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Intro to Ocean Science Exam Questions and Answers
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Intro to Ocean Science Exam Questions and Answers
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Intro to Ocean Science Exam Questionsand Answers
We reviewed a dozen or so lines of evidence that, taken together, made a compelling
case for the validity of the theory of sea floor spreading and plate tectonics; that theory
states that giant slabs of the Earth's crust (lithospheric plates) are moving about on the
surface of the Earth, almost like sheets of ice on a pond. What is the source of energy -
the engine - that causes these huge plates to move?
A. The readjustment of the surface to constant shrinking of the whole Earth as it
continues to cool;
B. Convection currents within the Earth's mantle;
C. The action of ocean currents dragging along the sea floor, causing the sea floor and
the continents to move;
D. The continual vibration from earthquakes and volcanoes slowly moves the continents
equatorward under the influence of centrifugal force;
E. The centrifugal force exerted by the speed of the Earth's rotational velocity, which
reaches 1000 miles per h - Answer -B. Convection currents within the Earth's mantle;
Much of the evidence in support of sea floor spreading and plate tectonics deals with
geological aspects of the ocean basins and the Earth's deep interior. What evidence did
we discuss, or read about, that was based on observations made on land?
A. The distribution of fossils of ancient Glossopteris plants and other fauna;
B. Rift Valleys such as in East Africa;
C. The lineation of mountain ranges;
D. The correlation of similar kinds of rocks in now widely separated continents;
E. All the above. - Answer -E. All the above.
Fossilized dinosaur footprints are quite common in parts of western Massachusetts. The
dinosaurs that made those footprints did so some 200 million years ago. Based on what
we know about plate tectonics and continental drift, the continental land mass that we
now know as Massachusetts was nowhere near its present location 200 million years
ago. It was most likely:
A. Much farther north than it is today, in what is now Manitoba, Canada;
B. Under about 1,300 m of water, and part of the ancient Tethys Sea, as described by
Edward Suess in 1885;
, C. Much farther south and east than it is today, and perhaps close to what is now the
west coast of North Africa;
D. Much farther west than it is today, and close to present-day Kamchatka and the
Pacific Ring of Fire;
E. It was completely buried under ice more than a kilometer thick. - Answer -C. Much
farther south and east than it is today, and perhaps close to what is now the west coast
of North Africa
Studies of paleomagnetic properties of the ocean floor, especially the study reported in
1963 by Drummond Matthews and his colleagues, provided some of the most
convincing evidence of sea floor spreading. What did these studies show?
A. That the Earth's core is liquid, thus preventing the passage of certain seismic waves;
this proved that tectonic plates do indeed slide around on the plastic asthenosphere;
B. That the ocean's crustal material was composed of basalt, an iron-rich and very
dense rock that could only have come from the mantle;
C. That periodic reversals in the polarity of the Earth's magnetic field created the source
of energy necessary to "drive" convection currents in the mantle;
D. That stripes of magnetic features in the oceanic basalt located adjacent to areas of
sea floor spreading could be related to known periods in the past when the Earth's
magnetic field reversed itself;
E. That a compas - Answer -D. That stripes of magnetic features in the oceanic basalt
located adjacent to areas of sea floor spreading could be related to known periods in
the past when the Earth's magnetic field reversed itself
We know that Latitude and Longitude are the "X - Y" coordinates used to locate
positions on our spherical globe (the Earth), and that on Earth "one minute of latitude
is...":
A. The same as 15° of Latitude, which is equal to one-hour's rotation of the Earth;
B. Equivalent to 1 minute of Longitude; the two are equal to one another;
C. The same absolute distance anywhere on Earth, and is equal to a distance of 1
nautical mile;
D. Impossible to determine without knowing the precise time at some reference point
(e.g., Greenwich, England);
E. Somehow related to the orbit of the North Star (Polaris) - Answer -C. The same
absolute distance anywhere on Earth, and is equal to a distance of 1 nautical mile
Among the early (historically early) lines of evidence of Continental Drift that we
discussed in class were: the fit between South America and Africa; the same species of
fossils on different continents; and, the discovery by Ernest Shackelton in 1908 of coal
in Antarctica. Why was this third point such a big deal?
A. Because Ernest Shackleton was a British snob, and with his nose held high he never
looked down long enough to discover any rocks, never mind coal;
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