Question

indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement.

1. which is true of earth’s geosphere?

a. the geosphere consists of earth’s rocks, oceans, and atmosphere.
b. the crust and uppermost mantle make up the lithosphere.
c. tectonic plates move at an average rate of 1.7 meters per year.
d. below a depth of 100 kilometers, the mantle is cold and solid.
e. earth’s surface is rich in iron and nickel because these elements have a low density.

1. which is true of earth’s crust?

a. the oceanic crust is much thicker than continental crust because oceanic crust is similar to the mantle in composition.
b. deep in the crust, most rock is molten.
c. only the continental crust comprises the lithosphere.
d. the thickest continental crust exists where mountains have been uplifted at the surface.

1. which is true of earth’s four spheres?

a. the cryosphere is part of earth’s atmosphere.
b. the highest percentage of liquid water in earth’s hydrosphere is found in the ocean.
c. lithospheric plates are part of earth’s biosphere.
d. bacteria that live under glaciers are part of the geosphere.

1. which is true of earth’s energy and material cycles?

a. energy in the atmosphere can change form, such as changing from a vapor to a liquid.
b. energy received from outer space as ultraviolet radiation becomes light energy on earth.
c. runoff from rain events allows water to flow back to the oceans, which creates energy.
d. energy is always depleted as material moves through cycles in earth systems.
e. various material cycles, such as the rock cycle, water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle, operate in isolation from one another.

1. which is an example of a catastrophic change in earth’s history?

a. the movement of tectonic plates altered the shapes of ocean basins.
b. geologic processes caused a mountain range to form.
c. particles of mud deposited in the deep ocean were transformed into a body of rock.
d. the melting of continental glaciers caused massive flooding at the end of the last ice age.

Explanation:

1. The lithosphere is made up of the crust and the uppermost mantle. Option a is wrong as the geosphere is rocks and minerals, not including oceans and atmosphere. Tectonic plates move at cm - per - year rates not meters. Below 100 km, the mantle is semi - molten. Earth's core, not surface, is rich in iron and nickel.
2. The thickest continental crust is found where mountains have been uplifted. Oceanic crust is thinner than continental crust. Most rock in the crust is solid. Both oceanic and continental crust are part of the lithosphere.
3. Lithospheric plates are part of the geosphere. The cryosphere is ice and snow not part of the atmosphere. Most water in the hydrosphere is in the ocean but not all. Bacteria under glaciers are part of the biosphere.
4. Energy in the atmosphere can change form like condensation (vapor to liquid). Energy from space as UV doesn't directly become light energy on Earth in that way. Runoff is part of the water cycle not about creating energy. Energy is conserved in Earth's cycles. Material cycles are interconnected.
5. The melting of continental glaciers at the end of the last ice age caused massive flooding, a catastrophic change. Tectonic plate movement and geologic processes are slow - acting in general. Mud deposition is a slow sedimentation process.

Answer:

1. b
2. d
3. c
4. a
5. d