Rocks and Minerals A – B1

1. Which element is most abundant in Earth’s crust?

(1) nitrogen (3) oxygen

(2) hydrogen (4) silicon

2. Which group of elements is listed in increasing order

based on the percent by mass in Earth’s crust?

(1) aluminum, iron, calcium

(2) aluminum, silicon, magnesium

(3) magnesium, iron, aluminum

(4) magnesium, silicon, calcium

3. Oxygen is the most abundant element by volume in

Earth’s

(1) inner core (3) hydrosphere

(2) troposphere (4) crust

4. What happens to the density and temperature of rock

within Earth’s interior as depth increases?

(1) density decreases and temperature decreases

(2) density decreases and temperature increases

(3) density increases and temperature increases

(4) density increases and temperature decreases

5. The data table below shows the density of four

different mineral samples.

A student accurately measured the mass of a sample of

one of the four minerals to be 294.4 grams and its

volume to be 73.6 cm3. Which mineral sample did the

student measure?

(1) corundum (3) hematite

(2) galena (4) quartz

6. Which mineral is the major component of drywall?

(1) talc (3) muscovite mica

(2) calcite (4) selenite gypsum

7. Which mineral has a metallic luster, a black streak, and

is an ore of iron?

(1) galena (3) pyroxene

(2) magnetite (4) graphite

8. Which property is most useful in distinguishing

pyroxene from amphibole?

(1) sample size (3) type of luster

(2) hardness (4) angles of cleavage

9. The table below shows some properties of four

different minerals.

The minerals listed in the table are varieties of which

mineral?

(1) garnet (3) quartz

(2) magnetite (4) olivine

9. The basaltic bedrock of the oceanic crust is classified

as

(1) felsic, with a density of 2.7 g/cm3

(2) felsic, with a density of 3.0 g/cm3

(3) mafic, with a density of 2.7 g/cm3

(4) mafic, with a density of 3.0 g/cm3

10. The diagram below shows the index minerals of

Mohs hardness scale compared with the hardness of

some common objects.

Which statement is best supported by the diagram?

(1) A fingernail will scratch calcite but not gypsum.

(2) Calcite will be scratched by a copper penny.

(3) The mineral apatite will scratch topaz.

(4) A steel file has a hardness of about 7.5.

11. Which rock is sedimentary in origin and formed as a

result of chemical processes?

(1) granite (3) breccias

(2) shale (4) dolostone

12. In which set are the rock drawings labeled with their

correct rock types?

13. The diagram below represents geological processes

that act continuously on Earth to form different rock

types.

Which table correctly classifies each rock type?

Base your answers to questions 14 through 17 on the

map below, which shows areas where certain minerals

were mined in significant amounts during 1989.

14. In which New York State landscape region was most

of the garnet mined?

(1) Catskills (3) Tug Hill Plateau

(2) Adirondack Mountains (4) Erie-Ontario Lowlands

15. What is a common use for the mineral that is mined

at the southern end of the two largest Finger Lakes?

(1) making talcum powder (3) polishing jewelry

(2) vulcanizing rubber (4) melting ice

16. The gypsum deposits in New York State were formed

(1) as a result of volcanic eruptions

(2) as a result of metamorphism

(3) in a shallow ocean

(4) in a glacial outwash plain

17. The mineral wollastonite has a hardness of 4.5 to 5.

Which New York State mineral could easily scratch

wollastonite?

(1) garnet (3) talc

(2) halite (4) gypsum

18. Which combination of temperature and pressure is

inferred to occur within Earth’s stiffer mantle?

(1) 3500°C and 0.4 million atmospheres

(2) 3500°C and 2.0 million atmospheres

(3) 5500°C and 0.4 million atmospheres

(4) 5500°C and 2.0 million atmospheres

19. The photograph below shows an igneous rock.

What is the origin and rate of formation of this rock?

(1) plutonic with slow cooling

(2) plutonic with rapid cooling

(3) volcanic with slow cooling

(4) volcanic with rapid cooling

20. The pie graph below shows the elements comprising

Earth’s crust in percent by mass.

Which element is represented by the letter X?

(1) silicon (3) nitrogen

(2) lead (4) hydrogen

Base your answers to questions 21 through 23 on the

block diagram below, which shows a portion of Earth’s

crust. Letters A, B, C, and D indicate sedimentary layers.

