Geology Final Exam

A typical longitudinal profile of a stream a. illustrates that a stream's gradient is steeper near its headwaters than near its mouth b. is roughly a convex-up curve c. shows a cross section of the stream from bank to bank at one particular site d. shows almost horizontal plains near the stream's headwaters and deep valleys near its mouth

a

Deltas a. received their name because some have a triangular shape, but many don't b. may form where a stream empties into a valley bottom at the base of a mountain range c. are likely to slowly sink and become swampland called a birds-foot delta d. make poor farmland because they flood regularly, and flooding leaches out the minerals

a

Hot spot volcanic islands that cool and eventually sink beneath the ocean's surface are called a. seamounts b. large igneous provinces c. oceanic plateaus d. submarine fans

a

Ice A. is transparent if pure, but milky white if it's cracked or contains air bubbles. B. has a low albedo, which explains why it floats. C. is denser than water. D. is no longer slippery at extremely cold temperatures.

a

Identify the statement that is true about ocean water a. it contains negative ions like chloride and sulfate derived from volcanic gases b. its salinity and temperature are mostly the same in surface waters, deeper water tends to be more heterogeneous c. cold ocean water can hold more salt than warmer water can d. it has an average salinity of 1%

a

Identify the statement that is true about the abyssal plains a. they are covered by microscopic plankton shells and fine flakes of clay b. the abyssal plains of the eastern Atlantic Ocean stretch from the continental shelf to the base of the mid-ocean ridge c. they are underlain by warm, young oceanic lithosphere d. they are dissected by submarine canyons

a

Identify the true statement A. Modern streams flowing in oversized valleys are signs of past glaciation. B. Continental glaciers create spectacular scenery filled with horns, arêtes, cirques, and truncated spurs. C. When a tidewater glacier melts, it leaves a hanging valley above the main glacial valley. D. A roche moutonnée forms when a block of ice breaks off a receding glacier and forms a circular depression.

a

Identify the true statement A. The Antarctic ice sheet has been calving off huge icebergs over the last few decades. B. Regions covered by glacial ice are termed periglacial environments. C. Glaciers move by basal sliding as friction between the ice and its substrate increases. D. The expansion of ice sheets at the end of the Pleistocene caused glacial rebound in northern Canada.

a

Identify the true statement a. a particle of water in a wave moves in a circular motion when viewed in a cross section b. wave base occurs at a depth equal to one-quarter of the prevailing wavelength in an area c. the character of waves in open seas depends on the seawater depth d. constructive interference of comparably sized swells tends to can them out and produce smooth water

a

Identify the true statement a. water from rivers or rain tends to stay in a layer above saltier water for quire a while before it mixes b. saltier water generally floats above fresher water c. the boundary between surface water salinities and deep-water salinities is called the thermocline d. when seawater evaporates, salt is removed in the vapor, leaving behind fresher water

a

Identify the true statement about drainage divides a. a drainage divide is a ridge that separates one watershed from another b. the divide that runs along the crest of the Appalachians separates the Atlantic Ocean drainage from the Arctic Ocean drainage c. precipitation that falls on the west side of the continental divide flows to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean d. the ultimate base level for streams on the east side of the continental divide is the Pacific Ocean

a

Identify the true statement about the relationship between sea level and global ice volume A. As ice on land melts, water is transferred from the glacial reservoir to the ocean reservoir. B. Mean sea level rises as the volume of ice on land increases. C. Roughly 18,000 years ago, sea level was the same as it is today. D. Prehistoric people who wished to migrate across the Bering Strait land bridge could have done so starting about 6,000 years ago.

a

Interconnected fractures that open onto a hillside or form at the intersection of an impermeable rock layer with a hillside are both likely locations of a. springs b. potentiometric surfaces c. artesian walls d. cones of depression

a

Studies of the assemblages of microscopic marine plankton and their oxygen-isotope ratios suggest that A. there were many more episodes of Pleistocene glacial advances and retreats than was previously thought. B. there were 30 major ice ages in the Earth's history. C. the Pleistocene Ice Age began only 1 Ma. D. temperatures were 40°C colder during ice ages than they are now.

