Earth Science Exercise 3

A stream begins at an elivation of 200 meters (m) and flows a distance of 400 kilometers (km) to the ocean. What is the average gradient?

0.5 m/km

A V-shaped valley and no floodplain indicates a youthful, down cutting stream.

True

A lake is one example of temporary or local base level.

True

A stream divide is the boundary line separating adjacent stream drainage basins.

True

Abundant moisture and warm temperature result in high rates of chemical weathering.

True

Alluvium refers to stream deposits, mainly sand and gravel.

True

Decreased size of rocks through mechanical weathering increases the surface area.

True

Deflation is the lifting and deposition of loose materials by wind

True

Gradient of a stream usually decreases downstream in a major river system.

True

Inselberg is bedrock hill in highly eroded desert landscape.

True

One environmental problem assosciated with groundwater is land subsidence caused by withdrawal.

True

Porosity is a measure of the volume of open space in rocks and unconsolidated geological materials such as alluvium and soils.

True

Stratified drift is glacial till deposited by melt water

True

Stream discharge is defined as the quantity of water flowing past a specific channel location.

True

THe source of heat for most hot springs is hot igneous material beneath the surface.

True

The lowest base level for most streams is sea level.

True

The velocity of a river usually increases downstream.

True

The water table separates the zone of aeration and zone of saturation.

True

Zone of accumulation of glacier is area where glacier forms

True

Rock or soil through which groundwater moves easily are called:

aquifers

Non-permeable rock strata which do not allow free flow of ground water are called:

aquitards

A well in which the water rise above the level where it was initially encountered is called:

artesian well

The downward limit to stream erosion is called:

base level

Which of the following is NOT part of the water cycle?

calcium carbonate dissolving in soil-water and groundwater

The process by which the internal surface of a mineral is altered by the removal and/or addition of elements is referred to as:

chemical weathering

A cone shaped depression in the water table immediately surrounding a well is called:

cone of depression

The most common drainage pattern is:

dendritic

The quantity of water in a stream that passes a given point in a period of time is called:

discharge

The incorporation and transportation of materials by a mobile agent, such as water, wind, or ice is called

erosion

The process of change of liquid to gas is called:

evaporation

Which one of the following is NOT true of Glaciers?

exist only in the Northern Hemisphere

Processes such as weathering, mass wasting, or erosion that are powered by the Sun and transform solid rocks into sediment are called

external processes

Water in the zone of saturation is called:

ground water

The decayed remains of animals and plant life in the soil is called:

humus

A model which illustrates the circulation of the Earth's water supply is called:

hydrologic cycle

Weathering would be most effective:

in a warm, humid climate

When water freezes, its volume:

increases

The movement of surface water into rock or soil through cracks and pore sapces is called

infiltration

A soil type associated with the hot and humid regions is called:

laterite

The type of soil associated with the hot and wet tropics is:

laterite

Deposits of windblown silt are called:

loess

The down-slope movement of rocks, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity is called:

mass wasting

Which term best describes those processes that suddenly move weathered rock materials and soils downslope?

mass wasting

The physical disintegration of rock, resulting in smaller fragments, without changing the rock's mineral composition is called:

mechanical weathering

The material from which a soil has evolved is called:

parent material

A measure of materials ability totransmit water is called:

permeability

The volume of open space in rock or soil is called:

porosity

Which term descrubes a soil formed by weathering of the underlying bedrock?

residual

Soils formed on bedrock is called:

residual soil

The most rapid type of mass wasting movement is a:

rock avalanche

The most important erosional agent is:

running water

Water that flows over the land rather than infiltrating into the ground is called:

runoff

Ice sheets can be ___________.

several kilometers thick

Layers revealed through a vertical cross-section of a well-developed soil are called:

soil horizon

The relative proportion of different particle sizes (sand, silt, and clay) in a soil is called:

soil texture

If you were to examine the profile of a typical river, you would probably find the gradient is:

steepest near the head

Abrasion and plucking generally involve what part of the glacier?

the bottom or base

The release of water vapor to the atmosphere by plants is called

transpiration

The suspended load of a stream:

usually consists of fine particles

Which two factors speed up rate of chemical reaction and weathering in rocks and soils?

warm temperature; very moist

The upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater is called:

water table

The disintegration and decomposition of rock at or near Earth's surface is called:

weathering

Area above the water table where opening in soil, sediment, and sock are not saturated, but filled mainly with air is called:

zone of aeration

Zone where all open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water is called:

zone of saturation

Discharge is the total quantity of sediment carried by a river.

False

Erosion is the sudden down-slope movement of earth amterials.

False

Loess is wind deposited sand

False

One river cannot be the base level for another.

False

The discharge of a river usually decreases downstream.

False

The saturated xone below the water table is also known as the zone of aeration.

False

Weathering in desert areas is equally effective as in humid regions.

False

Zone of wastage of glacier is the area where there is melting of snow at all

False

Deep soils develop on steep soils.

False

Today, glaciers cover approximately ______ percent of the earth's surface.

10

If you fall into a crevasse, what is the maximum depth you are likely to fall?

50 meters

Glacial ice sheets are the largest glacier and they currently cover ____________.

Greenland and Antarctica

What condition is most necessary to build a glacier?

More snow must fall in the winter than melts in summer

From the land surface downward to the unweathered bedrock, which of the following is the correct order of the different soil horizons?

O,A,E,B,C,bedrock

Materials deposited by water erosion are called:

alluvium

Unconsolidated sediment deposited by a stream is called:

alluvium