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An Introduction to the World's Oceans, 10/e
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The Sea Floor and Its Sediments

Multiple Choice Quiz



1

Which of the following statements does not accurately describe depth measurements?
A)A measurement of depth is termed a sounding.
B)Sea level is uniform across the oceans.
C)Modern depth recorders may use sound to take measurements.
D)Lasers can only be used to take soundings in clear, shallow water.
2

Which of the following is not a characteristic of active continental margins?
A)tectonically active
B)transition from continental to oceanic crust in the same lithospheric plate
C)associated with plate boundary
D)narrow shelf
3

Which statement does not accurately describe continental shelves?
A)Shelves are the edges of continents.
B)Shelves adjacent to steep land surfaces are typically very wide.
C)Geologically, shelves are part of the continents.
D)Natural dams may trap sediments between the offshore dam and the coast.
4

The gradual slope of the shelf floor steepens rapidly at the:
A)continental rise.
B)continental slope.
C)shelf break.
D)abyssal plain.
5

Turbidity currents:
A)may be associated with submarine canyons.
B)result from earthquakes or overloaded slopes.
C)may move at speeds of up to 90km per hour.
D)are described by all of the above.
6

Select the statement that does not correctly describe submarine canyons.
A)They are steep sided valleys with V-shaped profiles.
B)They are eroded back into the continental shelf.
C)They extend across the abyssal plains.
D)All of the above are correct.
7

Which of the following statements about the ocean basin floor is not correct?
A)Abyssal plains may be separated by high mid-ocean ridges.
B)The ocean basin floor includes the continental rise.
C)Abyssal hills are scattered over much of the sea floor.
D)Guyots are wave eroded former volcanic islands.
8

Name the reef type associated with a sunken volcanic island.
A)fringing reef
B)atoll reef
C)barrier reef
D)abyssal reef
9

A barrier reef is formed:
A)along the shore of an island.
B)after the island has completely subsided beneath the surface.
C)on the surface of exposed guyots.
D)when the coral is separated from the island by a lagoon.
10

All of the following are examples of volcanic island arcs except the __________ Islands.
A)Japanese
B)Aleutian
C)Hawaiian
D)Philippine
11

The thickest ocean sedimentary deposits are found where?
A)near the continental margins
B)on the shelves
C)along mid-ocean ridges
D)at the beach
12

Which of the following is an example of cosmosgenous sediments?
A)carbonates
B)manganese nodules
C)tektites
D)red clay
13

Calcareous sediments are not likely to be found where?
A)along tropical coastal areas
B)on elevated ridge systems
C)in shallow temperate waters
D)in low temperature waters
14

Select the organism that is not a source of calcareous sediments.
A)radiolarians
B)pteropods
C)coccolithophores
D)foraminfera
15

Deep sea clays include all but which of the following minerals?
A)montmorillonite
B)chlorite
C)abyssite
D)All of the above are deep sea clay minerals.
16

Which of the following statements is not correct?
A)Neritic sediments dominate the continental shelf.
B)Pelagic sediments dominate the deep sea floor.
C)Neritic sediments dominate the deep sea floor.
D)Both neritic and pelagic sediments are found on the continental slope.
17

Which of the following statements on sediments is not correct?
A)The majority of marine sediments are terrigenous.
B)Coarse sediments are concentrated in the abyssal plains.
C)Most of the sediment at the outer edge of the shelves was deposited during the last ice age.
D)Rapid accumulation of sediments may result in slope failure, turbidity currents, and turbidites.
18

Which type of device is not used to take ocean floor sediment samples?
A)dredges
B)grab samplers
C)piston corers
D)acoustic profiler
19

Which marine mineral is mined for its value as a component of fertilizer?
A)sand
B)manganese
C)phosphorite
D)fish manure
20

Potentially economically viable deposits produced along mid-ocean ridges are:
A)phosphorites.
B)manganese nodules.
C)sand and gravel.
D)sulfide mineral deposits.
21

Which type of marine sediment is most commonly associated with cool/cold water?
A)siliceous sediments
B)calcareous sediments
C)red clay
D)terrigenous sediments
22

Which of the following is NOT true about the carbonate compensation depth?
A)It is at a greater depth in areas with higher concentrations of CO2.
B)It has an average depth of 4500 m.
C)It deepens where there is increased biological productivity.
D)It is the depth at which preserved calcareous material falls below 20% of the total.
23

All of the following are examples of the clues that marine sediments give us about past climates EXCEPT:
A)The types of fossils preserved tells us about the types of organisms living during a particular period.
B)The ratio of 18O: 18O tells us about temperature at the time of deposition.
C)The thickness of sediment layers tells us about sediment production which is linked to levels of precipitation.
D)The absence of calcium carbonate tells us that climate was relatively warm.
24

More sediment accumulates in ocean basins near passive continental margins because:
A)passive margins have strong waves which erode more sediment.
B)the lack of tectonic activity increases sediment production.
C)trenches located along active margins intercept sediment.
D)passive margin shorelines have narrower continental shelves so sediment accumulates more rapidly.
25

Moving from the shoreline to the deep ocean the correct order of features is:
A)continental rise, continental shelf, continental slope, shelf break.
B)continental shelf, shelf break, continental slope, continental rise.
C)continental shelf, continental rise, shelf break, continental slope.
D)shelf break, continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise.
26

Which is NOT true about pelagic marine sediments?
A)They tend to be fine grained.
B)They tend to have accumulated slowly.
C)Thickness of deposits tends to increase with the age of the deposit.
D)They tend to be thickest at the mid ocean ridges.