a

The Mississippi delta a. is the product of several avulsions b. is a recent landform, since it formed in the last 1,000 years c. developed its shape because the ocean current there was stronger than the river current d. exhibits the traditional delta shape

a

The discharge of a stream is a. likely to decrease downstream in arid regions and increase downstream in temperate regions b. typically lower in spring than during summer c. constant for the length of the stream d. calculated by dividing its cross-sectional area by its velocity

a

Water combines with carbon dioxide a. and creates slightly acidic groundwater that dissolves limestone and forms caves b. and, when it reacts with limestone, produces hydrogen sulfide gas c. and forms carboxylic acid d. only in the subsurface

a

Water underground that a. completely fills pores in the saturated zone is called groundwater b. adheres temporarily to sediment particles and eventually evaporates back into the atmosphere or is absorbed by plant roots is called groundwater c. partially fills pores in the unsaturated zone is called capillary fringe d. seeps up from the water table because of the electrostatic attraction of water molecules to mineral surfaces is called phreatic zone water

a

Which of the following are constructed to reduce beach erosion? a. groins b. polyps c. mangroves d. bogs

a

Which of the following climate conditions would most likely allow glaciers to form? A. a heavy snowfall in winter, coupled with relatively cool summers B. temperatures below freezing for one month straight C. mild winters with lots of snow, coupled with very hot summers D. high winds that produce low chill factors

a

Which of the following statements is true? a. groundwater is the largest reservoir of liquid freshwater on the Earth, but having enough accessible groundwater can be a problem b. in order to produce water, a well must be drilled so that it stops above the water table, within the zone of aeration c. the water table is defined as the top of the vadose zone d. permeability is a measure of how much water rock can hold

a

Which of the following would make a good aquifer? a. sandy floodplain and delta deposits along the edge of the Cretaceous seaway b. inactive granitic plutons in the Pacific Northwest c. clay and shale sediment filling half grabens of the Basin and Range Province of the western United States d. highly porous scoria formed by volcanic eruptions in Indonesia

a

What conditions result in maximum glacial advancement? (choose more than one) a. increasing the rate of glacial flow b. increasing the valley temperature c. decreasing the valley temperature d. decreasing the rate of glacial flow

a c

All seas a. have similar floors consisting of wide, gently sloping continental shelves, steeper continental slopes, gentle rises, and flat plains b. have salinity ranging between 1% and 4.1% c. have a surface temperature of 15 degrees to 17 degrees d. have calm bottom waters with no apparent circulation

b

Choose the proper order to name coastal wetlands dominated by the following types of vegetation: grasses, moss and shrubs, trees a. bogs, marshes, swamps b. marshes, bogs, swamps c. swamps, marshes, bogs d. swamps, bogs, marshes

b

During the Pleistocene Ice Age A. CaCO3 shells in the world's oceans recorded a low ratio of O18 to O16. B. mammoths, mastodons, woolly rhinos, saber-toothed cats, and giant cave bears inhabited North America. C. pluvial lakes dried up in Utah and Nevada, while increased rainfall farther south caused equatorial rainforests to flourish. D. the southern boundary of the North American tundra moved 20° of latitude northward.

b

Elongate hills of glacial till that are molded by glaciers that flow over them are called A. kettle holes. B. drumlins. C. eskers. D. loess.

b

Fluvial landscapes that are early in their evolutionary progression have a. natural levees b. narrow, deep valleys c. broad floodplains d. oxbow lakes

b

Groundwater in underground, constricted fractures is heated past its normal boiling temperature by surrounding hot rocks. The superhot liquid expands in volume; this reduces its confining pressure, and it flashes into steam. This is an explanation of which geologic feature? a. an artesian spring b. a geyser c. a mudpot d. a hot spring

b

Identify the statement that is true about an ephemeral stream a. it flows year-round b. in dry climates, it can become a dry wash (also called wadi or arroyo) c. it is replenished by both precipitation and groundwater d. its bed lies below the water table

b

Identify the true statement A. The Pleistocene Ice Age ended only about 100 years ago. B. If you want to visit the glaciers of Glacier National Park in Montana, you should do it soon; they are melting quickly and may be gone by 2030. C. In order to visit a tidewater glacier, you have to hike to the top of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. D. If you want to see a continental glacier, you have to travel to South America.

