EAPS EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS
A cooling magma begins to grow crystals. We can say that this magma is ________ the
crystallizing mineral. Please fill in the blank with the best answer choice below.
Saturated with respect to
Ionic bonding occurs when ______?
Atoms lose or gain valence electrons to make positively or negatively charged ions that can then
bond
The unit cell leads to all of the following mineral properties except which one?
Mineral size
The smallest repeatable unit in a crystalline sold is known as the _________? Please fill in
the blank with the best answer choice.
Unit cell
Heating a magma will ________ crystallization and solidification into a rock. Please fill in
the blank with the best answer choice.
Inhibit
What is the most common class of mineral within the Earth's crust? Hint: Remember the
most common elements in the Earth's crust.
Silicate Minerals
In the above diagram of a river system where are most sedimentary clasts/grains
produced?
Highest
Which of the following areas is most at risk for the development of a debris flow?
Mountainous
A river requires _______ to transport large pieces of rock (i.e., sedimentary clasts) when
compared to smaller clasts. Please fill in the blank with the best answer choice.
faster flowing water
Which of the following locations on the surface of the Earth has the lowest gravitational
potential energy? Hint: Where is most sediment ultimately deposited?
the bottom of the ocean
, The organisms that produce shells made out of calcium carbonate are utilizing what
component of seawater?
Dissolved ions
Chemical weathering is a major process during which rock is broken down through
chemical reactions and dissolved ions are incorporated into natural waters. Which of the
following parameters will lead to increased chemical weathering if all other variables are
kept the same?
Increasing surface area
Clastic rocks are distinguished from crystalline rocks in that they are composed or
weathered bits of rock (clasts) that have been transported as sediment and deposited in a
location that is different from where their constituent rocks formed. What is one feature of
clastic rocks that you could use to distinguish them?
Clastic rocks are typically composed of rounded clasts
Examples of mechanical weathering?
Tree roots growing into a crack within a cliff and splitting rock
Sand carried in wind abrades a cliff face
Ice expanding in a crack and wedging a rock off of a cliff
Which of the following is least likely to trigger a mass wasting event from a steep slope?
A drought
Coal is a sedimentary rock composed of organic matter and frequently contains plant
fossils. Which of the following statements can we infer to be true about the depositional
environment in which coal formed?
Coal was originally deposited in a biologically productive terrestrial ecosystem.
The process through which loose sediment becomes a rock is known as lithification.
_______ is the process that occurs when fluids precipitate new minerals in the pore spaces
between sedimentary clasts/grains and leads to lithification.
Cementation
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock largely composed of sand-sized sedimentary clasts/grains.
Which of the following environments is not a place where you would expect sand to be
deposited and eventually form sandstone?
The deep ocean far from any land
ANSWERS
A cooling magma begins to grow crystals. We can say that this magma is ________ the
crystallizing mineral. Please fill in the blank with the best answer choice below.
Saturated with respect to
Ionic bonding occurs when ______?
Atoms lose or gain valence electrons to make positively or negatively charged ions that can then
bond
The unit cell leads to all of the following mineral properties except which one?
Mineral size
The smallest repeatable unit in a crystalline sold is known as the _________? Please fill in
the blank with the best answer choice.
Unit cell
Heating a magma will ________ crystallization and solidification into a rock. Please fill in
the blank with the best answer choice.
Inhibit
What is the most common class of mineral within the Earth's crust? Hint: Remember the
most common elements in the Earth's crust.
Silicate Minerals
In the above diagram of a river system where are most sedimentary clasts/grains
produced?
Highest
Which of the following areas is most at risk for the development of a debris flow?
Mountainous
A river requires _______ to transport large pieces of rock (i.e., sedimentary clasts) when
compared to smaller clasts. Please fill in the blank with the best answer choice.
faster flowing water
Which of the following locations on the surface of the Earth has the lowest gravitational
potential energy? Hint: Where is most sediment ultimately deposited?
the bottom of the ocean
, The organisms that produce shells made out of calcium carbonate are utilizing what
component of seawater?
Dissolved ions
Chemical weathering is a major process during which rock is broken down through
chemical reactions and dissolved ions are incorporated into natural waters. Which of the
following parameters will lead to increased chemical weathering if all other variables are
kept the same?
Increasing surface area
Clastic rocks are distinguished from crystalline rocks in that they are composed or
weathered bits of rock (clasts) that have been transported as sediment and deposited in a
location that is different from where their constituent rocks formed. What is one feature of
clastic rocks that you could use to distinguish them?
Clastic rocks are typically composed of rounded clasts
Examples of mechanical weathering?
Tree roots growing into a crack within a cliff and splitting rock
Sand carried in wind abrades a cliff face
Ice expanding in a crack and wedging a rock off of a cliff
Which of the following is least likely to trigger a mass wasting event from a steep slope?
A drought
Coal is a sedimentary rock composed of organic matter and frequently contains plant
fossils. Which of the following statements can we infer to be true about the depositional
environment in which coal formed?
Coal was originally deposited in a biologically productive terrestrial ecosystem.
The process through which loose sediment becomes a rock is known as lithification.
_______ is the process that occurs when fluids precipitate new minerals in the pore spaces
between sedimentary clasts/grains and leads to lithification.
Cementation
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock largely composed of sand-sized sedimentary clasts/grains.
Which of the following environments is not a place where you would expect sand to be
deposited and eventually form sandstone?
The deep ocean far from any land