21. Which event occurred most recently?

(1) formation of layer A

(2) formation of layer D

(3) tilting of all four sedimentary rock layers

(4) erosion of the igneous rock exposed at the surface

22. The igneous rock is mostly composed of potassium

feldspar and quartz crystals that have an average grain

size of 3 millimeters. The igneous rock is most likely

(1) granite (2) pegmatite (3) gabbro (4) pumice

23. Which processes produced rock layer B?

(1) subduction and melting

(2) uplift and solidification

(3) heat and pressure

(4) compaction and cementation

Base your answers to questions 24 through 26 on the

block diagrams of four rock outcrops, A, B, C, and D,

located within 15 kilometers of each other. The rock

layers have not been overturned.

24. When the rock layers at outcrops A, B, C, and D are

correlated, which rock layer would be determined to be

the oldest?

(1) quartzite (2) marble (3) gneiss (4) sandstone

25. Which stream velocity carried only clay particles to

the depositional environment where the shale formed?

(1) 0.02 cm/s (2) 0.05 cm/s (3) 10 cm/s (4) 20 cm/s

26. By which process was the quartzite formed?

(1) deposition of clastic sediment

(2) precipitation from seawater

(3) metamorphism of sandstone

(4) cementation of shells

27. The diagram below shows some features in a cave.

Which type of rock was chemically weathered by acidic groundwater to produce the cave and its features?

(1) siltstone (2) basalt (3) quartzite (4) limestone

Rocks and Minerals B2 - C

Base your answers to questions 1 through 5 on the passage and cross section below, which explain how some precious

gemstones form. The cross section shows a portion of the ancient Tethys Sea, once located between the Indian-Australian

Plate and the Eurasian Plate.

Precious Gemstones

Some precious gemstones are a form of the mineral

corundum, which has a hardness of 9. Corundum is a rare mineral

made up of closely packed aluminum and oxygen atoms, and its

formula is Al2O3. If small amounts of chromium replace some of the

aluminum atoms in corundum, a bright-red gemstone called a ruby is

produced. If traces of titanium and iron replace some aluminum

atoms, deep-blue sapphires can be produced.

Most of the world’s ruby deposits are found in metamorphic

rock that is located along the southern slope of the Himalayas, where

plate tectonics played a part in ruby formation. Around 50 million

years ago, the Tethys Sea was located between what is now India and

Eurasia. Much of the Tethys Sea bottom was composed of limestone

that contained the elements needed to make these precious

gemstones. The Tethys Sea closed up as the Indian-Australian Plate

pushed under the Eurasian Plate, creating the Himalayan Mountains.

The limestone rock lining the seafloor underwent metamorphism as it

was pushed deep into Earth by the Indian-Australian Plate. For the

next 40 to 45 million years, as the Himalayas rose, rubies, sapphires,

and other gemstones continued to form.

1. Which element replaces some of the aluminum

atoms, causing the bright-red color of a ruby? [1]

2. State one physical property of rubies, other than a

bright-red color, that makes them useful as gemstones

in jewelry. [1]

3. Identify the metamorphic rock in which the rubies and sapphires that formed along the Himalayas are usually found. [1]

4. During which geologic epoch did the events shown in the cross section of the Tethys Sea occur? [1]

5. What type of tectonic plate boundary is shown in the cross section? [1]

Base your answers to questions 6 and 7 on the passage and photograph below. The passage describes the properties of

porphyritic rocks. The photograph shows a sample of andesite rock that has a porphyritic texture.

Porphyritic Rocks

Igneous rocks that have two distinctly different

crystal sizes have a porphyritic texture. They contain

large, coarse-grained crystals called phenocrysts,

which are visible to the naked eye. These crystals are

surrounded by fine-grained crystals called

groundmass.

6. Identify the evidence shown by the photograph that indicates

that two different cooling events occurred during the formation

of this rock. [1]

7. The andesite sample in the photograph has a small percentage

of quartz. List three other minerals that are found in this sample.

[1]

Base your answers to questions 8 through 11 on the passage below.

Earth’s Early Atmosphere

Early in Earth’s history, the molten outer layers of

Earth released gases to form an early atmosphere.

