GEO 101: Final Exam

Unconfined aquifer

A body of permeable rock or sediment that possesses a water table is termed a(n) _________________________

scouring erosion by water and sediment during flash floods

A dry wash (an arroyo) is a steep-sided valley produced by ___________

advance

A glacier will always ______________ from its source area if the rate of accumulation is greater than the rate of ablation.

drainage divide

A highland or ridge that separates one watershed from another is called the _____________

aquitard

A layer of rock or sediment with exceptionally low permeability is termed a(n) _________________ in hydrogeologic contexts.

oxbow lake

A meander that is cut off to become completely isolated from the main channel and filled with water is a(n) _________________.

geyser

A periodic explosive eruption of steam and water from within the ground up through the surface is termed a __________________

ventifact

A rock abraded by windborne particles on multiple faces, forming a sharp edge in between, is termed a(n) ______________

meander neck

A thin strip of land separating abutted cut banks on opposite ends of a meander loop is a(n) ______________

alluvial fan

A(n) ____________- is a gently sloping apron of sediment dropped by an ephemeral stream at the base of a mountain in arid or semi-arid regions.

Alluvial fan

A(n) __________________--is a wedge of sand and gravel deposited by the distributary channels that arise when an ephemeral stream reaches a plain at the base of a slope.

80%

About ______ of an iceberg lies below the surface of the sea.

more rapidly than

All else being equal, a deep, narrow stream will flow___________________ a shallow, broad stream.

steep stream gradient

All else being equal, water will flow faster in a stream that has a _________________.

a straight channel

All else being equal, water will flow faster in a stream with _________________.

orogeny

An __________ is an episode of mountain building

horn

An angular peak surrounded by three or more bowl-shaped depression formed by a mountain glacier is termed a(n) ___________

drainage network

An array of interconnecting streams that together drain an area is called the ______________.

induces an upward flow of groundwater without any pumping

An artesian well is one that __________________

carbon dioxide

An important long-term factor determining whether glacial ice will form on the continents has likely been the proportion of which gas in the atmosphere?

that K-T boundary included the impact of an asteroid

An iridium-rich layer of clay strongly suggests _______________

spring

Any place where groundwater naturally flows outward at the surface of Earth is termed a ____________________.

70%

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

much slower

As compared to humid climates, rates of chemical weathering in deserts are ___________

decreases

As waves approach shore in shallow water, their speed ______________.

10%

At the present, glaciers cover about _____ of the surface of the continents.

greatest in headlands (points of land projected out toward the sea)

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

pumping oxygen and nutrients into a contaminant groundwater to help local bacteria metabolize the contaminants

Bioremediation of contaminated groundwater involves _____________________________

consist of interwined channels that are overloaded with sediment

Braided streams ____________________

end moraines

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Long Island, New York, are both examples of Pleistocene glacial _____________- that have been further built up by wave-deposited sands.

fast, week

Channels form where the stream flow is _____________ or the substrate is ______________.

ancient plants

Coal comes from __________

upstream, downstream

Coarser sediment tends to settle out farther ____________, whereas finer grains settle out farther_____________ .

erratics

Cobbles and boulders that have been dropped by a glacier are termed ___________

Thinner

Compared to continental lithosphere, oceanic lithosphere is ___________.

radioactive decay of elements within the earth

Convective flow heat in the mantle comes from _________________________

on the leeward (inward) side of coastal mountain ranges

Desert climate associated with a rain shadow is found ____________.

(All of the above) overpopulation; careless agriculture; excessive groundwater pumping

Desertification can accelerate due to __________.

cold

Deserts in coastal regions are most likely to be found where the currents are ___________.

greater in deserts than in humid climates, where vegetation tends to hold soil together

During heavy rainstorms, rates of physical weathering and erosion are _______

intraplate

Earthquakes in Alabama are ____________ earthquakes

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

Ephemeral streams ___________

saline intrusion

Extensive pumping of fresh groundwater from a coastal aquifer can induce __________________

(All of the above) surface winds, coasted upwelling and downwelling, and sinking of cold and saline water

Global circulation of ocean water is influenced by _____________.

may be permeable or impermeable

If a material is porous, it________________.

original continuity

If the lithology and fossil content of two bodies of rock on opposites side of a canyon are identical, then these remaining outcrops were likely physically connected at one time and formed part of an extensive sheet like layer of rock. This summarizes the principle of ______________

superposition

In an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks, younger layers overlay older layers according to the principle of _____________

calcite (in limestone) is more soluble than quartz (in sandstone)

In groundwater, __________________

wandering path

In unfractured rock and sediment, water molecules usually take a ______________________

Paleozoic Era

In what era did Pangea assemble?

