2. On the following map view of a stream, where is the greatest amount of deposition likely to take place? C
3. The rocks of the Seven Devils mountain range in western Idaho are like those in modern: A) continental arcs, B) coast ranges, C) mid-ocean ridges, D) passive margins, E) island arcs.
4. If the angle of repose of a dry sedimentary material is 370, what would be the likely angle of repose if it were wet? A) 300, B) 370, C) 400, D) 420, E) 470.
5. What geophysical technique has been most effective to delineate small scale structures that host petroleum deposits? A) seismic refraction; B) seismic reflection; C) P-S wave separation; D) first-motion of the P-wave; E) paleomagnetism.
6. The universe was mostly made up of this (these) element(s) immediately after the big bang: A) iridium, B) hydrogen, C) helium, D) A and B, E) B and C.
7. Gravel in a stream usually travels as part of the: A) dissolved load, B) bed load, C) suspended load, D) aggradational load, E) none of the preceding.
8. If the base level of a stream is raised in elevation, the gradient: A) increases, B) stays the same, C) reverses, D) eddies, E) decreases.
9. The zone of aeration is defined by: A) pores that just contain water, B) pores that contain water and air, C) pores that just contain oxygen, D) pores that contain petroleum, E) rock without pores.
10. In the cross section pictured below, plutonium is being injected into the ground at point E. Where would be the safest place to put a domestic water well? A
11. In the cross section above, where would it be the cheapest to drill a water well? C
12. Fold-and-thrust mountain ranges form in this kind of tectonic setting: A) passive margin, B) active margin, C) continental rift, D) craton, E) hotspot.
13. Glaciers that flow due to the build up of a great thickness of ice over a broad flat area are called: A) alpine glaciers, B) valley glaciers, C) hanging glaciers, D) cirque glaciers, E) continental ice sheets.
14. A mound of till that marks the former end of a glacier is called a: A) cirque, B) moraine, C) U-shaped valley, D) horn, E) arete.
15. Which of the following volcanic products is the most important for global cooling: A) carbon dioxide, B) water, C) ash, D) xenoliths, E) sulfur.
16. During the last glacial period, earth was about: A) 10 C colder, B) 10 C warmer, C) 5 C colder, D) 50 C warmer, E) 250 C colder.
17. The following tool is used to reconstruct climatic conditions during the last glacial period: A) fossils, B) oxygen isotopes, C) the distribution of moraines, D) all of the preceding, E) none of the preceding.
18. Most scientists working on climate change believe that glacial periods are caused by: A) lots of small volcanic eruptions, B) a few large volcanic eruptions, C) submarine volcanic eruptions, D) the impact of 10 km meteorites, E) changes in how the earth spins and orbits the sun.
19. Human-induced global warming may be caused by the input of _______ into the atmosphere: A) ozone, B) carbon dioxide, C) oxygen-16, D) oxygen-18, E) nitrogen.
20. If you had to find a whole bunch of andesite, where would be the best place to look? A) mid-ocean ridge, B) hotspot, C) island arc, D) rift, E) sedimentary basin.
21. Under increased metamorphic conditions, a schist might be converted to a: A) slate, B) peridotite, C) komatiite, D) gneiss, E) shale.
22. This kind of rock is commonly made by the accumulation of microscopic shells: A) rhyolite, B) gneiss, C) shale, D) limestone, E) peridotite.
23. The age of the earth is ____ years: A) 15 billion, B) 4.6 billion, C) 15 million, D) 4.6 million, E) 15 thousand.
24. Horizontal tensional stress causes the formation of _______ faults: A) normal, B) strike-slip, C) thrust, D) transform, E) Richter.
25. What sort of volcanic eruption presents the greatest hazard to humans? A) pyroclastic fall; B) pahoehoe lava; C) a'a lava; D) pyroclastic flow; E) deadly gases.
26. The length of time between the arrival of P- and S-waves depends on: A) the distance to the nearest hotspot, B) the distance between magnetic stripes, C) the distance to the epicenter, D) the Richter-scale magnitude of the earthquake, E) the size of the tsunami.
27. What process is the main mechanism that drives the motion of the lithospheric plates? A) hotspots, B) subduction, C) mantle plumes, D) downhill sliding, E) ridge pushing.
28. The most abundant group of minerals in the earth's core and mantle are the ________: A) carbonates; B) sulfides; C) native elements; D) sulfates; E) silicates.
29. The following joke was sent to me by a friend who happens to be a nerd chemist:
A neutron walks into a bar and asks for a beer. The bartender brings the beer over to him and places it on the counter. As the neutron goes to pull out his wallet, the bartender stops him and says, "For you, no charge".
This joke would NOT have worked for: A) a proton; B) an electron; C) an ion; D) all of the preceding; E) none of the preceding.
30. The main control on whether a volcanic eruption is explosive or not is the magma's _________: A) temperature; B) pressure; C) concentration of dissolved gases; D) mineral composition; E) compressive stress.
31. Iridium is an element that is rare in the earth's crust, but abundant in: A) seawater; B) groundwater; C) rain; D) meteorites; E) granite.
32. SNC meteorites, which are of special interest because they are much younger than other meteorites, are thought to come from: A) Venus; B) Mercury; C) the Asteroid Belt; D) Mars; E) Jupiter.
33. About 80 million years ago, the tectonic setting of central Idaho resembled that of ________ today: A) the Himalayas; B) the Andes; C) North America's Atlantic coast; D) South America's Atlantic coast; E) central Africa.
34. The soil of the Palouse is very fertile because it is made from: A) till; B) loess; C) moraine; D) Mt. Mazama ash; E) ocean floor sediment.
35. Mid-ocean ridges are _____________ plate boundaries: A) divergent; B) transform; C) hotspot; D) passive; E) convergent.
36. If you were given the task of drilling to find the oldest submarine sediments in the Atlantic ocean, where would you drill? A) 10 km east of the axis of the Mid-Atlantic ridge; B) directly on the axis of the Mid-Atlantic ridge; C) in the Atlantic as far away from the Mid-Atlantic ridge as you could go; D) half-way between Africa and the Mid-Atlantic ridge; E) half-way between New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic ridge.
37. There is less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than humans have put into it because: A) carbon dioxide escapes to space; B) the seas absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; C) clouds scrub the atmosphere of carbon dioxide; D) that carbon dioxide has been subducted; E) volcanic aerosols absorb the carbon dioxide.
38. Clay minerals are mostly made by: A) intrusive processes; B) chemical weathering; C) mechanical weathering; D) metamorphism; E) volcanic processes.
39. Which statement about hotspots is true? A) they move slowly relative to each other; B) they never occur on continents; C) they never occur in the oceans; D) they never occur near mid-ocean ridges; E) they rarely produce igneous rocks.
40. If a 50-year flood occurred in 2000, what are the odds that there would be a 50-year flood in 2001? A) zero: they only occur every 50 years; B) 1%; C) 2%; D) 50%; E) 100%.