Test your basic knowledge |

Earth Science

Subject : science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. An isolated & steep-sided & rocky mass or island just offshore from a rocky headland & usually on a shore platform.






2. The layer of gases (air) & that surrounds a planet or moon.






3. Mercury is named after the Roman messenger of the gods. It is the closest to the Sun.






4. The theory of Plate Tectonics states that the Earth's crust is fragmented into a dozen or more large and small pieces floating on a semi-molten mantle.






5. Ratio between weight of given volume of material and weight of equal volume of pure water.






6. A narrow strip of land that has water on either side and connects two larger bodies of water.






7. The remains of an extremely massive star pulled into a small volume by the force of gravity.






8. Living parts of the environment that can renew or replace themselves.






9. All of space and everything in it.






10. A broad & mound-like mass of glacier ice that usually spreads radially outward from a central zone.






11. The zones of seismic activity long which plates are in contact.






12. The remains of an extremely massive star pulled into a small volume by the force of gravity.






13. A large volume of dust-sized particles lifted high into the atmosphere.






14. The point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the focus of an earthquake.






15. The area bordering a stream over which water spreads when the stream tops its channel banks.






16. Any of various minerals prized for beauty & durability & and rarity. A few noncrystalline materials of organic origin (e.g. & pearl & red coral & and amber) also are classified as gemstones.






17. A rigid segment of the Earth's lithosphere that moves horizontally and adjoins other plates along zones of seismic activity. Plates may include portions of both continents and ocean basins.






18. The galaxy where Earth is located.






19. A division of geologic time next shorter than a period. Example: the Pleistocene epoch is in the Quaternary period.






20. The color of a mineral in its powdered form obtained from scraping a sample on a ceramic plate






21. The production of living matter by organisms that make food using sunlight or chemicals. Usually expressed as grams of carbon per square meter per year.






22. Of or relating to or containing basalt & a dark & dense & extrusive rock that has a silica content of 40% to 50% and makes up most of the ocean floor.






23. A broad & mound-like mass of glacier ice that usually spreads radially outward from a central zone.






24. The process of one plate descending beneath another.






25. The part of the crust that directly underlies the continents and continental shelves. Averages about 35 km in thickness & but may be over 70 km thick under largest mountain ranges.






26. Flat land covered with tall grass and wildflowers.






27. An accumulation of wind driven sand into a distinctive shape.






28. The oldest eon in Earth history & extending from the origin of the Earth to about 3.9 billion years ago.






29. The accumulation of material in layers or beds.






30. A method of sediment transport in which the turbulence of a fluid is able to keep particles supported in the fluid.






31. Lava extruded beneath water characterized by pillow shapes.






32. The oldest eon in Earth history & extending from the origin of the Earth to about 3.9 billion years ago.






33. A type of volcanic eruption characterized by nuees ardentes and the development of lava domes.






34. A reverse fault on which the dip angle of the fault plane is 15 degrees or less.






35. The layer of gases (air) & that surrounds a planet or moon.






36. The area bordering a stream over which water spreads when the stream tops its channel banks.






37. Occurs at the intersection of the water table with the ground surface.






38. A disease-causing organism or entity & such as a bacterium or virus.






39. The generally dark & more or less stable part of the organic matter in a soil & so well decomposed that the original sources cannot be identified.






40. The current geologic era & which began 66.4 million years ago and continues to the present.






41. A term applied to large areas of basaltic lava presumably extruded from fissures.






42. A statement of relative age in layered rocks: In a series of sedimentary rocks that has not been overturned & the topmost layer is always the youngest and the bottommost layer is always the oldest.






43. A unit of length used in sea navigation based on the length of 1 minute of arc on a great circle. On Earth & 1 minute of latitude.






44. A large & basin-shaped volcanic depression & more or less circular in form. Typically steep-sided & found at the summit of a shield volcano.






45. A sharp bend & loop or turn in a stream's course. When abandoned & it is called a meander scar or an oxbow.






46. A vent in the surface of the Earth & from which lava & ash & and gases erupt.






47. A large volume of dust-sized particles lifted high into the atmosphere.






48. A process of erosion in which wind carries off particles of dust and sand.






49. The sudden fall of one or more large pieces of a rock from a cliff.






50. A substance that produces positively charged hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water.