This Quiz Will Put Your Geology Knowledge On A Tough Test

38 Questions | By Hanaxxx | Last updated: Mar 20, 2022 | Total Attempts: 289

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This Quiz Will Put Your Geology Knowledge On A Tough Test - Quiz

This quiz will put your geology knowledge on a tough test! 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.

Questions and Answers

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