Trivia Quiz: Test Your Knowledge About Geology!
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There are different types of rocks in existence on the earth’s surface. Getting to understand rocks helps to mitigate and warn us about the occurrence of specific natural hazards and educates people when it comes to climate change discussions. The quiz below is designed to test your Geology knowledge. Do give it a try and see just how much you recall.
- 1.Which one of the following statements regarding rock deformation and strength is correct?
- A.
Rupture and plastic deformation occur when stresses exceed the elastic limit of a material.
- B.
Rocks undergo plastic deformation less readily as temperatures and pressures increase.
- C.
Elastic deformation is accomplished through internal flow of material.
- D.
When rocks are subjected to stress for long time periods, very small, plastic deformations accumulate to produce large, permanent, elastic deformations.
- 2.Which one of the following stress situations results in folding of flat-lying, sedimentary strata?
- A.
Horizontally directed; compressive stresses
- B.
Vertically directed; extensional or stretching stresses
- C.
Horizontally directed; extensional stresses
- D.
Vertically directed; compressional stresses
- 3.Which one of the following is consistent with deformation by folding?
- A.
Horizontal distance is shortened perpendicular to fold axes.
- B.
The crust is thinned.
- C.
The crust is stretched and elongated.
- D.
Horizontal distance perpendicular to fold axes is lengthened.
- 4.Which one of the following is true for anticlines but not for synclines?
- A.
The limbs dip or are inclined towards the fold axis.
- B.
Some may be asymmetric and some may have plunging axes.
- C.
The deeper strata are buckled upward along the fold axis.
- D.
After erosion, the younger strata are exposed along the axial region of the fold.
- 5.A deeply eroded, structural basin would exhibit ________.
- A.
Outcrops of the oldest strata in the center of the basin
- B.
Strata oriented in roughly circular, outcrop patterns
- C.
Strata dipping outward away from the center of the basin
- D.
Older strata at the edges of a basin dip away from a central, horizontal, fold axis
- 6.A ________ fault has little or no vertical movements of the two blocks.
- A.
Stick slip
- B.
Oblique slip
- C.
Strike slip
- D.
Dip slip
- 7.In a ________ fault, the hanging wall block move up with respect to the footwall block.
- A.
Normal
- B.
Inverse
- C.
Reverse
- D.
Abnormal
- 8.In thrust faulting, ________.
- A.
Grabens develop on the footwall block
- B.
The crust is shortened and thickened
- C.
Horizontal, tensional stresses drive the deformation
- D.
The hanging wall block slips downward along the thrust fault
- 9.Which one of the following would not be a characteristic of the San Andreas fault zone?
- A.
Steep, near vertical, dip-slip, fault scarps
- B.
Sag ponds
- C.
Deformed, broken, and pulverized bedrock
- D.
Laterally offset stream channels
- 10.A graben is characterized by ________.
- A.
A hanging wall block that has moved up between two reverse faults
- B.
A footwall block that has moved up between two normal faults
- C.
A hanging wall block that has moved down between two normal faults
- D.
A footwall block that has moved down between two reverse faults
- 11.The mountains and valleys of the Basin and Range Province of the western United States formed in response to ________.
- A.
Strike-slip faulting and hanging wall block uplifts
- B.
Reverse faults and large displacement, thrust faulting
- C.
Tensional stresses and normal-fault movements
- D.
Normal faulting and horizontal compression
- 12.The Navajo and Dakota Sandstones are ________.
- A.
Marine limestone formations in the central Appalachian region
- B.
Mesozoic, sedimentary rock formations in Utah, Colorado, and neighboring states
- C.
Prominent, lower Paleozoic strata in the British Isles and northern France
- D.
Quartz-rich, granite batholiths in the Sierra Nevada range, California
- 13.A ________ is a defined, recognizable, mappable, rock unit with a known age.
- A.
strata set
- B.
Lithologic sequence
- C.
Formation
- D.
Stratigraphic section
- 14.In a normal fault ________.
- A.
The hanging wall block below an inclined fault plane moves downward relative to the other block
- B.
The footwall block below an inclined fault plane moves downward relative to the other block
- C.
The hanging wall block above an inclined fault plane moves downward relative to the other block
- D.
The footwall block above an inclined fault plane moves upward relative to the other block
- 15.A reverse fault is one in which ________.
- A.
The hanging wall block has moved up relative to the footwall block along an inclined fault
- B.
The block above the fault plane has moved backwards with respect to the other block
- C.
