1. Which of the following is/are most susceptible to chemical weather by dissolution? a. calcite b. Quartz c. iron oxides d.

Clay minerals a. calcite

2. Frost wedging is the major weathering process contributing to the formation of which regolith material? a. mature pedalfers b. talus slopes c. C soil horizons d. tropical laterites b. talus slopes

3. Clay minerals, silica (SiO2), and dissolved potassium bicarbonate in the soil water are products of which process? a. chemical weathering of orthoclase feldspar b. chemical weathering of olivine and plagioclase feldspar c. mechanical weathering of granite and rhyolite d. differential mechanical weathering of micas a. chemical weathering of orthoclase feldspar

4. What two factors speed up rates of chemical reaction and weathering in rocks and soils? a. low temps; very dry b. warm temps; vert moist c. low temps; very moist d. high temps; very dry b. warm temps; very moist

5. In which area are pedocal soils mostly likely to be found? a. a bitterly cold, permafrost area in northern-central Siberia b. a forested area of the Southeastern United States c. a forested rainforest in Amazon Basin of Brazil d. a moderately dry to semiarid grassland such as the western Great Plains

6. The finely divided, red, brown, and yellow soil-coloring minerals originate by what process? a. mechanical weathering of very fine-grained, blue-grays clays b. mechanical weathering of the feldspars and micas in granite and rhyolite c. precipitation of iron oxides during the chemical weathering process d. chemical weathering of quarts and feldspars c. precipitation of iron oxides and during the chemical weathering process

7. Which of the following statements about laterites or tropical rainforest is true? a. laterite soils are very rick in nutrients required for vigorous plant growth b. rainforests generate quickly following clear cutting or clearing for agriculture c. laterites, with proper management, are very suitable for commercial agriculture d. laterite soils readily compact and hardened when dried and exposed to sunlight

8. Which one of the following is an important, mechanical weathering process for enlarging fractures and extending them deeper into large boulder and bedrock? a. eluviation b. oxidation c. frost wedging d. hydrologic cycling

9. Which of the following best describes sets of fractures in relatively fresh bedrock, such as granite, that are roughly parallel to the land surface? a. hydrolytic failures b. columnar joints c. thermal d. sheeting fractures

10. under similar war, moist climatic conditions, what would basalt and gabbro generally have higher chemical weathering rates than rhyloite and granite? a. the plagioclase feldspar in the granite and rhyolite decompose readily to clay minerals and iron oxides. b. the potassium feldspars and quartz in the rhyolite and granite are more susceptible to cracking by frost wedging. c. the quartz in the gabbro and basalt decomposes very quickly

d. the ferromagnesian minerals in the gabbro and basalt are subject to oxidation and chemical weathering

11. Which one of the following statements concerning mechanical weathering is not true? a. disintegration and decomposition of rocks and minerals at the the surface b. is important in the formation of talus slopes c. allows for faster rates of chemical weathering d. involves a major change in the mineral composition of the weathered material

12. Which one of the following statements best describes erosion? a. disintegration and decomposition of rocks and minerals at the surface b. the combined process of leaching, eluviations, and mass wasting c. movement of weathered rock and regolith toward the base of a slope d. the process by which weathered rock and mineral particles are removed from one area and transported elsewhere d. movement of weathered rock and regolith toward the base of a slope

13. Assuming that water filling a crack in a rock undergoes cycles of freezing and melting. Which of the following statements is true? a. water expands as it melts, causing the crack walls to be pushed apart b. water expands as it freezes, causing the crack walls to be pushed apart c. water shrinks as it melts, causing the crack walls to be pulled closer together d. water shrinks as it freezes, causing the crack walls to be drawn closer together b. water expands as it freezes, causing the crack walls to be pushed apart

14. What mineral particles are the dominant coloring agent in reddish, brownish, and yellowish soils? a. dust-sized grains of iron oxides b. very fine-sized, silica and calcite bicarbonates c. soluble potassium and sodium bicarbonates d. humus and calcium carbonate a. dust-sized grains of iron oxides

