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