Multiple choice questions
The person most responsible for putting geology on a scientific footing was
 a. Hutton   b. Lyell   c. Wegener   d. Newton    e. Aristotle

DESCRIPTION OF THE EARTH
The radius of the earth is about ____ miles:
 a. 2000    b. 4000     c. 8000     d. 16,000    e. 25,000

The diameter of the earth is about ____ miles:
 a. 2000    b. 4000     c. 8000     d. 16,000    e. 25,000

The circumference of the earth is about ____ miles:
 a. 2000    b. 4000     c. 8000     d. 16,000    e. 25,000

______% of the earth's surface is covered by the atmosphere
 a. 100    b. 29    c. 43    d. 71    e.15

The most common atmospheric gas is:
 a. oxygen    b. nitrogen    c. argon    d. water vapor   e. none of these

The second-most common atmospheric gas is:
 a. oxygen    b. nitrogen    c. argon    d. water vapor   e. none of these

The two major constituents of the atmosphere are:
a. argon and carbon dioxide  b. oxygen and argon
c. oxygen and nitrogen  d. nitrogen and helium     e. oxygen and water vapor.

The minor  (trace) components of the atmosphere:
a.are important from an environmental standpoint    b. control warming and cooling   c. are responsible for atmospheric pollution    d. control the amount of UV that the surface is exposed to      e. all of these

______% of the earth's surface is covered by the hydrosphere
 a. 100    b. 29    c. 43    d. 71    e.15

______% of the solid earth is covered by the lithosphere
 a. 100    b. 29    c. 43    d. 71    e.15

The "actual" (=real) number of oceans on the earth is:
 a. 7   b. 5   c. 3    d. 2    e. 1

The chemical component in oceans (the hydrosphere) are derived from:
 a. weathering and outgassing   b. photosynthesis    c. vulcanic outgassing only   d. continents only
 e. we don't know.

The largest volatile (gaseous) component emitted by volcanos is responsible for creating:
 a. oxygen   b. the lithosphere   c. the hydrosphere   d. the chemicals in the oceans   e. none of these

Given the above cross-section diagram of the features found at the earth's surface, use
a. for craton  b. continental shelf      c. rift   d. ridge   e. none of these
What is: #1 etc,.....What this question means is that you should know what all 13 ot these features are.

As you walk around Florida you are walking on a(n)
 a. abyssal plain   b. continental shelf     c. craton     d. marginal mountain   e. coastal plain

As you walk around Florida you are walking on a(n)
 a. abyssal plain   b. continental shelf     c. craton      d. marginal mountains    e. coastal plain

As you walk around Ohio or Ontario, you are walking on a(n)
 a. abyssal plain   b. continental shelf     c. craton      d. marginal mountains    e. coastal plain

EARTHQUAKES

Earthquakes are due to:
 a. volcanos  b. pressure  c. tidal influences of the moon d. rock layers that rebound e. all of those.

The first (fastest) seismic waves to SURFACE after going through the earth are :
 a. S   b. P   c. Surface   d. electromagnetic     e. they all arrive at the same time

S waves:
 a. are slower than P waves  b. disturb materials in the direction in which they travel  c. can pass  through liquids only  d. are surface waves  e. all are correct.

S or secondary waves generated by earthquakes:
 a. are the fastest  b. can travel only through solids  c. can travel through material in any state
 d. travel only in straight lines  e. continue through the core.

A seismic discontinuity is where:
 a. waves abruptly change their behavior    b. there is a gradual seismic change
 c.  there is a magnetic anomaly   d. there is a heat anomaly   e. one type of facies is overlain by  another  facies

 The minimum number of stations needed to locate the epicenter of a quake is:
 a. 1   b. 2   c. 3   d. 4    e. 5

The closer to the epicenter of a quake, the greater its:
 a. focus   b. intensity   c. epicenter   d. distance  e. chance of being caused by subduction

Given the following chracteristics or data, answer:
 A for inner core:     B for asthenosphere    C for  mantle   D  for outer core
 and E for lithosphere

 has the greatest density of any of the layers
 has the least volume of any of the layers
 intermediate layer 1800 mi thick
 parts of this layer are constantly being created in divergent boundaries
 solid, has a density of about 3
Acts as a rigid outer layer
The plates float on this semi-molten layer
It is composed of Ni and Fe, is the densest of all layers and is solid
Densities in this layer reach 13 g/cm³ and temperatures probably exceed 5000^oC
The crust is part of this layer
It is 1800 miles thick, has the largest volume of all layers
S waves are absorbed by this layer and it likely is responsible for the earth's magnetic field
it is semi-molten and part of the upper mantle
It is composed of Ni and Fe and is liquid

From studies of seismic waves, we can determine:
 a. layer densities   b. layer states (phases)   c. thicknesses  d. location of epicenters    e. all of these

In the asthenosphere and the outer core, heat is likely to be mainly transfered by:
 a. conduction   b. convection   c. radiation  d. all of these  e. none of these

The average density of the earth is:
 a. 3   b. 5.5    c. 7   d. 9   e. 13