Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

Chapter 15
Geologic Structures

True / False Questions

1. The definition of an open fold is one with a horizontal hinge line.

FALSE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

2. A geologic cross section represents a vertical slice through a portion of the Earth.
TRUE

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

3. A joint is a fracture or crack in bedrock along which displacement has taken place.
FALSE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

4. A fault in which movement is predominantly horizontal and parallel to a strike is called a

strike-slip fault.
TRUE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

5. A dome is a structure in which beds dip away from a central point.

TRUE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

6. Once stress exceeds the elastic limit the rock will deform in a permanent way.
TRUE

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

7. All joints are a consequence of tectonic stress.

FALSE

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

8. The axial plane divides a fold into top and bottom portions.
FALSE

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

9. A syncline is a fold shaped like an arch, with the oldest rocks in the center.
FALSE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

10. Rifts are associated with converging plate boundaries.

FALSE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

11. The side of a fault above an inclined fault surface is the hanging wall.
TRUE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

12. Sheet jointing is a type of jointing due to compressional stress.

FALSE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

13. Strain is force per unit area.

FALSE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

14. A rock that behaves in a ductile manner will bend under stress but will not return to its
original shape.
TRUE

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

15. A thrust fault is a reverse in which the dip of the fault plane is at a low angle.
TRUE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

16. A normal fault results in crustal shortening.

FALSE

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

17. A strike-slip fault can be right lateral or left lateral.

TRUE

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

18. Dip angle is measured downward from the horizontal plane to the bedding plane.
TRUE

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

19. The oldest rocks are found in the center of an eroded anticline.
TRUE

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

20. Reverse faults can either shorten or lengthen the Earth's crust.
FALSE

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

Multiple Choice Questions

21. _____ may cause a change in orientation, location, and shape of a rock body.
A. Deformation
B. Strain
C. Stress
D. Structural forces
E. Metamorphism

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

22. _____ stress results in a stretching or extension of material.

A. Compressive
B. Oblique
C. Tensional
D. Horizontal
E. Parallel

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

23. Rocks typically exhibit _____ behavior at or near the surface where temperatures and
pressures are low.
A. extensional
B. elastic
C. compressive
D. brittle
E. plastic

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

24. The fact that a rock is folded or bent shows that it behaved as a _____ material.
A. ductile
B. elastic
C. brittle
D. solid
E. rubbery

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

25. _____ folds have limbs that dip gently and the angle between the limbs is large.
A. Recumbent
B. Anticlinal
C. Domes
D. Structural
E. Open

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

26. Geologists sometimes find valuable ore deposits by studying the orientation of ____,
fractures or cracks in a rock body along which no displacement has occurred.
A. dips
B. faults
C. joints
D. strikes
E. folds

Bloom's Level: 3. Apply

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

27. _____ are usually associated with shortening of rock layers along convergent plate
boundaries.
A. Faults
B. Folds
C. Basins
D. Metamorphic rocks
E. Transforms

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

28. A ____ uses standardized symbols and patterns to represent rock types and geologic
structures.
A. correlation map
B. geologic column
C. Google Maps
D. topographic map
E. geologic map

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

29. _____ stress results in rocks being shortened or flattened.

A. Elastic
B. Compressive
C. Tensional
D. Orthogonal
E. Horizontal

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

30. Stress is ______.

A. force per unit of area
B. change in volume
C. regional metamorphism
D. change in length to original length

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

31. If a deformed material recovers its original shape after stress is reduced, the behavior is
__.
A. brittle
B. elastic
C. plastic
D. tensional
E. compressional

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

32. An anticline is a fold shaped like a(n) ____ with the oldest rock in the center of the fold.
A. cone
B. umbrella
C. arch
D. W
E. V

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

33. In cross section a structural basin looks like a ______.

A. dome
B. normal fault
C. anticline
D. bowl
E. reverse fault

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

34. Where joints are oriented approximately parallel to one another a _____ can be defined.
A. thrust fault
B. overturned fold
C. recumbent folds
D. joint stress
E. joint set

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

35. Normal and reverse faults are the most common types of _____.
A. dip-slip faults
B. strike-slip faults
C. tensional faults
D. compressional faults
E. grabens

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

36. The side of the fault above the inclined fault surface is the ___.
A. footwall
B. hanging wall
C. isoclinal wall
D. plunging wall
E. sheet wall

