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Final Chadhuri
geology final
84
Geology
Undergraduate 1
05/01/2012

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Term
Isotopes of an element are atoms of the element but with
Definition
different number of neutrons
Term
The land plants evolved about
Definition
425 million years ago
Term
The first time coal beds appeared abundantly was
Definition
about 300 million years ago
Term
The extinction of dinosaurs occurred about
Definition
66 million years ago
Term
Shell bearing organisms appeared
Definition
570 million years ago
Term
The oldest terrestrial rocks have an isotopic age of
Definition
3.8 billion years
Term
Oxygen isotope method cannot be used to date geological materials because
Definition
all common natural isotopes are oxygen stable
Term
Mineral that cannot be dated by potassium-argon isotope method
Definition
quartz
Term
The stable isotopes produced from decay of uranium isotopes are
Definition
lead isotopes
Term
Carbon-14 method of dating can be applied to
(mineral)
Definition
calcite
Term
Carbon-14 method of dating is limited to organisms if they are younger than
Definition
80,000 years
Term
Carbon-14 age may not correspond to dates obtained from counting tree rings because
Definition
neutron flux from the fsun that has been necessary to produce carbon-14 isotope in the past may not have been the same as that involved in recent time
Term
The third most abundant gas in our atmosphere is argon. The most abundant isotope of this element in the air is traced to the decay of
Definition
potassium-40 isotope
Term
The following is produced from the decay of carbon-14
Definition
nitrogen-14
Term
Disconformity within a sequence of strata can be established by
Definition
examining fossil records
Term
The isotope methods of dating or terrestrial and extra-terrestrial materials have est. that the age of the earth is
Definition
4.7 billion years
Term
The ocean evolved about
Definition
3.8 billion years ago
Term
Earthquakes originate in the
Definition
lithosphere
Term
P waves
Definition
cause components of the medium to be disturbed in the same direction as the direction of the propagation
Term
S waves
Definition
have higher amplitudes that p waves
Term
The earths core has a solid segment. This is suggested by the records of
Definition
induced seismic waves that indicated the presence of a shadow zone for the S waves
Term
The seismic waves with the highest amplitude are
Definition
surface waves
Term
Deep-focus earthquakes are often concentrated in
Definition
subduction zones
Term
The following records are used to determine the epicenter of an earthquake
Definition
the differences in arrival times between P and S waves
Term
The average speed of a P wave is about
Definition
8.4 km/sec
Term
When rocks begin to fracture
Definition
the P wave velocity begins to increase
Term
The magnitude of an earthquake on the Richter scale refers to
Definition
the maximum amplitude of the P wave measured on a standardized seismogram located at about 100 km away from the epicenter
Term
Relative to an earthquake of 5 on the Richter scale, an earthquake of 8 has a magnitude that is higher by
Definition
1,000 times
Term
Relative to an earthquake of 5 on the Richter scale, an earthquake of 8 releases about
Definition
27,000 times more energy
Term
BUildings constructed on flood plains suffer
Definition
more damage than those built on shale because of liquefaction
Term
Tsunamis
Definition
appear as low amplitude waves with crest to crest distance of a mile or more in the open ocean
Term
Seismic surface waves with a high frequency
Definition
cause more damage to short buildings than to tall ones
Term
Earthquakes in eastern Kansas are related to
Definition
movement alone an ancient rift zone
Term
The San Andreas fault with its many branching faults along which many earthquake epicenters are located is about
Definition
30 km deep
Term
Which on of the following is an example of an earthquake precursor across an area of a known seismic gap
Definition
continued decrease on the speed of induced P waves
Term
Shallow focus earthquakes are limited to depths of less than
Definition
60 km
Term
Which of the following foundation rocks will be of greater threat to a structure from earthquake activities
Definition
schist
Term
The magnitude of an earthquake is expressed as
Definition
ten to the power of amplitude in micrometer by a standard seismometer located 100 km away from the epicenter
Term
Magnitude of an earthquake following the construction of a dam could be as high as
Definition
between 5 and 6
Term
A brittle substance characteristically has
Definition
a narrow span between the elastic limit and the plastic limit
Term
The following would hinder the formation of fractures in rocks
Definition
high confining stress or uniform stress
Term
Slow application of stress on rocks over a short period of time would most likely result in which type of behavior
Definition
ductile
Term
Many shallow earthquakes with low magnitudes occur at lower crust or near transition between crust and mantle. The properties of rocks at these places are most likely to be
