Physical Geography Test 3

The worldwide average salinity of seawater is

3.5%.

____ is the general term for unconsolidated clay, silt, sand, gravel, and mineral fragments deposited by running water.

Alluvium

At which of the following locations does subduction occur?

Along collision zones between continental and oceanic plates

A niche is sandstone, such as that in Arizona's Canyon de Chelly is indicative of which weathering process?

Salt-crystal growth

What type of rock is derived from the bits and pieces of former rocks?

Sedimentary

The grinding and shaping of rock surfaces by the "sandblasting" action of particles carried by wind is

abrasion.

After a threshold is crssed, the landscape

adjusts to a new equilibrium condition.

If the load exceeds a stream's capacity, sediment accumulates in the bed in a process called

aggradation.

A stream's volume of flow per unit of time its

discharge.

Watersheds are defined by

drainage divides.

The downstream portion of a river

generally is of higher velocity, although it is masked by reduced turbulence.

Continental crust is basically ____, whereas oceanic crust is basically _____.

granite; basalt

Which of the following is NOT a type of physical weathering process?

hydrolysis

Extensive landscapes formed by the dissolution of limestone and other carbonate rock and characterized by pitted, bumby surface topography, poor surface drianage, and well developed solutions channels are known as

karst topography.

The downslope movement of a body of material made up of soil, sediment, or rock propelled by the force of gravity is known as

mass movement.

The scientific study of rock strata (layers) is known as ____ and based on the principle ____.

stratigraphy; superposition.

Which of the following is an example of an age-relationship based on relative dating?

Austrialopithecines evolved before Homo erectus.

Which of the following gives the CORRECT sequence of layers in Earth, from the surface to the center?

Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core

The angle of repose represent a balance between the driving force and resisting force. Which of the following is the driving force?

Gravity

These features on the shore of Lake Michigan disrupt sediment movement along a coast.

Groins

Which of the following is CORRECT regarding the moment magnitude scale?

It considers the amount of fault slippage produced by the earthquake, the size of the surface (and subsurface) area that ruptured, and the nature of the materials that faulted.

Boundaries between intervals of the geological time scale are determined by

Major events in Earth's history, such as major extinction.s

At which of the following locations is new ocean crust being formed?

Mid-ocean ridges

Which of the following is an example of a first order of relief?

North America plate

Which of the following is CORRECT?

Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust and is composed primarily of basalt.

_____ is the theory that describes the motion of Earth's lithosphere.

Plate tectonics

Which of the following is an example of an intrusitve, igneous rock formation?

Pluton

This drainage pattern results when streams flow off a central peak or dome.

Radial

Which of the following is INCORRECTLY matched?

Radioactive decay heat -- exogenic energy source

Which of the following is INCORRECTLY matched?

Shearing-- stretching or faulting

In which of the following region would you expect to have the highest levels of seawater salinity?

Subtropical oceans

Which of the following is not correct regarding tides?

They are produced solely by the gravitational pull of the Sun.

Which of the following is an endogenic process?

Volcanisim

Which of the following are the principal active agents involved in chemical weathering?

Water, oxygen, carbon dioxide

The dynamic equilibrium model refers to

a balancing act between tectonic uplift and rates of denudation by weathering and erosion in a given landscape.

Orogenisis refers to

a general term for a mountain-building episode that thickens continental crust.

Cone-shaped deposits of sediment often found at mouth of canyons in arid and semiarid climates are

alluvial fans.

Explosive eruptions end to build up

composite volcanoes.

Areas of crustal collision and subduction occur along

convergent boundaries.

A watery mix of falling and tumbling rock, debris, and soil is a

debris avalanche.

The effect of urbanization on a typical stream hydrograph is to

decrease lag time between storm peak and peak stream discharge.

The removal and lifting of individual loose particles by the wind is termed

deflation.

Transform faults along plae boundaries are typically associated with

earthquake activity.

The uplift of mountains is caused by

endogenic processes.

The term eolian refers to

erosion, transportation, and deposition by wind.

When pressure is removed from overlying rock, the pressure of deep burial is relieved, initiating pressure-release jointing. The joints then separate into curved slabs. This is known as

exfoliation.

When rock strata are strained beyond their ability to remain an intact unit, displacement occurs in a process known as

faulting.

Natural levees are created during

floods.

Processes that are related expressly to streams and rivers are termed

fluvial.

The subsurface area where the motion of seismic waves is initiated along the fault plane is called the

focus, or hypocenter.