b

Identify the true statement A. The process by which icebergs break off of coastal glaciers is called surging. B. Narrow, steep-sided, deep inlets of seawater in glacial valleys are called fjords. C. Today, glaciers cover 30% of the land; in the ice age, they covered 70%. D. Pluvial lakes are lakes that form on the surface of a glacier.

b

Identify the true statement A. When a glacier retreats, its ice contracts and flows back toward the glacier's point of origin. B. Glaciers can grow smaller by melting, sublimation, or calving. C. Glaciers always retreat when they reach an elevation of fewer than 5,000 feet. D. The zone of ablation is the area of the glacier where each year more snow falls than melts.

b

Identify the true statement a. the thermocline is the depth below which water temperature briefly increases b. sea-surface temperature varies much less than do seasonal temperatures on land c. the thermocline occurs at a depth of 300 m in the tropics but more than 500 m in the polar regions d. sea-surface temperature has greater seasonal variation in the tropics than in the temperate latitudes

b

Oceanic crust a. comprises broad continental shelves along active continental margins and much narrower shelves along passive margins b. is composed of gabbro and basalt overlain by sediment c. is thicker and denser than continental crust d. gets younger the farther you go from the ridge axis

b

Porosity decreases a. when rocks develop joints or faults b. with the cementing of sediments by mineral grains from groundwater c. as sedimentary rock weathers d. with decreasing compaction of sediments or rock

b

Sediment deposited in glacial environments A. includes varves, which are layers of fine-grained clay and silt carried by glacial winds. B. could be glacial marine deposits, dropped where a glacier flows into the sea. C. includes a mix of fine-grained sediment and sand called erratic till. D. includes loess (seasonal deposits) in glacial lakebed sediments.

b

Stream piracy a. can leave behind a dry channel through a high ridge called a water gap b. results when headward erosion causes one stream to intersect the course of another stream c. causes the pirate stream to decrease its discharge and eventually dry up, while the captured stream continues flowing d. occurs frequently throughout recorded history, with a case reported in 2016 in the Yukon

b

Surface currents a. flow smoothly, with little or no turbulence b. are influenced by the Earth's rotation c. are found only in low- and mid-latitude areas d. affect only the upper 30 ft of water

b

The coriolis effect a. is a phenomenon created by the movement of ocean currents b. is a deflection of wind or water flowing over the Earth's surface c. causes the same direction of deflection in the northern and southern hemispheres d. causes north-flowing currents in the northern hemisphere to curve to the west

b

The largest river in the world, on the basis of discharge, is the a. Congo river b. Amazon river c. Mississippi river d. Yangtze river

b

The rate of groundwater flow a. typically varies between 4 and 500 miles per year b. depends on the permeability of the material it flows through and on the hydraulic gradient c. is determined theoretically; it can't be measured, since it happens underground d. is comparable to the rate of flow in an average surface stream

b

Waterfalls a. may be found where a stream crosses an easily eroded ledge of rock b. may form where movement along a fault produced an escarpment c. form when water gently spills over a gradual ledge, hugging the rock wall d. last for millions of years

b

Waves that rise two to five times higher than other waves in a region and that are formed by wave interference and/or the focusing effect of some coastline or seafloor shapes are called a. breakers b. rogue waves c. swells d. wave trains

b

What is the collective name given to the causes of climate change between ages of heat and cold? a. global warming b. Milankovic' cycles c. orbital cycles d. astronomical forcing

b

When rock surface has been eroded by glacier, the pattern shows long, parallel grooves in the rock are called A. eskers. B. striations. C. chatter marks. D. drumlins.

b

Which of the following are produced by wave erosion? a. jetties b. sea stacks c. breakwaters d. seawalls

b

Which of the following is a contributing factor to the onset of major ice ages? A. many continents located at low latitudes B. a disruption of warm-water ocean currents flowing northward C. a high concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere D. flat plains that promote cold temperatures and heavy precipitation in large areas

b

Which of the following is a type of mountain (alpine) glacier? A. continental glacier B. valley glacier C. ice shelf D. continental shelf

b

Which of the following statements about ice sheets on Mars is true? A. Mars's atmosphere is mostly hydrogen, which affects the type of ice in its polar ice caps. B. Mars's polar ice caps change size and shape seasonally. C. The polar ice caps on Mars are made of methane hydrate. D. The presence of polar ice caps on Mars was first discovered in 2005.

