Planet Earth
The cosmological model for the formation of just our Sun and the rest of our solar system is called the:
1. nebular hypothesis
2. natural selection hypothesis
3. Great Oxidation Event
4. model of star genesis
5. Big Bang theory
1. nebular hypothesis
Given that continental crust is thicker than oceanic crust, why doesn’t isostatic adjustment cause the continents to sink below the ocean?
1, Because the continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust
2, Because ocean water is too heavy for the continents to move out of the way
3. Because the continents are made of basalt, which is much lower density than the granite of which the ocean crust is made
4. Because isostatic adjustment only allows continents to move horizontally, not vertically
1, Because the continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust
The largest and deepest ocean on the planet is the:
1. Arctic Ocean
2. Southern Ocean
3. Pacific Ocean
4. Indian Ocean
5. Atlantic Ocean
3. Pacific Ocean
The layer of the Earth that includes the oceanic crust, the continental crust, and the upper rigid part of the mantle, is known as the:
1. outer core
2. asthenosphere
3. lithosphere
4. mesosphere
inner core
3. lithosphere
The type of living organism that can obtain its energy directly from the environment by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis is:
1. eutrophic
2. polytrophic
3. autotrophic
4. heterotrophic
3. autotrophic
How much of Earth's surface is made up of the continents?
1. 56%
2. 71%
3. 62%
4. 29%
5. 41%
4. 29%
Which of the following is NOT true concerning density stratification? :
1. this is the tendency of heavy material to sink
2. outgassing is a direct result of density stratification
3. this has caused Earth to be homogeneous throughout
4. this is responsible for the structure (layering) within Earth
this has resulted in the highest density material migrating to Earth's core
3. this has caused Earth to be homogeneous throughout
All of the following are true of seas as compared to oceans, EXCEPT:
1. Seas are generally smaller than oceans
2. Seas generally have more highly concentrated levels of marine life than oceans
3. Seas are generally deeper than oceans
4. Seas are generally shallower than oceans
3. Seas are generally deeper than oceans
The “silly putty” region of Earth that has some ability to flow but has high viscosity, is called the:
1. mesosphere
2. asthenosphere
3. outer core
4. lower mantle
5. lithosphere
2. asthenosphere
The term used for the beginning of the existence of life is:
1. abiogenesis
2. prebiogenesis
3. epigenetics
4. probiotics
1. abiogenesis
The earliest eon in Earth's geologic time scale, when the Earth was extremely hot, with frequent volcanic activity, and most likely prior to the existence of any living things, is known as the:
1. Cenozoic eon
2. Archean eon
3. Proterozoic eon
4. Hadean eon
5. Paleozoic eon
4. Hadean eon
Radiometric dating is the method that scientists continue to use to determine the:
1. percentages of different compounds in sea water
2. percentages of different gases in the atmosphere
3. level of seismic activity in the oceans
4. ages of rocks and fossils
4. ages of rocks and fossils
The science of oceanography is an interdisciplinary science which include all of the following disciplines EXCEPT:
1. chemistry
2. astrology
3. geology
4. physics
5. biology
2. astrology
Earth's "second" atmosphere consisted mainly of the following gases EXCEPT:
1. water vapor
2. ammonia
3. carbon dioxide
4. oxygen
4. oxygen
The biological process that uses sunlight as an energy source, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and water, to produce glucose is called:
1. heterotrophy
2. photosynthesis
3. anaerobic respiration
4. aerobic respiration
2. photosynthesis
The Miller and Urey experiments in the 1950s, and that had been repeated many times in different laboratories, demonstrated that:
1. organic molecules could be created from components in Earth's early atmosphere and ocean
2. the Proto-earth most likely had temperatures above 1000oC
3. the shape of Earth is actually an oblate spheroid
4. Earth originated as a gas and space dust cloud that condensed under the influence of gravity
5. heterotrophs evolved before autotrophs
1. organic molecules could be created from components in Earth's early atmosphere and ocean
Earth's oceans became salty as a result of all of the following processes EXCEPT through:
1. volcanic precipitation
2. adsorption
3. river discharges
4. weathering of rocks
2. adsorption
Earth's "third", or current atmosphere, is made up MOSTLY of:
1. nitrogen
2. water vapor
3. carbon dioxide
4. oxygen
1. nitrogen
According to the most recent scientific studies, the estimated age of the Earth is approximately:
1. there is no estimate as far as age of the Earth
2. 4.6 thousand years old
3. 4.6 billion years old
4. 4.6 million years old
3. 4.6 billion years old
The Great Oxidation Event, whereby oxygen started to accumulate in Earth's early atmosphere, is believed to have been caused by:
1. heterotrophic prokaryotes
2. cyanobacteria
3. volcanic eruptions
4. asteroid impacts
2. cyanobacteria