If material is to move down-slope, it must overcome the force of

friction, cohesion of particles, and inertial resistance,

The coast extends inland

from the high tide level to the first major land form change.

The science that specifically studies the origin, evolution, form, and spatial distribution of land forms is

geomorphology.

A(n) ____ is a stream that maintains an equilibrium between the processes of erosion and deposition and, therefore degradation and aggradation.

graded stream

A squeeze-and-release action works to loosen and lift rocks in a stream channel. This is an example of

hydraulic action

The measurement of land elevation relative to sea level is known as

hypsometry.

What type of rock forms the solidification of molten material?

igneous

Molten rock that pours forth on Earth's surface is called

lava.

A mass of water above base level in a stream has ____ energy; as it flows downstream, this energy becomes ____ energy.

potential; kinetic

When the upper surface of consolidated rock undergoes constant weathering, it creats broken-up rock called

regolith

Vertical elevation differences in a local landscape are referred to as

relief.

Compressional stress along a fault resulting in rocks moving upward along the fault plane is an example of a

reverse fault.

Factors influencing the weathering process include

rock composition and structure, climate, and vegetation.

An assemblage of minerals bound together is called a

rock.

The ultimate base level is

sea level.

The three basic rock types are

sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous.

Limestone is a type of ____ rock that forms when ____.

sedimentary; calcium carbonate precipitates, or organic material containing calcium carbonate accumulates in a water environment.

Pulverized rock and clastic materials ejected violently during an eruption are called

tephra, or pyroclastics.

Coral pleaching refers to

the loss of algae from the cora.

Ocean floor subducts under continents because

the ocean floor is made up of silica and magnesium and is more dense than the continental material.

Uniformitarianism assumes that

the same physical processes we see today are a key to understanding the processes that have been operating throughout geologic time.

The general term for the undulations and other variations in the shape of Earth's surface is called

topography.

Areas where plates slide past one another, usually at right angles to a seafloor spreading are

transform boundaries.

An earthquake, a submarine landslide, or a volcanic eruption is capable of producing a

tsunami.

Other than the rock itself, the most important chemical substance needed for the majority of weathering processes is

water

The area of land from which all water in it drains into the same place is known as a(n)

watershed.

Wave action works to straighten a coast as wave energy focuses around headlands in a process called

wave refraction.

Which of the following lists of processes are in the CORRECT sequence from beginning to end?

weathering, erosion, transport, deposition

The process that breaks down rock at Earth's surface through disintegration of rocks into mineral particles or dissolving it into water is known as

weathering.

Elongated, streamlined ridges aligned parallel to the most effective wind direction are called

yardangs.

Which of the following is NOT a denudation process?

Orogeny

Which of the following is an example of a coastal wetland?

Both mangrove swamp and saltwater marsh

Bed load is moved by

both saltation and traction, but not suspension.

When the height of a wave exceeds its vertical stability, the wave is called a

breaker.

Seawater that exceeds the 3.5% average is termed

brine.

The total possible load a stream can transport is its ____, whereas a stream's ability to move particles of specific size is its ____.

capacity; competence

When rock is broken down and disintegrated in the presence of water and with chemical alterations to the rock, the process in operation is

chemical weathering.

Channels with gradual slopes often develop a sinuous form called a ____ pattern.

meandering stream

A rock transformed from any other rock through extreme heat and or pressure is referred to as

metamorphic

An interruption in a stream's graded profile of equilibrium is called a

nick point.

When rock is broken down and disintegrated without any chemical alterations, the process in operation is

physical weathering.

The portion of each meandering curve subject to the slowest water velocity undergoes aggregation. This results in a(n)

point bar.

Barrier islands make ____ sites fro real estate development because ____.

poor; they can be unstable, mobile, and overrun by storm surges.

A gently sloping mountain land form built from effusive eruptions is known as a

shield volcano.

The weathering of limestone can create circular depressions known as

sinkholes.

Weathering that softens and rounds the sharp edges and corners of jointed rock is known as

spheroidal weathering.

When the Sun and Moon are on the same side Earth or on opposite sides of the earth, the ____ tide occurs and results in the ____ tidal range between low and high tides.

spring; greatest

Desert pavement refers to

surfaces of concentrated pebbles and gravels.

The sediment load consisting of fine-grained clastic particles held aloft in the stream is the

suspended load.

Coral and algae have a relationship in which the algae perform photosynthesis, providing the coral with some nutrients and helping with the calcification process. In return, the coral provide the algae with certain nutrients and a place to live in a lighted environment. This is an example of a ____ relationship.

symbiotic