GEO REVIEW
16) A common crescent-shaped dune with horns pointed downwind is called a A) barchan dune. B) seif dune. C) transverse dune. D) longitudinal dune.
A
20) The motion of seismic waves is initiated in a subsurface location along the fault plane called the A) focus. B) epicenter. C) fault area. D) Richter zone.
A
26) Regular patterns of smooth, rounded waves are called A) swells. B) wave ripples. C) wave trains. D) breakers.
A
98) Unlike a stream-cut valley that assumes a characteristic ________-shape, a glacially-carved valley evidences a characteristic ________-shape. A) V; U B) flat; rounded C) steep; shallow D) U; V
A
100) Which of the following is endogenic in nature? A) glacial erosion B) volcanism C) weathering D) stream deposition
B
21) Which of the following are erosional landforms created by alpine glaciation? A) till plains B) cols and horns C) eskers D) drumlins
B
24) A landslide differs from a debris avalanche in that A) a land slide moves much more quickly than a debris avalanche. B) the materials in a landslide are not saturated with water. C) a land slide moves much more slowly than a debris avalanche. D) the materials in a debris avalanche are not saturated with water.
B
27) After water itself, what are the primary elements that occur in sea water? A) sodium and magnesium B) chlorine and sodium C) potassium and chlorine D) hydrogen and sodium
B
3) Glacial polish results from A) rotation of ice about a vertical axis. B) abrasion. C) regelation. D) ice plucking.
B
61) The disintegration and dissolving of surface and subsurface rock is called A) mass wasting. B) weathering. C) landmass denudation. D) erosion.
B
63) A cutoff on a meandering stream results in the formation of A) a terrace. B) an oxbow lake. C) a point bar. D) a levee.
B
70) Which of the following is false regarding floodplains? A) They are formed by recurrent flooding in the area adjacent to the stream. B) They are characterized by rapids and low waterfalls. C) They are generally low-lying areas. D) Natural levees on either side of a stream are formed during times when the stream is at flood stage and overflows the bank.
B
72) The uplift of mountains is caused by A) aggradation. B) endogenic processes. C) exogenic forces. D) denudation.
B
75) Particles of sand, gravels, and shells that move along the shore form the A) longshore current. B) beach drift. C) translation effects. D) breakers.
B
77) Vertical elevation differences in a local landscape are referred to as A) crust. B) relief. C) an order of relief. D) topography.
B
8) Orogenesis refers to A) the formation of mountains without faulting, folding, or the capture of migrating terranes. B) a general term for the beginning of a mountain-building episode that thickens continental crust. C) a general thinning of the crust. D) the beginning of extensive faulting.
B
82) Which of the following lists of processes are in the correct sequence as to their occurrence in nature? A) weathering, deposition, erosion, transport B) weathering, erosion, transport, deposition C) deposition, erosion, transport, weathering D) weathering, erosion, deposition, transport
B
88) Natural levees are created during A) low flow conditions. B) floods. C) normal flow conditions. D) None of the aboveall levees are manmade.
B
9) A tributary that is physically unable to join the main channel on a floodplain is called a/an A) levee tributary. B) yazoo tributary. C) alluvial stream. D) meandering tributary.
B
95) Normal faults are associated with A) transcurrent forces. B) tensional forces. C) plate convergence. D) compressional forces.
B
10) Stream transport involves all of the following except A) traction. B) bed load. C) sheet flow. D) saltation.
C
15) Which of the following occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in alignment (i.e., in opposition or conjunction)? A) neap tides occur B) a lower tidal range occurs C) maximum tidal ranges occur D) None of thesethis type of alignment does not happen in nature.
C
2) Which of the following is an example of a first order of relief? A) the Alps and Rockies B) the Shenandoah Valley C) an ocean basin D) the Tibetan Plateau
C
1) Karst topography is formed primarily by A) oxidation and hydrolysis. B) mass wasting processes. C) exfoliation and hydration. D) carbonic acid solution.
