Geog 1111 Test 3

The large sheets of rock that break off batholiths, such as Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, develop as a result of

C) exfoliation

Drowned glacial valleys are known as

C) fjords.

The suspended load of a stream consists of particles that are

C) held aloft in the stream flow.

The undulating form that gives Earth's surface its character and general configuration is called

C) topography.

Composite cones have steep slopes and experience ________ eruptions because they are composed of ________ magma.

C) violent; felsic

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

C) water

The most active tectonic regions of North and South America are on the

C) western coasts.

The San Andreas system in California is an example of a

D) All of these are correct.

Continental shields, or cratons, are generally of low elevation and old in age.

True

Lithification refers to the cementation, compaction, and hardening of sediments.

True

Mass wasting occurs when gravity overcomes friction.

True

Stream width, depth, and velocity are all responsive to discharge rates.

True

The Appalachians are older than the Rockies.

True

The angle of repose of snow avalanche slopes is typically higher than that for soil or rock.

True

The crust is thickest under mountains and thinnest under the oceans.

True

The dynamic equilibrium model of landscape evolution emphasizes a balance among forces, form and processrather than cyclical stages of development.

True

The ocean floor is created along midocean ridges.

True

The presence of meltwater at the bottom of a glacier can increase its rate of movement.

True

Water can be considered a "universal" solvent.

True

Which of the following occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in alignment (i.e., in opposition or conjunction)?

C) maximum tidal ranges occur

An interruption in a stream's graded profile of equilibrium is called a

C) nickpoint.

In the Northern hemisphere mid-latitudes, slopes that face ________ have more trees on them because ________.

C) north; they are more moist

As regards wetlands, which of the following is correctly matched?

C) salt marsh poleward of the 30th parallel in either hemisphere

The ultimate base level is

C) sea level.

Stream transport involves all of the following except

C) sheet flow.

When geologists or archaeologists dig downward into a unit of rock or sediment, they are digging "back in time." This fact is based on the principle of ________.

C) superposition

Unlike a stream-cut valley that assumes a characteristic ________-shape, a glacially-carved valley evidences a characteristic ________-shape.

A) V; U

At which of the following locations does subduction occur?

A) along collision zones between continental and oceanic plates

Coral formations

A) are made of animals living symbiotically with simple algae

A common crescent-shaped dune with horns pointed downwind is called a

A) barchan dune.

The term "periglacial" refers to

A) cold-climate processes along the margins of glaciers.

The effect of urbanization on a typical stream hydrograph is to

A) decrease lag time between storm peak and peak stream discharge.

A winding hill of sorted sand and gravel deposits is known as a/an ________ and is deposited by a/an ________ glacier.

A) esker; continental

The motion of seismic waves is initiated in a subsurface location along the fault plane called the

A) focus.

The science that specifically studies the origin, evolution, form, and spatial distribution of landforms is

A) geomorphology.

Molten rock that pours forth on Earth's surface is called

A) lava.

Which of the following is matched correctly?

A) magma lava

When two valley glaciers join together, they form a ________ at the point at which they merge.

A) medial moraine

In most areas, the upper surface of bedrock is partially weathered to broken-up rock called

A) regolith

Regular patterns of smooth, rounded waves are called

A) swells.

Pulverized rock and clastic materials ejected violently during an eruption are called

A) tephra, or pyroclastics

Coral bleaching refers to

A) the loss of algae from the coral

An earthquake, submarine landslide, or eruption of an undersea volcano is capable of producing a

A) tsunami

Rocks that appear pitted and grooved, and sometimes polished smooth by eolian processes, are termed

A) ventifacts

Wave action works to straighten a coast as wave energy focuses around headlands and tends to disperse energy in coves and bays in a process called

A) wave refraction.

Snow that has a compact, granular structure is known as

A) firn.

Stream-related processes are termed

B) fluvial.

The bulk of ice on Earth is sitting in

C) Greenland and Antarctica.

Which of the following is true regarding permafrost?

C) It develops where soil or rock temperatures are below freezing for at least two years.

The opposite of the accumulation zone in a glacier is the

C) ablation zone.

