Quiz about Ohio Geology

Question 1

______________ determines the age of a rock by comparing it to the rocks around it.

Accepted Answer

Relative dating

Answer

Absolute dating

Answer

Dependent dating

Answer

Independent dating

Question 2

Rock layers below are __________ rock layers above.

Accepted Answer

older than

Answer

younger than

Answer

the same age as

Answer

either older or younger than

Question 3

What kind of rock does absolute dating work for?

Accepted Answer

igneous

Answer

metamorphic

Answer

sedimentary

Answer

thickly layered

Question 4

For the law of superposition to hold true, the layers of rock must be _____________.

Accepted Answer

undisturbed

Answer

eroded

Answer

weathered

Answer

igneous

Question 5

Why is the Grand Canyon a good place to study rock layers?

Accepted Answer

Lots of layers have been uncovered by river erosion.

Answer

It is older than any other location.

Answer

It is undisturbed by erosion or weathering.

Answer

Volcanoes have laid down many layers of igneous rock that can be absolutely dated

Question 6

It is reasonable to guess that rock layers on either side of a gap are the same age because of the principle of ___________.

Accepted Answer

lateral continuity

Answer

superposition

Answer

original horizontality

Answer

cross-cutting relationships

Question 7

What can cause rock layers to fold?

Accepted Answer

tectonic forces

Answer

gravity

Answer

braces

Answer

volcanic eruptions

Question 8

According to the principle of ____________, rock layers form in ________ layers due to gravity.

Accepted Answer

original horizontality; horizontal

Answer

superposition; consecutive

Answer

lateral continuity; vertical

Answer

cross-cutting relationships; random

Question 9

If an igneous rock cuts a sedimentary rock in half vertically, which rock is older?

Accepted Answer

sedimentary

Answer

. igneous

Answer

they are the same age

Answer

there is no way to tell

Question 10

What is the name of the law that states that a rock feature cutting across another rock feature is the younger of the two rocks?

Accepted Answer

law of cross-cutting relationships

Answer

law of superposition

Answer

principle of lateral continuity

Answer

principle of original horizontality

Question 11

Which of the following is a feature that is applicable to the law of cross-cutting relationships?

Accepted Answer

igneous intrusion

Answer

river erosion

Answer

horizontal igneous layer

Answer

horizontal sedimentary layer

Question 12

What are fossils?

Accepted Answer

the preserved remains of organisms

Answer

any remains of an organism

Answer

rocks that have been weathered

Answer

rocks in the shape of ancient organisms

Question 13

The law of ___________ says that the sequence of changes in organisms as recorded by fossils is the same everywhere on Earth.

Accepted Answer

fossil succession

Answer

superposition

Answer

lateral continuity

Answer

original horizontality

Question 14

Fossils of organisms that lived in a widespread area over a short period of geologic time are called ___________.

Accepted Answer

index fossils

Answer

common specimens

Answer

indicator remains

Answer

pervasive pointers

Question 15

Why are index fossils important?

Accepted Answer

They are useful for relative dating of rock strata.

Answer

They are very rare.

Answer

They indicate where to look for other fossils.

Answer

They allow for absolute dating of rock strata.

Question 16

Radioactive atoms ___________ and form a different kind of atom.

Accepted Answer

decay

Answer

aggregate

Answer

explode

Answer

implode

Question 17

Igneous rocks contain radioactive atoms, so as the rock gets older __________.

Accepted Answer

fewer radioactive atoms remain

Answer

it breaks up into tiny pieces

Answer

more radioactive atoms accumulate

Answer

it becomes dangerously radioactive

Question 18

Rock A has 50% of its uranium atoms remaining, and Rock B has 20% of its uranium atoms remaining. Which rock is older?

Accepted Answer

Rock B

Answer

Rock A

Answer

They are the same age

Answer

It is impossible to tell from this information.

Question 19

What is it called when scientists use radioactive atoms to absolutely date igneous rocks?

Accepted Answer

radiometric dating

Answer

atomic dating

Answer

uranium dating

Answer

radioactive dating

Question 20

A 3 million-year-old igneous layer lies below a sedimentary layer that lies below a 2 million-year-old index fossil. How old is the sedimentary layer?

Accepted Answer

between 2 and 3 million years old

Answer

older than 3 million years old

Answer

younger than 2 million years old

Answer

It is impossible to tell from this information.

