ESCI #1

Which of the following was pulled inward to create the Earth's core during the later accretion phase?

Iron

The San Andres Fault

Transform boundary

The engineers who built the Vaiont Reservoir in Italy should have anticipated the possibility of a ____ because the valley in which the dam was located had hillsides made of sedimentary rock that tilted downslope toward the reservoir.

Translational slide

The Earth system is considered

a closed system

After a threshold is crossed, the landscape

adjusts to a new equilibrium condition

Earth's shape is described as

an oblate ellipsoid

The steepness of a slope made of loose material is called the

angle of repose

You would make a sand castle out of wet sand rather than dry sand because wet sand has a greater

angle of repose and cohesiveness

Karst topography is formed primarily by

carbonation and solution

Concrete that is buried below the ground will usually weather faster than that above ground because

carbonic acid solution attacks the concrete and water is more abundant

The rate at which rocks weather depends on

climate, vegetation, and type of rock

Which material or layer should be least dense?

continental crust

The Himalayas

convergent boundary

Compressional stress

convergent boundary and thrust / reverse fault

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

denudation=endogenic

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge

divergent boundary

Tensional/Extensional stress

divergent boundary and normal fault

Earthquakes are only found along plate boundaries

false

All other factors being equal, landscapes of great relief experience

faster rates of landform change than low relief

If material is to move downslope, it must overcome the

force of friction, cohesion of particles to each other, and internal resistance of the material

The fact that water expands as much as 9% of its volume as it freezes is the basis of

frost wedging

Chemical weathering is greatest under conditions of

higher mean annual rainfall and temperatures

You would expect only slight physical / chemical weathering under conditions of

higher temperatures and lower precipitation

In which climate would rock be weathered to the greatest depth?

hot and wet

The Hawaiian Islands

hot spots

Which of the following is not a type of physical weathering?

hydrolysis

Divergent plate boundary

in which plates are moving apart

Because the climate of a region slowly changes and tectonic adjustments slowly occur, the landscape

is continuously adjusting to new conditions that develop and is usually in dynamic equilibrium

Chemical weathering processes are particularly effective on limestone landscape, forming

karst topography

Which of the following can lead to hill slope failure?

making of a road cut in side of hill, increasing the slope angle, and excessively watering a slope

Which of the following would act to keep a system in a state of equilibrium?

negative feedback

The weathering of limestone can create circular depressions known as

sinkholes

A slow persistent mass movement of surface soil is called

soil creep

Buttes occur in western US but not eastern US because

the climate is different, affects the type of landforms developed

Which of the following layers should have the highest concentration of silica?

the crust

Landslides occur when

the threshold is reached, internal friction is overcome by the force of gravity, and driving forces exceed resisting forces

Plants are important to the development of karst topography because

they produce acids

Which type of boundary will a volcano most likely not form?

transform boundaries

Lateral stress (shearing)

transform boundary and strike-slip fault

Soil creep is a natural process sometimes related to a freeze - thaw cycle of soil moisture

true

The leading geological principle that states "the same physical processes active in the environment today have been operating throughout geologic time" is called

uniformitarianism

Endogenic forces are responsible for _____ and result from_______

uplift & heat generated within Earth's interior

Other than the rock itself, the most important chemical substance needed for the majority of weathering processes is

water

The principal active agents in chemical weathering are

water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide

The disintegration and dissolving of surface and subsurface is

weathering

Subduction

where 2 plates converge and force the denser plate to be pushed under the less dense plate

Where in the US would you be safest from volcanoes and earthquakes?

Boston, MA

Which type of volcano and/or associated volcanic feature tends to be the most explosive and has the steepest slopes?

Composite Cone

Which of the following shows the order in which you will encounter the layers of the Earth, starting from the center of the Earth and working your way to the surface?

Core, mantle, crust

Which of the following is/are explained by plate tectonic theory?

Distribution of earthquakes/volcanoes and location of mountain ranges

Based on tectonic theory the youngest seafloor should (and is) be located near which type of tectonic boundary?

Divergent

Which of the following is created by endogenic forces?

Earthquakes

Which of the following is not necessary for well-developed karst to develop?

Arid conditions

Which of the following is true of joints?

Joints enable more water to move through the ground and they enhance the rate of weathering

Example of chemical weathering is

Karst Topography

Which of the following might be expected to occur in either an ash covered, mountainous, volcanic region following a heavy rain or a snow covered, mountainous, volcanic region following a volcanic eruption?

Lahar

The most abundant element within the Earth's crust is

Oxygen

If the Earth did not experience endogenic processes, the landscape would

be of very low relief from weathering and erosion

Exfoliation occurs because

overlying rock is removed, underlying rock expand and fractures

When rock is broken and disintegrated without dissolving, the process in operation is

physical weathering

Convergent plate boundary

plates are moving toward one another

Transform plate boundary

plates are sliding laterally past one another

A change in a system property that encourages further system change is called

positive feedback

Convection

possible mechanism responsible for the movement of plates within tectonic theory

The presence of talus slope indicates that _____ occur and that the area near them is ____ for real estate development

rock falls, unsafe