Interlude C The Rock Cycle Verified Test Bank 6th Edition - Geology Essentials 6e Complete Test Bank by Stephen Marshak. DOCX document preview.

Interlude C The Rock Cycle Verified Test Bank 6th Edition

Interlude C: The Rock Cycle

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

IC A. Explain why rocks don’t last forever in the Earth’s crust, and why there are more younger rocks than older rocks at the surface of the Earth.

IC B. Define the rock cycle, and illustrate the various paths through it.

IC C. Relate the paths through the rock cycle to geologic settings, in the context of plate tectonics theory.

IC D. Describe the source of the energy that drives Earth System processes, and how this energy plays a role in the rock cycle.

IC E. Develop a model to explain the general concept of a cycle in the Earth System.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. What is the rock cycle?

a.

the cycle that rocks go through when interacting with water

b.

the transformation of one mineral type to another

c.

the transfer of material from one rock type to another

d.

the cycle that rocks undergo when interacting with air

2. Which cycle in the Earth System is illustrated in the below figure?

a.

hydrologic cycle

c.

rock cycle

b.

erosion cycle

d.

carbon cycle

3. Why is the rock cycle important?

a.

because it describes how water and rocks interact within the Earth to produce melt

b.

because it describes how rocks move throughout the Earth’s ocean basins

c.

because it explains how long rocks have existed on this planet

d.

because it explains how rocks are constantly changing from one type to another

4. How can uplift of metamorphic rocks during mountain building lead to the formation of sedimentary rocks?

a.

Percolating groundwater can change metamorphic rocks to sedimentary rocks.

b.

Metamorphic rocks turn into sedimentary rocks when exposed to oxygen.

c.

Weathering and erosion create sediments from metamorphic rocks, which in turn may become sedimentary rocks.

d.

When pressure is reduced, metamorphic rocks convert to sedimentary rocks.

5. Sedimentary rocks form in the rock cycle through deposition at the Earth’s surface on top of older rocks. As a result, there are more ______ rocks at the Earth’s surface compared to ______ rocks.

a.

older; younger

b.

igneous; sedimentary

c.

younger; older

d.

metamorphic; sedimentary

6. Compared to younger rocks, rocks that were created earlier in the Earth’s history are likely to be ________.

a.

consumed or transformed by processes in the rock cycle

b.

preserved intact without alteration

c.

igneous rocks

d.

found in the deep ocean

7. What is the progression of rock types if the steps along the rock cycle proceed as follows?

melting and crystallization weathering, erosion, deposition, and lithification burial

a.

sedimentary  igneous  metamorphic

b.

igneous  sedimentary  metamorphic

c.

igneous  metamorphic  metamorphic

d.

metamorphic  sedimentary  igneous

8. What is the progression of rock types if the steps along the rock cycle proceed as follows?

burial uplift, weathering, erosion, deposition, lithification burial melting and crystallization

a.

metamorphic  metamorphic  igneous  sedimentary

b.

metamorphic  sedimentary  metamorphic  igneous

c.

sedimentary  sedimentary  igneous  metamorphic

d.

igneous  sedimentary  igneous  igneous

9. If a rock is melted, then erupted at the Earth’s surface and solidified, then subsequently weathered, eroded, deposited, and lithified, what two rock types are involved in the sequence?

a.

igneous and sedimentary

c.

sandstone and gneiss

b.

igneous and metamorphic

d.

slate and granite

10. Identify the correct sequence of processes in the rock cycle to create an igneous rock, and transform it into a metamorphic rock, and then transform that metamorphic into a new igneous rock.

a.

melted and solidified  exposed, eroded, and deposited  buried deeply

b.

melted and solidified  buried deeply  remelted and solidified

c.

eroded and deposited  buried deeply  remelted and solidified

d.

eroded and deposited  melted and solidified  buried deeply

11. Identify the correct sequence of processes in the rock cycle that could create a metamorphic rock and eventually transform it into a sedimentary rock.

a.

erosion, deposition, and lithification  burial  melting

b.

burial  erosion, deposition, and lithification melting

c.

