Geology 535 – Early Earth Evolution

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Geology (GLGY 535-UCAL) Midterm Exam

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Question 1

The Hf-W chronometer indicates that the core was formed... (ID-EEM-42)

A	...inefficently.
B	...rapidly.
C	...extremely slowly.
D	...in several stages.

Question 2

At the very beginning, solar nebula is made up of 71% what component or gas? (ID-EEM-36)

A	Hydrogen gas
B	Water vapor
C	Helium gas
D	Rocks and dust particles

Question 3

Why do we prefer to date zircons? (ID-EEM-10)

A	They are the most abundant mineral in cratons.
B	They have a very high closure temperature.
C	It is easier to determine the isotopic compositions of zircons.
D	They have hardness of 5 in Mohs scale and therefore resistant to weathering.

Question 4

What does the mass spectrometer actually measure? (ID-EEM-09)

A	Density of isotopes.
B	Weight and electrical charge of each isotope.
C	Ratios of parent to daughter isotopes.
D	Alpha, beta and positron decay of isotopes.

Question 5

What is Model Age? (ID-EEM-11)

A	It is the time of separation of isotope from a given reservoir.
B	It is the time of crystallization.
C	It is a standard used to calculate type-sections and GSSPs for Geologic Time boundaries.
D	It is the time of primordial soup formation.

Question 6

Typically, what is the duration for a radioactive isotopic system? (ID-EEM-08)

A	14 half-life cycles.
B	5 half-life cycles.
C	13 half-life cycles.
D	8 half-life cycles.
E	4 half-life cycles.

Question 7

A overall positive εHf value indicates... (ID-EEM-35)

A	...a mantle source.
B	...a system that has underwent gradual isotopic gain.
C	...a crustal source.
D	...an open system.
E	...a closed system.

Question 8

Where did we find the oldest known terrestrial Geologic martial on Earth? (ID-EEM-41)

A	Jack Hill, Australia.
B	Kaapvaal, South Africa.
C	Isua Formation, Greenland.
D	Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Canada.

Question 9

How is identification of cratons can be economically beneficial? (ID-EEM-07)

A	Majority of oil reserves were found in cratons.
B	Majority of food production ("farming") occur in cratonic regions.
C	Majority of the diamond-bearing kimberlites were found in cratons.
D	Majority of precious metals were found in cratons.

Question 10

Which of the following element used in isotopic age calculations also plays a major role in zircon crystal lattice? (ID-EEM-24)

A	Hf
B	Lu
C	Sm
D	Si
E	O

Question 11

In discordant analysis, the upper intercept provide what valuable information? (ID-EEM-13)

A	Crystallization age.
B	The time of formation.
C	Initial isotopic ratio.
D	The closure conditions.

Question 12

Which of the following contains the most refractory phases in chondritic meteorites? (ID-EEM-48)

A	Matrix
B	Nebula
C	Chondrules
D	Metallic portion of the matrix
E	CAI’s

Question 13

When is the lower intercept of Pb-U concordia-discordia method provide no meaningful values? (ID-EEM-33)

A	If most of the samples plots on the concordia.
B	If some samples plots on the concordia while others on discordia.
C	If there is no upper intercept.
D	If the Pb-loss was episodic/continuous event.

Question 14

Which of the following statement is correct about cratons? (ID-EEM-04)

A	Within the creaton, platforms are areas where basement is overlaid by sediments and sedimentary rock.
B	There are only two places on Earth with creatons; Africa and North America.
C	Shield is a made up of several smaller creatonic nuclei.
D	The geochemical composition of creatons are homogeneous.
E	Within the creaton, shield are areas where basement is overlaid by sediments and sedimentary rock.

Question 15

Shot-lived isotopic systems are not suitable for studying which of the following situations? (ID-EEM-30)

A	To estimate condensation temperatures of materials from Solar Nebula.
B	To estimate relationships between cogenetic samples.
C	To analyze relatively short processes that occur for 300 million years.
D	To estimate timing of melting and crystallization sequences.
E	To analyze metal-silicate-sulfide differentiation.

Question 15 Explanation:

A typical short-lived isotopic system last for less than 100 million years. Therefore these systems cannot be used to analyze processes that takes longer than 100 Mya.

Question 16

What is the simplest method to determine relative age of a luna crater? (ID-EEM-05)

A	Geochemical analysis of rocks from the center of the creator.
B	Overprinting of craters with respect to each other.
C	Combination of geochemical and physical analysis of rocks from center and outer rim of the creator.
D	Size and shape of the creator.

Question 17

Given the following profile of a typical komatiite flow facies, where would you sample to estimate the composition of the original magma? (ID-EEM-29)

Facies	Profile	Zone
A1	Chilled flow top	Spinifex zone
A2	Random spinifex
A3	Plate spinifex
B1	-	Cumulate zone
B2	-
B3	-

A	B2
B	A1 in the chilled flow top region.
C	B1
D	Anywhere within the spinifex zone.
E	A3 in the plate spinifex region.
F	Anywhere within the cumulate zone.

Question 17 Explanation:

The highest (top) layer cool down faster hence preserving most of the geochemical properties of the original magma.