Which of the following is an example of a first order of relief?

C) an ocean basin

A tarn is a lake in a

C) cirque

A glacier that is confined in a bowl-shaped recess is called a

C) cirque glacier.

Explosive eruptions tend to build up

C) composite volcanoes.

Louis Agassiz called glacially deposited boulders that differ in composition and origin from the ground on which they rest

C) erratics.

A floodplain consists of alluvium.

True

Alfred Wegner's theory of continental drift was immediately accepted by the scientific community when it was proposed.

False

Karst topography involves the chemical weathering of granite landscapes.

False

Rivers make excellent political boundaries since they are clearly defined landform features.

False

Worldwide, alpine glaciers are presently increasing in size and number.

False

Pangaea is currently dated at

B) 225 to 200 million years ago.

Which of the following is likely to occur if the gradient of a stream increases? (Assume that the discharge and sediment load remain unchanged.)

B) The stream will begin to erode its channel and/or its banks.

Which of the following is false regarding floodplains?

B) They are characterized by rapids and low waterfalls

Orogenesis refers to

B) a general term for the beginning of a mountain-building episode that thickens continental crust.

Glacial polish results from

B) abrasion.

A cutoff on a meandering stream results in the formation of

B) an oxbow lake.

Particles of sand, gravels, and shells that move along the shore form the

B) beach drift.

The total possible load a stream can transport is its ________, whereas a stream's ability to move particles of specific size is its ________.

B) capacity; competence

After water itself, what are the primary elements that occur in sea water?

B) chlorine and sodium

Which of the following are erosional landforms created by alpine glaciation?

B) cols and horns

The removal and lifting of individual loose particles by the wind is termed

B) deflation.

The uplift of mountains is caused by

B) endogenic processes.

Consider the equation Q = wdv. According to the equation, if Q (discharge) remains constant, but w and d decrease (as when a channel becomes more narrow and shallow), the velocity will

B) increase.

A rock transformed from any other rock through profound physical and/or chemical processes is referred to as

B) metamorphic

Vertical elevation differences in a local landscape are referred to as

B) relief

Normal faults are associated with

B) tensional forces

A landslide differs from a debris avalanche in that

B) the materials in a landslide are not saturated with water.

The ocean floor subducts under continents because

B) the ocean floor is made of mafic material and is therefore more dense than continental material.

Uniformitarianism assumes that

B) the same physical processes we see today are a key to understanding the processes that have been operating throughout geologic time.

Which of the following is endogenic in nature?

B) volcanism

Which of the following lists of processes are in the correct sequence as to their occurrence in nature?

B) weathering, erosion, transport, deposition

The disintegration and dissolving of surface and subsurface rock is called

B) weathering.

A tributary that is physically unable to join the main channel on a floodplain is called a/an

B) yazoo tributary.

Natural levees are created during

B) floods.

The rate at which rocks weather depends upon

D) all of these

Karst topography is formed primarily by

D) carbonic acid solution

Which of the following gives the correct sequence of layers in Earth, from the surface to the center?

D) crust, asthenosphere, lower mantle, core

Terranes refer to

D) displaced and migrating pieces of Earth's crust

Watersheds are defined by

D) drainage divides.

The term "eolian" refers to

D) erosion, transportation, and deposition by the wind.

Compared to oceanic crust, continental crust is

D) generally more complex in content and structure

Continental crust is basically ________, whereas oceanic crust is basically ________.

D) granite; basalt

Which of the following is not a sedimentary rock?

D) marble

Coal is a fossil fuel formed from

D) plants

Uplift of the landscape creates ________ energy which is converted to ________ energy when materials begin to move downslope.

D) potential; kinetic

If you wanted to avoid earthquakes, which of the following areas would be the safest to live?

D) shield

Desert pavement refers to

D) surfaces of concentrated pebbles and gravels that are produced by particle removal and water-delivered cementing materials.

Elongated, streamlined ridges aligned parallel to the most effective wind direction are called

D) yardangs.

Plate boundaries are associated with

E) all of these

A single groin can produce both sand erosion and deposition.

True