b

Which of the following statements is true? A. A firn is a pyramid-like peak that results when several cirques eat away at a mountain peak. B. Glaciers' average speeds are between a few tens and a few hundred meters per year. C. Tarn is rocky material that has been carried along and deposited by the ice of a glacier. D. Glaciers rework U-shaped stream valleys and change them into V-shaped valleys.

b

Which of the following statements is true? A. Roughly half of a floating block of ice lies below the surface of the water. B. Sheets of ice lying on seawater may be ice shelves (extensions of continental glaciers) or sea ice (the frozen surface of the sea itself). C. Growlers are floating blocks of ice larger than icebergs. D. Bergy bits, by definition, are free-floating chunks of ice that are at least 6 m above water and at least 15 m long.

b

The most noted and recent ice age began 1.8 million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. Ice ages occurred during which other geologic intervals before the Pleistocene Epoch? (Choose more than one) a. Archean b. Permian (Late Paleozoic) c. Proterozoic d. Mesozoic

b c

A well in which the water rises on its own to a level above its aquifer a. always pushes water higher than the ground surface b. cannot be used for commercial or public use; the water is under too much pressure c. is the result of pressure within a confined aquifer that creates a potentiometric surface d. is called a successful well

c

According to the Milutin Minalkovic, which of the following are a contributing factor to ice-age cycles? A. increased amounts of volcanic ash B. variations in ocean temperature C. variations in the shape of the Earth's orbit D. sunspot cycles

c

Continental ice sheets today are found only in A. Alaska and Iceland. B. Antarctica and Iceland. C. Antarctica and Greenland. D. Greenland and Iceland.

c

Dissolved ions in groundwater a. can create hard water, rich in arsenic b. are caused by human activities that contaminate groundwater c. can precipitate out as carbonate minerals and clog plumbing pipes d. are more abundant in young groundwater than in old groundwater, which has precipitated out most of its ions over time

c

Estuaries a. have extremely salty water in them b. are not found along the east coast of North America because it is a positive margin c. are valleys flooded by seawater d. originated as glacial valleys

c

Groundwater a. completely fills the zone of saturation above the water table b. moves underground mainly in underground river channels c. typically moves slowly within the ground through porous rock layers like sandstone d. dissolves very porous rock like obsidian faster than it dissolves limestone

c

Hot springs a. may precipitate mounds and terraces of granite as waters cool b. can dissolve less mineral matter than can cold water springs c. may occur in geothermal regions where volcanism is currently occurring or has recently occurred d. contain water that is at least boiling temperature

c

Identify the statement that is true about the movement of groundwater in an area of rolling hills a. the movement is sometimes parallel to the slope of the water table and sometimes straight down, but never upward b. groundwater moves along a straight path c. groundwater moves from where the water table is at high elevation to where it is at low elevation d. the movement is slower than in regions with less topography

c

Identify the true statement A. Terminal, recessional, medial, and lateral are all varieties of mountain (alpine) glaciers. B. Glaciers grind down the land they move over, producing a fine material called kame. C. Large boulders carried long distances by glaciers and dumped where they obviously don't belong are called erratics. D. Snow that has lost much of its air and turned into packed, granular material is called loess.

c

Identify the true statement a. Erosion due to waves in the surf causes barrier islands to move seaward, away from their lagoons b. over hundred to thousands of years, coastlines may fluctuate slightly, but often they do not change more than a few tens of meters c. hurricanes are huge storms that develop over warm equatorial ocean water d. global sea level seems to be rising at a slow but steady rate of 0.3 mm per year

c

Identify the true statement a. corals grow in a wide variety of latitudes, from the equator up to 55 degrees N or S b. coral reefs are classified as fringing, barrier atoll according to the types of organisms in the rest c. coral are complex environments consisting of colonies of tiny invertebrates, algae, shell debris, and associated organisms d. coral animals are tiny invertebrates that secrete silicic shells

