GEOL 1710 FINAL EXAM

Which of the following surface conditions would limit the effectiveness of the wind as an erosional agent?

Surface materials constisting of clay-sized particles

Which of the following is true of glacial movement?

The internal flow just below the surface is greater than the basal flow

Which of the following is true of the ocean deep zone

The water in this zone does not freeze because of the intense pressure exerted by the weight of overlying water AND the water in this zone does not freeze because of its salinity.

Which of the following is true of loess deposits?

They are formed of fine-grated clays and silts

Which of the following is not true of alluvial fans?

They frequently occur in the eastern US.

A desert is an area in which potential evapotranspiration rates exceed actual evapotranspiration rates

True

Clay is easy to lift from a surface and also is easy to keep suspended in the air

True

The bulk of ice on Earth is in Greenland and Antartica.

True

The formation of desert pavement involves both wind and water

True

The moon's gravitational pull on the EArth is greater than that of the Sun's

True

The presence of meltwater at the bottom of flacier can increase its rate of movement

True

The rate of sand movement is proportional to the wind speed.

True

The saltating particles can initiate the movement of other particles

True

The skipping and bouncing action of saltation accounts for about 80% of wind transported particles.

True

Unlike a stream-cut vallley that assumes a characteristic _____ shape, a glacially-carved valley evidences a characterisitc ____ shapre

V; U

The suspension of finer particles by wind over significant distances is a phenomenon known as

a dust storm

The opposite of the accumulation zone in a glacier is the

ablation zone

Glacial polish results from

abrasion

The sandblasting action of wind-blown particles is called

abrasion

The zone where positive gains end and losses begin in the glacial mass balance is called

an equilibrium line

Alpine glaciers include all of the following except

an ice cap

A terrace is

an uplift wave-cut platform

Coral formations

are mode of animals living symbolically with simple algae

Near the shore, waves of transition begin to "feel bottom" and, as a result, the orbits of the water molecules in the wave become more ______. The process eventually cause _____ to form.

elliptical; breakers

The term eolian refers to

erosin, transportation, and deposition by the wind.

Because the upper regions of a glacier flow ______ than the base of the glacier, the upper part of the glacier tends to be ______.

faster; stretched

Snow that ha a compact, granular structure is known as

firn

A general term for a mass of perennial ice, resting on land or floating shelf-like in the sea adjacent to land is

glacier

Brine water results from

high evaporation rates

The type of glacier that dominates Greelnad and Antarctica

ice sheet

In terms of area extent, which of the following dequences is in order from most to least area covered?

ice sheet, ice cap, ice field

Brackish water would be most likely to occur

in a deltaic swamp

The ability of the wind to move materials

is small compared to other transporting agents, such as water and ice.

Why, specially, is glacial ice analogous to a metamorphic rock?

it forms as a result of recrystallization casued by pressure

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

its energy level increases

A general term for the coastal environment is

littoral zone

The transformation of snow into glacial ice in Antarctica takes ______ than in midlatitude alpine glaciers because ________.

longer; less melting and refreezing occurs in Antarctica.

About 2% of the oceanic mass comprise the

mixing zone of blended solutes and temperatures

Because the algae which live in symbiotic relationship with coral perform ________, corals _______.

photosynthesis; must live in water that is penetrated by light.

A coral is a type of ______ that secretes ______ to form an organic rock home.

polyp; calcium carbonate

Desertification is caused by

poor agricultural practices, deforestation, global climate changes

Basal slip is facilitated by

regelation, presence of melt water, saturated sediments

All of the following represent forms of glacial erosion except

rock pieces freezing to the basal layers of the glacier

Desert lanscapes tend to be _______ in appearance because of the ______.

rugged and hard-edged, lack of water erosin

Pebbles can be moved by __________ in a process known as ___________.

saltating particles; surface creep.

What size material comprises the dust in a dust storm that extends thousands of feet above the ground

sand, silt, and clays

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

spring tides-high tides only

Desert pavement refers to

surfaces of concentrated pebbles and gravels

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

taller; closely

Which of the following is not true of tides?

the are produced solely by the gravitational pull of the Sun

The sapital distributions of Earth's dry regions are attributable to all of the following factors except

the equatorial low pressure region and the ITCZ

The destruction of a mangrove swamp might lead to

the loss of aquatic species, erosin of the coast, sediment accumulation one nearby reefs, and their consquent death

Which of the following is not an example of an erosional coastal landform?

tombolo

An earthquake, submarine landslid, or eruption of undersea volcano is capable of producing a

tsunami

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

yardangs

About ______ are of desert area are covered with sand?

10%

Worldwide average salinity is

3.5%

Approximately what percentage of the worlds freshwater is frozen?

77%

Which of the following is not related to coral rock formations ?

Bay barriers and barrier spits

In which region of the U.S. are eolian processes most effective?

Southwest

From the inland to the ocean, which sequence of zones is correct?

Coast, backshore, foreshore, nearshore

List three classes of dune forms:

Crescentic, Linear and Star

Although many elements are dissolved in seawater; no gases are dissolved in it.

False

As the evaporation rate increases, salinity decreases

False

Brine water tends to occur near coastal deltas.

False

Crevasses form in the basal layer of a glacier

False

Firn has a higher density than glacial ice

False

Glacial ice can form during duration of single winter season in most glacial areas

False

Seawater is not a solution

False

If precipitation events occur in a desert, a dry streambed can fill with torrent called a _______ and the dry streambed is known as a _______.

Flash Flood, Wash

In China the desert pavements are called

Gobi

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

Ice regelation---the melting and refreezing of basal ice

Which of the following grain sizes is most readily moved by the wind

Intermediate

Which side of a dune typically has a slope angle equal to that of the angle of repose for sand?

Leeward side

Which of the following occurs when the sun, moon, and earth are in alighnment (i.e., in opposition or conjuction)?

Maximum tidal ranges occur

The largest ocean in the world in terms of area is the ______ and the smallest ocean in terms of area is ______.

Pacific; Artic

The concentration of dissovled solids in the seater is called?

Salinity

As regards wetlands; which of the following is correctly matched?

Salt marsh-poleward of the 30th parallel in either hemisphere.

An atoll is approximately _____ in shape because it forms ______.

circular; around submerged volcanic islands

A tarin a lake in a

cirque

A glacier that is confined in a bowl-shaped recess is called a

cirque glacier

Which of the following are erosional landforms created by alpine glaciations?

cols and horns

A continous mass of ice covering a large landmass is known as

continental galcier

Removal of vegetation from semiarid grassland environment is likely to lead to

deflation

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

deflation

Which two processes create desert pavement

deflation and rain wash