Test your basic knowledge |

Subject : science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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  • Match each statement with the correct term.
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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. The fit of the continents - locations of past glaciations - the distribution of equatorial climatic belts - the distribution of fossils - and matching geologic units.






2. The speed of the movements of the plates with respect to the speed of the other plates' movements. Absolute plate velocity is a measure of the movement of any plates relative to a fixed point in the mantle.






3. Rocks which develop when hot molten rock cools and freezes solid.






4. Sedimentary rock composed of quartz.






5. The layering nature of sedimentary rocks - surface features of layers formed during deposition - and the arrangement of grains within layers.






6. Magma type; contains only about 38% to 45% silica. Extreme form of mafic magma.






7. Highest soil horizon; consists almost entirely of organic matter and contains barely any mineral matter. Surface level has 'litter' and deeper it contains 'humus'. Part of the zone of leaching.






8. A term used for all the physical - chemical - and biological processes that transform sediment into sedimentary rock and that alter characteristics of sedimentary rock one the rock has formed.






9. Molten rock beneath Earth's surface.






10. Type of igneous rock composition; composed of dark silicates and calcium-rich feldspar - referred to as mafic (magnesium and iron). Make up the ocean floor/volcanic islands.






11. Sedimentary rock consisting of cemented together solid fragments and grains derived from preexisting rocks.






12. Soil section below the A-horizon; a soil level that has undergone substantial leaching but has not yet mixed with organic material. Because it lacks organic materials - this horizon tends to be lighter than the A-horizon. Part of the zone of leaching






13. Type of volcano; most are adjacent to the Pacific - larger in size - interbedded lavas and pyroclastics - consist of alternating layers of lava and tephra - most violent type of activity - may produce nuee ardente or lahars.






14. Refers to the chemical reactions that alter or destroy minerals when rock comes in contact with water solutions or air.






15. Places with particularly voluminous quantities of magma erupting or intruding.






16. Type of volcano; built from ejected lava fragments - cone shaped piles of tephra - steep slope angle - smaller in size - frequently occur in groups - deep craters.






17. A sedimentary bed that has developed a reddish color. The red comes from a film of iron oxide (hematite) that forms on grain surfaces.






18. Farther down from a zone of leaching - new mineral crystals precipitate directly out of the water or form when the water reacts with debris - this the region where the new minerals and clay collect.






19. Sphere; Surface water along with groundwater - Earth consists of 70% surface water (oceans - lakes - and streams).






20. The distance of the deepest well ever drilled - hole in northern Russia. Penetrates only about 0.03% of the Earth.






21. The conditions in which sediment was deposited. Examples - beach - glacial - and/or river environments.






22. Rock made by the freezing of magma underground - after it has pushed its way (intruded) into preexisting rock of the crust.






23. Fluid basaltic lava extruded from crustal fractures called fissures.






24. Volcanic landform; steep walled depression at the summit - size exceeds one kilometer in diameter.






25. Type of volcano; broad and slightly domed - primarily made of basaltic lava - large and erupt large volumes of lava. Form from either low viscosity basaltic lava or from large pyroclastic sheets.






26. Rocks that consist of mineral crystals that intergrow when the melt solidifies - interlocking structure. Examples - granite and rhyolite.






27. A process occurring when the sea level rises - the coast migrates inland. Through this - an extensive layer of beach forms.






28. A proposition in 1960 - by Princeton University professor Harry Hess - that continents drift apart because new ocean floor forms between them by this process.






29. Successive turbidity currents deposit successive graded beds - creating this sequence of strata.






30. The removal of soil by running water or by wind.






31. Heat from an intense surface fire bakes and expands the outer layer of the rock. On cooling - the layer contracts - causing the outer part of the rock spall - or break off in sheet-like pieces.






32. Clast size - clast composition - angularity and sphericity - sorting - and character of cement.






33. Active hot-spot volcanoes commonly occur at the end of a chain of dead volcanoes.






34. Type of igneous rock composition; composed of light-colored silicates - very rich in felsic (feldspar and silica). Major constituent of continental crust.






35. Type of magma; low in silica - fluid - crystallize at high temperatures.






36. Physical features of the land surface represented by changes in elevation.






37. Rocks with a fragmental texture consist of igneous fragments that are packed together - welded together - or cemented together after having solidified. Examples - pyroclastic rocks such as tuff or breccia.






38. The shape of the sea floor surface. Investigation of the sea-floor revealed the presence of several important features: mid-ocean ridges - deep-ocean trenches - seamount chains - and fracture zones.






39. The absorption of water into the crystal structure of minerals - causes some minerals to expand.






40. A plate boundary at which one plate slips along the side of another plate. No new plate is formed and no old plate is consumed. But the grinding between the plates generates frequent and destructive earthquakes.






41. Mineral class; consist of a metal cation bonded to a sulfide anion. Examples - galena and pyrite. Many have a metallic luster. Can also be considered ores with high proportions of metal within the mineral.






42. The record of paleomagnetism revealed that the location of Earth's magnetic poles had been changing through geologic time. This 'wandering' meant that Earth's magnetic poles do not move with respect to fixed continents. Rather - continents move relat






43. A thick accumulation of sediment (10-15km) - the surface of this sediment layer is this broad - shallow region.






44. In degrees Celsius - the high temperatures at which igneous rocks freeze; the freezing of liquid melt to form solid igneous rock represents the same phenomenon as the freezing of water - except at much higher temperatures.






45. During the final stages of cooling - lava flows contract and may fracture into roughly hexagonal columns.






46. Mineral crystal formation type; from directly from a vapor - occurs around volcanic vents or around geysers. At such locations - volcanic gases or steam enter the atmosphere and cool - so certain elements cannot remain in gaseous form.






47. Built up deposit of volcanic bombs and lapilli - known as volcanic agglomerate.






48. Distinguishing feature of magma; the process where different magmas formed in different locations from different sources may come in contact within a magma chamber prior to freezing. Thus the originally distinct magmas mix to create a new - different






49. Process where a convergent boundary ceases to exist when a piece of buoyant lithosphere - such as a continent or island arc - moves into the subduction zone. Yield some of the most spectacular mountains/mountain ranges on the planet including the Him






50. Type of sedimentary rock; rocks whose grains are stuck together by cement.