EAPS 106 EXAM #1 QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS
Which layer of Earth is liquid?
The outer core
How did the Earth form?
By accretion from the solar nebula
A young Earth was hot enough inside to melt. How did the Earth obtain the heat in its
interior?
From radioactive decay, residual heat from planetary accretion, and latent heat from core
crystallization
What is planetary differentiation?
The process by which the chemical elements of a planetary body accumulate in different areas of
that body
Which statement about plate tectonics is correct?
- The Earth's lithosphere is comprised a number of large tectonic plates which have been slowly
moving since about 3.4 billion years ago
- Where the plates meet, their relative motion determines the type of plate boundary: convergent,
divergent, or transform. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench
formation occur along these plate boundaries (or faults)
- Tectonic plates are composed of the oceanic lithosphere and the thicker continental lithosphere,
each topped by its own kind of crust
Which statement about Earth's lithosphere is correct?
It includes the crust and the uppermost mantle, which constitutes the hard and rigid outer layer of
the Earth
What is asthenosphere?
It is the mechanically weak layer of the upper mantle that lies just below the lithosphere
What is the theory (or hypothesis) of continental drift?
That over time the continents move relative to each other
What is seafloor spreading?
A process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic
activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge
What is a subduction?
, It is where oceanic lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at convergent boundaries
What is a transform fault or transform boundary (sometimes called a strike-slip
boundary)?
A fault along a plate boundary where the motion is predominantly horizontal
What is a mantle convection?
The slow creeping motion of Earth's solid mantle caused by currents carrying heat from the
interior to the planet's surface
What happens when the wire turns are wound around a ferromagnetic material?
The magnet gets stronger
How does the Earth generate its magnetic field?
Through the rotation, convection, and electrical conduction within its liquid iron outer core
True or false: The northern and southern lights are caused by emission of photons in
Earth's upper atmosphere from ionized (excited) nitrogen and oxygen atoms caused by the
solar wind. (Be sure to read both the intro to Auroras as well as the Atmosphere section to
answer this question).
True
True or false: The north pole of Earth's magnetic field is located in Earth's northern
hemisphere.
False
Which of the following statements about Earth magnetic field is true?
The magnetic poles slowly and continuously move
How does a geode form?
By the filling of vesicles (voids) in rocks by minerals deposited from the passage of fluids
What is the evidence that the Earth cannot be hollow inside?
- The passage of seismic waves requires the Earth to be non-hollow
- Gravity does not allow for a planet to form with a hollow interior
- Ordinary matter is not strong enough to support a hollow space of planetary size
At what depth do most diamonds originate from and how do they get to the surface?
Between 150 and 250 km depth and come to the surface in Kimberlite volcanic eruptions
What is the largest earthquake by magnitude to ever be recorded?
The 1960 Valdivia, Chile earthquake
ANSWERS
Which layer of Earth is liquid?
The outer core
How did the Earth form?
By accretion from the solar nebula
A young Earth was hot enough inside to melt. How did the Earth obtain the heat in its
interior?
From radioactive decay, residual heat from planetary accretion, and latent heat from core
crystallization
What is planetary differentiation?
The process by which the chemical elements of a planetary body accumulate in different areas of
that body
Which statement about plate tectonics is correct?
- The Earth's lithosphere is comprised a number of large tectonic plates which have been slowly
moving since about 3.4 billion years ago
- Where the plates meet, their relative motion determines the type of plate boundary: convergent,
divergent, or transform. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench
formation occur along these plate boundaries (or faults)
- Tectonic plates are composed of the oceanic lithosphere and the thicker continental lithosphere,
each topped by its own kind of crust
Which statement about Earth's lithosphere is correct?
It includes the crust and the uppermost mantle, which constitutes the hard and rigid outer layer of
the Earth
What is asthenosphere?
It is the mechanically weak layer of the upper mantle that lies just below the lithosphere
What is the theory (or hypothesis) of continental drift?
That over time the continents move relative to each other
What is seafloor spreading?
A process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic
activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge
What is a subduction?
, It is where oceanic lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at convergent boundaries
What is a transform fault or transform boundary (sometimes called a strike-slip
boundary)?
A fault along a plate boundary where the motion is predominantly horizontal
What is a mantle convection?
The slow creeping motion of Earth's solid mantle caused by currents carrying heat from the
interior to the planet's surface
What happens when the wire turns are wound around a ferromagnetic material?
The magnet gets stronger
How does the Earth generate its magnetic field?
Through the rotation, convection, and electrical conduction within its liquid iron outer core
True or false: The northern and southern lights are caused by emission of photons in
Earth's upper atmosphere from ionized (excited) nitrogen and oxygen atoms caused by the
solar wind. (Be sure to read both the intro to Auroras as well as the Atmosphere section to
answer this question).
True
True or false: The north pole of Earth's magnetic field is located in Earth's northern
hemisphere.
False
Which of the following statements about Earth magnetic field is true?
The magnetic poles slowly and continuously move
How does a geode form?
By the filling of vesicles (voids) in rocks by minerals deposited from the passage of fluids
What is the evidence that the Earth cannot be hollow inside?
- The passage of seismic waves requires the Earth to be non-hollow
- Gravity does not allow for a planet to form with a hollow interior
- Ordinary matter is not strong enough to support a hollow space of planetary size
At what depth do most diamonds originate from and how do they get to the surface?
Between 150 and 250 km depth and come to the surface in Kimberlite volcanic eruptions
What is the largest earthquake by magnitude to ever be recorded?
The 1960 Valdivia, Chile earthquake
