___________________________________

NAME

Earth Sciences 1301

Exam 1

September 22, 2014

Select one best answer for scantron:

1. Which one of these is not one of the Earths four "spheres"?
a. Tectosphere
b. Atmosphere
c. Geosphere
d. Hydrosphere
e. Biosphere
2. Geologists estimate that the Earth formed approximately _____________ years ago.
a. 4.6 million
b. 4.6 billion
c. 4.6 trillion
d. 6.4 billion
e. 6000
3. We now have evidence of life dating back to approximately ____________ Ga.
a. 4.6
b. 4.0
c. 3.8
d. 1.5
e. 0.6
4. The geosphere consists of three major layers: the core, mantle, and _______________.
a. Aesthenosphere
b. Oceans
c. Crust
d. Continents
e. Lithosphere
5. The central portion of the Earth, called the core, contains a solid layer (sphere) surrounded by
a ______________ layer.
a. Watery
b. Mushy
c. Rocky
d. Frozen
e. Molten
6. The __________________ includes all of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle.
a. Tectosphere
b. Moho
c. Aesthenosphere
d. Lithosphere
e. Mesosphere
7. The Hydrosphere contains all of Earths __________________.
a. Water
b. Air
c. Life
d. Ice
e. Solid rock

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8. Oceans cover __________ % of the Earths surface and contain about _________ % of its
total water.
a. 10%
b. 71%
c. 71%
d. 97.5%
e. 97.5%

90%
71%
97.5%
71%
97.5%

9. Only about __________ % of Earth's water is freshwater.

a. 2.5%
b. 10%
c. 35%
d. 45%
e. 50%

10. Name the four major components of the Earth's Atmosphere:

a. C O2
Ar
CO2
b. N2 O2
Ar
CO2
c. Si O2
Mg
Al
d. Fe Ni
Mg
CO2
e. N2 O2
Ne
CO2
11. The Biosphere is the realm of all _________________ organisms.
a. Extinct
b. Fossil
c. Land
d. Marine
e. Living
12. Who is called the "Father of Modern Geology?"
a. Kramer (Yes, he is that old!)
b. Hutton
c. Lyell
d. Darwin
e. Rumpelstiltskin
13. ___________________________ is a principle stating that the geologic processes active in the
past are the same processes active today.
a. Darwinism
b. Evolution
c. Huttonism
d. Uniformitarianism
e. Creationism
14. ___________________________ is a principle that states that occasional huge catastrophes
alter the course of Earth's history.
a. Vulcanism
b. Catastrophism
c. Huttonism
d. Uniformitarianism
e. #@!%* happens

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15. All of these are steps in the application of the scientific method except:
a. Observation of phenomena in the natural world (gathering of facts)
b. Formation of a hypothesis to explain observed phenomena or facts
c. Testing of hypothesis
d. Construction of a theory when all scientists in a particular field agree with you
e. Construction of a theory when tests or observations repeatedly confirm your hypothesis
16. Scientific theories must have all of these characteristics except:
a. Capable of prediction
b. All scientists in that field of study must agree
c. Can explain the data
d. Capable of being proven wrong (falsifiable)
e. Capable of being completely overturned
17. Which one of these is an area that science can address?
a. Phenomena in the natural world
b. Honor
c. Religious faith
d. Justice
e. Esthetics
18. Which one of these is a limitation to scientific knowledge?
a. The properties of the natural world
b. The instruments available to extend human senses
c. The paradigms that guide scientific inquiry
d. Socially imposed missions
e. All of the above
19. What are the two possible sources of Earth's water?
a. Water from accretion during the formation of the Earth
b. Comet and/or water-rich asteroid impacts with the Earth after the Moon-forming impact
c. Combination of water from accretion and comet and/or water-rich asteroid impacts
d. Volcanic eruptions
e. Scientists dont have any good hypotheses
20. Oceanic crust is mostly composed of the igneous volcanic rock _________________.
a. Granite
b. Basalt
c. Rhyolite
d. Andesite
e. Obsidian
21. The average thickness of oceanic crust is about __________ km.
a. 1-2
b. 4-7
c. 10-12
d. 20-40
e. 100

