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 freely pivoting up and down compass needle's angle of tilt relative to the location upon the Earth's surface. At the equator - the specialized magnetic needle would position horizontally and at a magnetic pole it would point straight down.






2. Type of magma; high silica content - viscous - liquid at temperatures as low as 700 degrees C.






3. Natural cracks that form in rocks due to removal of overburden or due to cooling.






4. 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.






5. Develops because mid-ocean ridges lie at a higher elevation than the adjacent abyssal plains of the ocean. The surface of the sea floor overall slopes away from the ridge axis. Gravity causes the elevated lithosphere at the ridge axis to push on the






6. Forms when clots of lava fly into the air in lava fountains and then freeze to form solid chunks before hitting the ground. Some forms when the explosion of a volcano shatters preexisting rock and ejects the fragments over the countryside.






7. Cause of melting; when magma rises up from the mantle into the crust - it brings heat with it which raises the temperature of the surrounding crustal rock - and in some cases melting occurs.






8. Magma type; contains about 45% to 52% silica. Named because it produces rock containing abundant mafic minerals - magnesium and iron combinations.






9. Layering in metamorphic rocks.






10. Molten rock that has flowed out onto Earth's surface.






11. A felsic rock with large grains. Intrusive - phaneritic igneous rock.






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






13. Volcanic landform; pipes are short conduits that connect a magma chamber to the surface.






14. 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.






15. Physical property of a mineral; refers to the way a mineral surface scatters light. Metallic versus non-metallic in nature.






16. Center of the Earth - consists mainly of iron alloy.






17. 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.






18. A single layer of sediment or sedimentary rock with a recognizable top and bottom.






19. Magma type; contains about 66% to 76% silica. Name reflects the occurrence of feldspar and quartz in rocks formed in this magma.






20. 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






21. 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.






22. Process occurring after sediment has been compacted - can then be bounded together to make coherent sedimentary rock. Binding material consists of minerals (commonly quartz or calcite).






23. 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.






24. Iron (35%) - oxygen (30%) - silicon (15%) - and magnesium (10%) - and the remaining 10% consists of 88 naturally occurring elements.






25. Alfred Wegener's suggestion that the positions of the continents change through time as they drift away from each other. The flaw was that he lacked a plausible moving mechanism.






26. Sedimentary rocks made up of minerals that precipitate directly from water solutions.






27. Perhaps the cause for the large igneous provinces; formations within the mantle - plumes that bring up vastly more hot asthenosphere than normal plumes.






28. 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.






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






30. Process where new divergent boundaries form when a continent splits and separates into two continents.






31. Mineral class; consist of metal cations bonded by oxygen anions. Examples - hematite and magnetite. Some contain a relatively high proportion of metal atoms - and thus are ore minerals.






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






33. The fit of the continents - locations of past glaciations - the distribution of equatorial climatic belts - the distribution of fossils - and matching geologic units.






34. Sedimentary rock composed of clay.






35. Weathering - erosion - transportation - deposition - and lithification.






36. 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.






37. Lava flow; associated with felsic magma - consists of ash and pumice fragments - material is propelled from the vent at a high speed.






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






39. Because different soil-forming processes operate at different depths - soils typically develop into these distinct zones. These zones can be arranged vertically into a soil profile.






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






41. The difference between the expected strength of the Earth's main field at a certain location and the actual measure strength of the magnetic field at that location. Places where the field strength is stronger that expected are positive anomalies - an






42. The resistance to flow of magma. Reflects its distinct silica content - for silica tends to polymerize - meaning it links up to form long - chainlike molecules whose presence slows down the flowing ability of magma. Thus felsic magmas flow less easil






43. Sublayer of the mantle - depth of 660km.






44. Aggregates of mineral crystals or grains - and masses of natural glass; a coherent - naturally occurring solid - consisting of an aggregate of minerals or a mass of glass.






45. Factors; the depth of the intrusion - the deeper - the more slowly it cools. The shape and size of a magma body - the greater the surface area - the faster it cools. The presence of circulating groundwater - water passing through cools magma faster.






46. 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






47. Forms a 2885-km-thick layer surrounding the core. In terms of volume - it is the largest part of the Earth. It consists entirely of ultramafic rock - peridotite.






48. 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.






49. Natural bond connecting rocks; mineral material that precipitates from water and fills the space between grains.






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