Question 1

Is the risk of disaster from asteroid impacts high or low? Choose the best answer.

Accepted Answer

A)   relatively high because although large asteroid impacts are rare, they can cause catastrophic effects such as mass extinction
B)   low because asteroid impacts only cause damage in a very local region
C)   high because large asteroid impacts are fairly common
D)   low because there are only two documented large asteroid impacts in the Earth's entire geologic history
E)   No one really knows because asteroid impacts are completely unpredictable.F) A) and C)
G) All of the above

Question 2

The diameter of the explosions produced by the impact of Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter were larger than the diameter of Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

The Kuiper belt contains comets and asteroids.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The K-T Boundary Mass Extinction coincides with a clay layer in the sedimentary layer which has unusual high concentrations of what metal?

Accepted Answer

A)   iridium
B)   nickel
C)   iron
D)   chromium
E)   galliumF) A) and B)
G) C) and D)

Question 5

The Barringer Crater is the oldest recorded impact even in recorded history.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 6

The Manicouagan Impact Structure

Accepted Answer

A)   is a simple crater.
B)   is a complex crater.
C)   is located in the province of Alberta
D)   was created by an airburst.
E)   is not a crater.F) A) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 7

The craters on Earth's Moon were formed by meteorite impacts.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Tunguska-type events happen more frequently than K-T impact-type events.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Bombardment of planet Earth by asteroids and comets was severe about 4.6 billion years ago,but has now ceased completely.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Structurally,what is the primary difference between a simple impact crater and a complex impact crater?

Accepted Answer

A)   Simple impact craters do not have a raised rim.
B)   Simple impact craters do not produce shocked quartz.
C)   Simple impact craters do not have an ejecta blanket outside the crater.
D)   Simple impact craters are older and therefore more eroded.
E)   Simple impact craters do not have an uplifted centre.F) D) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 11

The earliest mass extinction event identified in the geologic record occurred about 446 million years ago at the end of the Ordovician Period.Which of the following situations/events coincided with this mass extinction?

Accepted Answer

A)   continental glaciation
B)   large scale volcanism
C)   meteorite impact
D)   extreme greenhouse conditions
E)   major continental collisionsF) B) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 12

Which of the following statements about meteorite impacts is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)   During the Earth's history there have been only a few meteorite impacts due to the protection by the Earth's atmosphere, which vaporizes nearly all meteorites.
B)   When a large meteorite strikes the Earth, there is a shock wave that compresses, heats, melts, and excavates earth materials.
C)   Meteorite impact craters cannot be distinguished from volcanic craters.
D)   Meteor Crater in Arizona has been accepted as having formed by a meteorite impact since it was discovered by geologists in the late nineteenth century.
E)   Impact craters are all roughly the same size.F) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

Question 13

Where is the asteroid belt located?

Accepted Answer

A)   between the orbits of Venus and Earth
B)   between the orbits of Earth and Mars
C)   between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
D)   between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn
E)   beyond the orbits of Neptune and PlutoF) B) and C)
G) C) and E)

Question 14

Why didn't the Tunguska Event in Siberia in 1908 cause any deaths?

Accepted Answer

A)   It was a small diamond-bearing meteorite that was incapable of producing much damage.
B)   It was an airburst that flattened trees over a huge area but it occurred in a remote area of the world.
C)   It was a meteor that vaporized high in the Earth's atmosphere but it was visible to millions of people for several minutes.
D)   It was a meteorite that created one of the largest impact craters ever recorded on Earth but it occurred in a remote area of the world.
E)   It was a comet that passed near the Earth but it was visible to people for 18 months.F) B) and D)
G) C) and D)

Question 15

What is the difference between a meteoroid and a meteor?

Accepted Answer

A meteoroid is a met...

Question 16

Where is the crater that caused the mass extinction 65 million years ago located?

Accepted Answer

A)   Chesapeake Bay
B)   Arizona
C)   Quebec
D)   Antarctica
E)   Yucatan PeninsulaF) A) and B)
G) A) and C) E

Question 17

The general idea that the geologic processes acting upon the Earth today are the same as those that acted upon the Earth in the past is known as

Accepted Answer

A)   Punctuated Uniformitarianism.
B)   Natural Selection.
C)   Uniformitarianism.
D)   Ussherism.
E)   Principle of Original Horizontality.F) D) and E)
G) C) and E)

Question 18

If there was an asteroid of the same size as the one at the K-T boundary,would it mean a mass extinction that includes humans? Choose the best answer.

Accepted Answer

A)   Yes. Humans could not survive the heat and shock waves of an asteroid impact.
B)   Yes, if the impact was in the ocean. Humans could not survive the tsunami.
C)   No. Humans have too much technology to be hurt.
D)   No. Asteroids aren't strong enough to cause a mass extinction.
E)   Probably. Humans are at the top of the food chain, which makes them vulnerable.F) B) and C)
G) C) and E) E

Question 19

As long as asteroids remain in the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter,they pose no hazard to Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

How do comets differ from asteroids?

Accepted Answer

Comets are icy,rocky bodies th...

Exam 15: Meteorite Impacts and Extinctions

Is the risk of disaster from asteroid impacts high or low? Choose the best answer.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The diameter of the explosions produced by the impact of Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter were larger than the diameter of Earth.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Kuiper belt contains comets and asteroids.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The K-T Boundary Mass Extinction coincides with a clay layer in the sedimentary layer which has unusual high concentrations of what metal?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Barringer Crater is the oldest recorded impact even in recorded history.

Correct AnswerverifiedFalse

The Manicouagan Impact Structure

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The craters on Earth's Moon were formed by meteorite impacts.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Tunguska-type events happen more frequently than K-T impact-type events.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Bombardment of planet Earth by asteroids and comets was severe about 4.6 billion years ago,but has now ceased completely.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Structurally,what is the primary difference between a simple impact crater and a complex impact crater?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The earliest mass extinction event identified in the geologic record occurred about 446 million years ago at the end of the Ordovician Period.Which of the following situations/events coincided with this mass extinction?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about meteorite impacts is TRUE?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Where is the asteroid belt located?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why didn't the Tunguska Event in Siberia in 1908 cause any deaths?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the difference between a meteoroid and a meteor?

Correct AnswerverifiedA meteoroid is a met...View AnswerShow Answer

Where is the crater that caused the mass extinction 65 million years ago located?

Correct AnswerverifiedE

The general idea that the geologic processes acting upon the Earth today are the same as those that acted upon the Earth in the past is known as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If there was an asteroid of the same size as the one at the K-T boundary,would it mean a mass extinction that includes humans? Choose the best answer.

Correct AnswerverifiedE

As long as asteroids remain in the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter,they pose no hazard to Earth.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How do comets differ from asteroids?

Correct AnswerverifiedComets are icy,rocky bodies th...View AnswerShow Answer

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A meteoroid is a met...
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E

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Comets are icy,rocky bodies th...
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