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22. A continuous mountain chain connected across the globe, about ~80,000 km (50,000 miles)
long is called the:
a. Rift valley
b. Volcanic arc
c. Mid-Ocean Ridge system
d. Subduction zone
e. None of the above
23. What happens at the mid-ocean ridges?
a. Oceanic crust is destroyed in subduction zones
b. Oceanic crust is created by volcanic activity
c. Oceanic crust is both created and destroyed
d. Continental crust is created by volcanic activity
e. None of the above
24. How does the rate of sea-floor spreading affect sea-level?
a. Sorry, the rate of sea-floor spreading does not affect sea-level
b. Slow spreading causes a lower sea-floor and therefore lower sea level
c. Fast spreading causes a lower sea-floor and therefore lower sea level
d. Fast spreading causes a higher sea-floor and therefore higher sea level
e. Both b. and d. are correct
25. What are black smokers?
a. Sea-floor volcanoes
b. Sea-floor springs of black metal/sulfide-rich water at ~400oC
c. Springs of black metal/sulfide-rich water found only in Iceland
d. A common fish found at mid-ocean ridges
e. Cigarettes found only in Colorado
26. How do deep-sea trenches form?
a. They start as continental rifts
b. Usually from meteorite impacts
c. They are narrow, often deep, depressions formed along mid-ocean ridges
d. They are narrow, often deep, depressions formed along subduction zones
e. Scientists dont have a clue
27. A circular coral reef that forms a ring of islands around a central lagoon is a/an ___________.
a. Caldera
b. Hoodoo
c. Yardang
d. Aadvark
e. Atoll
28. Continental margins on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean are __________ continental margins.
a. Tectonic
b. Active
c. Passive
d. Subducting
e. Regressive

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29. What is an active continental margin?
a. Where continental and oceanic crust are joined with no tectonic activity
b. Where continental and oceanic crust are joined along subduction zones
c. A continental margin with no mountains
d. A continental margin with a very wide continental shelf
e. A continental margin with many submarine canyons
30. How do submarine canyons form?
a. Deep valleys formed along mid-ocean ridges
b. Deep valleys associated with subduction zones
c. Deep valleys formed by meteorite impacts
d. Deep valleys eroded by rivers, like the Grand Canyon
e. Deep valleys eroded into the continental shelf by turbidity currents
31. Define salinity:
a. Total amount of dissolved salts in seawater expressed as volume, like cubic centimeters
b. Total amount of only dissolved NaCl in seawater expressed as a percentage
c. Total amount of all dissolved salts in seawater expressed as a percentage
d. Total amount of all dissolved gasses in seawater expressed as a percentage
e. Total amount of all dissolved salts and gasses in seawater expressed as a percentage
32. What is the average salinity of the oceans?
a. 35 0/00 (ppt)
b. 35 0/0 (pph)
c. 350 0/00 (ppt)
d. 350 0/0 (pph)
e. 70 0/00 (ppt)
33. What causes tides in the oceans?
a. Gravitational attraction of only the Sun
b. Gravitational attraction of only the Moon
c. Gravitational attraction of both the Sun and Moon
d. Gravitational attraction of both the Sun, the Moon, and all of the planets
e. The wind blowing across the open ocean
34. What kind of tides do we typically experience along the Texas Gulf coast?
a. Diurnal
b. Semidiurnal
c. Mixed
d. Gravitational
e. We dont have tides along the Texas Gulf coast
35. How often do spring tides and neap tides occur?
a. Spring tides occur in the Spring, neap tides occur in the Fall
b. Both occur once a year at varying times
c. Both occur twice a year
d. Both occur once a month
e. Both occur twice a month

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36. Where is the worlds highest daily tidal range?
a. Gulf of Mexico
b. Bay of Fundy, Canada
c. Hudson Bay, Canada
d. Normandy Coast, France
e. Hawaii
37. What is the main cause of sea waves?
a. Gravitational attraction of the Sun
b. Gravitational attraction of the Moon
c. Gravitation attraction of the Sun and Moon
d. The wind blowing across the open ocean
e. Earthquakes on the seafloor
38. The highest part of a wave is called the:
a. Trough
b. Crest
c. Wavelength
d. Wave height
e. Wave base
39. The distance between adjacent crests or troughs of a wave is called:
a. Trough
b. Crest
c. Wavelength
d. Wave height
e. Wave base
40. Describe the movement of water and objects floating in the water during passage of a wave:
a. They move forward
b. They move backward
c. They dont move at all
d. Circular oscillationthey move in circles that get smaller in deeper water
e. They bob straight up and straight down as the wave passes
41. How are ocean currents different from ocean waves?
a. There is no difference
b. Currents are a nearshore feature only, waves occur in the open ocean
c. Waves are a nearshore feature only, currents occur in the open ocean
d. Currents have continuous flow of water in a given direction, waves don't
e. Waves have continuous flow of water in a given direction, currents don't
42. What warm-water surface current flows out of the Gulf of Mexico?
a. Mexico Stream
b. Coriolis Stream
c. Gulf Stream
d. Florida Stream
e. Sorry, there is no warm-water surface current flowing out of the Gulf of Mexico