D
17) Plate boundaries are associated with A) earthquakes. B) rifting. C) volcanoes. D) subduction. E) all of these
E
30) Lithification refers to the cementation, compaction, and hardening of sediments.
TRUE
38) Stream-related processes are termed A) geomorphological. B) fluvial. C) erosion. D) hydrological.
B
69) Continental shields, or cratons, are generally of low elevation and old in age.
TRUE
7) Water can be considered a "universal" solvent.
TRUE
76) The crust is thickest under mountains and thinnest under the oceans.
TRUE
83) Mass wasting occurs when gravity overcomes friction.
TRUE
37) Pulverized rock and clastic materials ejected violently during an eruption are called A) tephra, or pyroclastics. B) volcanic ash. C) explosive debris. D) cinders.
A
39) Molten rock that pours forth on Earth's surface is called A) lava. B) intrusive. C) metamorphic. D) magma.
A
52) Coral formations A) are made of animals living symbiotically with simple algae. B) require water that is high in sediment concentration. C) tend to occur poleward of 30 ° latitude. D) survive in a broad ecological range because they are tolerant of temperature, salinity, and depth variation.
A
55) A winding hill of sorted sand and gravel deposits is known as a/an ________ and is deposited by a/an ________ glacier. A) esker; continental B) medial moraine; alpine C) drumlin; continental D) esker; alpine E) drumlin; alpine
A
56) When two valley glaciers join together, they form a ________ at the point at which they merge. A) medial moraine B) till plain C) recessional moraine D) terminal moraine
A
58) Coral bleaching refers to A) the loss of algae from the coral. B) the replacement of normal, colored algae by white algae. C) the killing of coral formations by chlorine bleach pollution. D) all of these
A
64) The science that specifically studies the origin, evolution, form, and spatial distribution of landforms is A) geomorphology. B) geography. C) environmental chemistry. D) geology.
A
66) Rocks that appear pitted and grooved, and sometimes polished smooth by eolian processes, are termed A) ventifacts. B) desert pavements. C) yardangs. D) alluvium.
A
73) At which of the following locations does subduction occur? A) along collision zones between continental and oceanic plates B) along collision zones between two continents C) at sea floor spreading zones D) above mantle hot spots
A
74) An earthquake, submarine landslide, or eruption of an undersea volcano is capable of producing a A) tsunami. B) slow-moving giant swell. C) tidal wave. D) wave in the open ocean of great height.
A
78) The effect of urbanization on a typical stream hydrograph is to A) decrease lag time between storm peak and peak stream discharge. B) increase lag time between storm peak and peak stream discharge. C) create a base flow. D) decrease runoff.
A
79) Snow that has a compact, granular structure is known as A) firn. B) glacial ice. C) meta-ice. D) snowflakes.
A
84) The term "periglacial" refers to A) cold-climate processes along the margins of glaciers. B) regions that are too warm for ground ice. C) areas that are on top of a glacier. D) processes and effects that existed during the last ice age but not today.
A
92) Which of the following is matched correctly? A) magma lava B) granite metamorphic C) basalt sedimentary D) sandstone igneous
A
94) 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 A) wave refraction. B) breakers. C) tidal bore. D) longshore current.
A
97) In most areas, the upper surface of bedrock is partially weathered to broken-up rock called A) regolith. B) sediment. C) bedrock. D) parent rock.
A
33) 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 A) remain constant. B) increase. C) decrease.
B
43) Pangaea is currently dated at A) 65 million years ago. B) 225 to 200 million years ago. C) the beginning of the Holocene. D) 4.6 billion years ago. E) about half the time span of Earth's existence.
B
49) Which of the following is likely to occur if the gradient of a stream increases? (Assume that the discharge and sediment load remain unchanged.) A) The amount of aggradation in the channel will increase. B) The stream will begin to erode its channel and/or its banks. C) The stream will begin to deposit more of its load. D) The amount of bed load transport will decrease.
