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Quiz about Geologic Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri

Geologic Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri Quiz

This quiz is based on the excellent book "Geologic Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri" by T.R.Beveridge, 1980, Missouri Division of Geology and Land Survey. PLEASE RATE this quiz, thank you!

A multiple-choice quiz by wjames. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
wjames

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
355,911

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
268

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This mountainous area of the Ozarks in southeast Missouri contains the state's highest peak, Tom Sauk Mountain. What are these mountains collectively known as? Hint

Ozarks

Mississippian Mounds

Appalachians

St. Francois Mountains

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Question 2 of 10

2. A group of large boulders near Graniteville, in Iron County, weren't deposited by glaciers, as many believe, since glaciers didn't reach this far south in Missouri. Rather, these rocks were likely formed by freeze-thaw action in cracks formed in the cooling granite. What is the pachyderm name for this area? Hint

Herd Hill

Camel Back

Elephant Rocks

Dumbo Rocks

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Question 3 of 10

3. A vigilante group arose in Southwestern Missouri in the 1880s to combat the lawlessness that followed the Civil War. This group took its name from a prevalent local geologic feature--a mountain or hill with a glade-like area of open grass surrounded by timber. What was the name of the vigilante group that was based on local geography? Hint

Baldknobbers

Riders of the Purple Sage

Gladesmen

Hill Billies

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Question 4 of 10

4. The name "pilot" is applied to many prominent features in Missouri. This indicates that pioneers used these features for what purpose? Hint

Land navigation

Water navigation

Air navigation

Airfields

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Question 5 of 10

5. Johnson Shut-Ins is a good example of a gorge that is cut by a stream, and the valley is trapped or "shut-in". What type of rock shuts-in the stream? Hint

Metamorphic

Igneous

Sedimentary

Glacial

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Question 6 of 10

6. Cote Sans Dessin (Hill Without Design) is in the Missouri River, east of Jefferson City. This is a good example of a type of land monolithic form that is caused by stream erosion. What are these solitary land forms known as? Hint

Oxbow

Tower

Butte

Lost Hill

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Question 7 of 10

7. When two streams flow in the same vicinity, the one with more gradient can erode away the intervening divide and can divert most or all of the water that flowed in the other stream. What is this the swashbuckling name of this process? Hint

Creek capture

Stream piracy

Jolly Rogering

Privateering

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Question 8 of 10

8. Unusually, land-locked Missouri is known for strong seismic activity. A series of earthquakes in 1811-1812 were reportedly some of the strongest every felt by humans - estimated at 7.0 or higher. What is the name of the fault system that caused this earthquake and others? Hint

New Spain

Ozarks

New Madrid

Mississippian

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Question 9 of 10

9. The northern part of Missouri was once covered by glaciers. This made the area north of the Missouri River relatively flat, covered in good soil and also sprinkled with isolated boulders carried long distances. What are these boulders known as? Hint

Erratics

Eskers

Drumlins

Dumplings

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Question 10 of 10

10. In Jefferson County, near the villages of Kimmswick-Imperial, there is a state park named for the fossilized remains of a huge animal that were found in the area. Which animal was this? Hint

Giant Anteater

Mammoth

Mastodon

Sabre-toothed Tiger

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This mountainous area of the Ozarks in southeast Missouri contains the state's highest peak, Tom Sauk Mountain. What are these mountains collectively known as?

Answer: St. Francois Mountains

The hills and mountains of the St. Francois range are the remains of a heavily-eroded uplift of once-molten igneous rocks. Beautiful granites, schists and other igneous rocks dominate in this region.

Answer: Elephant Rocks

Dumbo, the largest of the Elephant Rocks, is 27 feet tall, 35 feet long and 17 feet wide. The estimated weight of this one rock is a staggering 680 tons.

Answer: Baldknobbers

Balds are usually hills formed of limestone or dolomite. The thin soil and carbonate rocks tends to limit tree growth to cedars or junipers. The thinner soil near the summits gives Balds their appearance as being bare of trees.

4. The name "pilot" is applied to many prominent features in Missouri. This indicates that pioneers used these features for what purpose?

Answer: Land navigation

The knobs of west-central Missouri are prominent, often rising above their surroundings, and were useful for pioneers traveling across the country. A cap of limestone or sandstone is relatively erosion-resistant and so gives the pilot knobs their prominence.

5. Johnson Shut-Ins is a good example of a gorge that is cut by a stream, and the valley is trapped or "shut-in". What type of rock shuts-in the stream?

Answer: Igneous

Over forty sites in Missouri meet the definition of a "shut-in". Johnson Shut-Ins aren't the largest or necessarily the most scenic, but they are easily accessible and well-preserved in Johnson Shut-Ins State Park in Reynolds County.

Answer: Lost Hill

Cote Sans Dessin is 150 feet high and a mile long. Lost hills are isolated features, caused by stream erosion that failed to wear down the hill, making it stand out or look "lost".

Answer: Stream piracy

In Missouri, stream piracy can also occur when a surface stream is diverted into an underground path by a sinkhole or cave. The state is cave-rich.

Answer: New Madrid

The New Madrid earthquake of 1812 reportedly caused church bells to ring in Boston, MA. Sidewalks were cracked in Washington, DC and people in Norfolk, VA were awakened by the intense shaking.

Answer: Erratics

Erratics are igneous or metamorphic boulders that were carried a minimum of 300 miles in the large ice sheets, then dropped as the ice melted. The largest, Bairdstown Church Erratic in Sullivan County, is pink granite and its original size was a minimum of 10'x20'x24'.

10. In Jefferson County, near the villages of Kimmswick-Imperial, there is a state park named for the fossilized remains of a huge animal that were found in the area. Which animal was this?

Answer: Mastodon

Mastodon State Park was made possible by a group of local housewives who raised money to buy the land and transfer title to Missouri Parks and Recreation. The site was first exploited in the 1830s by a showman who assembled a hodgepodge of bones and exhibited them into a fanciful creature to show for money.

The British Museum later obtained the remains and correctly assembled them into a mastodon.

Source: Author wjames

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