Geography ยท Science General

Rocks and Earth Materials

1,291 Questions

Study geographical questions centered around rocks, minerals, and earth materials. The focus is on the formation and identification of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. These earth science topics are commonly tested in civil services and state level examinations.

Igneous rocksSedimentary rocksMetamorphic processEarth materialsGeomorphic symbols

Rocks and Earth Materials Questions

Multiple choice

Limestone is metamorphosed to form

  1. graphite

  2. quartz

  3. granite

  4. marble
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

When limestone is subjected to heat and pressure (metamorphism), it recrystallizes to form marble. Graphite comes from carbon, quartz is a silica mineral, and granite is igneous - none form from limestone metamorphism.

Multiple choice

Petrol is usually found in

  1. metamorphic rocks

  2. sedimentary rocks

  3. igneous rocks

  4. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Petroleum is a fossil fuel found in sedimentary rocks, which are formed by the accumulation and cementation of mineral and organic particles. Most petroleum deposits are found in sedimentary basins where ancient marine organisms were buried and transformed over millions of years.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is correct about a volcano? a. The molten rock materials find their way to the surface from the lithosphere. b. The material in the upper mantle portion is called magma. c. Once the magma starts moving towards the crust or it reaches the surface, it is referred to as lava.

  1. Only a

  2. Only b

  3. Only c

  4. All of these

  5. Only b and c
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer, as only statements 'b' and 'c' are correct.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The outer core is in a solid state while the inner core is in a liquid state.

  2. The core is made up of very heavy material mostly constituted by nickel and iron.

  3. The centre of the earth is at 5,300 km.

  4. Both 1, 2 and 3 are all correct.

  5. Both 1, 2 and 3 are all incorrect.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This statement is correct.

Multiple choice

Which of these volcanoes erupts in the form of a fountain and forms a cinder cone?

  1. Composite volcanoes

  2. Shield volcanoes

  3. Caldera volcanoes

  4. Flood Basalt Provinces

  5. Mid ocean ridge volcanoes
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Shield volcanoes are mostly made up of basalt, a type of lava that is very fluid when it erupts. The upcoming lava moves in the form of a fountain and throws out the cone at the top of the vent, and develops into cinder cone.

Multiple choice

Which of the following are the most commonly found intrusive volcanic landforms in the western Maharashtra area?

  1. Lacoliths

  2. Lapoliths

  3. Sheets

  4. Dykes

  5. Sills
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

When the lava makes its way through cracks and the fissures developed in the land, it solidifies almost perpendicular to the ground. It gets cooled in the same position to develop a wall-like structure. Such structures are called dykes. These are the most commonly found intrusive forms in the western Maharashtra area.

Multiple choice

The Deccan Traps from India, presently covering most of the Maharashtra plateau is an example of which of the following types of Volcanoes?

  1. Shield Volcanoes

  2. Composite Volcanoes

  3. Mid-Ocean Ridge Volcanoes

  4. Flood Basalt Provinces

  5. Caldera volcanoes
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

These volcanoes outpour highly fluid lava that flows for long distances. Some parts of the world are covered by thousands of sq. km of thick basalt lava flows. There can be a series of flows with some flows attaining thickness of more than 50 m. Individual flows may extend for hundreds of km. The Deccan Traps from India, presently covering most of the Maharashtra plateau, are a much larger flood basalt province.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the cooled portion of magma chambers, that cools in the deeper depth of the crust and develops in the form of large granitic domes?

  1. Batholiths

  2. Lacoliths

  3. Lapolith

  4. Phacolith

  5. Sills
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A large body of magmatic material that cools in the deeper depth of the crust develops in the form of large domes. They appear on the surface only after the denudational processes remove the overlying materials. They cover large areas, and at times assume depth that may be several km. These are granitic bodies. Batholiths are the cooled portion of magma chambers.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is found in a metamorphic rock?

  1. Petroleum

  2. Marble

  3. Natural gas

  4. Granite
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Marble is a metamorphic rock formed from limestone under heat and pressure. It is widely used in sculpture and architecture. Petroleum and natural gas are found in sedimentary rocks, while granite is an igneous rock.

Multiple choice

What is the peeling of rocks into layers of sheets called?

  1. Landslide

  2. Exfoliation

  3. Earth flow

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Exfoliation is a weathering process where rocks peel off in concentric layers or sheets due to pressure release as overlying material erodes, or from thermal expansion and contraction. This is common in granitic rocks and creates dome-shaped formations like Half Dome in Yosemite. Landslide involves mass movement, and earth flow is a type of slope failure.

Multiple choice

Which of the following represents wall like formation of solidified magma and are mostly perpendicular to the beds of the sedimentary rocks?

  1. Dyke

  2. Sills

  3. Lapilli

  4. Breccia
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A dyke is a wall-like formation of solidified magma that cuts across sedimentary rock beds, usually perpendicular to them. Sills are sheet intrusions parallel to bedding planes. Lapilli are small volcanic rock fragments, and breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments.

Multiple choice

Which of the following characteristics are associated with great masses of metamorphic rocks generally resulting from regional metamorphism?

  1. Such rocks become wholly crystalline
  2. Such rocks become partially crystalline.
  3. A streaking or parallel arrangement of their constituent crystals which lie with their longer axes pointing in the same direction.

  1. 1, 2 and 3

  2. 1 and 2

  3. 2 and 3

  4. 1 and 3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Regional metamorphism affects large areas under high pressure and temperature but varying conditions. The rocks become partially crystalline (not wholly) due to differential metamorphism. The parallel arrangement of crystals (foliation/schistosity) with longer axes aligned in the same direction is characteristic of regional metamorphic rocks like gneiss and schist.