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