

             PERIOD

 

              EPOCH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 __ ________________

 

 

                Quaternary   

 

 

 

                   Neogene    

 

 

 

 

     Paleogene      

 

   Holocene

 

   Pleistocene

 

   Pliocene

 

   Miocene

 

   Oligocene

 

   Eocene

 

   Paleocene

 

 

 

     _________________        

 

 

       

 

 

 ____Cretaceous_____

 

         Jurassic                 

 

          Triassic                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         ______________

 

 ____Permian________

 

 ___________________

 

 ___________________

 

 ___________________

 

 ___________________

 

  __________________

  

 ___________________

 

 

 

 

                                        Proterozoic    

  Precambrian_   

                                         _________        

 

 

 

Extra Credit (2pts): What is the name of the continental landmass that formed as a result of

     the Acadian Orogeny? ______________________