Page | 1
EOSC 210 Midterm 1 Questions with
Detailed Verified Answers
Question: What is the Vaiont Dam? What happened to it?
Ans: A dam that could hold 150 million cubic meters of water built in Italy,
planned to be the world's highest dam (265.5 m). During construction,
filling in a nearby dam triggered a landslide that generated a 20m high
wave and kills an employee. Looking into the geological history of the area
suggested it was prone to landslides, but they decided to continue filling in
the dam anyways. a 2km long crack was later opened near the top of the
slope, and this caused a large landslide of 700 000 m3. They lowered the
water level, but decided to raise it again. Eventually, the largest landslide
was triggered and killed 60 people in the village Casso. Approximately
1900 people were killed altogether.
Question: describe what the major divisions of the geological timescale
signify
Ans: Generally speaking, each new era is due to a mass extinction event
OR the creation of new life! isnt that cool :)
Question: Catastrophism definition
, Page | 2
Ans: The theory that significant changes in the Earth's crust are a result of
sudden violent and unusual events, such as floods and earthquakes. This
theory accounted for large features such as valleys and mountains, and the
"funny looking bones" found in rocks (aka fossils). Based off the bible.
Question: Uniformitarianism definition
Ans: The principle that the processes that are around today are the same
as the processes in the past. Proposed by James Hutton in 1785, highly
controversial due to it's non biblical base
Question: Principle of Original Horizontality
Ans: sediments are deposited in flat, horizontal layers, and if layers are
folded or faulted, this must have occred after deposition as a result of
tectonic forces
Question: Principle of Superposition
Ans: Layers are deposited in a sequence, with the older layers underneath
the other ones, unless tectonic processes have overturned the sequence
Question: Principle of Cross-cutting relationships
, Page | 3
Ans: Any geological feature that cut across or intrudes another feature
must be younger than the feature it cuts through (eg. igneous intrusions
such as sills (parallel to bedding) or dykes (non-parallel to bedding) and
faults)
Question: Principle of Lateral Continuity
Ans: Rocks with similar characteristics can be correlated across different
exposures over long distances. Therefore, if you see lots of similar features
over a large surface that might have been eroded, you can assume that this
was once a laterally continuous layer (sometimes correlated using fossils).
As an engineer, it's helpful to know these beds are related - if you find oil
and gas in one place underneath the same bed, you might find it further
out as well.
Question: Why was the first geological map significant? Who was it mapped
by?
, Page | 4
Ans: Mapped by hand by William Smith, known as the father of English
geology
- he realized strata can be ordered according to fossil content, which
helped him create a stratigraphic column (useful for sedimentary rocks to
explain what rocks came first)
- map was finished in 1815 and updated in 1820
Question: What are unconformities? (generally) What's the most famous
unconformity?
Ans: They represent a disruption in the geological record, specifically in
the deposition of sedimentary rocks. The most famous unconformity is
Hutton's unconformity in Siccar Point Scotland (where the idea was born)
Question: What is a non-conformity?
Ans: Sedimentary rock overlying non-sedimentary rock (eg. igneous,
metamorphic)
Question: What is an angular unconformity?
Ans: Sedimentary beds tilted and eroded at an angle, with a different
orientation of beds on top (eg, horizontal or in a different direction)
Question: What is a disconformity?
EOSC 210 Midterm 1 Questions with
Detailed Verified Answers
Question: What is the Vaiont Dam? What happened to it?
Ans: A dam that could hold 150 million cubic meters of water built in Italy,
planned to be the world's highest dam (265.5 m). During construction,
filling in a nearby dam triggered a landslide that generated a 20m high
wave and kills an employee. Looking into the geological history of the area
suggested it was prone to landslides, but they decided to continue filling in
the dam anyways. a 2km long crack was later opened near the top of the
slope, and this caused a large landslide of 700 000 m3. They lowered the
water level, but decided to raise it again. Eventually, the largest landslide
was triggered and killed 60 people in the village Casso. Approximately
1900 people were killed altogether.
Question: describe what the major divisions of the geological timescale
signify
Ans: Generally speaking, each new era is due to a mass extinction event
OR the creation of new life! isnt that cool :)
Question: Catastrophism definition
, Page | 2
Ans: The theory that significant changes in the Earth's crust are a result of
sudden violent and unusual events, such as floods and earthquakes. This
theory accounted for large features such as valleys and mountains, and the
"funny looking bones" found in rocks (aka fossils). Based off the bible.
Question: Uniformitarianism definition
Ans: The principle that the processes that are around today are the same
as the processes in the past. Proposed by James Hutton in 1785, highly
controversial due to it's non biblical base
Question: Principle of Original Horizontality
Ans: sediments are deposited in flat, horizontal layers, and if layers are
folded or faulted, this must have occred after deposition as a result of
tectonic forces
Question: Principle of Superposition
Ans: Layers are deposited in a sequence, with the older layers underneath
the other ones, unless tectonic processes have overturned the sequence
Question: Principle of Cross-cutting relationships
, Page | 3
Ans: Any geological feature that cut across or intrudes another feature
must be younger than the feature it cuts through (eg. igneous intrusions
such as sills (parallel to bedding) or dykes (non-parallel to bedding) and
faults)
Question: Principle of Lateral Continuity
Ans: Rocks with similar characteristics can be correlated across different
exposures over long distances. Therefore, if you see lots of similar features
over a large surface that might have been eroded, you can assume that this
was once a laterally continuous layer (sometimes correlated using fossils).
As an engineer, it's helpful to know these beds are related - if you find oil
and gas in one place underneath the same bed, you might find it further
out as well.
Question: Why was the first geological map significant? Who was it mapped
by?
, Page | 4
Ans: Mapped by hand by William Smith, known as the father of English
geology
- he realized strata can be ordered according to fossil content, which
helped him create a stratigraphic column (useful for sedimentary rocks to
explain what rocks came first)
- map was finished in 1815 and updated in 1820
Question: What are unconformities? (generally) What's the most famous
unconformity?
Ans: They represent a disruption in the geological record, specifically in
the deposition of sedimentary rocks. The most famous unconformity is
Hutton's unconformity in Siccar Point Scotland (where the idea was born)
Question: What is a non-conformity?
Ans: Sedimentary rock overlying non-sedimentary rock (eg. igneous,
metamorphic)
Question: What is an angular unconformity?
Ans: Sedimentary beds tilted and eroded at an angle, with a different
orientation of beds on top (eg, horizontal or in a different direction)
Question: What is a disconformity?
