Tectonics
Mineral
Volcanoes
Earth
Rock Types
100
What was the name of the supercontinent that existed about 200 million years ago, which was proposed by Alfred Wegener?
Pangea
100
Name at least three of the five requirements for a substance to be a mineral
Naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, definite chemical composition, ordered internal structure.
100
What is the name of the funnel-shaped depression at the top of a volcano?
Crater.
100
According to geological data, approximately how old is our planet?
About 4.6 billion years.
100
What is the difference between magma and lava?
Magma is below the Earth's surface; lava is on the surface.
200
Which "plastic" layer of the Earth lies beneath the lithosphere and allows the plates to move?
The Asthenosphere
200
What is the main difference between a rock and a mineral?
A rock is a mixture of one or more minerals.
200
Which characteristic of magma determines whether an eruption will be quiet or explosive?
Viscosity
200
Which principle states that "the present is the key to the past," meaning physical laws have not changed over time?
Uniformitarianism.
200
Name the three main groups of rocks classified by geologists.
Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic.
300
What happens in the subduction zone, and what kind of topographical structures does it create on the ocean floor?
One slab sinks under the other, making trenches
300
What is the name of the scale from 1 to 10 used to measure a mineral's relative hardness?
Mohs Scale.
300
What is the largest type of volcano, characterized by broad, gentle slopes
Shield volcano
300
The Earth's core is primarily composed of which two metals?
Iron (Fe) and Nickel (Ni).
300
If an igneous rock cools very quickly (for example, in the water), what will be the size of its crystals?
The crystals will be very small
400
What do we call plate boundaries where two plates move toward each other and collide?
Convergent boundaries
400
What property describes the color of a mineral in its powdered form?
Streak
400
What do we call the fragments of hot lava, ash, and rocks ejected into the air during an explosive eruption?
Pyroclastic debris
400
Name the three layers of the Earth defined by their chemical composition.
Crust, Mantle, and Core.
400
In which of the three rock types are you most likely to find fossils?
Sedimentary rocks.
500
What is the primary evidence for sea-floor spreading found on the ocean floor?
Paleomagnetism
500
Which is the most common group of minerals in the Earth's crust, containing silicon and oxygen?
Silicates
500
What is a caldera and how does it form?
A large basin formed by the collapse of a volcano's summit into an empty magma chamber.
500
What is the name of the hypothesis that our solar system formed from a rotating cloud of dust and gas?
The Nebular Hypothesis.
500
What are the two main processes of lithification that turn loose sediment into solid rock?
Compaction and Cementation.