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

37. In a _____ fault the hanging wall block moves down relative to the footwall block.
A. thrust
B. reverse
C. normal
D. strike-slip
E. compressional

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

38. A map symbol similar to the letter "T" is used to record ______ on a map.
A. formation boundaries
B. the location of fossils
C. the orientation of a fold axis
D. strike and dip
E. the orientation of joints

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

39. If a bed strikes north it must ________.

A. dip south
B. dip either east or west
C. be horizontal
D. have a strike of 90 degrees
E. have a strike of 270 degrees

Bloom's Level: 3. Apply

Topic: Deformation

40. On a surface leveled by erosion the pattern of exposed beds of a plunging fold resembles
that of the letter __.
A. X
B. H
C. V
D. I
E. T

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

41. The San Andreas Fault system can be described as _________.

A. normal dip-slip
B. reverse oblique-slip
C. left lateral strike-slip
D. right lateral strike-slip
E. thrust dip-slip

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

42. For many geologists an active fault is one along which movement has taken place in the
during the last ________ years.
A. 1 million
B. 500,000
C. 51,000
D. 15,000
E. 11,000

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

43. ______ is the compass direction of a line formed by the intersection of an inclined plane
and an imaginary horizontal plane.
A. Altitude
B. Dip
C. Strike
D. Orientation
E. Attitude

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

44. A(n) ____ trap is one of the best structures for holding oil.
A. monocline
B. anticline
C. basin
D. synclinal
E. reversed

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

45. A(n) ______ fault has both dip-slip and strike-slip components.
A. reverse
B. normal
C. graben
D. oblique-slip
E. inclined

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

46. A thrust fault is ____.

A. a strike-slip fault
B. one in which the hanging wall moves down
C. a variety of reverse fault
D. a variety of a normal fault
E. a response to horizontal tensional stress

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

47. A rock that behaves in a(n) ____ manner will bend under stress and does not return to its
original shape.
A. elastic
B. brittle
C. plastic
D. rubber
E. tactile

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

48. _____ are fractures in bedrock along which sliding movement has taken place.
A. Joints
B. Faults
C. Planes
D. Strikes
E. Strains

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

49. The angle of dip is measured relative to _______.

A. the horizontal
B. the vertical
C. north
D. east
E. the equator

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

50. A ______ stress is caused by forces pulling away from one another.
A. shear
B. tension
C. perpendicular
D. compressive
E. fold

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

51. A(n) _____ is a structure in which beds dip away from a common central point, and the
oldest rocks are found in the center.
A. dome
B. normal fault
C. anticline
D. syncline
E. reverse fault

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

52. In a normal fault, the hanging-wall block has moved ______ relative to the footwall
block.
A. up
B. down
C. side to side
D. up at a steep angle
E. down at a steep angle

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

53. In a _____ fault, the hanging-wall block moves up relative to the footwall block.
A. recumbent
B. reverse
C. normal
D. strike-slip
E. tensional

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

54. A(n) _______ fold has been overturned to such an extent that the limbs are essentially
horizontal.
A. overturned
B. strike-slip
C. recumbent
D. dip-slip
E. isoclinal

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

55. _____ are bends or wave-like features in layered rocks.

A. Folds
B. Strikes
C. Warps
D. Bends
E. Flexures

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

56. A(n) _____ represents a vertical slice through the Earth.

A. elevation model
B. traverse
C. map
D. cross-section
E. fold

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

57. The San Andreas fault in California is not a simple crack but ___.
A. exists as a single line of breakage along most of its length
B. is not connected to other fault systems
C. a belt of broken and ground-up rock, usually a 100 m or more in width
D. exists as a zigzag crack along most of its length
E. shows little offset on the surface but greater offset below the surface

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

58. Collectively, the San Andreas fault system of California is a(n) _____.
A. reverse fault
B. right lateral strike-slip fault
C. normal fault
D. left lateral strike-slip fault
E. oblique fault

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

59. According to plate tectonic theory, the San Andreas fault is a transform boundary that
separates the North American plate from the _____.
A. Cocos plate
B. Pacific plate
C. Eurasian plate
D. Australian plate
E. Caribbean plate

Bloom's Level: 2. Understand

Topic: Deformation

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Chapter 15 - Geologic Structures

60. On a geologic map, a symbol that looks like a cross indicates ____.
A. horizontal beds
B. vertical beds
C. overturned beds
D. intersecting beds
E. branching beds

Bloom's Level: 1. Remember

Topic: Deformation

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