B
5) The total possible load a stream can transport is its ________, whereas a stream's ability to move particles of specific size is its ________. A) discharge; competence B) capacity; competence C) competence; capacity D) bed load; sediment load
B
51) A rock transformed from any other rock through profound physical and/or chemical processes is referred to as A) sedimentary. B) metamorphic. C) ancient. D) igneous.
B
53) The removal and lifting of individual loose particles by the wind is termed A) saltation. B) deflation. C) abrasion. D) deposition.
B
57) The ocean floor subducts under continents because A) the ocean floor has a lower density and therefore sinks more easily. B) the ocean floor is made of mafic material and is therefore more dense than continental material. C) the ocean floor is made of felsic minerals and is heavier than continental material. D) the weight of the continents is so great that they push the ocean floor material downward. E) both A and B
B
60) Uniformitarianism assumes that A) Earth is quite young and is shaped by dramatic events. B) the same physical processes we see today are a key to understanding the processes that have been operating throughout geologic time. C) mountains, plains, and canyons formed by catastrophic events. D) catastrophic episodes have regularly occurred.
B
54) Which of the following is true regarding permafrost? A) The surface layer in a permafrost region never thawseven during the warm season. B) It is an area that is covered by glaciers. C) It develops where soil or rock temperatures are below freezing for at least two years. D) It occurs at a lower elevation in the midlatitudes than in the high latitudes.
C
6) Drowned glacial valleys are known as A) paternoster lakes. B) tarns. C) fjords. D) kettle holes.
C
41) The bulk of ice on Earth is sitting in A) North America, specifically Alaska. B) floating ice shelves and packs. C) Greenland and Antarctica. D) European and Asian mountain ranges.
C
42) Louis Agassiz called glacially deposited boulders that differ in composition and origin from the ground on which they rest A) horns. B) tarns. C) erratics. D) nunataks.
C
65) In the Northern hemisphere mid-latitudes, slopes that face ________ have more trees on them because ________. A) south; they receive more direct sunshine for photosynthesis B) north; they receive more direct sunshine C) north; they are more moist D) south; they receive more rainfall
C
80) The large sheets of rock that break off batholiths, such as Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, develop as a result of A) salt crystal growth. B) frost wedging. C) exfoliation. D) mineral expansion.
C
81) Other than the rock itself, the most important chemical substance needed for the majority of weathering processes is A) carbon dioxide. B) oxygen. C) water. D) nitrogen.
C
85) The most active tectonic regions of North and South America are on the A) eastern coasts. B) mid-continent. C) western coasts. D) southern coasts.
C
87) The suspended load of a stream consists of particles that are A) dragged along the stream bed. B) rolled and bounced along the stream bed. C) held aloft in the stream flow. D) in solution.
C
29) Worldwide, alpine glaciers are presently increasing in size and number.
FALSE
40) Alfred Wegner's theory of continental drift was immediately accepted by the scientific community when it was proposed.
FALSE
50) Karst topography involves the chemical weathering of granite landscapes.
FALSE
62) Rivers make excellent political boundaries since they are clearly defined landform features.
FALSE
25) Composite cones have steep slopes and experience ________ eruptions because they are composed of ________ magma. A) mild; mafic B) violent; mafic C) violent; felsic D) mild; felsic
C
28) A glacier that is confined in a bowl-shaped recess is called a A) mountain glacier. B) piedmont glacier. C) cirque glacier. D) valley glacier.
C
32) A tarn is a lake in a A) horn. B) till plain. C) cirque. D) glacial valley.
C
34) 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) catastrophism C) superposition
C
35) Explosive eruptions tend to build up A) plateau basalts. B) many subsequent lava flows. C) composite volcanoes. D) shield-shaped volcanoes.
C
4) An interruption in a stream's graded profile of equilibrium is called a A) base level. B) longitudinal interruption. C) nickpoint. D) gradation.
