Geo Test 2

The wave amplitude associated with a magnitude 8 quake on the Richter scale is how many times greater than that of a magnitude 6 quake?

100

The glaciated shield regions of Canada and northern Europe have disrupted surface drainage patterns that are called ________ patterns.

deranged

The motion of seismic waves is usually initiated in a subsurface location along the fault plane called the

focus

Mafic minerals are __________ minerals

generally dark-colored, high density

The eventual catastrophic eruption of Mount Saint Helens in 1980 was:

related to seafloor subduction at the west coast of North America

An assemblage of minerals bound together is called a:

rock

Which of the following is FALSE regarding tsunamis?

They are very tall in the open ocean.

Which of the following statements about shield volcanoes is true?

They form from mafic magma.

Which of the following statements regarding the principal locations of volcanic activity is FALSE?

Volcanoes occur around the perimeter of the Atlantic Ocean basin.

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the December 2004 tsunami?

Wave heights in the open ocean were 11.3 m (24 ft).

Given present global warming trends and predicted climate change for the next century, sea level is estimated to rise:

between 18 cm and 59 cm (7.1 in to 23.2 in).

Louis Agassiz called glacially deposited boulders that differ in composition and origin from the ground on which they rest

erratics

Consider the equation Q = wdv. According to the equation, if Q (discharge) remains constant, but w and d decrease (as when a channel becomes more narrow and shallow), the velocity will

increase

Knowledge of Earth's interior is derived primarily from:

indirect evidence involving the analysis of seismic waves.

The height of a tsunami grows as it approaches a coastline primarily because:

its wavelength shortens

Which of the following lists of processes are in the correct sequence as to their occurrence in nature?

weathering, erosion, transport, deposition

Which of the following mountain ranges resulted from tectonic collision between two continental landmasses?

All of the above

The Sierra Nevada mountain range in California is an example of

an exposed batholith

Volcanoes formed from silica-rich magma:

are highly explosive and dangerous

The _______ is one of Earth's major layers that is partially molten and is capable of flowing very slowly.

asthenosphere

Which of the following would you NOT expect to find along a tectonically active shoreline?

barrier islands

The largest material that can be carried by a stream is carried as:

bed load

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

When two valley glaciers join together, they form a _______ at the point where they merge

medial moraine

A rock transformed from any other rock through profound physical (e.g., heat, pressure) and/or chemical processes is referred to as:

metamorphic

The ancient roots of mountains are usually composed of _______ rocks

metamorphic

Which of the following types of crustal deformation would you be most likely to find at a divergent plate boundary?

normal fault

The three most abundant elements in Earth's crust are

oxygen, silicon, and aluminum

Coal is a sedimentary rock (and a fossil fuel) formed from:

plants

The asthenosphere can best be described as:

plastic like

If you wanted to avoid earthquakes, which of the following areas would be the safest to live?

shield

Pluvial lakes formed in the ________ during glacial intervals as a result of ________.

southwestern U.S.; a wetter climate and/or a climate characterized by lower evaporation rates

Waves in shallow water that "feel bottom" are _______ and more _______ spaced than the swell they are related to.

taller; closely

Which of the following is NOT one of the major processes in the rock cycle?

transgression

An earthquake, submarine landslide, or eruption of an undersea volcano is capable of producing a:

tsunami

It is now virtually certain that the dominant cause of recent ice ages is:

variations in Earth-Sun orbital relationships

During the height of the last ice age ca. 18,000 years ago, sea level:

was several hundred feet lower than today.

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

The most active tectonic regions of North and South America are on the

western coasts.

Creation of a local base level through construction of a dam and reservoir on a river:

would cause sediment accumulate upstream from the dam in response to decreased flow velocity