Archean Eon

In what era did life first appear?

parallel to the shoreline

Longshore currents flow ____________.

permeable

Material through which water readily flows is termed ________________.

have a channel that is highly sinuous (curvy)

Meandering streams ____________________

plankton

Most of the hydrocarbons within oil and natural gas are derived from the breakdown of _____________

experienced other climates in the geologic past

Most regions that are now deserts have ___________.

the study of radiometric dating of igneous rocks

Numerical ages for boundaries between time units on the geological time scale primarily resulted from ___________________, in conjunction with relative age data

denser

Oceanic crust rocks are __________ than continental crust rocks

directly away from the shoreline

Rip currents flow _____________________________.

Confined aquifer

Rock or sediment with water-filled pores, wherein upward flow is blocked by an overlying, impermeable layer, is termed a(n) _____________________.

grains bouncing into the air, traveling for a short distance, and returning to the ground

Saltation of sand involves _______________

increase erosion rates in the region downcurrent from the groin

Sand groins ___________________________________________________.

glacial striation

Scratches or troughs carved into rock by the sediment embedded in ice at the base of a flowing ice sheet are called _____________

an absence of sorting

Sediments deposited directly by glaciers as they melt are characterized by ___________

till

Sediments deposited directly by glaciers as they melt are termed _____

limestone

Sinkholes are a concern primarily for residents whose dwellings are constructed atop ___________________.

shear stress

Spreading peanut butter on bread is an example of _____________

compression

Squashing a fly with a flyswatter is an example of __________

next to a cold ocean current

The Atacama of Chile is a desert primarily because it is located __________.

near the center of a large continent

The Gobi of Mongolia is a desert primarily because it is located _________________.

125-80 Ma

The Range of the age of cretaceous sandstone:

in the subtropics

The Sahara of Africa is a desert primarily because it is located _____________.

in trenches associated with subduction zones

The deepest segments of the ocean floor are found

decreasing temperature and increasing salinity

The density of seawater increases with ____________________.

within the rain shadow of one or more mountain ranges

The deserts found in the western United States form primarily due to being located _____________.

the sides of a canyon are steeper than those of a valley.

The distinction between a valley and a canyon is ______________-.

4.6 billion years

The earth is approximately how old?

may rise during rainy periods and sink during droughts

The elevation of the water table _________________.

floodplain

The flat-lying area surrounding a river channel is termed the _______________-

Bathymetry

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

(All of the above) the strength of the wind; the consistency of wind direction; the abundance of sand

The geometry of sand dunes is strongly influenced by ____________

Death Valley

The highest recorded temperature in the United States was in _____

point bar

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

pores within rock and sediment

The majority of Earth's liquid freshwater exists in ______________________________________

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

The most expansive hot deserts on Earth occur __________

Moon's gravitational pull

The most prominent force inducing tides on Earth is the ______________.

cut bank

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

Milankovitch

The periodic changes in Earth's orbital eccentricity, Earth's axial tilt and direction (precession) that cause ice ages was first proposed by ____________

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

The rate of groundwater flow through a body of rock or sediment depends ____________.

Continental shelves

The shallowest portion of the ocean is found along the margins of continents in regions termed _________________.

is steeper near the source than near the mouth

The stream slope of most rivers __________________.

arid, with less than 15% of the ground surface vegetated

To qualify as a desert, a region must be ____

Greenland

Today, continental glaciers are limited to Antarctica and ___________

True

True or False: A dry well will result whenever the base of the well is above the water table.

False

True or False: When high tide occurs at any single shoreline, that means it is also high tide at all other coasts throughout the world.

