Geology Exam Questions With Answers
Diagenesis refers to ________.
physical and chemical alterations, including compaction and cementation, that occur as sediment is
transformed into rock
Pulling a block of clay apart, resulting in the middle portion thinning and sinking, is an adequate
analogy for ________.
rift basins and subsidence
Lithified detritus (breakdown products of preexisting rocks) forms which kind of sedimentary rock?
clastic
Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?
biochemical
It is unusual for ________ to carry grains larger than sand.
wind
Grains become rounded primarily during ________.
transportation
Consult the figure below. Here, distinct internal laminations are inclined at an angle to the boundary
of the main sedimentary layers. This is termed ________.
cross beds
Geologists call individual layers of sedimentary rocks ________, whereas several of them together are
called ________.
beds; strata
Death Valley is currently sinking partly due to the weight of continuously accumulating sediment shed
from the mountains that border the valley. What phenomenon is this an example of and what
depositional environment is created by the sediment deposition?
subsidence and alluvial fans
Which of the following is NOT true in regard to biochemical chert?
It is composed of the minerals calcite and dolomite.
What is the difference between the formation of chalk versus chert?
They are made of different source materials.
Compaction and cementation of grains occurs during ________.
lithification
, A clastic rock composed of sand-sized grains derived from the physical weathering of granite and
containing a sizable proportion of feldspar is termed ________.
arkose
Swamps, channels, floodplains, and submarine slopes all play a role in the development of ________.
marine deltas
Biochemical limestones are dominated by carbonate mud and fragments of ________.
skeletons of marine invertebrates made of calcite and aragonite
The majority of the rocks that occur at the surface of Earth are ________.
sedimentary rocks
Which of the following is NOT true? As compared to arkose, quartz sandstone ________.
contains more angular grains
The image below shows an outcrop of coarse-grained sedimentary rock. Note the rock hammer for
scale. What is the name of this rock type?
conglomerate
The image below of Death Valley, CA, shows a road that curves around a(n) ________.
alluvial fan
Glacial till is composed of ________-sized particles.
a mix of anything from mud to boulder
Two major sources of energy, coal and oil shale, are considered ________ sedimentary rocks.
organic
Beach sediments travel ________ the ocean during a transgression and ________ the ocean during a
regression.
away from; toward
Which environment would most likely produce sedimentary deposits characterized by poorly to
moderately sorted, angular to subangular grains that consist of feldspar, quartz, and lithics (rock
fragments)?
alluvial fan
The image below shows ancient dunes exposed in Zion National Park in Utah. Using the interpreted
portion of the image at the left, what was the dominant wind direction that formed these
sedimentary structures?
toward the right
What type of sediment is typically found in lake bottoms?
clay/mud
Diagenesis refers to ________.
physical and chemical alterations, including compaction and cementation, that occur as sediment is
transformed into rock
Pulling a block of clay apart, resulting in the middle portion thinning and sinking, is an adequate
analogy for ________.
rift basins and subsidence
Lithified detritus (breakdown products of preexisting rocks) forms which kind of sedimentary rock?
clastic
Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?
biochemical
It is unusual for ________ to carry grains larger than sand.
wind
Grains become rounded primarily during ________.
transportation
Consult the figure below. Here, distinct internal laminations are inclined at an angle to the boundary
of the main sedimentary layers. This is termed ________.
cross beds
Geologists call individual layers of sedimentary rocks ________, whereas several of them together are
called ________.
beds; strata
Death Valley is currently sinking partly due to the weight of continuously accumulating sediment shed
from the mountains that border the valley. What phenomenon is this an example of and what
depositional environment is created by the sediment deposition?
subsidence and alluvial fans
Which of the following is NOT true in regard to biochemical chert?
It is composed of the minerals calcite and dolomite.
What is the difference between the formation of chalk versus chert?
They are made of different source materials.
Compaction and cementation of grains occurs during ________.
lithification
, A clastic rock composed of sand-sized grains derived from the physical weathering of granite and
containing a sizable proportion of feldspar is termed ________.
arkose
Swamps, channels, floodplains, and submarine slopes all play a role in the development of ________.
marine deltas
Biochemical limestones are dominated by carbonate mud and fragments of ________.
skeletons of marine invertebrates made of calcite and aragonite
The majority of the rocks that occur at the surface of Earth are ________.
sedimentary rocks
Which of the following is NOT true? As compared to arkose, quartz sandstone ________.
contains more angular grains
The image below shows an outcrop of coarse-grained sedimentary rock. Note the rock hammer for
scale. What is the name of this rock type?
conglomerate
The image below of Death Valley, CA, shows a road that curves around a(n) ________.
alluvial fan
Glacial till is composed of ________-sized particles.
a mix of anything from mud to boulder
Two major sources of energy, coal and oil shale, are considered ________ sedimentary rocks.
organic
Beach sediments travel ________ the ocean during a transgression and ________ the ocean during a
regression.
away from; toward
Which environment would most likely produce sedimentary deposits characterized by poorly to
moderately sorted, angular to subangular grains that consist of feldspar, quartz, and lithics (rock
fragments)?
alluvial fan
The image below shows ancient dunes exposed in Zion National Park in Utah. Using the interpreted
portion of the image at the left, what was the dominant wind direction that formed these
sedimentary structures?
toward the right
What type of sediment is typically found in lake bottoms?
clay/mud
