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






2. The Earth radiated heat into space and slowly cooled. Eventually - the early formed sea of lava solidified and formed igneous rock. The cumulative effect of radioactivity has been sufficient to slow the cooling of the planet and subsequently allow fo

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3. Type of soil; forms from sediment that has been carried in from elsewhere. Include those formed from deposits left by rivers - glaciers - or wind.






4. Sedimentary rock composed of calcite or dolomite.






5. Form from grains that break off preexisting rock and become cemented together - or from minerals that precipitate out of a water solution.






6. Distinguishing feature of magma; the composition of the melt reflects the composition of the solid from which it was derived. Not all magmas form from the same source rock - therefore not all magmas have the same compositions.






7. Mineral crystal formation type; form at interfaces between the physical and biological components of the Earth system by this process.






8. The ocean floor is diced up by narrow bands of vertical fractures. Lie roughly at right angles to mid-ocean ridges - effectively segmenting the ridges into small pieces.






9. A reaction during which an element loses electrons - commonly takes place when elements combine with oxygen.






10. Layer that lies below the lithosphere - and is the portion of the mantle in which rock can flow (slowly; 10-15cm per year) despite still being solid. Entirely within the mantle and lies below a depth of 100-150km.






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






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






13. During this process - water chemically reacts with minerals and breaks them down - working faster in slightly acidic water.






14. Physical property of a mineral; represents the density of a mineral - as specified by the ratio between the weight of a volume of the mineral and the weight of an equal volume of water a 4 degrees C.






15. When water is trapped in a joint freezes - it forces the joint open and may cause the joint to grow.






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






17. Layering in metamorphic rocks.






18. Soil section below the O-horizon - humus has decayed further and has mixed with mineral grains (clay - silt - and sand). Water percolating through this horizon causes chemical weathering reactions to occur and produces ions in solution and new clay m






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






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






21. 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.






22. Chemical precipitates; salt deposits formed as a consequence of evaporation. Examples - rock salt and gypsum.






23. Some minerals have distinctive properties - such as calcite which reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to produce carbon dioxide. Dolomite also reacts with acid - graphite can make clear markings - magnetite attracts a magnet - halite tastes salty -






24. Sedimentary rocks consisting of carbon-rich relicts of plants.






25. The rate of increase in temperature - decreases with increasing depth. The dashed lines represent the solidus and liquidus for mantle rock (peridotite). The solidus line defines the conditions of pressure and temperature at Which mantle rock begins t






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






27. Two different minerals which have the same composition but have different crystal structures.






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






29. Mineral crystal formation type; form from a solution - meaning that atoms - molecules - or ions dissolved in water bond together out of water.






30. 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.






31. A process occurring when sea level falls - the coast migrates seaward.






32. A mafic rock with large grains. Intrusive - phaneritic igneous rock.






33. Mineral class; the molecule CO23 serves as the anionic group. Elements like calcium or magnesium bond to this group. Examples - calcite and dolomite.






34. Pea to plum-sized fragments of pyroclastic debris - consists of pumice or scoria fragments.






35. Elongate submarine mountain ranges whose peaks lie only about 2-2.5km below sea level. Consist of a ridge axis - are roughly symmetrical - and can include escarpments - axial troughs - and valleys. Examples - Mid-Atlantic Ridge - East Pacific Rise -






36. A reference to the sinking of the lithosphere; allows for sediment to accumulate in regions where this occurs.






37. Most common mineral on Earth; compose over 95% of the continental crust. Consist of combinations of a fundamental building block called silicon-oxygen tetrahedron - different groups: independent tetrahedra - single chains - double chains - sheet sili






38. A type of soil consisting of about 10-30% clay and the rest silt and sand. Pores remain between grains so that water and air can pass through and roots can easily penetrate.






39. Occurs within the asthenosphere - actively drags plates along and attributes partially for the mechanism shifting the plates along the Earth's surface.






40. Volcanoes that exist as isolated points and appear to be independent of movement at a plate boundary - hot-spot volcanoes. Mostly are located on the interior of plates - away from boundaries.






41. The base of the soil profile; consists of material derived from the substrate that's been chemically weathered and broken apart - but has not yet undergone leaching or accumulation.






42. Hot basaltic lava that erupts with such low viscosity that it can flow tens to hundreds of kilometers across the landscape.






43. Equant - meaning that they have the same dimensions in all directions. Or inequant - meaning their dimensions are not the same in all directions.






44. Type of soil; forms directly from underlying bedrock.






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






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






47. Theory confirmed by 1968 - geologists had developed the complete model of continental drift - sea-floor spreading - and subduction. Within this model - Earth's lithosphere consists of about 20 distinct pieces - or plates - that move relative to each






48. When different rocks in an outcrop undergo weathering at different rates.






49. Tree roots that grow into joints can push those joints open in this process.






50. Refers to the proportions of different chemicals making up the rock - and thus the proportion chemicals affects the proportions of different minerals constituting the rock.