Question 21

A fault line runs through an igneous intrusion in a sedimentary rock layer. The youngest feature is ___________

Accepted Answer

the fault line

Answer

the igneous intrusion

Answer

impossible to determine

Answer

the sedimentary rock layer

Question 22

Below is an video of the Grand Canyon along the Colorado River in Northern Arizona. Note the different layers, which are known as strata. They give geologists insight into events in the geologic history of an area. Study the video below. Based on the law of superposition, which statement BEST describes the differences between the lower and upper sedimentary strata?

Accepted Answer

The lower sedimentary layers are older than the upper layers.

Answer

The lower sedimentary layers are softer than the upper layers.

Answer

The lower sedimentary layers are harder than the upper layers.

Answer

The lower sedimentary layers are younger than the upper layers.

Question 23

During a hike in the mountains, Jenai notices several layers of rock within a cliff. She notes two layers of igneous rock on top of one another. Jenai thinks that the top layer is younger than the bottom layer. Later, radiometric dating analysis was done on these rocks. The results confirmed her hypothesis. How were these two methods used to date the rock layers?

Accepted Answer

Jenai used a relative dating method; the laboratory used an absolute dating method.

Answer

Both methods are types of relative dating methods.

Answer

Both methods are types of absolute dating methods.

Answer

Jenai used an absolute dating method; the laboratory used a relative dating method.

Question 24

The San Juan River meanders through part of Utah. Over the years, it has weathered away rocks to form a valley in Goosenecks State Park and has exposed a variety of rock layers. What prediction can be made about the layers highlighted below?

Accepted Answer

The highlighted rock layers are the same geologic age.

Answer

The highlighted rock layers are made of different material.

Answer

The highlighted rock layers have been weathered to look the same.

Answer

The highlighted rock layers have been exposed for about the same amount of time.

Question 25

Suppose you are walking along a path and come across the geologic formation shown in the photo. You know that the rock in the middle is igneous rock, and the layers on either side of it are sedimentary. What can you explain about the age of these rocks using the law of cross-cutting relationships?

Accepted Answer

The igneous rock is younger than the sedimentary.

Answer

The igneous rock cracked the sedimentary.

Answer

The igneous rock is older than the sedimentary.

Answer

The igneous rock is the same approximate age as the sedimentary.

Question 26

Suppose a paleontologist is at a construction site in Kentucky. While digging in a mudstone layer, she found a trilobite fossil in the rock layer that was the same species of trilobite found in a mudstone layer in Ohio. However, she found this trilobite two rock layers deeper than the mudstone found in Ohio. What conclusion should she reach about the ages of the two rock layers?

Accepted Answer

The rock layer at the Kentucky site is the same age as the rock layer in Ohio.

Answer

The rock layer at the Kentucky site is older than the one in Ohio.

Answer

The trilobite at the Kentucky site is a different species than the one in Ohio.

Answer

The trilobite at the Kentucky site is a much older species of trilobite then the one in Ohio.

Question 27

The Grand Canyon is very weathered and eroded. It allows scientists to get a good idea of the history of the formation of the United States. Geologists will often make sketches of the different layers to help model the Grand Canyon and surrounding areas. Below is a sketch of several of the common layers found in the Grand Canyon.

Which of the following statements BEST explains the relationship between the Redwall and Bright Angel layers?

Accepted Answer

The Bright Angel layer is older than the Redwall layer.

Answer

The Redwall layer is older than the Bright Angel layer.

Answer

The Redwall layer is approximately the same age as the Bright Angel layer.

Answer

They Redwall layer was exposed at the same time as the Bright Angel layer.

Question 28

Note the Coconino layer, the third layer down from the surface of the Grand Canyon. Suppose that at a second site further north along the river, the Coconino layer was only one layer down from the surface. Which conclusion can scientists reach about the Coconino layer?

Accepted Answer

The Coconino layer is the same age at both sites.

Answer

The Coconino layer is older at the second site.

Answer

The Coconino layer is younger at the second site.

Answer

The Coconino layer at one of the sites formed at a different depth.

Question 29

Notice the Grand Canyon Supergroup near the bottom. The Supergroup, like the other layers, is made up of sedimentary rocks, but it cuts through part of the Tapeats layer. Based on its position and the principle of original horizontality, what explanation might geologists give for this finding

Accepted Answer

The Supergroup is older than the Tapeats layer, but it was pushed up due to tectonic events.

Answer

The Supergroup is younger than the Tapeats layer, but it sank down due to gravity.

Answer

The Supergroup formed afterward and pushed its way through faults in the Tapeats layer.

Answer

The Supergroup was formed at the same time as the Tapeats layer, but formed at an angle.

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