Geo 100 Final Exam Study Guide

GEO 100 – Environmental Geology - Final Exam Multiple Choice 1. Most astronomers believe that the universe a. has existed in its present state since the beginning of time. b. formed from a huge rotating cloud of gas. c. came into existence as the result of a “Big Bang.” d. is no more than five billion years old. 2. Most of the mass of the solar system is concentrated in a. Jupiter and Saturn. b. Earth. c. the planets. d. the sun. 3. The solar system formed about a. 5 million years ago. b. 4.5 billion years ago. c. 10 billion years ago. d. 15 to 20 billion years ago. 4. The planet closest to Earth is a. Venus. b. Mars. c. Mercury. d. Jupiter. 5. Which of the following planets most closely resembles Earth in size? a. Mercury b. Mars c. Pluto d. Venus 6. A planet whose density reflects a significant iron content and relatively little gas is a. Neptune. b. Jupiter. c. Venus. d. Saturn. 7. A gaseous planet is a. Earth. b. Mars. c. Mercury. d. Jupiter. 8. Which of the following was an important heat source for melting of the primitive earth? a. volcanic activity b. the “Big Bang” that started the universe c. collisions of infalling particles d. heat energy radiated by the sun 9. Continental crust differs from oceanic crust in that it a. has a composition more like that of the mantle. b. is denser than oceanic crust. c. is thinner than oceanic crust. d. contains more light minerals than oceanic crust. 10. Of the earth’s major compositional zones, the largest is the a. inner core. b. outer core. c. mantle. d. crust. 11. The earth’s outer core is a. solid.

b. c. d.

semisolid. liquid. gaseous.

12. The earth’s inner core is composed mostly of a. iron. b. silicon. c. nickel. d. magnesium. 13. By weight percent, the most common chemical element in the whole earth is a. iron. b. magnesium. c. calcium. d. aluminum. 14. Earth’s early atmosphere a. was similar in composition to the present atmosphere. b. consisted mainly of sulfur gases. c. consisted mainly of methane and