Question 18

Shield areas in continents are characterized by which of the following features? (ID-EEM-44)

A	Large variations in heat flux within a smaller area
B	Higher than average heat flux
C	Lower than average heat flux
D	Heat flux higher than in oceanic domains

Question 19

The Ediacaran GSSP is primarily based on what type of evidence? (ID-EEM-03)

A	Fossil evidence
B	Sm-Nd dating
C	U-Pb dating
D	Refractory elemental abundance

Question 19 Explanation:

Specifically microfossils.

Question 20

Which of the following is the youngest era in the Archean timescale? (ID-EEM-45)

A	Eoarchean
B	Mesoarchean
C	Neoarchean
D	Paleoarchean

Question 21

Which of the following statement best describes the studies done on surface compositions of the Earth's crust? (ID-EEM-31)

A	Trace element data are consistent from study to study.
B	Over 50% of the data on major elements falls considerably outside of the range found by Eade and Fahrig's Canadian Shield Average.
C	Seismic evidence shows only two parts of the crustal sections; Middle and Lower. The Upper section is distinguished by elemental studies.
D	Major element data are consistent from study to study.

Question 22

Steeper the Isochron, ___ the system. (ID-EEM-12)

A	higher the uncertainties in
B	larger the diffusion out of
C	larger the diffusion into
D	younger
E	older

Question 23

There are several criteria in classification of refractory elements. What is the most important parameter in refractory elements? (ID-EEM-17)

A	Silica content of the original source of the elements.
B	Volatility of the elements.
C	Type of reactivity and radioactivity of elements.
D	Very high condensation temperature.

Question 24

Majority of the mass in soar nebula is concentrated in... (ID-EEM-15)

A	...in the core of the Earth.
B	...the sun.
C	...the Earth.
D	...in the terrestrial planets.

Question 25

Which of the following observation on differentiation is true? (ID-EEM-23)

A	All meteorites are not differentiated because they are failed planets.
B	Differentiation is highly dependent on the pressure conditions.
C	Differentiation occurs at a extensive rate on larger plants.
D	During differentiation of Earth, large portion of silica sank into the core of the Earth.

Question 26

Chondrites have been classified into __I__ classes/types and the most common class/type, Ordinary Chondrites have __II__ groups/subtypes. (ID-EEM-21)

A	I. three II. two
B	I. two II. three
C	I. two II. five
D	I. three II. three
E	I. two II. four

Question 27

Which of the following is useful for estimating the abundance of soluble elements in the upper crust? (ID-EEM-50)

A	Sandstones
B	Shale
C	Limestone
D	Loess

Question 28

Which of the following was used by Claire Patterson to determine the age of Earth? (ID-EEM-47)

A	Nd model age dating of Isua Supracrustal lithologies
B	Hf-W dating of CAI inclusions
C	U-Pb dating of meteorites and pelagic sediment
D	U-Pb dating of ancient zircons
E	Pb-Pb dating of meteorites and pelagic sediment

Question 29

___ drives the plate tectonics. Choose the best possible answer. (ID-EEM-39)

A	Orogenic events
B	Adiabatic decompression
C	Surface P-T conditions
D	Interior temperature

Question 30

What is the oldest known radiometric date for Chrondrites as of October, 2014? (ID-EEM-38)

A	3.69 Ga
B	3.55 Ga
C	3.69 Ga
D	4.56 Ga
E	4.23 Ga

Question 31

The iron sulphide phase in meteorites known as troilites (FeS) contains appreciable concentration of what other element? (ID-EEM-34)

A	Sm
B	Pb
C	Th
D	U
E	Nd

Question 32

Archean cratons have a deep lithopheric root. Most roots of these cratons exceed ____ km. (ID-EEM-06)

A	1000
B	150
C	5
D	10

Question 33

Which of the following can be used to establish the depleted of Earth’s mantle through time? (ID-EEM-49)

A	εNd and εW
B	εNd and εHf
C	εNd
D	εW
E	εW and εHf

Question 34

Which of the following represents a normal order of condensation from a solar nebula gas as temperature decreases? (ID-EEM-46)

A	Volatiles, silicates, metal oxides
B	Metal oxides, silicates, volatiles
C	Any chemical group based on radial distance from the sun
D	Silicates, metal oxides, volatiles

Question 35

Which of the following is useful for estimating the abundance of soluble elements in the upper crust? (ID-EEM-43)

A	Loess
B	Shale
C	Sandstones
D	Limestone

Question 36

What is the primary factor contributed to core formation in Earth? (ID-EEM-28)

A	Chemical differentiation due to rapid exothermic reactions.
B	Gravitational separation of metallic iron from silicates.
C	Migration of molten Fe alloys along grain boundaries of solid silicates.
D	Differentiation of Fe alloys and silica due to high pressure and temperature conditions.
E	Heat produced by radioactive isotopes melting the bulk Earth.

