EESA06 - MIDTERM REVIEW QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 2026
Geology - Answers The study of planet earth and its history.
How old is Earth - Answers 4500 million years old
Define Physics - Answers The study of elemental matter and energy.
Define Geophysics - Answers The application of physics to geology. A lot of geology is hidden
from view (i.e. under the surface of the Earth).
Plate Tectonics - Answers the Earth's surface is split into large "jigsaw" pieces, or plates. They
move due to the convection currents under the Earth's crust. The crust is very thin, very brittle,
meaning it breaks often.
Pangaea - Answers Greek word meaning "all the land"; refers to the supercontinent (which was
very unstable) that broke up due to the movement of the continental plates via convection
currents. New oceans were formed as well.
Stratigraphy: - Answers Ordering rocks in terms of ages (not done anymore)
supercontinent cycle - Answers the process by which supercontinents form and break apart over
millions of years
What do supercontinent cycles explain? - Answers Explains atmospheric patterns and
paleobiology (+ other patterns) throughout history.
Why do diamonds exist? - Answers Diamonds come up from the mantle because of convection.
Law of Superposition - Answers The top rock layer and its fossils is the youngest and the bottom
is the oldest.
Structural Geology - Answers The study of stress and strain, the processes that cause them, and
the deformation and rock structures that result from them. (Learning how rocks have been
moved, flipped, folded, etc.)
Sedimentary structures - Answers features that developed during or shortly after the deposition
of the sediments.
(A lot of rocks originate as sediments or minerals, retaining the environment in which they were
formed.)
Index Fossils - Answers a fossil that is useful for dating and correlating the strata and time period
in which it is found.
Geology - Answers The study of planet earth and its history.
How old is Earth - Answers 4500 million years old
Define Physics - Answers The study of elemental matter and energy.
Define Geophysics - Answers The application of physics to geology. A lot of geology is hidden
from view (i.e. under the surface of the Earth).
Plate Tectonics - Answers the Earth's surface is split into large "jigsaw" pieces, or plates. They
move due to the convection currents under the Earth's crust. The crust is very thin, very brittle,
meaning it breaks often.
Pangaea - Answers Greek word meaning "all the land"; refers to the supercontinent (which was
very unstable) that broke up due to the movement of the continental plates via convection
currents. New oceans were formed as well.
Stratigraphy: - Answers Ordering rocks in terms of ages (not done anymore)
supercontinent cycle - Answers the process by which supercontinents form and break apart over
millions of years
What do supercontinent cycles explain? - Answers Explains atmospheric patterns and
paleobiology (+ other patterns) throughout history.
Why do diamonds exist? - Answers Diamonds come up from the mantle because of convection.
Law of Superposition - Answers The top rock layer and its fossils is the youngest and the bottom
is the oldest.
Structural Geology - Answers The study of stress and strain, the processes that cause them, and
the deformation and rock structures that result from them. (Learning how rocks have been
moved, flipped, folded, etc.)
Sedimentary structures - Answers features that developed during or shortly after the deposition
of the sediments.
(A lot of rocks originate as sediments or minerals, retaining the environment in which they were
formed.)
Index Fossils - Answers a fossil that is useful for dating and correlating the strata and time period
in which it is found.