c

Identify the true statement a. two 100-year floods cannot occur in the same year (or in consecutive years) b. an annual probability of 4% means that there's a 1 in 4 change that a flood of some given size will happen in any given year c. a 200-year flood has a recurrence interval of, on average, once every 200 years d. the size of a flood and its recurrence interval are inversely related; the larger the flood, the shorter its recurrence interval

c

In which of the following pairs does the first term specify something a surfer loves, and the second term, something a swimmer hates? a. rip-currents, backwash b. swash, longshore currents c. breakers, rip currents d. embayments, tombolos

c

Incised meanders a. form when base level remains stable for long periods of time b. are demonstrating a feature of stream immaturity (meanders) in a mature setting (steep walls) c. can result from either superposed or antecedent stream activity d. develop when the stream gradient is steepened or discharge decreases

c

Scientists can determine the direction of movement of continental glaciers by looking at glacial A. firn. B. horns. C. striations. D. cirques.

c

Stalagmites a. are a type of flowstone b. begin as delicate, hollow structures called soda straws c. are composed of limestone precipitated out of cave water d. are icicle-shaped cones that hang from cave ceilings

c

Streams come down out of steep areas onto much flatter land, lose velocity, and drop material in triangular-shaped structures called a. deltas b. point bars c. alluvial fans d. levees

c

Sulfuric avid speleogenesis a. is responsible for the vast majority (greater than 80%) of all caves b. occurs when microbes convert hydrogen sulfide gas into gypsum c. occurs where limestone overlies strata rich in hydrocarbons d. happens most often above the water table

c

The ocean "conveyor belt" a. mixes the entire volume of the oceans every 1.5 million years b. sinks in the northern Pacific Ocean c. exhibits thermohaline circulation of the ocean basins d. forms as a result of plate movement and rotation of the Earth

c

The total load that a stream can carry is called its a. reach b. competence c. capacity d. course

c

The total sediment load of a stream includes a. rolling load b. saltation load c. dissolved load d. surface load

c

There is a series of beach deposits along the coast of Nunavut in northern Canada. The modern beach is at the bottom of the hill adjacent to the ocean. Near the top of the hill, the deposits are several thousand years old. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for the dynamic behavior of the Earth's crust at this location? a. uplift caused by heating of the lithosphere b. subsidence caused by cooling of the crust c. uplift caused by glacial unloading d. subsidence caused by glacial unloading

c

What force causes the tidal bulge on the side of the earth opposite the moon (the secondary bulge) a. the centripetal force caused by the orbiting of the earth-moon system around its center of mass b. the moon's gravitational attraction c. the centrifugal force caused by the orbiting of the earth-moon system around its center of mass d. the Sun's gravitational attraction

c

Which location is associated with high seawater salinity? a. near the equator b. in areas of slow evaporation c. in restricted seas that do not mix freely with the main ocean d. near the mouth of a river

c

Which of the following affects the shape and character of coastlines? a. spreading ridges b. deep-sea currents c. sediment supply d. atmospheric circulation

c

Which of the following forms by glacial erosion? A. esker B. erratics C. rock flour D. drumlin

c

Which of the following sediment units would have the highest primary porosity? a. poorly sorted sandstone b. fractured shale c. conglomerate d. crystalline limestone

c

Which of the following statements about permafrost is true? A. It is rare in periglacial environments. B. Permafrost that thaws and refreezes produces a pentagonal or hexagonal ground surface pattern called columnar joints. C. It can melt to a depth of a few meters in summer, then refreeze in winter. D. It can extend as deep as 1,500 km below ground surface.

