Geology Final Questions

What percentage of the Earth's water is in the form of groundwater?

0.62%

How many subdeltas have been formed by the Mississippi River in the last 6,000 years?

7

What percentage of Earth's water is in the form of seawater?

97.2%

What is the geologic definition of a stream?

A channelized body of water flowing down gradient

What is an antecedent stream?

A stream that existed before uplift in a region

What is permeability?

Ability to transmit water

Which of the following is not a factor that will influence infiltration of groundwater?

Acidity of precipitation

How much of Earth's surface water exists in the oceans?

Almost all of Earth's surface water exists in the oceans.

Match the type of flood with the correct definition. Dam-Failure Floods

Artificial containment structures fail

At which of the following locations is deposition occurring?

B & D

Particles moving by saltation are transported in the _______ load.

Bed

Which of the following is not one of the three basic stream channel morphologies?

Bedrock channel

According to scientists and engineers, which of the following is the best type of flood control?

Constructing a park in a flood plain

The ________ is an elevational point that divides an entire continent into large drainage basins

Continental Divide

________ occurs when a rock is gradually dissolved by flowing water.

Corrosion

Which portion of the stream is the most likely to become an oxbow lake in the near future?

D

Identify the stream drainage pattern with the correct name: Radial, Rectangular, Trellis, or Dendritic.

Drainage Pattern: Radial Underlying Geology: Topographic high in center of drainage pattern

Identify the stream drainage pattern with the correct name: Radial, Rectangular, Trellis, or Dendritic.

Drainage Pattern: Rectangular Underlying Geology: Fractured bedrock

At which of the following locations is erosion occurring?

E, C, A

Why does groundwater discharge to Earth's surface?

Earth's surface is irregular, and permeability decreases with depth within Earth.

Which of the following statements about deposition and erosion around meander loops is true? Choose all that apply.

Erosion occurs where water is moving the fastest along the outside of the loop. Deposition occurs where water is moving the slowest along the inside of the loop.

________ is a term for bacteria that are found in the high temperature, chemical-rich geothermal features like Octopus Pool at Yellowstone National Park.

Extremophiles

In a series of stream terrace levels, the oldest terrace is the one that is lowest in elevation.

False

The hydrologic cycle is off-balance because more liquid is brought in via comets and meteorites each year.

False

The water table will undulate with the ground surface. It will be low where the surface is high and high where the surface is low.

False

When discharge increases, the flow velocity will increase. However, the width and depth of the stream will decrease because the stream downcutting.

False

Match the type of sediment load to the correct definition. Suspended Load

Fine sediments that are held up by the water and carried throughout the water column

________ are flat areas along streams that are created by the deposition of alluvium and is subject to periodic inundation.

Floodplains

Match the type of flood with the correct definition. Flash Floods

Floods with high precipitation in a short time

Which of the following locations is a likely place to find a braided stream?

Flowing from the terminus of a glacier

Match the landform with the correct description. Delta

Form where streams enter large lakes or oceans

Match the landform with the correct description. Levee

Formed by floodwaters on either side of a stream

Match the landform with the correct description. Alluvial Fan

Formed by mountain streams emerging onto a flat plain

Match the type of flood with the correct definition. Ice-Jam Floods

Frozen material creates a temporary dam on a thawing river

A(n) ________ stream is a stream that is in equilibrium and is neither eroding or depositing material, but simply transporting it.

Graded stream

Which of the following is true regarding groundwater as you move deeper below the surface?

Groundwater moves over larger distances, over longer timescales.

Which of the following would increase flow velocity?

Having a narrow, deep channel

In which part of a stream's course would one typically find bedrock channels?

Headwaters

Which 19th century scientist developed the equation that determines the discharge of an aquifer with the following equation: Q =

Henri Darcy

In order for an aquifer to use useful for human consumption, what kind of porosity and permeability should it have?

High porosity, high permeability

What force pushes groundwater from pore space to pore space when below the water table?

Hydraulic Gradient

In which country were geysers were first identified and described?

