Geog Final
When atoms lose all available kinetic energy, they reach the absolute zero of temperature which is
-273.15 celcius
Saturation of air occurs at what point
100% relative humidity
At the Autumn or Spring Equinoxes, what phenomenon occurs?
12 hour daylight/darkness all over the world
The earth's axis of rotation is tilted how many degrees to the perpendicular of its orbital plane?
23.5 degrees
The Earth revolves around the sun once every ____ and rotates on its axis once every ____?
365.25 days and 24 hours.
Which latitude longitude measurement is incorrect?
93 N, 182 (cant pass 180)
The hydrologic cycle includes water
A & B only
Which of the following may act as a fluvial base level
A and B only
The sandblasting action of wind blown particles is called
Abrasion
When water evaporates, it ___ heat energy and ___ the surrounding air.
Absorbs; cools
This condition pulls moisture horizontally from cold oceans towards a warmer landsurface
Advection fog
High pressure air ____, while low pressure air represents ___.
Air is sinking thus compressing and is a region with clear skies; air is rising thus expanding an is a region with clouds.
Stream drainage patterns are determined by which of the following?
All of the above
The rate at which the rocks weather depends on
All of the above
Which of the following is true of insolation?
All of the above
Which of the following lead to the formation of mountains.
All of the above
Folded layers of rock can form a wavelike pattern of troughs and crests. The layers near the crest form ____ whereas the layers near the trough form ____.
An antiline, a syncline
A water bearing rock stratum is called an
Aquifer
Which of the following is NOT true of electromagnetic energy?
As temperature of the emitted object increases, the wavelength also decreases.
Of the following, the most basic unit of matter (all solids, liquids and gases is ____ which are governed by the Law of Conservation of Mass which states "___".
Atoms; Matter is neither created nor destroyed.
The Earth's seasons are predominantly caused by
Axial tilt and revolution
The study of the spatial aspects of ecology and the distribution of plants and animals is called.
Biogeography
The texture and structure of the soil dictate
Both B and C
Karst landscapes dominated by sink holes and caverns are created with this weathering process
Carbonation
The ability to transfer chemical cations between their surfaces and the soil solution to enable plant roots to take them up is referred to as
Cation exchange capacity
Tiny clay particles in the soil that attract cations are called
Colloids
In a trophic food pyramid, with increased levels biomass ____ and energy ____.
Decreases, decreases
The removal and lifting of individual loose particles by the wind is termed
Deflation
which of the following lists of river processes are in the correct sequence to their occurrence in nature?
Entrainment, erosion, transport, deposition
According to the textbook soil acidity caused by humans is one of the three major problems (T/F)
False
An ecosystem represents the relationship of species with their environment (T/F)
False
Endogenic processes are those that break down landforms (T/F)
False
Parallels converge at the poles (T/F)
False
Soils are an interface between plate tectonics and the hydrological cycle (T/F)
False
The Eastern Trade winds are responsible for the weather movement across the US and Canada (T/F)
False
The inter-tropical convergence zone is a high pressure area (T/F)
False
The water being held back by a dam is considered kinetic energy (T/F)
False
The water cycle is not affected by human demands (T/F)
False
There are only two thermodynamic laws discovered (T/F)
False
When stating latitude longitude coordinates one always has to state the sign of the number pair
False
Where the energy from rocks breaking/shearing causing an earthquake is called the epicenter. (T/F)
False
which of the following concepts characterize plate tectonic landforms
Fault-block mountain, mid ocean ridge, volcanic arc
The electromagnetic spectrum is defined by its
Frequency and wavelength
Where in the hydrosphere is most of the World's fresh water found?
Glaciers and continental ice sheets
The four mechanical forces that act on the down-slope movement of geologic materials are
Gravity, friction, cohesion, pore water pressure
The place where an organism lives is called its?
Habitat
Chemical weathering is greatest under which of the following conditions.
High mean annual temperature and precipitation
Distinct horizontal layers in soils are called
Horizons
Water molecules bind tightly to one another via ____ and the heat energy involved in the change of state of in water is called _____.
Hydrogen bonding, latent heat
The age of the sea floor ____ with ____ distance from a mid ocean ridge
Increases, increased
The state of equilibrium in which different portions of the earth's crust adjusts through endogenic and exogenic processes to float atop the mantle
Isostatic adjustment
If you lived at the coast and wanted to surf then the worst time to go would be
Late afternoon
After tropical deforestation occurs the tropical soils are subject to increased rate of ____ from the higher precipitation regime, which leads to the vertical soil erosional process of ____ in the upper soil horizons and therefore a deeper depositional process of _____ in the lower soil horizons.
Leaching, eluviation, illuviation
Relative to dune movement and form, a dune's slipface forms on which side?
Leeward side
At which of the following locations is new oceanic crust being formed?
Mid ocean ridge
The planet Earth can be thought of as a kind of ____ energy system and a kind of ____ material system.
Open; closed
This method of making air rise and rain on the windward side of mountains then contributes to the formation of deserts in So Cal and Nevada on the leeward side of mountains.
Orographic lifting
Where does erosion primarily occur along meandering rivers?
Outside of meander bends
A ____ lake is the result of a meandering river having cutoff a meander bends leaving an abandoned channel
Oxbow
What is the most abundant chemical element in the Earth's crust?
Oxygen
Which is faster P waves or S Waves?
P Waves
The catena sequence in soils is based on
Parent material and landscape relief
In the water budget, _____ is the major receipt and ___ is the major expenditure.
Precipitation, actual evapotranspiration
Air flow is initiated by the
Pressure gradient force
What is the order of the five steps of the scientific method?
Question, Hypothesis, collect data, test hypothesis, predictions
This atmospheric condition is most common in the Central Valley or any low lying inland valley during cold, wet winters.
