6.1 The biogeochemical carbon cycle Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Geography, Unit 8

The 20 questions

1. Which global carbon store contains the vast majority of Earth's total carbon?

   • Oceanic store
   • Atmospheric store
   • Terrestrial store
   • Geological store

2. What term describes the long-term geological component of the global carbon cycle?

   • Deep ocean flux
   • Fast carbon cycle
   • Slow carbon cycle
   • Biological carbon pump

3. Which process occurs when atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in rainwater to react with rocks?

   • Physical weathering
   • Biological uptake
   • Chemical weathering
   • Volcanic outgassing

4. Which process releases stored geological carbon back into the atmosphere over long timescales?

   • Respiration
   • Volcanism
   • Photosynthesis
   • Combustion

5. Which ions, released by rock weathering, combine with dissolved carbon in oceans to form shells?

   • Potassium ions
   • Iron ions
   • Sodium ions
   • Calcium ions

6. How does the size of the geological carbon store compare to the atmospheric store?

   • Significantly smaller
   • Significantly larger
   • Roughly equal
   • Slightly smaller

7. Which unit is standard for measuring global carbon store sizes and annual fluxes?

   • Petagrams
   • Kilotonnes
   • Parts per million
   • Terajoules

8. Over what typical timescale does geological carbon transfer from weathering to sedimentation occur?

   • Decades
   • Thousands of years
   • Hundreds of years
   • Millions of years

9. Which rock type forms from the accumulated carbonate remains of marine organisms?

   • Sandstone
   • Limestone
   • Basalt
   • Granite

10. What weak acid is produced when atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in falling rainwater?

    • Sulphuric acid
    • Carbonic acid
    • Nitric acid
    • Hydrochloric acid

11. How does chemical weathering affect atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long timescales?

    • Has no effect
    • Doubles carbon dioxide
    • Removes carbon dioxide
    • Releases carbon dioxide

12. Why is the slow geological carbon cycle vital for Earth's long-term climate stability?

    • Increases ocean salinity
    • Prevents volcanic eruptions
    • Regulates atmospheric carbon
    • Generates fossil fuels

13. Which tectonic process returns subducted marine carbon sediments to the atmosphere as gas?

    • Volcanic outgassing
    • Isostatic rebound
    • Seafloor spreading
    • Orogenic folding

14. What rock type forms when ocean carbonate shells sink and consolidate on the seabed?

    • Slate
    • Granite
    • Limestone
    • Basalt

15. Over what timeframe does the geological slow carbon cycle typically operate?

    • Few centuries
    • Days to weeks
    • Several years
    • Millions of years

16. Fossil fuels like coal and shale are formed from what type of carbon source?

    • Mantle derived
    • Biologically derived
    • Atmosphere derived
    • Inorganic chemical

17. Which natural process releases carbon dioxide from carbonate rocks back into the atmosphere?

    • Chemical weathering
    • Volcanic outgassing
    • Oceanic absorption
    • Photosynthesis

18. A 1 Pg flux of carbon is equal to how many gigatonnes?

    • 1 Gt
    • 1,000 Gt
    • 0.001 Gt
    • 10 Gt

19. Which process breaks down rocks, releasing dissolved carbon and ions into rivers and oceans?

    • Chemical weathering
    • Biological fixation
    • Volcanic outgassing
    • Thermal expansion

20. What is the largest geological store of carbon on Earth?

    • Atmosphere
    • Terrestrial soils
    • Sedimentary rocks
    • Ocean surface

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