burial  melting  weathering, erosion, deposition, and lithification

d.

melting  erosion, deposition, and lithification melting

12. If a rock is buried and subjected to high heat and pressure, then uplifted, exposed, eroded away, and deposited, what rock types were involved in the sequence?

a.

igneous and sedimentary

c.

metamorphic and sedimentary

b.

igneous and metamorphic

d.

sedimentary only

13. Identify the correct steps in the transformation of a sedimentary rock into a metamorphic rock.

a.

rock eroded away and deposited in ocean basin  rock pulled into subduction zone and melted

b.

rock weathered and eroded away and deposited in ocean basin  rock buried under many layers of sediments

c.

rock eroded away and deposited in ocean basin  volcano erupts through ocean floor and melts rocks

d.

rock eroded away and deposited in alluvial fan  rock buried deeply and melted by intrusion

14. What process is necessary to transform a metamorphic rock into an igneous rock?

a.

melting

c.

erosion

b.

burial

d.

deposition

15. What type of rock is formed after erosion, deposition, and lithification?

a.

metamorphic

c.

igneous

b.

crystalline

d.

sedimentary

16. What process must occur for an igneous rock to turn into a sedimentary rock?

a.

metamorphism

c.

melting

b.

erosion

d.

petrogenesis

17. If a rock is buried, then exposed, weathered and eroded, and the sediment is then lithified, after which the rock is melted and solidified, what type of rock is the end result?

a.

igneous

c.

metamorphic

b.

sedimentary

d.

clastic

18. To form a sedimentary rock, which process must happen?

a.

melting

c.

cooling

b.

erosion

d.

deep burial

19. If a rock is uplifted and exposed, what is likely the next type of rock that will form?

a.

igneous

c.

metamorphic

b.

crystalline

d.

sedimentary

20. In what geologic setting have Precambrian rocks remained largely unchanged for billions of years?

a.

at continent collision zones where the deep crust is exhumed and exposed through erosion

b.

protected within the interiors of the continents far from plate boundaries

c.

in Antarctica where there is very little to no erosion

d.

as metamorphic rocks that are too hard to be transformed

21. Which of the following is true of how atoms make their way through the rock cycle?

a.

Not all atoms follow the same path through the rock cycle the same way or at the same rate.

b.

When an igneous rock forms, atoms become locked in a mineral crystal; they will remain a part of this mineral as they move through the rock cycle.

c.

Atoms must become a part of a new mineral every time a rock changes from one type to another as it progresses through the rock cycle.

d.

All atoms will pass through the rock cycle every 100,000 years; this is why very old rocks are so rare.

22. The rock cycle is driven by __________.

a.

the Earth’s internal energy alone

b.

external forces acting on the Earth alone

c.

the Earth’s internal and external sources of energy

d.

geologic time and cyclothymic action

23. The amount of time a material stays within a given reservoir in the Earth System is its _________.

a.

residence time

b.

temporal cycle

c.

mass-transfer cycle

d.

cyclic rate

24. The rock cycle is an example of a ___________.

a.

astronomical cycle

b.

temporal cycle

c.

geochemical cycle

d.

hydrologic cycle

25. The rock cycle, hydrologic cycle, and carbon cycle are all examples of _________.

a.

mass-transfer cycles

b.

temporal cycle

c.

biogeochemical cycles

d.

Earth System reservoirs

1. Illustrate the rock cycle. Be sure to include the three types of rocks and the processes that convert one rock type to another.

2. Describe the changes that occur (i.e., what happens to the rock) along a pathway through the rock cycle as seen below:

Sedimentary rock  Igneous rock  Sedimentary rock  Metamorphic rock

3. Why are so few Precambrian-age rocks found on the Earth?

4. Describe how the rock cycle is linked to plate tectonics.

5. What is a cycle? A reservoir? What happens during a mass-transfer cycle? Summarize these concepts using the rock cycle as an example.

Document Information

Document Type:
DOCX
Chapter Number:
All in one
Created Date:
Aug 21, 2025
Chapter Name:
Interlude C The Rock Cycle
Author:
Stephen Marshak

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