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Quizzes > Quizzes for Business > Environment

Take the Geosciences Knowledge Assessment Quiz

Test Your Earth Science Skills and Concepts

Difficulty: Moderate
Questions: 20
Learning OutcomesStudy Material
Colorful paper art depicting elements of geosciences for a knowledge assessment quiz.

Geoscience learners and educators can challenge their mastery with this Knowledge Assessment Quiz , featuring 15 MCQs on rock types, plate tectonics, and geologic time. Whether you're preparing for exams or reinforcing fundamental concepts, this earth science quiz offers targeted practice and instant feedback. It's fully customisable in our editor, allowing you to adjust difficulty, add questions, or tweak explanations. For foundational practice, try the Basic Knowledge Assessment Quiz, or browse other quizzes to expand your skills.

Which layer of the Earth is composed primarily of solid iron and nickel?
Mantle
Crust
Inner core
Outer core
The inner core is a solid sphere composed mainly of iron and nickel. The outer core is liquid, while the mantle and crust are composed of silicate rocks.
What type of rock is formed by the cooling and solidification of magma?
Sedimentary
Clastic
Metamorphic
Igneous
Igneous rocks crystallize from cooling magma or lava. Sedimentary rocks form from deposition of material, and metamorphic rocks form by transformation under pressure and temperature.
At which plate boundary do two tectonic plates move away from each other?
Transform boundary
Divergent boundary
Subduction zone
Convergent boundary
Divergent boundaries occur where plates move apart, allowing magma to rise. Convergent boundaries are where plates move together, and transform boundaries slide past each other.
Relative dating in geology is used to determine what?
Exact age in years
Order of past events
Magnetic polarity
Chemical composition
Relative dating establishes the sequential order of geological events without assigning an exact age. Absolute dating methods are used to determine numerical ages.
Which process describes the breakdown of rocks at Earth's surface by water, wind, or ice?
Metamorphism
Erosion
Lithification
Weathering
Weathering is the chemical or physical breakdown of rocks at Earth's surface. Erosion transports the broken-down material, and lithification turns sediments into rock.
Which seismic wave is the fastest and arrives first at a seismic station?
S-wave
Surface wave
Rayleigh wave
P-wave
P-waves (primary waves) are compressional waves that travel faster than S-waves and surface waves, arriving first on seismograms.
Granite and basalt differ primarily in which characteristic?
Age
Texture only
Mineral composition
Sedimentary layering
Granite is felsic with high silica content, while basalt is mafic with lower silica and higher iron and magnesium. Their textures can be similar but composition is key.
Which boundary type is most commonly associated with deep ocean trenches and volcanic arcs?
Transform boundary
Divergent boundary
Ocean-ocean convergent boundary
Continental rift
Ocean-ocean convergent boundaries involve one plate subducting beneath another, forming deep trenches and volcanic island arcs.
If a rock contains a mineral with a half-life of 1 million years and only 25% of the original parent remains, how old is the rock?
4 million years
2 million years
0.5 million years
1 million years
After one half-life, 50% remains. After two half-lives (2 million years), 25% remains. Therefore the rock is 2 million years old.
Which sedimentary structure indicates current direction during deposition?
Graded bedding
Mud cracks
Cross-bedding
Fossil tracks
Cross-bedding forms inclined layers that dip in the direction of flow, indicating current direction. Graded bedding reflects energy changes and mud cracks reflect desiccation.
Which layer of the Earth's mantle behaves plastically and allows tectonic plates to move?
Mesosphere
Asthenosphere
Lithosphere
Lower mantle
The asthenosphere is a ductile zone in the upper mantle that flows slowly, enabling lithospheric plates to move over it.
An unconformity in the rock record represents what?
A volcanic intrusion
An area of fossil richness
A period of rapid deposition
A gap in the geologic record
An unconformity indicates a time gap where deposition ceased and erosion may have occurred, leaving missing rock layers in the record.
Which fossil type is most useful as an index fossil for correlating marine strata?
Vertebrate footprints
Petrified wood
Trilobites
Brachiopods
Trilobites were widespread, evolved rapidly, and are easily recognized, making them excellent index fossils in marine environments.
In plate tectonics, what drives the motion of the plates?
Magnetic field
Tidal forces
Mantle convection
Solar heating
Mantle convection currents transfer heat from the interior to the surface, driving the motion of tectonic plates through buoyancy and drag forces.
Which dating technique is best for determining the age of a 50,000-year-old bone?
Uranium-lead dating
Carbon-14 dating
Rubidium-strontium dating
Potassium-argon dating
Carbon-14 dating is effective up to about 50,000 years and is commonly used for organic remains like bones. Other methods cover much older ages.
Which discontinuity marks the boundary between the crust and the mantle?
Lehmann discontinuity
Rebound discontinuity
Moho discontinuity
Gutenberg discontinuity
The Mohoroviĝić discontinuity, or Moho, separates the crust from the underlying mantle based on a sudden increase in seismic wave velocities.
Which rock texture indicates high-pressure metamorphism deep within Earth?
Glassy
Eclogitic
Porphyritic
Foliated slate
Eclogite forms under very high pressures in subduction zones and is characterized by garnet and omphacite, indicating deep metamorphism.
In seismic tomography, what property variation is primarily imaged?
Magnetic susceptibility
Gravitational acceleration
Electrical conductivity
Seismic wave velocity