15. Lateritic soils form under what climatic conditions? a. cool and relatively dry as in the northern Great Plains of the US

b. warm and moist as in the wet, tropical forest c. moist and temperate as in the northeastern US d. hot and dry as in the desert regions of North Africa and Arabia b. warm and moist as in the wet, tropical forest

16. ____, a common mineral found in igneous rocks, is the most abundant mineral in detrital sedimentary rocks. a. biotite b. calcite c. quartz d. orthoclase c. quartz

17. Sandstone (Match the sediment with the appropriate rock name.) a. sand b. clay and fine silt c. gravel d. all clay sediment A. sand

18. Shale (Match the sediment with the appropriate rock name.) a. sand b. clay and fine silt c. gravel d. all clay sediment d. all clay sediment

19. Mudstone (Match the sediment with the appropriate rock name.) a. sand b. clay and fine silt c. gravel d. all clay sediment b. clay and fine silt

20. Conglomerate (Match the sediment with the appropriate rock name.) a. sand b. clay and fine silt c. gravel d. all clay sediment c. gravel

21. Which of the following best describes bedded gypsm and halite? a. detrital sedimentary rocks b. varieties of coal and peat c. evaporates; chemical, sedimentary rocks d. varieties of dolostone c. evaporates; chemical, sedimentary rocks

22. ____ sandstone contains abundant feldspar, suggesting that the sand was derived by weathering and erosion of granitic bedrock. a. quart-rich b. lignitic c. oolitic d. arkosic d. arkosic

23. What is the main difference between a conglomerate and a sedimentary breccia? a. breccia has a compacted, clay-rich matrix; conglomerate have no matrix b. breccia clasts are the size of baseballs; congolmerate clasts are larger c. breccia clasts are angular; conglomerate clasts are rounded d. a breccias is well stratified; a conglomerate is poorly startified c. breccia clasts are angular; conglomerate clasts are rounded

24. Which statement concerning sedimentary rocks is not true? a. they probably show some evidence of stratification b. they may contain fossils that provide clues about ancient life forms c. they were originally deposited at depth below the bottom of the sea d. they are composed of particles and constituents derived from weathering and erosion of other rocks. c. they were originally deposited at depth below the bottom of the sea

25. ____ is not a common cementing agent for sandstones. a. calcite b. quartz c. iron oxides d. fluorite d. fluorite

26. Which of the following applies to the basic constituents of halite, gypsum, and sylvite? a. transported as dissolved ions; deposited as detrital mud b. transported and deposited as mud-sized particles c. transported as detrital mud; deposited by evaporation d. transported as dissolved ions; deposited by evaporation d. transported as dissolved ions; deposited by evaporation

27. Flint, chert, and jasper are microcrystalline forms of ____ a. hematite b. quartz c. halite d. calcite b. quartz

28. Which of the following sedimentary rocks would you expect to have originally been deposited by fast-moving streams? a. greywacke b. conglomerate c. oolitic limestone d. mudstone b. conglomerate

29. Detrital grains of which minerals are extremely rare in detrital sediments? Why? a. clays; they are rare in soils and regoliths b. quartz; it is very hard and soluble c. feldspar; they occur only in granites d. calcites; it is soft and relatively soluble d. calcites; it is soft and relatively soluble

30. Which of the following sedimentary features would typically be found in shales but not in sandstones? a. mudcracks b. bedding c. ripple marks d. cross stratification a. mudcracks

31. ____ is the most common type of chemical sedimentary rock. a. phosphate rock b. limestone c. chert d. quartz sandstone d. limestone

32. Which of the following sedimentary features can each be used to determine paleocurrent directions? a. mud cracks and ripple marks b. fossils and mud cracks c. ripple marks and cross stratification d. grain size sorting and ripple marks c. ripple marks and cross stratification

33. Coal beds originate in a. shallow lakes in a dry, desert regions b. deep, marine basins below wave action c. freshwater costal swamps and bogs d. channels of fast-moving streams c. freshwater costal swamps and bogs

34. Which of the following forms is at the highest grade of regional metamorphism? a. schist b. hornsfel c. phyllite

d. slate ??