C
4) The ultimate base level is A) a dam. B) an interior basin. C) sea level. D) all of these
C
89) As regards wetlands, which of the following is correctly matched? A) mangrove swamps poleward of the 30th parallel in either hemisphere B) salt marsh between the equator and the 30th parallel in both hemispheres C) salt marsh poleward of the 30th parallel in either hemisphere D) salt marshes low productivity due to the salinity
C
90) The undulating form that gives Earth's surface its character and general configuration is called A) crust. B) relief. C) topography. D) an order of relief.
C
91) The opposite of the accumulation zone in a glacier is the A) equilibrium line. B) snow and firn area. C) ablation zone. D) abrasion zone.
C
11) Elongated, streamlined ridges aligned parallel to the most effective wind direction are called A) alluvial rock structures. B) desert pavements. C) ventifacts. D) yardangs.
D
12) Compared to oceanic crust, continental crust is A) usually formed with less than 50 percent silica and is rich in iron and magnesium. B) essentially composed of basalt. C) denser. D) generally more complex in content and structure
D
13) Which of the following gives the correct sequence of layers in Earth, from the surface to the center? A) crust, core, lower mantle, asthenosphere B) crust, lower mantle, asthenosphere, core C) asthenosphere, lower mantle, crust, core D) crust, asthenosphere, lower mantle, core
D
18) The San Andreas system in California is an example of a A) strike -slip fault. B) right-lateral motion. C) transform fault. D) All of these are correct.
D
19) Uplift of the landscape creates ________ energy which is converted to ________ energy when materials begin to move downslope. A) kinetic; potential B) potential; chemical C) kinetic; chemical D) potential; kinetic
D
22) The rate at which rocks weather depends upon A) the type of rock. B) the amount of vegetation in an area. C) the climate of an area. D) all of these E) the climate of an area and the type of rock only.
D
23) Watersheds are defined by A) fluvial units. B) stream orders. C) continental divides. D) drainage divides.
D
36) The term "eolian" refers to A) stream-related processes. B) glacial processes in areas outside the polar regions. C) weathering and mass movement in humid regions. D) erosion, transportation, and deposition by the wind.
D
44) Continental crust is basically ________, whereas oceanic crust is basically ________. A) sima; sial B) thin; thick C) basalt; granite D) granite; basalt
D
45) If you wanted to avoid earthquakes, which of the following areas would be the safest to live? A) island arc along a subduction zone B) convergent plate boundary C) divergent plate boundary D) shield
D
48) Desert pavement refers to A) specially constructed roadbeds in dry and hot regions. B) sand-covered surfaces. C) surfaces that evidently were not affected by the 1991 Persian Gulf War. D) surfaces of concentrated pebbles and gravels that are produced by particle removal and water-delivered cementing materials.
D
59) Terranes refer to A) the topography of a tract of land. B) the "lay of the land." C) the continental shields within each continent. D) displaced and migrating pieces of Earth's crust.
D
68) Coal is a fossil fuel formed from A) dead marine organisms. B) blue-green algae. C) metamorphosed mafic minerals. D) plants.
D
71) Which of the following is not a sedimentary rock? A) bituminous coal B) sandstone C) shale D) marble
D
31) The ocean floor is created along midocean ridges.
TRUE
46) Stream width, depth, and velocity are all responsive to discharge rates.
TRUE
47) The Appalachians are older than the Rockies.
TRUE
67) The presence of meltwater at the bottom of a glacier can increase its rate of movement.
TRUE
86) A single groin can produce both sand erosion and deposition.
TRUE
93) A floodplain consists of alluvium.
TRUE
96) The angle of repose of snow avalanche slopes is typically higher than that for soil or rock.
TRUE
99) The dynamic equilibrium model of landscape evolution emphasizes a balance among forces, form and process--rather than cyclical stages of development.
TRUE