Seismic tomography uses variations in seismic wave velocities to image temperature and compositional differences in Earth's interior.
Which principle states that sedimentary layers are originally deposited horizontally?
Lateral continuity
Original horizontality
Faunal succession
Cross-cutting relationships
The principle of original horizontality holds that layers of sediment are initially deposited in horizontal sheets, and tilting occurs post-deposition.
What mechanism is responsible for intermediate-depth earthquakes (70 - 300 km) in subduction zones?
Frictional sliding
Slab dehydration and embrittlement
Mantle convection
Magma injection
Intermediate-depth earthquakes often result from dehydration of the subducting slab, releasing fluids that embrittle rocks and cause faulting.
Which geochronological method uses the decay of 87Rb to 87Sr and is suitable for dating ancient crustal rocks?
Carbon-14 dating
Fission-track dating
Rubidium-strontium dating
Uranium-series dating
Rubidium-87 decays to Strontium-87 over billions of years, making Rb - Sr dating ideal for ancient igneous and metamorphic rocks.
In a focal mechanism (beachball) solution, what does a compressional quadrant indicate?
Direction of first P-wave motion towards the station
An area of low seismic velocity
Tensional stress
Shear stress
Compressional quadrants (black) on a beachball diagram show areas where the first P-wave motion is towards the station, indicating thrust or reverse faulting.
Which sedimentary basin is primarily formed by crustal stretching and thinning?
Strike-slip basin
Rift basin
Transform basin
Foreland basin
Rift basins form where the crust is pulled apart, creating space for sediments in a thinning crust associated with divergent tectonics.
Which isotopic system is most resistant to metamorphic resetting and used to date the age of zircon crystals?
Rb - Sr
K - Ar
U - Pb
C - C
The U - Pb system in zircon is chemically robust and remains closed even during high-grade metamorphism, providing reliable crystallization ages.
What controls the velocity contrast that produces reflections in seismic stratigraphy?
Grain size of surface soil
Surface topography
Magnetic anomalies
Density and velocity differences between rock layers
Seismic reflections arise from impedance contrasts, which are products of density and seismic velocity differences at layer boundaries.
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Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse Earth's internal structure and composition.
  2. Identify and classify major rock types.
  3. Evaluate plate tectonics and boundary interactions.
  4. Apply principles of geologic time and dating methods.
  5. Demonstrate understanding of sedimentary processes.
  6. Interpret seismic data for earthquake analysis.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Understand Earth's Layered Structure - Imagine Earth as a giant jawbreaker with a crunchy crust, a gooey mantle, and a sizzling hot core split into liquid and solid zones. These layers each have unique chemicals, temperatures, and movements that drive everything from volcanoes to earthquakes. Learn more on Britannica
  2. Identify Major Rock Types - Rocks come in three tasty categories: igneous (born from fire), sedimentary (layered like a parfait), and metamorphic (rocks that hit the gym under heat and pressure!). Use the mnemonic "I See Many Rocks" to lock down Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic on your next test. Learn more on Britannica
  3. Grasp Plate Tectonics Basics - Picture Earth's crust sliced into puzzle pieces that drift over a semi-fluid layer called the asthenosphere. The dance of these tectonic plates creates earthquakes, forms mountains, and sparks volcanic eruptions. Learn more on Britannica
  4. Recognize Plate Boundary Types - There are three party tricks for plates: divergent (they move apart and build new crust), convergent (they crash together to form mountains or trenches), and transform (they slide past each other for epic earthquakes!). Each boundary type writes its own chapter in Earth's story. Learn more on Britannica
  5. Apply Geologic Time Principles - Dive into the geologic time scale where Earth's 4.6 billion years are sliced into eons, eras, periods, and epochs like a cosmic timeline cake. This framework helps you place dinosaurs, ice ages, and the rise of humans in the right order. Learn more on Britannica
  6. Understand Radiometric Dating - Radiometric dating uses the clock inside atoms to tell rock and fossil ages by watching unstable isotopes decay over time. For example, carbon-14 gives dates for recent organic remains up to about 50,000 years old. Learn more on Britannica
  7. Comprehend Sedimentary Processes - Sedimentary rocks form when nature's recycling team - weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction, and cementation - teams up to turn loose particles into solid stone. These layers capture fossils and environmental clues from Earth's past. Learn more on Britannica
  8. Interpret Seismic Data - When earthquakes strike, seismic waves race through Earth's layers and carry secret information about what lies beneath our feet. By measuring their speed and path, geoscientists map the structure of the crust, mantle, and core. Learn more on Britannica
  9. Learn about Earth's Magnetic Field - The swirling motion of molten iron in the outer core creates Earth's magnetic field, a cosmic shield that deflects solar wind and helps compasses point north. This invisible force is vital for protecting life and guiding explorers. Learn more on Britannica
  10. Explore the Rock Cycle - The rock cycle is Earth's ultimate remix, transforming igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks through melting, cooling, eroding, and squashing over and over again. Mastering this cycle is like unlocking geology's secret cheat code. Learn more on Britannica
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