Geography Final
The basic sampling unit in soil surveys is called...
a pedon
The sandblasting action of wind-blown particles is called
abrasion
A soil rich in hydrogen ions is an ________ soil, and high in base cations is an _________ soil.
acid; basic
The destruction of a mangrove swamp might lead to
all of the above are true
Alpine glaciers include all of the following except
an ice cap
A terrace us
an uplift wave-cut platform
Coral formations
are made of animals living symbolically with simple algae
Which of the following is not related to coral rock formations?
bay barriers and barrier spits
Terms used to describe soil structure include...
fine, medium, and coarse
If precipitation events occur in a desert, a dry stream bed can fill with a torrent called a ______ and the dry stream bed is known as a _____
flash flood; wash
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 general name for any distinct layer in a pedon is...
horizon
The type of glacier that dominates Greenland and Antarctica is
ice sheet
The ability of the wind to move materials
is small compared to other transporting agents, such as water and ice
Which side of a dune typically has a slop angle equal to that of the angle of repose for sand?
leeward side
The concentration of dissolved solids in the seawater is called
salinity
Mollisols are associated with
the greatest grain harvests in the world
An earthquake, submarine landslide, or eruption of undersea volcano is capable of producing a
tsunami
Which of the following is not an example of a depositional coastal landform?
wave-cut platform
In terms of area extent, which of the following sequences is in order from most to least area covered?
ice sheet, ice cap, ice field
Brackish water would most like occur
in a deltaic swamp
Salinization is likely to occur
in areas of high potential evapotranspiration and low actual evapotranspiration.
The principle natural soil-forming factors
include climate, vegetation, topography
Which of the following grain sizes is most readily moved by the wind?
intermediate
List three classes of dune forms
linear, star, and crescentic
A general term for the coastal environment is
littoral zone
A roughly equal mixture of sand, silt, and clay is called
loam
Which of the following occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are all in alignment?
maximum tidal ranges occur
About 2% of the oceanic mass comprise the
mixing zone of blended solutes and temperatures
A coral is a type of _____ that secretes ____ to form an organic rock home.
polyp; calcium carbonate
The basic soil unit used in preparing soils maps; i.e., in identifying a series of soils in an area, is the...
polypedon
At present, which of the soil orders of soil taxonomy occupy the most land area in the United States?
Mollisols
True solum is made up of
a combination of the A, E, and B horizons
Because the algae which live in symbiotic relationship with coral perform ________, corals _______
photosynthesis; must live in water that is penetrated by light
About _____ area of desert areas are covered with sand?
10%
World wide average salinity is
3.5%
Approximately what percentage of the world's freshwater is frozen?
77 percent
Clay is easy to lift from a surface and also is easy to keep suspended in the air.
False
Firn has a higher density than glacial ice.
False
Glacial ice can form during the duration of a single winter season in most glacial areas.
False
Seawater is not a solution.
False
Soil color does not reflect composition or chemical makeup of soils.
False
In China, the desert pavements are called
Gobi
Why, specially, is glacial ice analogous to a metamorphic rock?
It forms as a result of recrystallization caused by pressure.
Which of the following soil horizon designations is in correct sequences from the surface to bedrock?
O, A, E, B, C, R
Which of the following is true of the ocean deep zone?
Only A and B are true.
A soil order characteristic of the Amazon Basin is an
Oxisol
The largest ocean in the world in terms of area is the ____ and the smallest ocean in terms of the area is ______
Pacific; Arctic
The science that deals with the origin, classification, and distribution of soils is known as...
Pedology
Soils associated with iron oxides generally show ________ color.
Red
Pebbles can be moved by _________ in a process known as __________.
Saltating particles; surface creep
Which of the following is incorrectly matched?
Spring tides - high tides only
Which of the following surface conditions would limit the effectiveness of wind as an erosional agent?
Surface materials consisting of clay-sized particles
The term eloian refers to
erosion, transportation, and deposition by the wind
At present, which of the following soil orders occupies the most land area worldwide?
Aridisols
Gelisols are most likely to be found in
Canada
Although many elements are dissolves 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
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 evaptranspiration rates exceed actual evaptranspiration rates.
True
Swelling clays can damage foundation because they swell when moisten and shrink when dried.
True
The Moon's gravitational pull on the Earth is greater than that of the Sun's.
True
The bulk of ice on Earth is in Greenland and Antarctica.
True
The formation of desert pavement involves both wind and water.
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
Which soil order would tend to occur in the southeastern US with its high temperature and humid environment?
Ultisols
Heavy, expandable clay soils are classified as
Vertisols
Which of the following soils would have limited horizon development and would be destructive of buildings and roads?
Vertisols
An atoll is approximately ______ in shape because it forms _______
circular; around submerged volcanic islands
A glacier that is confined in a bowl-shaped recess is called a
cirque glacier
From inland to the ocean, which sequence of zones is correct?
coast, back shore, foreshore, nearshore
A continuous mass of ice covering a large landmass is known as
continental glacier
Removal of vegetation from a 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
Near the short, 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 movement of material out of a layer is called ____________, whereas the deposition of materials in a layer is called _____________.
eluviation; illuviation
As regards wetlands; which of the followings is correctly matched?
salt marsh - poleward of the 30th parallel in either hemisphere
White to pale color in soils are generally associated with
silicates and aluminum oxides
What size material comprises the dust in a dust storm that extends thousands of feet above the ground?
silts and clays
Which of the following lists of soil categories gives the proper hierarchy for the soil Taxonomy system from the largest group to the smallest unit?
soil orders, suborders, great groups, subgroups, families, series
Which of the following is true of loess deposits?
They are formed of fine-grained clays and silts.
Which of the following is not true of tides?
They are produced solely by the gravitational pull of the Sun.
The suspension of finer particles by the wind over significant distances is a phenomenon known as
a dust storm
The spatial distributions of Earth's dry regions are attributable to all of the following factors except
the equatorial low pressure region and the ITCZ
Which of the following is not an example of an erosional coastal landform?
tombolo
The R horizon refers to
unweathered sediment or consolidated bedrock
Elongated, streamlined ridges aligned parallel to the most effective wind direction are called
yardangs
The height of a tsunami grows as it approaches a coastline primarily because
its wavelength shortens
Desertification is caused by
poor agricultural practices, deforestation, and global climate changes
Desert landscapes tend to be ____ in appearance because of the ____
rugged and hard-edged; lack of water erosion
Soil texture described the size of
soil particles
In which region of the US are eolian processes most effective?
southwest
The arrangement of soil particles is called soil
structure
Desert pavement refers to
surfaces of concentrated pebbles and gravels
Waves in shallow water that "feel bottom" are _____ and more _____ speed than the swell they are related to.
taller, closely