ES-Jan 2014 Q31-40

The map below shows changes in the position of the tsunami wave front produced by the 1964 Alaskan earthquake. The numbers indicate the time, in hours, for the wave front to reach the positions indicated by the isolines.
If the wave front reached the Hawaiian Islands at 10:30 p.m., at approximately what time did the earthquake occur?

•  1:30 p.m
• 5:30 p.m.
•  3:30 a.m.
•  4:30 a.m.

The diagram below represents the analysis of a seismogram used to calculate an earthquake’s magnitude on the Richter Scale. This seismogram shows the difference in arrival times, in seconds, of the first P-wave and S-wave and the amplitude of the S-wave in millimeters.
The diagram below represents how the earthquake’s magnitude is determined by drawing a line connecting the difference in arrival times of the P-wave and the S-wave, and the S-wave amplitude.
What is the magnitude of a recorded earthquake if the difference in arrival times of the first P-wave and S-wave is 2 seconds and the S-wave amplitude is 20 millimeters?

• 3.8
• 2.0
• 3.0
•  4.8

Which cross section best represents a plateau landscape region?

• region 1
• region 2
• region 3
• region 4

Lichens are usually the first organisms that appear in barren, rocky areas. They use rootlike structures to split bedrock into small fragments. Lichens also secrete acidic solutions that help break down rock. The cross sections below represent an area when lichens first appeared (time 1) and that same area hundreds of years later, after it was changed by lichens and exposed to air and water (time 2).
The soil shown in time 2 was formed mainly by

• compaction and cementing
• weathering and biological activity
•  faulting and tilting of rock strata
• mass movement and deposition of particles

The map below shows coastal features of a portion of Long Island, New York. Point A represents a location on a landscape feature that resulted from wave action and longshore currents.
On which landscape feature is point A located?

• moraine
• delta
• barrier island
• floodplain

Base your answers to questions 6 through 8 on the passage and map below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The map shows the locations of the Mt. Redoubt volcano and Anchorage, Alaska.
 Mt. Redoubt Volcano
In Anchorage, Alaska, scientists are monitoring sensors located on nearby Mt. Redoubt. The sensors measure seismic activity at the top of the volcano. No one lives near the volcano itself, so there is no danger to humans from lava flows, but ash can be dangerous when breathed in, and can damage airplanes and automobiles if the ash is drawn into their engines. When Mt. Redoubt erupted in 1989, a huge ash cloud reached an approximate height of 7.6 miles above sea level, and spread ash across Alaska for five months. The ash was composed largely of silica, which cooled rapidly as the ash rose into the atmosphere. In March 2009, Mt. Redoubt erupted again.
Mt. Redoubt’s seismic activity is due to the interaction of which two tectonic plates?

• Pacific Plate and Eurasian Plate
• Eurasian Plate and North American Plate
• North American Plate and Pacific Plate
• Philippine Plate and Eurasian Plate

Base your answers to questions 6 through 8 on the passage and map below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The map shows the locations of the Mt. Redoubt volcano and Anchorage, Alaska.
 Mt. Redoubt Volcano 
In Anchorage, Alaska, scientists are monitoring sensors located on nearby Mt. Redoubt. The sensors measure seismic activity at the top of the volcano. No one lives near the volcano itself, so there is no danger to humans from lava flows, but ash can be dangerous when breathed in, and can damage airplanes and automobiles if the ash is drawn into their engines. When Mt. Redoubt erupted in 1989, a huge ash cloud reached an approximate height of 7.6 miles above sea level, and spread ash across Alaska for five months. The ash was composed largely of silica, which cooled rapidly as the ash rose into the atmosphere. In March 2009, Mt. Redoubt erupted again.
The height of the ash cloud from the 1989 eruption reached an altitude in Earth’s atmosphere located

• between sea level and the lower troposphere
• between the troposphere and the stratosphere
• in the middle of the stratosphere
• in the middle of the mesosphere

Base your answers to questions 6 through 8 on the passage and map below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The map shows the locations of the Mt. Redoubt volcano and Anchorage, Alaska.
 Mt. Redoubt Volcano 
In Anchorage, Alaska, scientists are monitoring sensors located on nearby Mt. Redoubt. The sensors measure seismic activity at the top of the volcano. No one lives near the volcano itself, so there is no danger to humans from lava flows, but ash can be dangerous when breathed in, and can damage airplanes and automobiles if the ash is drawn into their engines. When Mt. Redoubt erupted in 1989, a huge ash cloud reached an approximate height of 7.6 miles above sea level, and spread ash across Alaska for five months. The ash was composed largely of silica, which cooled rapidly as the ash rose into the atmosphere. In March 2009, Mt. Redoubt erupted again.
How did the huge ash cloud that covered Alaska in 1989 affect the amount of insolation reaching Earth’s surface and the air temperatures near Earth’s surface?

• Insolation decreased and temperatures increased.
• Insolation increased and temperatures decreased.
• Both insolation and temperatures increased.
• Both insolation and temperatures decreased.

The diagram below represents three bedrock outcrops. The layers have not been overturned. Letters A through E identify different rock layers. Fossils found in the rock layers are shown.
Which fossil could be classified as an index fossil?

• fossil 1
• fossil 2
• fossil 3
• fossil 4

The graph shows the temperature, pressure, and depth environments for the formation of the three major rock types. Pressure is shown in kilobars (kb). Letters A through D identify different environmental conditions for rock formation.
Which rock is most likely to form directly from rock material at a depth of 30 km and a temperature of 1000°C?

• quartzite
•  scoria
• shale
• granite