Ten questions on the structure and history of the Earth, each linking a surface feature to the process behind it.
This quiz covers the physical planet: its internal layers, the rock types and what each one records, and the plate tectonics that ties earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain ranges into a single explanation. It also touches how geologists read the record, since fossils and rock layers are essentially a filing system. The explanations connect what is visible at the surface to what is happening far below, which is where most geological features actually originate.
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
Play it insteadAnswer: D. The crust
Why: The crust is thin relative to the planet, only a few tens of kilometres deep. The lithosphere, often confused with it, includes the crust plus the rigid upper mantle.
Answer: A. Diamond
Why: Diamond sits at the top of the Mohs hardness scale. It is pure carbon, arranged in an exceptionally rigid crystal structure.
Answer: D. Cooled molten rock
Why: Igneous rock solidifies from magma or lava. Sedimentary rock forms from compressed particles, and metamorphic rock from existing rock altered by heat and pressure.
Answer: C. Sedimentary
Why: Sediment settles gently in layers, which can preserve remains. Igneous rock forms from molten material, which destroys anything organic.
Answer: A. Alfred Wegener
Why: Wegener proposed it in 1912 and was widely dismissed for lacking a mechanism. Seafloor spreading, described decades later, supplied the missing explanation.
Answer: A. A supercontinent
Why: Pangaea assembled most of the world's landmass into one continent around 300 million years ago. Its breakup produced the arrangement seen today.
Answer: D. Iron and nickel
Why: The core is largely iron with some nickel, liquid in its outer part and solid at the centre. Motion in the liquid outer core generates Earth's magnetic field.
Answer: D. About 70 per cent
Why: Oceans cover close to 71 per cent of the surface. Much of the seafloor remains less thoroughly mapped than the surface of Mars.
Answer: D. Geothermal heat
Why: Groundwater is heated by hot rock below until pressure forces it upward. They occur only where a specific plumbing arrangement and heat source coincide.
Answer: B. Hardness
Why: It ranks minerals by which can scratch which, from talc at 1 to diamond at 10. It is comparative rather than a measure of absolute strength.
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