c

Which of the following statements is true a. pore collapse occurs when water is compressed between grains within an aquifer b. in coastal areas, saltwater can enter an aquifer, float on the freshwater there, and be drawn up in wells c. the level of the water table can drop when surface water is diverted away from recharge areas d. on the scale of your lifespan, groundwater is a renewable resource; it rains all the time

c

Which of the following statements is true? a Primary porosity refers to the largest 10% of pore spaces, but secondary porosity refers to the remaining 90% of smaller pores b. a rock that is porous must also be permeable c. water moves upward in the capillary fringe because of electrostatic attraction between its molecules and mineral surfaces d. aquitards don't transmit water at all

c

Which of the following statements is true? a. floodplains are hazardous and should be avoided when considering where to put farmlands b. if a dam is constructed properly, it will not change the ecosystem of the area it's in c. early civilizations of Egypt, India, and Chine were established in river valleys and on floodplains d. use of the waters of major rivers, like the Colorado River, has not affected their size or discharge

c

Which of the following statements is true? a. the slowest moving part of a stream is called the thalweg b. a shallow stream is less turbulent than a deep stream c. stream flow is fastest in the center of the channel near the surface d. water from trunk streams flows into tributaries

c

Identify the statements true of glaciers (choose more than one) a. glaciers are found only in mountains b. glaciers are static, stationary bodies c. glaciers are thick sheets of recrystallized ice d. glaciers last throughout the year

c d

A drainage network a. is considered a trellis network when rivers flow over uniform substrate with a gentle slope b. is a trunk stream that cuts across a resistant ridge c. drains water directly into the ocean d. is an interconnected group of streams that collects water over a large area

d

A glacier can have only one of which of the following types of morraines? A. lateral B. end C. medial D. terminal

d

An asymmetric hill of till shaped by glacial ice is a a. recessional moraine b. end moraine c. ground moraine d. drumlin e. esker

d

Continental crust a. is less buoyant than ocean crust b. makes up about 80% of the Earth's surface c. is thinner than ocean crust d. is less dense than ocean crust

d

Darcy's law a. is a method to determine the degree of water saturation at any specified depth b. cannot be used to decide practical issues, such as whether sufficient groundwater exists to supply a city's needs c. is used to theoretically model the direction of groundwater flow in an aquifer d. states that discharge equals the hydraulic conductivity coefficient multiplied by the hydraulic gradient multiplied by the area involved

d

Features that are created when water dissolves surface and subsurface limestone, like sinkholes, troughs, caverns, natural bridges and towers, are collectively called a. artesian surfaces b. geothermal landscapes c. potentiometric surfaces d. karst landscapes

d

Groundwater contaminants a. are always toxic materials like arsenic, mercury and lead b. move so slowly that they are usually detected and removed before they travel far c. are all eventually removed by rock and sediment acting as natural filters d. like sulfur, iron, calcium carbonate, and methane may come from the rock the water flows through

d

Identify the statement A. The temperature change recorded during the Pleistocene Ice Age can be explained by changes in the Earth's orbit and tilt. B. A large continental glacier sits at the North Pole. C. If all of today's ice sheets melted, the global sea level would rise only about 20 feet, and seawalls could protect any coastal cities threatened. D. During the Pleistocene, the average temperature decrease was no more than 7°C along the coast and 13°C inland.

d

Identify the true statement A. Polar glaciers move along a wet cushion of liquid at their base. B. The uppermost layer of ice in a glacier moves by plastic deformation; the base, by brittle deformation. C. Parts of a glacier all move at the same rate. D. Continental glaciers spread across the landscape laterally in response to their own weight.

d

Identify the true statement A. The boundary between the zone of accumulation and the zone of ablation is called the terminus. B. When the rate of ablation equals the rate of accumulation, the glacier retreats. C. During glacial retreat, the rate of ice accumulation exceeds the rate of ablation. D. During glacial advance, the toe moves downslope for mountain glaciers and outward for continental glaciers.

d

Identify the true statement a. in dry regions where surface water has disappeared, groundwater can no longer be found beneath the surface b. the Sahara Desert has always been an arid region with few surface-water streams c. there are no groundwater reserves beneath deserts like the Sahara because there are no rocks present that would make suitable aquifers d. Oases are sourced by springs and are regions where groundwater intersects the land surface

d

Identify the true statement a. tidal range is the farthest that the water goes at a high tide b. since the sun is much larger than the moon, its gravity is the biggest contributing factor to the tide generating force c. the tide generating force is a combination of only two forces, the gravitational attractions of the sun and of the moon d. a flood tide that arrives as a visible wall of water is called a tidal bore

d

New York City A. was buried by an ice sheet 20 m thick during Pleistocene times. B. was covered by the Cordilleran ice sheet of the Pleistocene. C. is built on a lateral moraine. D. has glacially polished bedrock in Central Park.