One block has moved downward and the other moved horizontally along a vertical fault
- D.
Both blocks have moved horizontally in opposite directions along an inclined fault
- 16.Jointing in rocks is characterized by ________.
- A.
Closely spaced, parallel faults along which the blocks have moved in opposite directions
- B.
Structures formed where normal and reverse faults intersect
- C.
The hinge lines connecting two limbs of an anticline or syncline
- D.
Roughly parallel fractures separating blocks that show no displacement
- 17.________ are the products of horizontally directed, tensional stresses.
- A.
Normal faults
- B.
Crustal thickening
- C.
Reverse faults
- D.
Thrust faults
- 18.________ in layered sedimentary rocks are evidence for horizontal compression and shortening.
- A.
Normal faults
- B.
Strike-slip faults
- C.
Horsts and grabens
- D.
Tight folds
- 19.A transform fault is ________.
- A.
A strike-slip fault that forms the boundary between tectonic plates
- B.
A dip-slip fault connecting an anticline with a syncline
- C.
A reverse fault that steepens into a thrust fault
- D.
The rift bounding faults on a mid-ocean ridge
- 20.The ________ in California is the boundary between the North American and Pacific plates.
- A.
Sierra Nevada frontal fault
- B.
San Andreas strike-slip fault
- C.
San Luis Obispo thrust fault
- D.
San Francisco normal fault
- 21.Brittle deformation would be favored over plastic deformation in which of the following conditions?
- A.
High confining pressures
- B.
Warmer temperatures
- C.
Cooler temperatures
- D.
Shallow depths
- 22.A thrust fault is best described as ________.
- A.
A steeply inclined, oblique-slip fault
- B.
A low-angle, reverse fault
- C.
A vertical, normal fault
- D.
A near vertical, strike-slip fault
- 23.A ________ is a prominent ridge formed by differential erosion of tilted, alternating hard and soft strata.
- A.
Mesa
- B.
Wadi
- C.
Hogback
- D.
Scarp face
- 24.A horst is ________.
- A.
An uplifted block bounded by two normal faults
- B.
A downdropped block bounded by two reverse faults
- C.
An uplifted block bounded by two reverse faults
- D.
A downdropped block bounded by two normal faults
- 25.Which one of the following best describes the geology of the Black Hills region in South Dakota?
- A.
An eroded syncline with older, sedimentary strata in the axial region and younger, metamorphic rocks around the margins
- B.
A basin filled with folded, sedimentary rocks and thick coal beds
- C.
A large graben deeply eroded by Pleistocene glaciers
- D.
An elongate dome cored by Proterozoic igneous and metamorphic rocks
- 26.The Great Rift Valley of East Africa is characterized by ________.
- A.
Mainly thrust faulting as Africa collides with Arabia
- B.
Mainly anticlinal and synclinal folding as Africa collides with Madagascar
- C.
Mainly normal faulting as East Africa begins to fragment
- D.
Mainly transform faulting along zones connecting the rift with the Red Sea
- 27.The Michigan geologic map shows older, Paleozoic strata (in roughly circular patterns) surrounding a core area of Pennsylvanian rocks. What is this structure?
- A.
Dome
- B.
Recumbent horst
- C.
Anticline
- D.
Basin
- 28.Normal and reverse faults are characterized mainly by ________.
- A.
Strike slip
- B.
Horizontal slip
- C.
Dip slip
- D.
Basal slip
- 29.A syncline is ________.
- A.
A fold in which the strata dip away from the axis
- B.
A fold with only one limb
- C.
A fold in which the strata dip toward the axis
- D.
A fold characterized by recumbent limbs
- 30.Normal faults form in response to horizontal, tensional stresses that stretch or elongate the rocks.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 31.In a reverse fault, the hanging wall block moves up relative to the footwall block.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 32.The oldest, sedimentary rock strata are exposed along the axial parts of deeply eroded anticlines.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 33.Horizontal, compressive deformation involves shortening and thickening of the crust.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 34.Along oblique-slip faults, both blocks have horizontal and vertical components of movement.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 35.Basin and range topography, like that in the western and southwestern United States, indicates that compressive folding is active today or was active very recently, geologically speaking.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 36.Plastic deformation occurs more readily in warm rock than in cool rock.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 37.A graben is an upraised block bounded by two reverse faults.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 38.Fractures in rock that have not involved any fault slippage are called joints.
- A.
True
- B.
False
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