Iceland

Match the word with the correct definition. Aquitard

Impermeable layer that prevents flow

Match the geothermal feature with the correct definition. Geyser

Intermittent hot springs that periodically eject water into the air with great force

Match the type of sediment load to the correct definition. Dissolved Load

Ions in solution that are dispersed throughout the flow

Match the type of sediment load to the correct definition. Bed Load

Larger sediments that bounce, roll, or slide along the bottom

Which of the following beds would be easiest for a stream to erode?

Lined with silt

Match the correct label to the type of gaining/losing stream.

Losing Stream (Connected)

Which of the following is a characteristic of a graded stream? CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY.

Meanders Well-developed floodplain

What geologic process is responsible for warming the water at Hot Springs National Park?

Normal geothermal gradient

How does water get from the oceans onto land?

Ocean water evaporates to form gaseous water and moves into the atmosphere, where it condenses into liquid water and falls out of the atmosphere to land as rain.

What is the term used to describe the hypothetical line the water in a confined aquifer would rise to if it weren't trapped?

Potentiometric surface

Which of the following characteristics is not true or groundwater?

Rarely contains dissolved solids

What type of drainage pattern develops on highly jointed bedrock?

Rectangular

The Great Flood of 1993 in the Upper Mississippi River basin is an example of which type of flood?

Regional flood

Match the word with the correct definition. Unconfined Aquifer

Rock or regolith that can store and transmit water and receives its recharge directly from the atmosphere

Match the word with the correct definition. Confined Aquifer

Rock or regolith that can store and transmit water, but it contained between two impermeable layers

What is the ultimate base level?

Sea level

Which of the following is not one of the three zones of a river system?

Sediment Capacity Zone

________ is the area at the headwaters of a stream where most of the sediment is derived.

Sediment Production

Which of the following materials would make the best aquitard?

Shale

What mineral substance is makes up most geyser deposits?

Sinter

Match the landform with the correct description. Bar

Small deposits that form in the stream channel

Which ocean is Earth's largest?

The Pacific Ocean

What is the wetted perimeter of a stream?

The amount of flow in contact with the banks and bed of the channel

What would happen to atmospheric water if Earth were mostly covered with land?

The atmosphere would contain less water.

What is the longitudinal profile?

The cross-sectional area from the headwaters to the mouth

What is base level?

The downward limit of erosion

What is the knickpoint?

The edge of a resistant ledge over which a stream flows, becoming a waterfall

What does the hydrologic cycle describe?

The hydrologic cycle describes how liquid and gaseous water move between the ocean, atmosphere, and land.

What is the mouth of a stream?

The location where streamflow ends

What would happen to the oceans if surface runoff and groundwater flow did NOT occur?

The oceans would become smaller.

The water table __________.

The water table __________. surface is a subdued version of the surface topography

How would the water table be affected if Earth were made up of uniform, permeable material?

The water table would not exist.

In order for a stream to build and maintain a bird's-foot delta, a stream has to be carrying more sediment to the delta than is being removed by wave action.

True

Maximum velocity occurs when the stream is at the bankful stage.

True

Running water is the single most important erosional agent sculpting Earth's land surface.

True

Waterfalls are temporary features in the geologic record.

True

The Nile River in Africa is a stream.

True.

How does the use of water by humans affect the water table?

Use of water by humans increases discharge, resulting in lowered water tables.

How will channel velocity change along the longitudinal profile of a stream?

Velocity will start low and gradually increase toward the mouth due to increasing discharge downstream

What geologic process is responsible for the geothermal features in Yellowstone National Park?

Volcanic activity

What is porosity?

Volume of pore space in a material

Which of the following is a true statement about groundwater?

Water in a groundwater system is stored in subsurface pore spaces and fractures.

What is infiltration?

Water soaking into the ground

How will the water table respond when there is a drought?

Water table will fall

How will the water table respond if it is a wet spring?

Water table will rise

Which of the following regions is famous for its artesian wells?

Western South Dakota

What is a flood?

When discharge in a river exceeds the river's capacity

The ________ is the point in the subsurface where 100% of the pore spaces are filled with water.