35. What platy, parallel, mineral grains are the most visual aspect of foliated metamorphic rocks? a. micas b. quartz c. carbonates d. feldspar a. micas

36. What major change occurs during metamorphism of limestone to marble? a. calcite grains are dissolved away leaving only marble crystals b. clays crystallize to micas, forming a highly foliated, mica-rick rock c. limestone grains react to form quartz and feldspar d. calcite grains grow larger and increase in size d. calcite grains grow larger and increase in size

37. Which low-grade metamorphic rock, composed of extremely fine-sized mica and other mineral grains, typically exhibits well-developed rock cleavage? a. slate b. schist c. quartzite d. hornsfel a. slate

38. _____ is a strong, parallel alignment of coarse mice flakes and/or of different mineral bands in a metamorphic rock. a. marbleizing b. foliation c. stress streaking d. rock cleavage d. foliation

39. Which of the following best describes the conditions of contact metamorphism? a. heat is generated by shearing and mechanical movements along faults

b. depths are fairly shallow, but temperatures and pressures are so high that the rocks begin to partially melt c. pressures are very high, the rock is deeply buried, and temperatures are raised by the Earth's internal heat d. pressures are fairly low, the rock is in the upper part of the crust, and heat is supplied from a nearby magma body d. pressures are fairly low, the rock is in the upper part of the crust, and heat is supplied from a nearby magma body

40. ____ forms from the metamorphism of limestone or dolostone a. quartzite b. marble c. migmatite d. amphibolite b. marble

41. ___ is characterized by segregation of light-and dark-colored minerals into thin layers or bands. a. granitic gneiss b. slate c. garnet hornfels d. quartzite a. granitic gneiss

42. Which of the following lists the rocks in order of increasing grain size and increasing grade of metamorphism? a. schist, slate, phyllite b. phyllite, slate, schist c. slate, schist, phyllite d. slate, phyllite, schist d. slate, phyllite, schist

43. What is the major source of heat for contact metamorphism? a. heat from grinding and shearing on faults b. heat from a nearby magma body c. deep burial and heat from the Earth's interior

d. heat from the spontaneous decomposition of micas and feldspar b. heat from a nearby magma body

44. In which setting would regional metamorphism be most likely? a. at shallow depths beneath the sea floor where water pressures are immense b. at shallow depths along major transform faults in the continental crust c. at shallow depths below an oceanic ridge or rift zone d. at great depths in the crust where two continents are colliding d. at great depths in the crust where two continents are colliding

45. An Unconformity is a buried a. fault or fracture with older rocks above and younger rocks below b. surface of erosion with older strata above and younger strata below c. fault or fracture with younger strata above and older strata below d. surface of erosion separating younger strata above from older strata below d. surface of erosion separating younger strata above from older strata below

46. The radioactive isotopes Uranium-238, Uranium-235, and Thorium-232 eventually decay to different, stable, daughter isotopes of a. lead b. aragon c. iron d. strontium a. lead

47. What fundamental concept states that in a horizontal sequence of conformable sedimentary strata, each higher bed is younger than the bed below it? a. law of superposition b. theory of correlative deposition c. theory of supersition d. law or original correleation a. law of superposition

48. The ____ is the idea or concept that ancient life forms succeeded each other in a definite, evolutionary pattern and that the contained assemblage of fossils can determine geologic ages

of strata? a. law of fossil regression b. principle of cross correlation c. principle of faunal succession d. law or correlative indexing c. principle of faunal succession

49. ____ refers to the process of fossilization where the internal cavities and pores of the original organism are filled with precipitated mineral matter. a. carbonization b. replacement c. petrification d. impression c. petrification

50. What is the age of the earth accepted by most scientists today? a. 6.4 million years b. 4.5 billion years c. 4.5 million years d. 6.4 billions years b. 4.5 billion years