False

True or False: When ocean waves propagate in an open ocean, water molecules (or particles) also propagate to the direction of the waves.

True

True or false : The floor of an ephemeral stream lies above the water table.

false

True or false: All flooding events occur so rapidly that there is no time to alert people in harm's way.

False

True or false: All the water in rivers and streams arrives directly from rainfall runoff.

true

True or false: Glaciers can flow over perfectly flat terrain.

true

True or false: In most deserts, the scarcity of rainfall means that most of the physical weathering and erosion is accomplished by the wind.

False

True or false: The definition of a desert depends on a region's temperature.

False

True or false: The sediment load of a stream consists of only those grains that are fine enough to stay in suspension.

true

True or false: Two distinct minerals may have the same chemical formula

True

True or false: Unconsolidated sediment typically has greater porosity than the lithified rock that forms from it

True

True or false: Waterfalls eventually disappear because of headward erosion.

false

True or false: When a glacier retreats, ice flows upslope.

True

True or false: a primary wave is a body wave

false

True or false: crude oil is a mineral

false

True or false: oxidation is physical weathering

false

True or false: the surface of the sea never freezes

two lateral moraines and one medial moraine

Two mountain glaciers merge their flows in a glacial valley. Prior to their merger, each possessed two lateral moraines and no medial moraines. As a result of a merger, the new larger glacier in the valley will possess _____________

the present is the key to the past

Uniformitarianism means ______________

mass wasting on the valley sides

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

contains more dissolved minerals than water flowing from cool springs

Water flowing from hot springs ____________________.

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

Wave crest ___________________________________________________.

greater

Well-sorted sediments typically have _________________ porosity compared to poorly sorted sediments.

Water vapor, CO2, sulfur dioxide

What are the most common volcanic gases?

Mesozoic Era

What era is nicknamed the "age of dinosaurs"?

Physical precipitation of gypsum due to evaporation of seawate

What is an example of a chemical sedimentary rock forming?

Pebble

What is most likely to be found at the base of a graded bed?

all matter in the universe was once confined to a single point

What is the Big Bang Theory?

Faults are fractures along which displacement has occurred; displacement does not occur along joints

What is the difference between faults and joints?

The distance between the earth and the sun

What is the factor that most affects the temperature of the earth?

the crust and uppermost part of the mantle

What is the lithosphere?

3

What is the minimum number of seismic records needed to locate an earthquake?

the silicates

What is the most abundant minerals belonging to a chemical group?

Pleistocene ice age

What is the most recent ice age?

7 to 70 km

What is the thickness of the earth's crust?

Rayleigh waves

What kind of waves cause the most damage to human made structures?

3.5%

What percentage of seawater, on average, consists of dissolved salt ions?

glacial rebound

When continental ice sheets melt away, the surface of the underlying continent gradually rises back up. This process is called _____________

2.4 million years ago

When did the human genus homo first appear on earth?

(All of the above) during abrupt heavy rains; after a long period of continuous rain; when heavy snows from the previous winter melt rapidly; when an artificial or natural dam suddenly collapses

When do floods possibly happen?

fjord

When sea level rises, causing the ocean to fill a glacially carved valley, a __________ forms.

sinks, lag deposits

When wind blows away finer sediment in a desert, the land surface ________________, leaving behind ___________________.

Oxygen

Which gas is found in today's atmosphere that was virtually absent in the Hadean and Archean

V-shaped valley

Which is NOT a depositional structure formed by a stream?

Sediment is supplied less then eroded.

Which of the following causes shorelines to move landward?

Waterfalls

Which of the following does NOT control floods?

Continental shelf

Which of the following is NOT a coastal landform?

Periodic changes in the number of sunspots

Which of the following is NOT involved in the Milankovitch cycle?

Ice has irregular crystal structure

Which of the following is NOT true?

They are the same as discharge areas

Which statement about recharge areas is INCORRECT?

Passive continental margins

Which type of continental coastline has a much broader continental shelf?

Buttes

_____________ are flat-topped hills that can be found in Monument Valley, Arizona.

Playas

__________________ are places where you would expect to find abundant evaporates (salts) exposed at the surface.