Radiation fog
Precipitation normally refers to
Rain, sleet, snow and hail
The partially weathered broken up layer of rock material resting on op of bedrock at the base of a soil profile is called
Regolith
When water condenses, it _____ heat energy and ____ the surrounding air.
Releases; heats
The three major themes of geography sciences are
Scale, integration and synthesis
Compaction and cementing of eroded material is associated with which rock type?
Sedimentary
____ is a reduction in the internal resistance of the slope. The forces attempting to pull a mass downslope lead to an increase in ____.
Shear strength, shear stress
Stream transport of materials involves all of the following except
Sheet flow
Hawaiian Islands are a good example of this type of extrusive igneous structure
Shield Volcano
What is physical geography?
Spatial analysis of all the physical elements and processes that make up the environment
Over pumping of ground water can lead to ground subsidence. (T/F)
TRUE
Potential evapotranspiration refers to
The amount of water that would evaporate or transpire if it were available
The scientific method is described by which of the following?
The development of hypotheses for testing and prediction
The major rocks of the earth's crust are classified into principal types based on
The manner in which the rocks formed
Primary productivity revers to ___ and is greatest in ____.
The rate at which plant growth occurs; tropical rain forests
The predominate radiation leaving Earth is made up of what kind of electromagnetic radiation?
Thermal infrared
Which of the following is true of loess deposits?
They are formed of fine-grained clays and silts
Which of the following is incorrect regarding biomes?
They are usually named for the specific climatic zone in which they occur.
The oceanic crust is ____ and ___ than the continental crust.
Thinner and more dense
A batholith represents an example of igneous intrusive rock emplacement, usually made of granites (T/F)
True
Absolute location defined a point on the Earth's surface by specifying coordinates on a Cartesian mathematical grid. (T/F)
True
According to the 3rd law of thermodynamics there is a lower limit to temperature or no energy in matter (T/F)
True
California's San Andreas fault is an example of a strike slip fault (T/F)
True
Day length is a function of latitude. (T/F)
True
Electrical power is considered kinetic energy (T/F)
True
If the precipitation is greater than the infiltration rate then overland flow can be initiated. (T/F)
True
Red colored earth material generally are associated with oxidation (T/F)
True
Soils are a dynamic natural body made up of fine materials covering earth's surface in which plants grow and are composed of both mineral and organic matters (T/F)
True
The 2nd law of thermodynamics represents energy spontaneously dispersing from being localized to becoming spread out, i.e. hot to cold transfer (T/F)
True
The Earth rotates 15 degrees each hour which allows time zones to be one hour long (T/F)
True
The Hjulmstrom curve explains erosion, transport and deposition based on water velocity
True
The dew point temperature is that temp where saturated air at 100% relative humidity condenses to liquid water. (T/F)
True
The molten material underneath the Earth's crustal plates is within the mantle (T/F)
True
The polar westerlies is controlled by the Coriolis effect turning the air to the west. (T/F)
True
Weathering is the decomposition and disintegration of rocks in situ
True
Time begins on
Universal Coordinated Time
During the adiabatic process, a parcel of air with less than 100% relative humidity, that is rising because of heat energy derived from the surface is _____ and is undergoing ____.
Unstable, expansion
Rocks that appear pitted and grooved, and sometimes polished smooth by eolian processes are termed
Ventifacts
Which of the following correctly describes a dry stream bed that is intermittently filled with water (flash flood)?
Wash
Elongated, streamlined ridges aligned parallel to the most effective wind direction are called
Yardangs
A great circle is
a circle of circumferences whose center coincides wth the center of the Earth
A hypothesis is
a tentative explanation of the observations
Changes in day length and the Sun's altitude above the horizon over the course of the year
are responsible for the seasons
A hypothesis usually states
as null or does not exist between variables
The Coriolis force
causes apparent deflection of winds from a straight path
The general water temperatures one would expect on the coast of a continent would be
cold on the left and warm on the right, no matter north or south of the equator
Elements can chemically form into
compounds
The Himalayan Mt (Mt everest) are formed by
continental - continental collision
Global winds are named by
direction they come from
A streams flow rate is called its
discharge
Watersheds are defined by
drainage basins
The forms of energy encountered does not include
elements
The term eolian refers to
erosion, transportation, and deposition by the wind.
Stream related processes are termed
fluvial
The complex chain of interdependencies is called a
food web
During the day winds in a valley
go up mountain slopes
The equator represents
great circle
As a tropical rain forest is cleared by humans, the amount of ___ available for organisms to live in is decreased, and this reduces the populations of plants and animals living there -- thereby affecting plant and animal ____.
habitat, communities
Forst wedging invovles
hydraulic action of water freezing between rocks
Which of the following ions are important for acidity (pH)?
hydrogen
Knowledge of Earth's interior is learned from
indirect evidence involving the analysis of seismic waves from earthquakes
The science of geography
interdependence of natural and cultural phenomena over space and time
The ability of the wind to move materials
is small compared to other transporting agents, such as water and ice.
Application of heat and pressure to existing rocks creates this rock type
metamorphic
Carbon dioxide is produced by all of the following except
photosynthesis
The zero degree longitude line is referred to as the
prime meridiean
Scale refers to
refers to the recognition that how we view and interpret phenomena depends on the spatial extent and the spatial resolution of the measurements we collect.
The smallest features shaped by individual saltating grains are
ripples
The mass movement of earth material as a homogenous unit that slips in an round arc shape in mass wasting is a
rotational slump
A confined aquifer is described as
sealed above and below by impermeable materials
Photosynthesis involves
the union of carbon dioxide and water under the influence of sunlight, and the release of oxygen.
