GEO 103 (Dr. J.) - Test #7 Study Guide

Permafrost landscapes are quite susceptible to mass wasting.

True

Tides are patterns of daily oscillations in sea level; they are produced by the astronomical relationships among the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth.

True

Chemical weathering is greatest under conditions of ____.

higher mean annual rainfall and temperatures

In a river with a straight channel, the water flowing with the greatest velocity is found ____.

in the center of the stream, just below the surface

Water soaks into the ground through a process known as ____.

infiltration

The dramatic domes and arch-shaped features found in granitic mountain masses (e.g., Stone Mountain NC), probably the largest single weathering features, result from ____.

pressure-release jointing and exfoliation

The bending of a wave along a coastline is called ____. And it tends to straighten coastlines.

refraction

A persistent and slow mass movement of surface soil is called ____.

soil creep

Which response best describes an influent stream?

the stream provides water to the water table

Which of the below is the single most important agent that sculpts Earth's land surfaces?

water

The disintegration and decomposition of surface and subsurface rock is called ____.

weathering

____ are intermittent hot springs and fountains in which columns of water are ejected with great force at various intervals.

Geysers

Which of the following statements are true about floodplains?

all of the above are correct

The general term for clay, silt, and sand transported by running water is ____.

alluvium

Permeable rock strata or sediment that can store and transmit groundwater freely are called ____.

aquifers

The suspended load of a stream consists of particles that ____.

are held aloft in the stream flow

The movement of particles of sediment in a zigzag pattern along a beach by the longshore current (in the general direction of the longshore current) is known as ____.

beach drift

Which of the below is not true of a tsunami?

can also correctly be referred to as a "tidal wave"

The total possible load a stream can transport is its ____, whereas a stream's ability to move particles of specific size is its ____.

capacity; competence

Which of the below terms best describes North Carolina's coastline? (Hint: NC's coastline is replete with wide, expansive beaches.)

depositional

Which of the below sequences correctly states the typical order of events as a river system alters Earth's surface?

erosion, transportation, deposition

Exposed wave-cut sea cliffs, sea arches, terraces, and other rugged features are characteristics of a(n) ____ coastline.

erosional

Stream-related processes are termed ____.

fluvial

The fact that water expands as much as 9% of its volume as it freezes is the basis of ____.

freeze-thaw action such as frost wedging

The water table ____.

lies at the top of the saturated zone

All unit movement of materials propelled and controlled by gravity are referred to as ____.

mass movements or mass wasting

Hydrolysis involves ____.

minerals chemically combining with water

Physical weathering is greatest under conditions of ____.

moderate rainfall and lower temperatures; drier, cooler climates

Which term denotes the ability of a material to transmit a fluid?

permeability

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

point bar - outer portion of a stream meander