Science Bowl Earth Science Questions

The overall charge at the top and bottom, respectively, of a towering cumulonimbus cloud during a thunderstorm is:
W) positive, positive
X) positive, negative
Y) negative, positive
Z) negative, negative

A lightning bolt is seen and its accompanying thunder is heard 15 seconds later. This means the storm is most likely how many miles away:
W) 3
X) 6
Y) 9
Z) 15

Which of the following is a sedimentary rock:
W) slate
X) marble
Y) basalt
Z) sandstone

Which of the following is LEAST accurate about minerals:
W) calcite has a hardness of 3 on most of its surfaces but a hardness of 4 along the crystal face perpendicular to its long axis
X) the Moh’s scale measures the absolute hardness of minerals
Y) a mineral’s chemical composition largely determines its crystal shape and cleavage pattern
Z) a mineral’s color is the same as its streak

Which of the following terms best describes the albedo of a planet:
W) electromagnetic energy
X) density
Y) reflectivity
Z) absorption

Which of the following is NOT true of what occurs during an equinox:
W) equal length of day and night except at the poles
X) the Earth is not tilted with respect to the ecliptic
Y) the Sun is directly overhead at the equator
Z) the Moon is directly overhead at the poles

Which of the following is best classified as a plutonic intrusive rock:
W) obsidian
X) granite
Y) basalt
Z) pumice

The principle constituent of most granites is:
W) feldspar
X) muscovite
Y) calcite
Z) dolomite

When spreading centers reach above the ocean’s surface, they typically form which of the following types of volcanoes:
W) shield
X) composite
Y) stratovolcano
Z) cinder cone

Mount Vesuvius in Italy is a typical:
W) mud volcano
X) caldera
Y) cinder cone
Z) composite volcano

What is the oldest Eon on the Geological Time Scale within which the first organisms appeared between 550 million and 3.4 billion years ago?

Homo sapiens evolved during which geological era of the Geological Time Scale?

In the oceans, waves and surf currents are generated by:
W) wind
X) El-Nino
Y) salinity and temperature gradients
Z) the Intertropical Convergence Zone

What is the name for the common ocean waves that are not driven by the wind but sustained by the energy they obtained by the sea?

Which of the following cloud types is classified as a low cloud:
W) altostratus
X) cirrostratus
Y) cumulonimbus
Z) nimbostratus

Panning is a simple mining technique that is used for extracting gold deposited in:
W) banded gold formations
X) evaporite deposits
Y) placer deposits
Z) lode deposits

Which of the following best describes the luster of quartz:
W) dull
X) silky
Y) metallic
Z) vitreous

Which of the following is LEAST accurate regarding earthquakes:
W) scientists agree that mega-quakes of magnitude 10 are very likely in the near future
X) the world’s greatest earthquake zone is the circum-Pacific seismic belt
Y) Alaska has the greatest number of earthquakes in the U.S.
Z) deep earthquakes are much less likely to be followed by aftershocks than shallow earthquakes

Ocean tides of diminished range are called:
W) spring tides
X) neap tides
Y) diurnal tides
Z) semi-diurnal tides

Which of the following was a time when glaciation was minimal on Earth:
W) Cretaceous Period
X) Quaternary Period
Y) Holocene Epoch
Z) Pleistocene Epoch

When rain freezes into pellets while falling to the ground during a winter storm, the most accurate forecast would have predicted:
W) hail
X) snow
Y) freezing rain
Z) sleet

Identify each of the following 3 rocks, respectively, as igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary: marble; pumice; conglomerate

Cirrus clouds are typically found at elevations of:
W) 20,000 feet and above
X) 10,000 to 20,000 feet
Y) 5,000 to 10,000 feet
Z) 2,000 to 5,000 feet

Andesitic magmas typically erupt above:
W) hot spots
X) divergent plate boundaries
Y) subduction zones
Z) fissure eruptions

What is commonly accepted as the engine that most directly drives plate tectonic motion:

Although scientists are unable to obtain samples by drilling, they believe the predominant mineral in the mantle is:

What are likely to form in the crater of a stratovolcano following a catastrophic eruption, such as what happened several times in Mount Saint Helens: