ESC 1000 Final

Pataasin ang iyong marka sa homework at exams ngayon gamit ang Quizwiz!

If a 50-year flood occurs on the Mississippi River this year, what is the probability that a flood of the same magnitude will occur in the following year?

2%

Sea level is currently rising at 3.3 mm/year, and scientists predict that global warming could cause a rise in sea level of 7 m if left unabated. How long will it take the sea to rise 7 m at the current rate?

2,121 years

What is the average percentage of dissolved salt in seawater?

3.5%

Approximately what percentage of the Earth's surface is covered with ocean water?

70%

What is an ephemeral stream?

A desert stream that contains water only immediately following a rain event.

Adding a small amount of water to a substance increase its cohesion; whereas, adding a lot of water decreases its cohesion. Why?

A small amount of water increases surface tension and holds the grain together. Too much water between the grains will eliminate surface tension.

The figure below shows two hypothetical streams that have identical cross-sectional areas but different channel shapes. Assuming all other factors are equal, stream ________ will have the fastest flow because of the difference in ________.

A; wetted perimeter

Which river has the greatest discharge of any stream on Earth?

Amazon

Which statement about desert life is correct?

Animals that live in the desert must have the ability to retain water and survive extreme temperatures, is correct.

For several generations, your family has lived on a farm with a water well. There has never been a problem with the water supply in the past; however, your well has now gone dry. There are several small farms nearby and a large, growing city 50 miles to the north. What can you conclude is the most likely reason for your well to become dry?

As the city grew larger, more wells were drilled and water was over pumped, thus lowering the water table.

In the figure below, which letters represent the wave height and wavelength?

B and E

Identify the failure surface in the image below.

C

Identify the toe of the slump in the image below.

D

Imagine that some of the wells around a city have begun to show elevated levels of a toxic substance. Without knowing what the toxic substance is, how can you determine what the source of the chemicals might be?

Determine which wells show the chemicals and which do not and use that data to track theflow of the water.

In many areas with karst terrain, people use sinkholes as places to dump garbage. What effect might this practice have on the groundwater supply?

It could contaminate the groundwater in any or all aquifers in the area.

Consult the figure below. What will eventually happen to the Everglades if the people of Miami and Fort Myers do not stop using the water?

It will eventually dry up and disappear.

Imagine you have a layer of limestone with high porosity but low permeability. What can you do to increase its permeability to allow water to be pumped from the layer and used as a source of drinking water?

Remove the overburden so that there will be less pressure trapping the water.

You are testing the groundwater quality of an aquifer and find that it has high amounts of arsenic. What is the likely source?

The arsenic comes from the dissolved minerals in the aquifer rock

You have a choice to drill your water well into a shallow unconfined aquifer or a deeper artesian aquifer. Drilling deeper will cost more money; nevertheless, you chose to drill into the artesian aquifer. Why?

The artesian aquifer will flow on its own, without a pump.

You have a choice to drill your water well into a shallower unconfined aquifer or a deeper confined aquifer. Drilling deeper will cost more money; however, you choose to drill into the confined aquifer. Why?

The confined aquifer will contain more water.

You are a geologist trying to determine if the slope your client's house sits on is stable. You determine that the angle of repose of the hillside is 35°. Which of the following situations would be considered stable?

The slope is composed of dry sand.

Why does the removal of material at the base of a slope decrease its stability?

The slope now exceeds the angle of repose.

The porosity of vesicular basalt is about 25%; however, when water is poured on it, the water does not come out the other side. How is this possible?

The vesicles in basalt are not connected, so it has no permeability.

Why does an artesian well flow without pumping?

The water in a confined aquifer is pressurized.

Why do submarine slumps pose a hazard to people living in coastal areas?

They can trigger tsunamis

What will eventually happen to the headlands in the figure below?

They will become a straight line of cliffs as rock is eroded away.

The deserts found in the western United States are primarily the result of being located _______

Within the rain shadow of one or more mountain ranges

Which of the following situations would be the least susceptible to slope failure?

a gently sloping hill in a dry desert region

What physical property of the underlying rock would lead to the formation of a cliff over which a waterfall may form?

a high resistance to erosion

When fine-grained sediment is blown away as shown in the figure below, the coarser sediment left behind is known as ________.

a lag deposit

Which of the following situations would be the most susceptible to slope failure?

a large resort built on top of a cliff directly above the ocean

you are running a sonar survey to map the bathymetry of an ocean basin. Using the following continuous sonar data giving the depth of the seafloor in meters, what feature have you just discovered?

a mid-ocean ridge

Which of the following situations is the most likely candidate for the occurrence of mass movements?

a mountain terrain in a humid environment

Deserts represent ________ of the Earth's land surface.

about 25%

A coast that grows seaward as a result of regular sedimentation is a(n) _______

accretionary coast

Which of the following factors decreases the risk of mass movement?

adding vegetation to the side of a hill

A(n) ________ consists of sand and gravel deposited by ephemeral distributary channels that occur where a gully or a canyon discharges from its mouth.

alluvial fan

An apron shaped pile of alluvium that forms at the mouth of a canyon is known as a(n) ________.

alluvial fan

Porosity is best described by which of the following?

amount of open space in a rock or sediment

_______ occurs when debris or snow mixes with air to form a chaotic cloud.

an avalanche

Talus aprons represent accumulations of ________.

angular debris at the base of a hill

For a well to function properly, it must be drilled below the water table and into a(n) _________.

aquifer

If an intrusive igneous rock is unfractured, it serves as a(n) ________ in local hydrogeology.

aquitard

The definition of a desert depends on a region's ________.

aridity

Major oceanic surface currents travel ________.

at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect

Over time, alluvial fans may merge to form a ________.

bajada

The lowest elevation to which a stream can downcut is the ________.

base level

The form and topography (depth profile) of the ocean floor is termed ________.

bathymetry

Why is a spring tide so much higher than a normal high tide?

because the Sun is aligned with the moon

In some cases, the push of flowing water can break chunks of solid rock off of the channel bed. These pieces are then carried along by a stream as _________

bed load

The ________ in the sequence of sedimentary rocks shown below may become a failure surface

bedding planes

Calcrete (caliche) forms in a desert climate through the dissolution and the re-precipitation of ________ during and after rainstorms.

calcite

Moisture among sediment grains ________.

can promote stability if present in small amounts

Which of the following is NOT true? A 100-year flood ________.

cannot occur in successive years

Which of the following hazards could lead to desertification?

climate change

Surface currents flow __________ in the Northern Hemisphere and __________ in the Southern Hemisphere.

clockwise; counterclockwise

The figure below illustrates the formation of a ________.

coastal desert

A(n) __________ is a vegetated, flat -lying stretch of coast that floods at high tide, becomes particularly exposed at low tide, and does not feel the impact of strong waves.

coastal wetland

Swamps and marshes are examples of __________.

coastal wetland

Coastal region deserts are most likely near ocean currents that are ________.

cold

A desert may form along a coastline because a ________.

cold current cools and dries the air

Thermohaline circulation carries ________ water from the poles to the equator, where the water becomes ________.

cold;warm

Geologists distinguish among different types of mass wasting based on factors such as the ________ of the moving material and the rate of movement.

composition

The shallowest portions of an ocean found along the margins of continents are the ________.

continental shelves

The Florida coast is an example of a(n): ________.

continental slope

which portions of the sea floor are most steeply sloped

continental slopes

Most hot deserts ________.

cool off greatly at night because of sparse vegetation, dry air, and little cloud cover

Tree trunks that have a pronounced curvature at their base are indicative of ___________

creep

Which of the following types of mass movement takes place most gradually?

creep

The outer edge of a meander, where material is being eroded, is a(n) ________.

cut bank

Weathering is a failure trigger because it ____________ of the material.

decreases the strength

The process of lowering the land surface by wind erosion is known as ________.

deflation

In uniform sediments with a relatively constant and gentle slope at the surface, a ________ drainage network is expected.

dendritic

The figure below shows an example of a ________ drainage network.

dendritic

Compared with the continental crust, the oceanic crust is ______ __.

denser

Conversion of productive land to desert is known as ________.

desertification

A flowing artesian well is one that ________.

discharges groundwater at ground surface without pumping

Running water dissolves soluble minerals. This material is most likely to be transported by a stream as _________.

dissolved load

Which of the following human activities will lead to desertification?

diversion of water from an area

A coastline characterized by steep- sided cliffs and associated with an active margin is likely to be __________.

emergent

When the sea level rises, an ocean may invade a river valley, producing a nearshore body of water of mixed and variable salinity termed a(n) ________.

estuary

As shown in the figure below, ________ may form parallel to slope surfaces in granite and become a failure surface

exfoliation joints

Which of the following increases the risk of mass movement?

flooding the sediment with water to the point of saturation

Rip currents ________ the shoreline.

flow directly away from

Longshore currents ________ the shoreline.

flow parallel to

A stream is ________.

flowing water confined to a channel

Pirate streams ________.

form when headward erosion causes one stream to intersect another

A periodic explosive eruption of steam and water from within the ground up through the surface is termed a(n) ________.

geyser

The slope of a stream surface measured between two points along its course is the ________.

gradient

Mass movements are driven by __________.

gravity

The immediate cause of incidents of mass movement is ________.

gravity

Runoff from farm fields entering a stream system is likely to be __________ than that from naturally vegetated fields.

greater and sediment laden

As a rule, groundwater always flows from areas of ________.

greater hydraulic head to those of lesser hydraulic head

During heavy rainstorms, rates of physical weathering and erosion are ________.

greater in deserts than in humid climates because soil tends to be more easily eroded in deserts than in humid regions

Because of wave refraction, erosion along an irregular coastline is ________.

greatest along headlands

The majority of liquid freshwater within the Earth exists in ________.

groundwater

The water table surface mimics the topography in an area because ________.

groundwater flow rates are so low

The major surface currents on Earth that display a circle-like path and follow the ocean basin margins are known as __________.

gyres

Meandering streams ________.

have a channel that is highly sinuous (curvy)

Ephemeral streams ________.

have flowing water either episodically or during a portion of the year

Water in a stream flows from its _________ to its __________.

headwaters, mouth

High tide during a full moon will be ________.

higher than normal

The region below a streambed where groundwater flows in the same direction as the stream but at a slower rate is termed the ________ zone.

hypoheic

Where would you expect to find geysers?

iceland

A coral reef would MOST likely be found

in the shallow waters surrounding a tropical volcanic island.

The Sahara is a desert primarily because it is located ________.

in the subtropics

Along beaches, groins have

increased erosion rates immediately down current from the groin

After extensive erosion of a hill in a desert environment, the small remnant surrounded by alluvium filled basins is known as a(n) ________.

inselberg

What is the most effective means of mitigating the risk of a slope failure for slope shown in the figure below?

installing riprap

Slumps typically arrive ________ at the bottom of a slope.

intact

The stream gradient of most rivers ________.

is greater near the source than near the mouth

Which of the following is true of beach nourishment as a solution to coastal erosion?

it is costly and may only provide a temporary solution

The majority of caves are formed by the dissolution of bedrock ________.

just below the water table

Topography dominated by depressions formed by the collapse of caves is termed a ________.

karst landscape

The principal difference between a lahar and a mudflow is the ________.

lahar contains pyroclastic debris from a volcanic eruption

Well-rounded sand has an angle of repose __________ that of irregularly shaped gravel

less than

Ground shaking can transform wet sediments into liquid-like slurries in a process known as ________.

liquefaction

Fine grained, wind blown sediments are eventually deposited as ________.

loess

The Dust Bowl event in 1933 resulted from which natural event?

long-term drought

An aquifer has ________ porosity and ________ permeability.

low, high

The sea surface salinity is ________ at the mouth of the Amazon River and ________ in the Dead Sea.

low; high

Rates of groundwater flow are ________ than stream flow because the water ________

lower; must make its way through tiny pore spaces

Pumping vast quantities of water locally ________.

lowers the local water table, forming a cone-shaped depression

V-shaped stream valleys result from the downcutting of stream erosion and ________

mass wasting on the valley sides

If a material is porous, it ________.

may be permeable or impermeable

The elevation of the water table ________.

may rise during rainy periods and sink during droughts

Very hot air just above the ground creates a wavering pool of light on the ground known as a(n) ________.

mirage

Construction workers often cut benches or terraces, such as those seen in the image below, along the sides of roads to help mitigate landslides. This is because terraces

mitigate slope failure by removing weight from the hillside

Which of the following types of mass movement is least coherent (most like a fluid)?

mudflow

If a material is highly permeable, it ________.

must either have substantial porosity or be fractured

At the equatorial ocean basins, sea surface temperatures may reach 25°C or greater. What is the range of temperatures for the seafloor, approximately 4-5 km below?

near freezing (1°C-2°C)

The Gobi in Mongolia is a desert primarily because it is located ________.

near the center of a large continent

The Atacama Desert in Chile is a desert primarily because it is located ________.

next to a cold ocean current

Runoff is NOT commonly derived from ________.

ocean currents

Within a meander, where is sediment most likely to be deposited?

on the inner banks of the meander

The rate of groundwater flow per unit area through a body of rock or sediment depends ________.

on the slope of the water table and the permeability of the rock or sediment

A meander that is cut off to become completely isolated from the main channel but which retains water is a(n)

oxbow lake

Along a uniform and steep slope of relatively weak substrate, a ________ drainage network is expected.

parallel

The figure below shows an example of a ________ drainage network.

parallel

Which type of drainage network is associated with badlands topography?

parallel

You are drilling a water well when you hit water at a much shallower level than you expected. What have you likely found?

perched aquifer

Material through which water readily flows is termed _ _______.

permeable

The inner edge of a meander, where sediment is deposited, is a(n) ________.

point bar

Land subsidence is likely when ________.

pumping lowers the water table

Along a large cone-shaped volcano, a ________ drainage network is expected.

radial

The measured rainfall shown in the figure below is characteristic of a ________.

rain-shadow desert

In a region with prominent orthogonal sets of joints, a ________ drainage network is expected.

rectangular

The figure below shows an example of a ________ drainage network.

rectangular

The process of reef bleaching occurs when __________.

reefs lose their color and die in response to warming of seawater

Waves ________.

refract so as to impact the shore in a nearly parallel manner

The most important factor in determining if an area will be subject to mass movement is

relief

Which of the following consist(s) of large boulders placed at the base of coastal slopes?

riprap

________ can occur where undercutting by waves removes support from beneath cliff overhangs.

rock falls

Native Americans produced petroglyphs by etching into ________.

rocks that had been coated with desert varnish

A salt encrusted muddy tidal flat is known as a ________.

sabkha

Evaporite deposits in coastal, subtropical regions derived from the evaporation of seawater stranded above high tide are termed ________.

sabkha

In the figure below, the sand grains are being transported by ________.

saltation

A ________ may form at the head of a slump

scarp

Vegetation in the desert consists of ________.

scattered succulents, such as cacti, with adaptations to obtain and retain as much water as they can

Which of the following features is characteristic of a rocky coast?

sea stacks

The dissolution of rock produces ________.

secondary porosity

What is happening to the hillside in the tundra pictured below?

soliflutcion

Any place where groundwater naturally flows out of the Earth's surface is termed a(n) ________.

spring

Areas with relatively scarce sand and constantly shifting winds will develop ________ dunes.

star

Which type of coastline would most likely contain estuaries or fjords?

submergent

The most expansive hot deserts on the Earth occur in the ________.

subtropics, between 20° and 30° north or south of the equator

Most of the erosion in desert environments is caused by ________.

surface water

Fine-grained sediment, such as dust and silt, can stay in the air and be transported by wind in ________.

suspension

Notice the newly constructed seawall in the illustration below. The most likely outcome of its construction is that the seawall will __________.

temporarily protect the cliff from beach erosion

The deepest part of a curved stream channel, where the flow is fastest, is called the ________.

thalweg

Liquefaction is most likely to occur in which type of area?

the coast of California

Hot springs can be formed by the heating of groundwater by magma or by ________.

the geothermal gradient

Hot groundwater is mineralized because

the hot water dissolves minerals

The Coriolis effect causes the apparent deflection of currents as a result of

the rotation of the earth

The principal difference between a slump and a debris slide is ________.

the shape of the path taken by the moving mass

The hydraulic gradient in Darcy's Law is essentially the same as which of the following?

the slope of a line

Which of the following scenarios is more likely to cause a flash flood than a slow-onset flood?

the sustained presence of a storm over a region

A person is digging a hole, when the hole suddenly starts to fill with water. What have they found?

the water table

Which of the following is NOT an adaptation of plants that helps them survive in deserts?

thin-skinned seeds that can quickly germinate when it rains

Compared with the continental lithosphere, the oceanic lithosphere is ________

thinner

The geometry of sand dunes is NOT strongly influenced by the ________.

timing of the monsoon season

How can you use a landslide hazard map to help buy a piece of property?

to determine if the property is in a high-risk zone for landslides

In the figure below, which way is the wave moving?

to the right

The figure below shows the Dakota and Ogallala aquifers along with interlayered shale deposits. What likely occurred in the area to produce the alternating shale and sandstone layers?

transgression and regression

In a region characterized by a parallel series of ridges and valleys, a ________ drainage network is expected.

trellis

The figure below shows an example of a ________ drainage network.

trellis

The primary stream fed by tributaries within a dendritic drainage network is termed a ________ stream

trunk

In a _________, submarine sediments flow chaotically downslope in submarine canyons.

turbidity current

A(n) ________ aquifer is more likely to be contaminated than a(n) ________ aquifer.

unconfined; confined

Rock or sediment between the water table and the land surface represents a(n) ________.

unsaturated zone

Which of the following scenarios is most likely to result in an emergent coast?

uplift associated with active margin tectonics

Lahars occur on ________.

volcanic slopes

The downslope movement of which of the following materials does NOT constitute a mass wasting event?

water

Slope failures are most likely to occur in ________ conditions.

wet, mountainous

The shape of a delta is primarily determined by ________.

whether river currents, wave-driven currents, or tidal currents are locally predominant

As shown in the figure below, wind erosion can create a faceted rock known as a ________.

yardang


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