d

Recent studies of ice ages A. reveal fewer large ice ages, fewer subdivisions, and less complexity than was originally thought. B. suggest that the entire Earth was covered by glacial ice in the late Paleozoic, called "snowball Earth." C. have indicated the formation of paleosols during glacial periods, suggesting that glaciers formed under temperate conditions in some regions. D. have dated events by analyzing wood trapped in glacial deposits, the oxygen-isotope ratio in marine sediments, and tillite deposits.

d

The amounts of plankton and other microscopic, shelled marine organisms affect A. the configuration of ocean currents. B. thermohaline circulation. C. total insolation and its seasonal distribution. D. the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

d

The hot springs of Yellowstone and Iceland owe their existence to a. subducting plates b. motion along transform faults c. rifiting of plates d. hot spot activity

d

The technique that injects oxygen and nutrients into a contaminated aquifer in order to foster the growth of bacteria that can break down contaminant molecules is called a. buffering b. effluent c. reactive barrier injection d. bioremediation

d

The water table a. lies within a few meters of the surface in arid areas b. rises to a higher elevation around the bottom of a well c. is always located beneath the ground surface d. mimics the topography of the land it underlies

d

Tillites A. offer evidence of one ice age on the Earth before the Pleistocene Ice Age. B. consist of sandstone and mudstone. C. are rocks composed of well-sorted sediment. D. contain clasts that have been glacially polished and striated.

d

Trenches a. may be over 100 km deep b. result from seafloor spreading c. are found at divergent boundaries d. border continental and island volcanic arcs

d

Upwelling zones a. result when water deflected in toward the coast creates an oversupply there b. are areas where water flows in a horizontal direction c. occur near the poles to replace water displaced by winds blowing steadily from east to west d. bring nutrients up from depth

d

What is a spelunker likely to encounter? a. granitic plutons b. geysers c. cave bears d. speleothems

d

Which of the following is accurate about Louis Agassiz? A. He offered ideas that explain the timing of ice-age events but not the severity of temperature change associated with ice ages. B. He stated that there are changes in the amount and distribution of insolation received on the Earth. C. He stated that there are cyclical changes in the Earth's orbit and axial tilt. D. He stated that the presence of erratics in Europe was due to large continental ice sheets.

d

Which of the following statements about the hydrologic cycle is true? a. headward erosion causes sheetwash b. water that manages to infiltrate the land is lost to the cycle c. surface snow and ice are not part of this cycle d. there is an exchange among oceans, land and atmosphere

d

Which of the following statements about turbidity currents is true? a. they are found only on active continental margins b. they leave deposits of graded beds called guyots c. they are responsible for creating the continental shelf d. turbidity currents and river erosion carve deep submarine canyons

d

Which of the following statements is true? a. a perched water table is one that sits high on a hill rather than low in a valley b. the slope of the water table is called the hydraulic head c. the main driving force of groundwater movement is electrostatic attraction in the capillary fringe d. the water table of an area goes down as more wells are established there

d

Which of the following statements is true? a. the Leaning Tower of Pisa is a classic example of a sinkhole collapse b. a sinkhole developed at Winter Park, Colorado and damaged a large section of a ski lift c. Venice, Italy has canals rather than streets because its impermeable ground surface causes almost constant flooding d. Withdrawal of groundwater faster than natural recharge occurs has caused extreme land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley, California

d

Which of the following statements is true? a. the efficiency of downcutting depends on the velocity of stream flow, not the strength of the substrate b. a meander bend that gets cut off from the stream is called a point bar lake c. a stream that swings back and forth in snake-like curves is called a braided streams d. a stream is any channelized body of running water

d

Which of the following terms is related to glaciers? A. levees B. talus C. lag deposits D. drumlins

d

Which of the following was the location of a flash flood caused by over 19 cm of rain in about an hour? a. Indonesia, 2007 b. Bangladesh, 1990 c. Yangtze River, China, 1931 d. Big Thompson River, Colorado 1976

d