Florida International University
Department of Earth Sciences
GLY 1010: Introduction to Earth Science
Practice Quiz (Not for credit)






1. An undeformed sedimentary layer is ______ than the layer above and ______ than the layer below.
A.younger ... younger
B.younger ... older
C.older ... younger
D.older ... older


2. The principle of superposition states that __________.
A.sediments are deposited as essentially horizontal layers
B.undisturbed sedimentary layers get progressively younger from bottom to top
C.the present is the key to the past
D.a fault is younger than the rocks it cuts


3. The study of faunal succession allows _________.
A.matching of similarly-aged rocks from different outcrops
B.absolute dating of fossil-bearing strata
C.correlation of fossils with mammals of today
D.the study of habits of extinct mammals


4. An unconformity is a __________.
A.gap in the geologic record
B.layer of sedimentary rock
C.period of deposition
D.sequence of deformed rocks


5. A disconformity is ___________.
A.a rock unit that does not contain fossils
B.an erosional surface between igneous and metamorphic rocks
C.an erosional surface between horizontal layers of sedimentary rocks
D.a rock unit that is different than units above or below it


6.
Units A, B, C, D, E, and F are sedimentary rocks. Unit G is a granite.
R-1 Ref 9-1

The horizontal line labeled X-X' is a(n) ______.
A.fault
B.angular unconformity
C.contour
D.cross bed



7.
Units A, B, C, D, E, and F are sedimentary rocks. Unit G is a granite.
R-1 Ref 9-1

Which of the following units is the youngest?
A.unit A
B.unit B
C.unit C
D.unit F



8.
Units A, B, C, D, E, and F are sedimentary rocks. Unit G is a granite.
R-1 Ref 9-1

Which of the following statements is true?
A.Deposition of unit A occurred before deposition of unit B.
B.Erosion took place prior to deposition of unit B.
C.Unit C is younger than unit A.
D.The granite is older than unit F.



9. When did the Earth's basic structure—the core, mantle, and crust—form?
A.during the Archean
B.during the Phanerozoic
C.during the Proterozoic
D.during the Paleozoic


10. How old are the oldest rocks on Earth?
A.approximately 10,000 years old
B.approximately 65 million years old
C.approximately 500 million years old
D.approximately 4 billion years old


11. When did the Paleozoic era end?
A.65 million years ago
B.251 million years ago
C.541 million years ago
D.2,500 million years ago


12. Which of the following statements about radioactivity is false?
A.A radioactive element decays at a constant rate.
B.Energy is consumed during radioactive decay.
C.The decay product of a radioactive element is called the daughter product.
D.Radioactivity is the spontaneous disintegration of the nucleus of an atom.


13. Which of the following can change the rate of radioactive decay?
A.changes in temperature
B.changes in pressure
C.chemical reactions
D.none of the above


14. A rock formed with 1,000 atoms of a radioactive parent element, but only contains 250 radioactive parent atoms today. If the half-life for the radioactive element is one million years, how old is the rock?
A.250,000 years old
B.500,000 years old
C.1,000,000 years old
D.2,000,000 years old


15. Which of the following radioactive isotopes has the shortest half-life?
A.rubidium-87
B.potassium-40
C.carbon-14
D.uranium-238


16. Radiometric dating is possible if a rock contains a measurable amount of ___________.
A.only parent isotopes
B.only daughter isotopes
C.both parent and daughter isotopes
D.either parent or daughter isotopes


17. Which of the following radioactive isotopes is the most useful for dating very young (<10,000-year-old) wood and charcoal.
A.rubidium-87
B.carbon-14
C.potassium-40
D.uranium-238


18. Human beings (homo sapiens) evolved during which geologic era?
A.Cenozoic
B.Mesozoic
C.Paleozoic
D.Precambrian



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