Physical Geography Midterm 3

What is the probability of a 100-year flood occurring in any one year? a)0.1% b)1% c)10% d)100%

b) 1%

A sudden release of energy along a fault is a(n) a)orogeny b)earthquake c)volcano d)period of subsidence

b) an earthquake

The youngest oceanic crust would be found a)at the edges of plates b)at spreading centers c)at subduction zones d)at convergent boundaries

b) at spreading centers

In an alluvial fan, where are the coarsest particles deposited? a)midway in the fan b)canyon mouth c)near the playa

b) canyon mouth

Evaporation exceeds precipitation (a) Tropical Climates (b) Dry Arid & Semiarid Climates (c) Mesothermal Climates (d) Microthermal Climates (e) Polar Climates (h) Highlands

b) dry arid and semiarid climates

When rock strata are strained beyond their ability to remain an intact unit, displacement occurs in a process known as a)folding b)faulting c)stressing d)bending

b) faulting

At a strike-slip fault, a)compressional stress occurs due to converging crust b)lateral shearing occurs c)tensional stress occurs due to diverging crust d)compressional stress occurs due to diverging crust

b) lateral shearing occurs

Streams flowing off a volcanic mountain typically display which type of drainage pattern? a)rectangular b)radial c)dendritic d)parallel e)annular

b) radial

A slow, persistent mass movement of surface soil is called a)a debris avalanche b)soil creep c)a soil slide d)a rock fall

b) soil creep

When geologists or archaeologists dig downward into a unit of rock or sediment, they are digging "back in time." This fact is based on the principle of a)uniformitarianism b)superposition c)catastrophism d)volcanism

b) superposition

Slowly migrating pieces of ocean floor, crust, and islands that become attached to continents are called a)deformables b)terranes c)microplates d)terrains

b) terranes

When continental crust collides with continental crust a)a subduction zone is formed b)volcanoes are common c)a large mountain range often forms d)earthquakes rarely occur

c) a large mountain range often forms

Folded layers of rock can form a wavelike pattern of troughs and crests. The layers near the crest form a)a syncline b)a tension zone c)an anticline d)a thrust fault

c) an anticline

Which type of weathering formed this feature? a) Physical b) Chemical c) Both physical & chemical

c) both physical and chemical

A drainage pattern that displays a branching pattern similar to the shape of a tree is a(n) a)rectangular b)radial c)dendritic d)parallel e)annular

c) dendritic

A wind-sculpted accumulation of sand is a a)yardang b)blowout depression c)dune d)desert pavement

c) dune

An orogeny is a(n) a)period of glacial ice advance b)large valley created by synclinal folding c)episode of mountain building d)measure of the difference between maximum and minimum elevation

c) episode of mountain building

The term eolian refers to a)stream-related processes b)glacial processes in areas outside the polar regions c)erosion, transportation, and deposition by the wind d)weathering and mass movement in humid regions

c) erosion, transportation, and deposition by wind

What kind of weathering is this? a) Chemical b) Exfoliation c) Frost wedging d) Biological

c) frost wedging

Which of the following is true of spheroidal weathering? a)It is a physical weathering process b)It is a type of exfoliation associated with pressure release c)It attacks the corners and edges of rocks d)It is a frost-thaw action

c) it attacks the corners and edges of rocks

Coolest month temperature averages below 18 degrees Celsius and above 0 degrees Celsius and warmest month is above 10 degrees Celsius (a) Tropical Climates (b) Dry Arid & Semiarid Climates (c) Mesothermal Climates (d) Microthermal Climates (e) Polar Climates (h) Highlands

c) mesothermal climates

In an alluvial fan, where are the finest particles deposited? a)midway in the fan b)canyon mouth c)near the playa

c) near the playa

Which of the following is a typical karst landscape feature? a)granite domes b)arches c)sinkholes d)granular disintegration

c) sinkholes

Earth is approximately how old? a)4,600 years b)520,000 years c)5.2 million years d)4.6 billion years

d) 4.6 billion years

What factors influence weathering processes? a) Rock composition and structure b) Climatic conditions c) Vegetation d) All of the above e) None of the above

d) all of the above

As stream velocity decreases, which of the following sizes of sediments will be deposited last? a)gravel b)sand c)silt d)clay

d) clay

A drainage basin is defined by a)its proximity to a coast b)the salinity of the stream water c)the steepness of the stream bed d)its drainage divides

d) its drainage divides

A layer of wind-blown clay and silt derived from glacial deposits is a)alluvium b)humus c)till d)loess

d) loess

Coolest month temperature averages below 0 degrees Celsius and warmest month is above 10 degrees Celsius (a) Tropical Climates (b) Dry Arid & Semiarid Climates (c) Mesothermal Climates (d) Microthermal Climates (e) Polar Climates (h) Highlands

d) microthermal climates

In most areas, the upper surface of bedrock is partially weathered to broken-up rock called a)parent rock b)bedrock c)sediment d)regolith

d) regolith

Which of the following is characteristic of convergent plate boundaries? a)sea-floor spreading centers b)lateral motion of plates c)mid-ocean ridges d)subduction zones

d) subducion zones

A landform created by erosion on the outside of a bend in a meandering stream channel is a(n) a)point bar b)oxbow lake c)suspended load d)undercut bank

d) undercut bank

A stream CANNOT erode its valley below a)base level b)deposition c)drainage density d)drainage rank

a) base level

Particles that are dragged, pushed, or rolled along the bottom of a stream comprise the stream's a)bed load b)suspended load c)dissolved load d)braided load

a) bed load

Which two processes create desert pavement?a)deflation and rain wash b)deflation and abrasion c)abrasion and rain wash d)deflation and saltation

a) deflation and rain wash

Volcanic activity located away from plate boundaries is usually associated with a)hot spots b)subduction zones c)seafloor spreading centers d)continental crust-continental crust boundaries

a) hot spots

Continental crust a)is less dense than oceanic crust b)sinks below oceanic crust where the two types of crust converge c)is mostly composed of basalt d)is usually much thinner than oceanic crust

a) is less dense than oceanic crust

A rock transformed by heat and/or pressure is referred to as a)metamorphic rock b)clastic sedimentary rock c)intrusive igneous rock d)extrusive igneous rock

a) metamorphic rock

Water content in the slope material is highest during which of the following types of mass movement? a) mudflow b) Earthflow c) Rockfall d) debris avalanche e) translational slide

a) mud flow

Which of the following is characteristic of divergent plate boundaries? a)sea-floor spreading centers b)collision zones between plates c)lateral motion of plates d)subduction zones

a) sea-floor spreading centers

Temperature of the coolest month above 18 degrees Celsius (a) Tropical Climates (b) Dry Arid & Semiarid Climates (c) Mesothermal Climates (d) Microthermal Climates (e) Polar Climates (h) Highlands

a) tropical climates