Earth Science Quiz

1. What is the outermost layer of the Earth called?

1. Core
2. Crust
3. Lithosphere
4. Mantle

2. What causes earthquakes?

1. Changes in weather pressure
2. Movement of tectonic plates
3. Underground explosions
4. Volcanic eruptions

3. What scale measures the magnitude of earthquakes?

1. Beaufort Scale
2. Fujita Scale
3. Mercalli Scale
4. Richter Scale

4. What is the Ring of Fire?

1. A meteor impact crater zone
2. A volcanic region in Africa
3. A zone of volcanic and seismic activity around the Pacific Ocean
4. The area around the equator

5. What is magma called once it erupts from a volcano?

1. Basalt
2. Lava
3. Obsidian
4. Pumice

6. How many tectonic plates make up Earth's surface?

1. 12–15
2. 5–7
3. 7–10
4. Over 20

7. What type of rock is formed from the cooling of magma or lava?

1. Igneous
2. Limestone
3. Metamorphic
4. Sedimentary

8. What is the name of the single supercontinent that existed about 300 million years ago?

1. Gondwana
2. Laurasia
3. Pangaea
4. Rodinia

9. What is the water cycle?

1. The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation
2. The path water takes through the ocean
3. The process of water filtering through soil
4. The way rivers flow to the sea

10. What is the greenhouse effect?

1. A weather phenomenon in tropical regions
2. The cooling of the atmosphere by cloud cover
3. The warming of the Earth by greenhouse gases trapping heat
4. The way plants produce oxygen

11. What is the difference between weather and climate?

1. Climate is local, weather is global
2. They are the same thing
3. Weather is long-term, climate is day-to-day
4. Weather is short-term conditions; climate is long-term patterns

12. What are stalactites?

1. A type of volcanic rock
2. Rock formations that grow from a cave floor upward
3. Rock formations that hang from a cave ceiling downward
4. Underground rivers

13. What causes the seasons on Earth?

1. Earth's distance from the sun
2. Solar flares
3. The speed of Earth's rotation
4. The tilt of Earth's axis

14. What is erosion?

1. The building up of landforms by deposited material
2. The chemical weathering of rocks
3. The movement of tectonic plates
4. The wearing away of rock and soil by water, wind, or ice

15. Which layer of the atmosphere is closest to Earth's surface?

1. Mesosphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Thermosphere
4. Troposphere

16. What percentage of Earth's water is freshwater?

1. About 10%
2. About 25%
3. About 3%
4. About 50%

17. What type of fault causes the San Andreas Fault in California?

1. Normal fault
2. Reverse fault
3. Thrust fault
4. Transform fault

18. What is the ozone layer and where is it located?

1. A band of cloud at high altitude
2. A layer of carbon dioxide around Earth
3. A layer of oxygen in the troposphere
4. A protective layer of O₃ in the stratosphere

19. What is a tsunami?

1. A large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or landslide
2. A tidal wave caused by the moon's gravity
3. A tropical storm over the Pacific
4. A type of hurricane

20. How old is the Earth approximately?

1. 1 billion years
2. 10 billion years
3. 2.5 billion years
4. 4.5 billion years