Solid ground. Interesting backstory.
Rocks, rivers, and the planet beneath your shoes.
Ten questions, with the answers explained. Try them in your head, then open each answer when you're ready.
Play this quiz →QUESTION 1 / 10
What type of rock forms when molten rock cools and solidifies?
- Igneous
- Organic
- Sedimentary
- Metamorphic
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Igneous
Igneous rocks form from cooling magma or lava.
QUESTION 2 / 10
What is molten rock called after it reaches Earth's surface?
- Silt
- Quartz
- Magma
- Lava
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Lava
Molten rock underground is magma. At the surface, it is called lava.
QUESTION 3 / 10
What is the wearing away and transport of rock or soil called?
- Pollination
- Erosion
- Condensation
- Magnetization
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Erosion
Erosion moves material through water, wind, ice, or gravity.
QUESTION 4 / 10
What is the point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's origin called?
- Crater
- Equator
- Epicenter
- Mantle
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Epicenter
The epicenter lies above the earthquake's focus, where the rupture starts underground.
QUESTION 5 / 10
Which layer lies between Earth's crust and core?
- Mantle
- Atmosphere
- Ozone layer
- Ocean
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Mantle
The mantle lies beneath the crust and above the core.
QUESTION 6 / 10
What is a glacier?
- A mass of land ice that moves slowly
- A dry riverbed
- A volcanic vent
- A floating salt crystal
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A mass of land ice that moves slowly
A glacier forms from accumulated snow and flows under its own weight.
QUESTION 7 / 10
What creates a river delta?
- A collapsed cave
- A wind-eroded peak
- Deposited sediment near a river's mouth
- A retreating lava flow
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Deposited sediment near a river's mouth
As a river slows near its mouth, it can drop sediment and build a delta.
QUESTION 8 / 10
Which mineral is used as the reference for hardness 10 on the Mohs scale?
- Talc
- Quartz
- Diamond
- Gypsum
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Diamond
Diamond sits at 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. Talc is at 1.
QUESTION 9 / 10
Which process turns liquid water into water vapor?
- Freezing
- Deposition
- Evaporation
- Condensation
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Evaporation
Evaporation changes liquid water into a gas at the surface.
QUESTION 10 / 10
What is the name for Earth's large, moving crustal sections?
- Air masses
- Ocean gyres
- Tectonic plates
- Latitude lines
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Tectonic plates
Tectonic plates are pieces of the lithosphere that move over the underlying mantle.