Question 37

When studying Archean Geologic history, you should have a rough idea of the age of Archean cratons. What is a reasonable age range for an Archean craton? (ID-EEM-02)

A	4500 - 4560
B	2500 - 4030
C	542 - 2000
D	3020 - 5560

Question 38

Our Solar Nebula was as hot as 1500 K at one point. As it slowly cooled down, which of the following would you expect to condense first out of the gas cloud? (ID-EEM-25)

A	Ice
B	Silicates
C	Metal oxides
D	Nobel gases
E	Aluminum

Question 39

A overall negative εNd value indicates... (ID-EEM-19)

A	...a closed system.
B	...nothing because there is not enough information provided to answer the question.
C	...a mantle source.
D	...a crustal source.
E	...an open system.

Question 40

Which of the following element most likely the one to condensed out of the solar nebula first? (ID-EEM-20)

A	Al
B	Mg
C	Pb
D	Cu
E	S

Question 40 Explanation:

You should know this without memorizing all the refractory elements because CAIs in Chondrites.

Question 41

What are CI chondrites? (ID-EEM-27)

A	The most common chondrites that falls under petrologic Type 3.0 to 3.1
B	A type of chondrites with high abundance of silica and can be used to measure differentiation time period.
C	The most primitive chondrites that falls under petrologic Type 1.0
D	They are part of the differentiated group.

Question 42

Aristarchus lunar creator has typical characteristics of an impact creator. We found that the raised rim areas of the creator has been "eroded" or "disfigured". It is most likely caused by which of the following processes? (ID-EEM-01)

A	Plate tectonics may have destroyed the original structure.
B	The raised rim is more susceptible to weathering.
C	Solar radiation and flares may have burnt out the thin and tall rim section.
D	Later impacts may have destroyed the raised rim.

Question 42 Explanation:

Since moon does not have an atmosphere, you can rule out weathering. There are no plate tectonics. Therefore NASA scientists concluded, the only reason the raised rims are damaged because of later impacts that destroyed the original structure.

Question 43

Modern day Mantle Potential Temperature (MPT) is ____ the Eruption Potential Temperature. (ID-EEM-32)

A	Could not answer the question because it is depend on the type of setting.
B	higher than
C	same as or very close to
D	lower than

Question 44

What is condensation temperature? (ID-EEM-16)

A	It is the temperature which 100% of a given element is condensed out of the nebula gas.
B	It is the temperature which 100% of all the elements are condensed out of the nebula gas.
C	It is the temperature which 50% of all the elements are condensed out of the nebula gas.
D	It is the temperature which 50% of a given element is condensed out of the nebula gas.

Question 45

The MgO content of an erupted liquid is directly related to the ___ of the liquid arriving on the surface. (ID-EEM-40)

A	maximum temperature
B	closure temperature
C	minimum temperature
D	liquidus temperature
E	electron affinity and reactivity

Question 46

Which of the following statement is false about Ordinary Chondrites? (ID-EEM-22)

A	Most of the Ordinary Chondrites have petrologic types from 3 to 6.
B	75% of all Ordinary Chondrites contains CAIs and AOAs.
C	Ordinary Chondrites are the most common type we have today.
D	85% of all Ordinary Chondrites are observed falls.

Question 47

Two isotopic systems of U-Pb were compared using isochron technique. One system had a large ratio of daughter isotopes compared to the parents. Which of the following statement is correct? (ID-EEM-18)

A	The system with large number of daughter isotopes ratio most likely have a shallower isochron.
B	The system with large number of daughter isotopes ratio most likely have been an opened system at some point.
C	The system with large number of daughter isotopes ratio most likely have a steeper isochron.
D	The system with large number of daughter isotopes ratio most likely have been undergone crustal or magmatic contamination.

Question 47 Explanation:

While it is possible, it is difficult to determine the state of a system using isochrons (open/close). It is also possible that the system may have be opened at some point. But, still it cannot be inferred simply by an isochron. Therefore, the only logical answer is the slope of the isochron itself. You have to apply the knowledge to answer this question.

Question 48

According our modern understanding of planetary sciences, where do most meteorites originate? (ID-EEM-37)

A	Venus
B	Asteroid belt
C	Moon
D	Sun
E	Comets

Question 49

The variable patterns of REE abundances are interpreted to be caused by... (ID-EEM-26)

A	...high abundance in refractory elements.
B	...repeated evaporation and condensation.
C	...high abundance in volatile elements.
D	...high condensation temperature.

Question 50

There are several studies done on age of Earth. The calculated model ages are younger than the crystallization age (absolute age). (ID-EEM-14)

A	False because the model ages are older than the crystallization ages.
B	False because both model and crystallization age are the same. This is how we know the exact age of Earth.
C	Partially true because in most cases model ages are older than the crystallization ages.
D	True

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Credits: Based on the excellent class notes provided by, Dr. Rajeev Nair during Fall 2014.
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This class covers rapidly evolving subject matter. Due to cutting-edge research into Early Earth, there is a very high possibility that some of the questions may not be relevant to your current understanding. Please use this quiz with caution.

Sanuja Senanayake

Geology 535-University of Calgary

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Geology (GLGY 535-UCAL) Midterm Exam

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Geology (GLGY 535-UCAL) Midterm Exam

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