Can You Pass This Geology Exam? Trivia Quiz

42 Questions | By Accorini | Updated: Mar 21, 2022 | Attempts: 223

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Can you pass this geology exam? Some people think they know all there is to geology, but when it comes to answering questions, they tend to notice they forgot some information. Do you know what happens when tectonic plates shift and features of the earth different layers? The quiz below is one way to find out just how knowledgeable you actually are when it comes to geology.

Questions and Answers

1.

________ refers to the changes in the shape or position of a rock body in response to differential stress.
- A.
  
  Stress
- B.
  
  Deformation
- C.
  
  Compression
- D.
  
  Brittle Failure
2.

How will compressional force change a rock body?
- A.
  
  Shorten and thicken the rock.
- B.
  
  Stretch and thin the rock.
- C.
  
  Fracture the rock and grind the pieces along side each other.
- D.
  
  The rock will not change.
3.

How will tensional force change a rock body?
- A.
  
  Stretch and thin the rock.
- B.
  
  Fracture the rock and grind the pieces along side each other.
- C.
  
  Shorten and thicken the rock.
- D.
  
  The rock will not change.
4.

Which tectonic boundary is associated with compressional stress?
- A.
  
  Convergent
- B.
  
  Divergent
- C.
  
  Transform
- D.
  
  Dip-Slip
5.

What is a fault?
- A.
  
  A fracture in a rock along which motion has occurred.
- B.
  
  A stress fracture created by rocks stretching and pulling apart near the surface.
- C.
  
  A solution pathway created by carbonic acid.
- D.
  
  Foliation in a rock that acts as a plane of weakness.
6.

You are sitting in class when your professor begins talking about a dome with the inner layers dating back to the Tertiary and its outer layers dating back to the Permian. You immediately know this professor is wrong. What is your evidence?
- A.
  
  Domes have the oldest layers in the middle, not the youngest.
- B.
  
  Domes don't have layers.
- C.
  
  Now that we know the age of the layers, we would call it a syncline.
- D.
  
  Domes didn't exist back then.
7.

Which tectonic boundary would have many normal faults associated with it?
- A.
  
  Convergent
- B.
  
  Divergent
- C.
  
  Transform
8.

A ________ fault has a vertical fault plane and shows movement parallel to the orientation of the fault.
- A.
  
  Strike-Slip
- B.
  
  Reverse
- C.
  
  Thrust
- D.
  
  Normal
9.

Which of the following best describes the age relationship of the layers in an anticline?
- A.
  
  Oldest on the inside of the fold, youngest on the outside.
- B.
  
  Oldest on the outside of the fold, youngest on the inside.
- C.
  
  Oldest materials thrust up on top of younger layers.
- D.
  
  Horizontal bedding with the youngest layers on the top.
10.

A ________ fault is created when the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall.
- A.
  
  Reverse
- B.
  
  Graben
- C.
  
  Strike-Slip
- D.
  
  Normal
11.

You are watching TV with a friend when there is a special bulletin about a city in California being devastated by an earthquake. The news anchor reports that the epicenter of the earthquake is 45 miles east of Los Angeles. How would you explain the definition of the epicenter to your geologically impaired friend?
- A.
  
  The location on the Earth's surface directly above the point of slippage.
- B.
  
  The exact location on the fault where slippage occurs.
- C.
  
  The contact point between two tectonic plates
- D.
  
  The location of migrating magma in the crust
12.

What is the definition of the focus?
- A.
  
  The exact location on the fault where slippage occurs.
- B.
  
  The location where three monitoring stations overlap.
- C.
  
  The location on the Earth's surface directly above the point of slippage.
- D.
  
  The build-up of potential energy in a new location after an earthquake.
13.

The elastic rebound associated with earthquakes is an example of ________ deformation.
- A.
  
  Elastic
- B.
  
  Ductile
- C.
  
  Brittle
- D.
  
  Permanent
14.

Which plate boundary along the Circum-Pacific Belt is responsible for the majority of that belt's earthquakes?
- A.
  
  Convergent
- B.
  
  Divergent
- C.
  
  Transform
15.

Which tectonic boundary is responsible for the most powerful and destructive earthquakes recorded?
- A.
  
  Convergent
- B.
  
  Divergent
- C.
  
  Transform
16.

What is the term used to describe slow, gradual displacement along a fault without the accumulation of significant strain?
- A.
  
  Fault Creep
- B.
  
  Megathrusting
- C.
  
  Fault propagation
- D.
  
  Elastic rebound
17.

________ are records of seismic waves.
- A.
  
  Seismograms
- B.
  
  Seismographs
- C.
  
  Seismometers
- D.
  
  Seismic relays
18.

Where is the zone of greatest seismic activity on Earth?
- A.
  
  Circum-Pacific Belt
- B.
  
  Alpine-Himalayan Belt
- C.
  
  San Andreas Fault
- D.
  
  Mid-Atlantic Ridge
19.

You are monitoring a seismograph in Seattle. One morning, your instrument records an earthquake approximately 2,000 km away. From that information, can you predict where the earthquake occurred?
- A.
  
  No, because you would need information from more than one seismograph to plot the epicenter.
- B.
  
  No, because seismographs can't pick up earthquakes from that far away.
- C.
  
  Yes. You could take the distance and match it up with known fault lines to find the epicenter
- D.
  
  Yes, because seismographs can indicate direction as well as distance
20.

Which seismic wave will be released first during an earthquake?
- A.
  
  P-waves
- B.
  
  S-waves
- C.
  
  L-waves
- D.
  
  R-waves
21.

When going from a 5 to a 6 on the Richter Scale, what is the increase in the amplitude of seismic waves?
- A.
  
  10 times
- B.
  
  1 time
- C.
  
  2 times
- D.
  
  32 times
22.

________ measures the total energy released during an earthquake by determining the average amount of slip on the fault, the area of the fault surface that slipped, and the strength of the faulted rock.
- A.
  
  Moment Magnitude Scale
- B.
  
  Mercalli Intensity Scale
- C.
  
  Richter Scale
- D.
  
  Beaufort Scale
23.

What is infiltration?
- A.
  
  Water soaking into the ground
- B.
  
  The transition from liquid to gas as a result of increases in temperature
- C.
  
  Plants taking in water
- D.
  
  Water running off the surface and entering a channel
24.

The ________ describes the path water takes as it moves between the land, the ocean, and the atmosphere.
- A.
  
  Hydrologic Cycle
- B.
  
  Evaporation
- C.
  
  Rock Cycle
- D.
  
  Precipitation
25.

Which of the following is not one of the three zones of a river system?
- A.
  
  Sediment Capacity Zone
- B.
  
  Sediment Transport Zone
- C.
  
  Sediment Deposition Zone
- D.
  
  Sediment Production Zone