Definition
brittle
Term
Formation of reverse faults is due to
Definition
compressional stress
Term
Rocks that are ductile tend to be associated with
Definition
folds
Term
The San Andreas fault is an example of
Definition
right-lateral strike slip fault
Term
In an anticline the limbs dip
Definition
away from the axial trace and the oldest rocks are at the center
Term
In a syncline the limbs dip
Definition
towards the axial trace and the youngest rocks are at the center
Term
Rock layers exposed to surface in a zig-zag manner would imply the presence of
Definition
plunging folds
Term
The East African rift and other major rifts are a result of
Definition
an extension of the crust
Term
The topography of the Basin and Range Province that encompasses Nevada and portions of the surrounding states has been generated by a system of north and south trending
Definition
normal faults
Term
The Black HIlls of western South Dakota is a
Definition
domed structure
Term
In rocks, joints with orientations nearly perpendicular to the surface can be produced by
Definition
tensional stresses when rocks in the crust are folded
Term
Loch Ness in Scotland is situated on a
Definition
left-lateral strike slip fault
Term
In an area, the same rocks appearing in the form of parallel ridges would imply
Definition
a series of folds with their axes nearly horizontal
Term
The essential conditions controlling the relative importance of brittle properties versus ductile properties or rocks are
Definition
temperature, type of stress, rate of application, and composition of rocks
Term
Rapid application of stress on rocks over a short period of time would most likely result in which type of behavior
Definition
brittle
Term
The steepest portion of a stream's longitudinal profile is located
Definition
near the headwaters
Term
Stream competence is measured by
Definition
the largest particle size that the stream can transport in its bed load
Term
The discharge of a stream increases as
Definition
velocity, width, and depth increase
Term
Active erosion in a meander takes place
Definition
along the outer bank of the bend
Term
Flow around the meander results in erosion on one bank, but deposition on the other bank marked by
Definition
point bar
Term
After a tributary has joined a major stream, the unified stream immediately below the confluence must have
Definition
high velocity than the major stream
Term
The ratio of dissolved chemical load to sediment load in a stream may increase by
Definition
an increase in vegetation in the drainage basin
Term
Which one of the following is the most abundant chemical group in major rivers around the world
Definition
calcium and bicarbonate
Term
The two most abundant dissolved chemical components of river waters are primarily from the dissolution of
Definition
limestone
Term
Natural levees form by
Definition
deposition of course sediment as velocity decreases abruptly for water that spills over banks
Term
An incised meander is an indication of
Definition
a lowering of the base level of erosion
Term
Which of the following is an example of local or regional base level of erosion
Definition
lake
Term
The construction of a dam across a river would cause
Definition
the river to produce more bank erosions downstream from the dam
Term
River terraces can be the result of
Definition
periodic drops in the base level of erosion
Term
A "misfit" river could be an indication that
Definition
the river has been a victim of stream piracy and a lowering base of erosion
Term
A braided channel developed due to
Definition
a decrease in discharge
Term
The floodplain development for urban grown leads to
Definition
frequent flooding from a decrease on the lag time between rainfall and cresting of the river
Term
A dendritic drainage pattern implies that
Definition
the area is underlain by undeformed rocks that have nearly uniform erosion
Term
A trellis drainage pattern implies that
Definition
the area is underlain by a sequence of hard and soft rocks that are highly folded
Term
Distributaries are located in which part if a stream system
Definition
delta
Term
An extensive delta growth is influenced by
Definition
considerable uplifting of and heavy rainfall in the drainage basin
Term
Waters in most rivers in the world are fresh waters with the total dissolved solid contents of
Definition
250 ppm
Term
Total dissolved solids of global average river is
Definition
250 ppm
Term
Which of the following is not a major dissolved chemical component of average river water
Definition
aluminum
Term
Which of the following is the second most abundant dissolved chemical component of average river water
Definition
calcium
Term
Which of the following is the least abundant chemical component of global river water
Definition
nitrate
Term
Which is the sequence in terms of the decrease in the relative size of the reservoir
Definition
groundwater > lakes > soil moisture > atmosphere > rivers = biosphere
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