Home

Chapter 11

Short Answer

Short Answer
Answer each question with a few sentences.

This activity contains 10 questions.

	What does the phrase "the present is the key to the past" mean in the context of geology? What principle does it express?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	What is isostasy? How can one type of rock "float" on another, and how are these two questions related?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	Describe igneous and sedimentary rocks, then propose a scenario whereby an igneous rock might form, be transformed to a sedimentary rock, and then return to an igneous state. Provide at least one example of where you might expect such a process to be operating today.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	How are the rock cycle and the geologic cycle related?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	Describe the most current theory explaining how Earth's magnetic field is generated.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	What are magnetic reversals, and about how often do they occur? How are they recorded in sea floor rocks?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	How can the decay of radioactive isotopes be used to date events far in the past?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	How have radiometric dating and the record of magnetic reversals recovered from sea floor rocks been used to confirm Wegener's theory of continental drift?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	Provide a general description of Pangaea's breakup, including approximate time frames and names of "temporary" continents that formed after the initial breakup. Your answer should lead up to the present.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	What evidence of India's migration can you see in this map of Earth's surface topography?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

Copyright © 1995-2008, Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall Legal and Privacy Terms