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43. What two factors affect water density, causing it to become dense and sink?
a. Temperature (cooler is denser) and salinity (more salt is denser)
b. Temperature (warmer is denser) and salinity (more salt is denser)
c. Temperature (cooler is denser) and salinity (less salt is denser)
d. Temperature (warmer is denser) and salinity (less salt is denser)
e. Sorry, only one factor affects water density--current speed
44. What causes waves to break?
a. Whenever the wind causes a waves height to reach about 10 feet, it breaks
b. When a waves depth touches bottom nearshore, the wave oversteepens and falls
c. When a waves depth lifts off the bottom nearshore, the wave oversteepens and falls
d. When a waves hits a seawall it breaks
e. When waves from different directions collide in the open ocean, they break
45. List three factors that affect global (Eustatic) sea-level:
a. Growth or melting of glaciers
b. Changes water volume via thermal expansion/contraction due to water temperature
c. Changes in volumes of mid-ocean ridges-rapid spreading causes sea-level to rise
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
46. When waves strike a shoreline at an angle, they form a ____________________ current that
flows close to and parallel with the shoreline.
a. Tidal
b. Longshore
c. Surface
d. Density
e. Beach
47. What are the two zones into which a beach is divided?
a. High tide and low tide
b. Foreshore and backshore
c. Subtidal and intertidal
d. Sandy and rocky
e. Emergent and submergent
48. One of these is not one of the 4 common features of sandy coastlines. Which one?
a. Spit
b. Sea arch
c. Baymouth bar
d. Barrier island
e. Lagoon
49. Which is the longest barrier island in the world?
a. Fire Island, New York
b. Great Barrier Island, Australia
c. Padre Island, Texas
d. Matagorda Island, Texas
e. Bull Island, South Carolina

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50. What is the primary purpose of a jetty?
a. To provide a good ship harbor
b. To provide a good place to fish
c. To protect the beach from wave erosion
d. To assist the flow of sand along shore by longshore currents
e. To stop the flow of sand along shore by longshore currents
52. What is the primary purpose of a seawall?
a. To provide a good ship harbor
b. To provide a good place to fish
c. To prevent the erosion of the shoreline by waves
d. To assist the flow of sand along shore by longshore currents
e. To stop the flow of sand along shore by longshore currents
53. What is the name of the northernmost coral reef in the Unites States?
a. Andros Island, Bahamas
b. Cape Cod, Massachusetts
c. Gulf of Mexico Flower Gardens coral reef
d. Gulf of Mexico Rock Gardens coral reef
e. Gulf of Mexico Sigsbee coral reef
54. During the past 40,000 years, sea level has fluctuated by more than ___________ meters.
a. 20
b. 80
c. 150
d. 600
e. 1500
55. Sea level fluctuation of the past 40,000 years is primarily due to growth and melting of ______.
a. Icebergs
b. Snowfields
c. Glaciers
d. Sea ice
e. Salt domes

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Label the numbered features, between the arrows, of the Padre Island beach profile:

(1.) 56 . a. Subtidal

b. Intertidal
c. Supratidal
d. Beach
e. Dunes

(6.) 61. a. Vegetated barrier flat

b. Fore-island dune ridge

c. Blowout dune complex
d. Back-island dune field
e. Wind-tidal flat

(2.) 57. a. Subtidal

b. Intertidal
c. Supratidal
d. Beach
e. Dunes

(7.) 62. a. Vegetated barrier flat

(3.) 58. a. Coppice dunes

b. Fore-island dune ridge
c. Blowout dune complex
d. Back-island dune field
e. Wind-tidal flat

(8.) 63. a. Vegetated barrier flat

(4.) 59. a. Coppice dunes

b. Fore-island dune ridge
c. Blowout dune complex
d. Back-island dune field
e. Wind-tidal flat

(9.) 64. a. Fore-island dune ridge

(5.) 60. a. Coppice dunes

b. Fore-island dune ridge
c. Blowout dune complex
d. Back-island dune field
e. Wind-tidal flat

(10.) 65. a. Dunes

b. Fore-island dune ridge

c. Blowout dune complex
d. Back-island dune field
e. Wind-tidal flat

b. Fore-island dune ridge

c. Blowout dune complex
d. Back-island dune field
e. Wind-tidal flat

b. Blowout dune complex

c. Back-island dune field
d. Wind-tidal flat
e. Lagoon

b. Potholes
c. Freshwater ponds
d. Meteor craters
e. Sinkholes