Cooling and solidification of that molten surface

formed the early lithosphere approximately 4.4

billion years ago. Around 3.3 billion years ago,

photosynthetic organisms appeared on Earth and

removed large amounts of carbon dioxide from the

atmosphere, which allowed Earth to cool even

faster. In addition, they introduced oxygen into

Earth’s atmosphere, as a by-product of

photosynthesis. Much of the first oxygen that was

produced reacted with natural Earth elements, such

as iron, in the lithosphere and produced new

varieties of rocks and minerals. Eventually,

photosynthetic organisms produced enough oxygen

so that it began to accumulate in Earth’s

atmosphere. About 450 million years ago, there was

enough oxygen in the atmosphere to allow for the

development of an ozone layer 30 to 50 kilometers

above Earth’s surface. This layer was thick enough to

protect organisms developing on land from the

ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

8. State one reason why the first rocks on Earth were

most likely igneous in origin. [1]

9. Identify one mineral with a red-brown streak that formed when

oxygen in Earth’s early atmosphere combined with iron. [1]

10. Identify the temperature zone of the atmosphere in which the

ozone layer developed. [1]

11. Complete the pie graph below to show the percent by volume

of nitrogen and oxygen gases currently found in Earth’s

troposphere. Label each section of the graph with the name of the

gas. The percentage of other gases is shown. [1]

Base your answers to questions 12 through 15 on the passage below.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a general name given to the fibrous

varieties of six naturally occurring minerals used

in commercial products. Most asbestos minerals

are no longer mined due to the discovery during

the 1970s that long-term exposure to high

concentrations of their long, stiff fibers leads to

health problems. Workers who produce or

handle asbestos products are most at risk, since

inhaling high concentrations of airborne fibers

allows the asbestos particles to become trapped

in the workers’ lungs. Chrysotile is a variety of

asbestos that is still mined because it has short,

soft, flexible fibers that do not pose the same

health threat.

12. State one reason for the decline in global asbestos use after 1980.

[1]

13. Chrysotile is found with other minerals in New York State mines

located near 44° 30' N, 74° W. In which New York State landscape

region are these mines located? [1]

14. What determines the physical properties of minerals, such as the

long, stiff fibers of some varieties of asbestos? [1]

15. The chemical formula for chrysotile is Mg3Si2O5(OH)4. State the

name of the mineral found on the Earth Science Reference Tables that

is most similar in chemical composition. [1]

Base your answers to questions 16 and 17 on the map below.

The map shows the approximate area in a portion of North

America where some sedimentary rock layers composed of

gypsum, halite, and potassium salt minerals are found in Earth’s

crust.

16. Identify one New York State landscape region in which deposits

of gypsum and halite are commonly found. [1]

17. Identify the sedimentary rock composed of halite and explain

how this rock is usually formed. [1]

Base your answers to questions 18 and 19 on the diagram below of a mineral classification scheme that shows the

properties of certain minerals. Letters A through G represent mineral property zones. Zone E represents the presence of all

three properties. For example, a mineral that is harder than glass, has a metallic luster, but does not have cleavage, would

be placed in zone B. Assume that glass has a hardness of 5.5.

18. In which zone would the mineral potassium feldspar be placed? [1]

19. State the name of one mineral listed on the Properties of Common

Minerals Table that could not be placed in any of the zones. [1]

Graywacke

Graywacke is a type of sandstone composed of a great variety of minerals. Unlike a “clean” sandstone where both the sand-

sized grains and cement are composed mostly of quartz, graywacke is a “dirty” sandstone which can be composed of

potassium feldspar, plagioclase feldspar, calcite, hornblende, and augite, as well as quartz. Graywacke can be used for

paving highways. The hard, massive bedrock is first drilled and then blasted into large chunks. Stone crushers grind these

chunks into pebble-sized pieces. Truckloads of the graywacke pebbles are then hauled to plants where asphalt for paving is

made.

Base your answers to questions 20 through 22 on the passage below.

20. State one difference in the mineral composition of a “clean” sandstone and a “dirty” sandstone. [1]

21. Identify one rock-forming process that must have occurred after the sediments were deposited to form graywacke. [1]

22. State one negative environmental impact a graywacke quarry could have on the area where it is located. [1]