Earth History and Global Change

GEOL-1122    Spring 2014

PRACTICE for LECTURE TEST #3

 

Name __________________________

PART I - Multiple Guess (46 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) 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

 

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 fusion of hydrogen into helium.

      c) It is estimated to be 5 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 of the Universe and background noise in space from the explosion

      b) Overall composition of the Universe and rotational energy of stars and nebula

      c) Observed expansion of the Universe and observed background radiation in space

      d) Remnant sound waves and broken fragments of the proto-universe found 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) It formed at the same time as the Milky Way Galaxy and Universe.

      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) Which of the following statements concerning granulites is correct?

      a) They were only formed during the Archean.

      b) They are high-grade metamorphic rocks often with granitic compositions.

      c) They formed at low pressures and high temperatures.

      d) All of the above

 

8) Which of the following statements concerning photochemical dissociation is correct?

      a) It resulted from the interaction of ultraviolent radiation and water in the atmosphere.

      b) It is believed to have formed the ozone layer of the atmosphere.

      c) It is believed to have formed approximately 2% of the free oxygen in the atmosphere and oceans.

      d) All of the above

 

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

      a) Hematite layers

      b) Interbedded chert

      c) Proterozoic age

      d) All of the above

 

10) Which of the following is a common Proterozoic rock type that indicates large stable continental landmasses had formed by this time?

      a) Hematite-rich mudstone

      b) Quartz-rich sandstone

      c) Sulfide-rich shale

      d) All of the above

 

11) How are humans currently changing the atmosphere?

      a) Increasing the amount of carbon dioxide

      b) Increasing the thickness of the ozone layer

      c) Increasing the amount of nitrogen

      d) All of the above

 

12) Which of the following is commonly used as evidence that there was no free oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere during the Archean?

      a) Absence of Archean redbeds

      b) Absence of Archean banded iron formations

      c) Presence of widespread uranium- and sulfide-rich Archean sediments

      d) All of the above

 

13) 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

 

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

      a) Proteins

      b) Water

      c) Carbohydrates

      d) Nucleic Acids

 

15) Which of the following is 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

 

16) The age of the oldest eukaryote fossils is:

      a) Archean

      b) Proterozoic

      c) Paleozoic

      d) Mesozoic

 

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

      a) Hydrogen

      b) Helium

      c) Nitrogen

      d) Oxygen

 

18) Chemosynthesizers, the most primitive living organisms and proposed earliest life form, are found today at:

      a) Desert lakes

      b) Deep-sea volcanic vents

      c) Organic reefs

      d) Polar ice caps

     

19) Which of the following was synthesized by Stanley Miller in the lab?

      a) Amino acids

      b) Monomers

      c) Simple organic compounds

      d) All of the above

 

20) Which of the following statements concerning the Taconic Orogeny is correct?

      a) It formed mountains along northeastern North America.

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

      c) It occurred in the Ordovician Period.   

      d) All of the above

 

21) Which of the following continental landmasses collided during the Acadian Orogeny?

      a) Laurentia and Baltica

      b) Gondwana and Laurasia

      c) Gondwana and Laurentia

      d) Laurasia and Baltica

 

22) Which of the following are an unusual collection of late Proterozoic soft-bodied fossils that indicate life was more complex at this time than originally proposed?

      a) Solenhofen Limestone Fossils

      b) Burgess Shale Fossils

      c) Ediacarian Fossils

      d) All of the above

 

23) Which of the following is the proto-Atlantic ocean that separated Laurentia and Baltica?

      a) Panthalass

      b) Iapetus

      c) Indian

      d) Caribbean

 

 

PART II - Guess in the Blanks (44 pts. - 2 pts. each question)

 

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

 

25-26) Define a light year. ___________________________________________________

      How far is the moon from the Earth in light years? ______________________________

      What is the minimum estimated size of the Universe in light years? _________________

 

27) The ______________________ Effect is used as evidence that the Universe is expanding at a high rate.

 

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

     Archean: ___________________________________________

    Proterozoic: _________________________________________

 

29) The boundary between the Archean and Proterozoic is recognized in the rock record by

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________.

 

30-31) List two major lines of geologic evidence that indicate the Archean landmasses were small volcanic islands and not large continental landmasses.

      a) __________________________________________________________________

      b) __________________________________________________________________

 

32) Explain how it is proven that amino acids on certain carbonaceous meteorites are extraterrestrial and not contamination. ___________________________________________________________________________________________.

 

33-34) Describe how the Chattanooga Shale formed and why it is important. _____________

      _______________________________________________________________________

      _______________________________________________________________________

 

35) Explain why evolutionary change was so slow during the Archean even though abundant life was present.      _______________________________________________________________________________________

 

36-37) List the five major continental landmasses that were present at the beginning of the Paleozoic.  ___________________, ___________________, ___________________, ____________________, and ____________________.

 

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

 

39) The Precambrian accounts for ____________% of Earth history.

 

40) List the three major rocks types that are deposited during a transgression in the correct order from oldest to youngest.

                  Youngest _________________________

                                    _________________________

                     Oldest   _________________________

 

41-42) The third and last episode of Appalachian Mountain building that occurred in the Permian and Pennsylvanian was called the ___________________ Orogeny.  It result from the collision of _____________________ and _____________________.

 

43-44) The two major causes of the change in sea level and the formation of epicontinental seas are _______________________________ and ___________________________ .

 

45) Describe how cyclothems form and why they are economically important. _______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Extra Credit (2pts): Stromatolites are a type of blue-green algae also known as_____________________ which belong to the ___________________ Kingdom of life forms.

 

 

 



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_   

                                         _________