Zone of Saturation

An artesian well must tap into ______.

a confined aquifer

What is the term for sediment deposited by streams?

alluvium

Which of the following would produce a LOWER water table? CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY.

an increase in the amount of discharge to surface water a decrease in the amount of recharge to groundwater

A perched aquifer is located directly above a(n) __________.

aquitard

Where is most of Earth's freshwater found?

as ice at Earth's surface

The area outlined in orange is a(n) __________, which is an apron of sediment formed by neighboring __________.

bajada, alluvial fans

What are the three types of loads carried by streams?

bed load, suspended load, dissolved load

Waterfalls are a characteristic of a ____.

bedrock channel

A ________ stream consists of a complex network of converging and diverging channels that weave around channel bars.

braided stream

Which of the following materials is most readily dissolved by water?

calcite

________ is the maximum load of solid particles a stream can transport per unit time.

capacity

Complete this analogy: Bouncing is to sand as suspension is to_____________.

clay

________ is a measure of a stream's ability to transport particles based on size rather than quantity.

competence

The process that causes dissolution of limestone bedrock in a stream is ______.

corrosion

________ is a term used to describe how the water table around a well becomes lower as water is taken from the subsurface.

drawdown

Describe the erosion occurring during headward erosion.

erosion backwards at the start of the stream

What are water gaps?

erosion through hills or ridges caused by a change in base level

A geyser is a type of artesian well.

false

Aquitards are made of high-conductivity materials such as clay.

false

As stream velocity slows, the smallest particles get deposited first.

false

Groundwater migrates from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure.

false

Point bars are locations where erosion occurs whereas cutbanks are locations where deposition occurs.

false

The majority of Earth's geysers are found in Iceland.

false

The majority of groundwater occurs as underground rivers.

false

The water table is the uppermost three feet of the zone of saturation.

false

Wells are drilled into the subsurface to remove water from the unsaturated zone.

false

Yellowstone is the tallest geyser in Yellowstone National Park.

false

During what periods would streams see the greatest erosion and transportation of sediment?

floods

Match the correct label to the type of gaining/losing stream.

gaining stream

Which of the following are part of the bed load? CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY.

gravel and sand

Groundwater flows from __________.

high to low pressure areas

Which of the following represent the largest volume of freshwater found on Earth?

ice sheets and glaciers

Complete this analogy: Sliding is to gravel as dissolution is to_____________.

ions

A __________ is separated from the groundwater system by the unsaturated zone.

losing stream (disconnected)

In terms of competence, if the velocity of the stream triples, the impact force of the water will increase ________ times.

nine

Worldwide, the largest percentage of freshwater readily available to humans is stored in _______.

pore spaces between rocks and sediments

What is the source of the majority of water in geothermal features?

precipitation

How can pieces of rock in contact with a stream bed move?

rolling, sliding, bouncing

Which of the following has the highest permeability?

sand

Match the type of flood with the correct definition. Regional Floods

seasonal floods

Which of the following particle sizes is most likely to make up a stream's suspended load?

silt

What groundwater feature forms where the water table intersects with the Earth's surface, creating a natural outflow of groundwater?

spring

Alluvial fans occur where a _____ exits the _____ and enters the _____.

stream, mountains, basin

Evapotranspiration moves water from _______.

the biosphere to the atmosphere

Which of the following is necessary to calculate hydraulic gradient?

the distance between two wells that penetrate the zone of saturation

What is suspended load?

the fine-grained particles that travel in the water column above the stream bed

What is the water table?

the top of the saturated zone beneath Earth's surface

It is always difficult to pump groundwater from _____.

the vadose zone

A typical rate of groundwater flow for many aquifers is approximately 4 cm/day.

true

Clay's porosity is high, but its permeability is low, which means that it has a low specific yield.

true

Lakes and streams are surface expressions of the water table.

true

Streams carry most of their sediment load in the form of suspended load.

true

The water in the majority of wells cannot rise above the level of the water table on its own.

true

When precipitation occurs over a forest, only 25% of the water will make it through the canopy to the forest floor, where other factors may affect how much of that will infiltrate.

true

In the __________, groundwater fills the pore space.

zone of saturation