PG Final Exam
The bulk of ice on Earth is sitting in
Greenland and Antarctica
The zone where positive gains end and losses begin in the glacial mass balance is called
an equilibrium line
A streams ability to move particles of a specific size is its
competence
The suspended load of a stream consists of particles that are
held aloft in the stream flow
When people go surfing or swimming along a coast, they often find after spending time in the water that they are no longer in the area in which they first entered the water. In other words, they find that they have moved downshore, even though they did not deliberately move in that direction. This occurs because of
longshore currents
River/stream processes in the correct sequence as their occurrence in nature?
weathering, erosion, transport, deposition
Alpine glaciers do not contain
an ice sheet
The total possible load a stream can transport is its
capacity
A continuous mass of ice covering a large landmass is known as a
continental glacier
When a river reaches a base level, its forward velocity rapidly decelerates as it enters a larger body of standing water and ________ is formed.
A delta
The general term for clay, silt, and sand deposited by running water
Alluvium
Watersheds boundaries are called
Drainage divides
Horns and cirques are typical features of
a mountain range that was sculpted by alpine glaciers.
Glacial polish results from
abrasion
If the capacity of a stream is exceeded, ________ will occur
aggradation
A cutoff on a meandering stream results in the formation of
an oxbow lake
Coral formations are made of
animals living symbiotically with simple algae
An increase in turbulence and velocity does what to a rivers erosive powers
increases
Many of the lakes in Massachusetts (like those near Truro) are examples of
kettles
The average size of sediment in a natural levee is ________ that found in the surrounding floodplain
larger than
What occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in alignment
maximum tidal ranges occur
braided stream
maze of interconnected channels
When two valley glaciers join together, they form a ________ at the point at which they merge.
medial moraine
cut bank
outer portion of a stream meander
Barrier islands make ________ sites for real estate development because ________.
poor; they are unstable, mobile and they can be overrun by storm surges.
A central peak, or a dome of a volcanic mountain, generally produces ________ drainage patterns
radial
Wave action works to straighten a coast as wave energy focuses around headlands and tends to disperse energy in coves and bays in a process called
wave refraction
Brackish water would most likely occur
in a deltaic swamp
A valley glacier that extends beyond the confines of its valley and coalesces with other valley glaciers along the base of a mountain range is termed
a piedmont glacier
The opposite of the accumulation zone in a glacier is the
ablation zone
A pyramidal peak formed in glaciated mountains is
a horn
The height of a tsunami grows as it approaches a coastline primarily because
Its wavelength shortens
Unlike a stream-cut valley that assumes a characteristic ________-shape, a glacially-carved valley evidences a characteristic ________-shape.
V; U
As the discharge of a stream increases, what also happens?
Width, depth, and velocity all increase
A glacier that is confined in a bowl-shaped recess is called a
a cirque glacier
A general term for a mass of perennial ice, resting on land or floating shelf-like in the sea adjacent to land is
a glacier
A specific landform produced by the deposition of glacial till is known as
a moraine
Sand that extends from a coast into open water is called a
barrier split
Particles of sand, gravels, and shells that move along the shore form the
beach drift
The largest material that can be carried by a stream is carried as
bed load
what form of stream channel is likely to develop when aggradation greatly exceeds erosion?
braided channels
An atoll is approximately ________ in shape because it forms ________.
circular; around submerged volcanic islands
Stream drainage patterns are determined by
differing rock resistance, slope, climatic and hydrologic variability
The presence of till indicates
direct deposition by a glacier
Glacially deposited boulders that differ in composition and origin from the ground on which they rest are
erratics
A winding hill of sorted sand and gravel deposits is known as a/an ________ and is deposited by a/an ________ glacier.
esker; continental
Snow that has a compact, granular structure is known as
firn
Natural levees are created during
floods
The process of calving produces
icebergs
A sea stack (i.e., an isolated pillar of rock located offshore) is the erosional remnant of a
rocky headland
The ultimate base level is
sea level
aggradation
sediment accumulation in the stream channel
The fact that the mixing zone in the ocean constitutes a ________ percentage of the total ocean volume means that wastes dumped into the ocean will be ________ diluted.
small; slowly
Waves in shallow water that "feel bottom" are ________ and more ________ spaced than the swell they are related to.
taller; closely
Crevasses usually form as a result of
tensional forces
Where do crevasses form in glaciers?
the basal layer
Coral bleaching refers to
the loss of algae from the coral.
Several years ago, a movie was made about a cruise ship that was overturned by a tsunami while at sea. This plot is not valid because
tsunamis do not form high waves while in the open ocean.