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.
