Human Geography Exam Study Guide
Which of following is not related to the pricipal of relative geologic time?
Uniformitarianism
Folded layers of rock can form a wavelike pattern of troughs and crests. The layers near the crest form
an anticline
the high ground that separates one valley from another is known as ________, and it directs surface water runoff known as ________ toward a stream.
an interfluve; sheet flow
a cutoff on a meandering stream results in the formation of
an oxbow lake
the steepness of a slope made of loose material is called the
angle of repose
sand on a beach moves in a zigzag pattern when waves strike the beach ________ , and this movement of material is known as ________ .
at an angle; beach drift
cave formations develop from the precipitation of
calcite
Which of the following describes the property of true shape on a map?
conformality
watersheds are defined by
drainage divides
Earth's interior is
heated unevenly by the heat of radioactive decay
the suspended load of a stream consists of particles that are
held aloft in the stream of flow
A laccolith is actually a large version of a __________.
sill
Normal faults are associated with
tensional forces
Domes can be formed by
upwarping associated with magma movement (i.e., plutonic activity).
the largest material that can be carried by a stream is carried as
bed load
brine water results from
high evapotranspiration rates
The transition zone from the outer core to the mantle is __________ and is known as the __________ discontinuity.
uneven; Gutenberg
which of the following rock types is most affected by fluvial solution?
limestone
a landslide differs from a debris avalanche in that
a landslide moves much more slowly than a debris avalanche
drainage density refers to
a measure determined by dividing the length of all the channels by the area of its drainage basin
The layer within Earth that lies directly below the lithosphere, but above the upper mantle, is best described as
a plastic layer that flows in response to heat and pressure.
which of the following stream channel forms is likely to develop when aggradation greatly exceeds erosion?
braided channels
Terranes refer to
displaced and migrating pieces of Earth's crust.
A parallel of latitude
is used to measure distances north or south of the equator
A rock transformed from any other rock through extreme heat and or pressure is referred to as
metamorphic
an interruption in a stream's graded profile of equilibrium is called a
nickpoint
Which of the following is not correct regarding Mount Saint Helens?
It is an example of a shield volcano.
Which of the following is incorrect regarding Earth's inner core?
It is the source of Earth's magnetic field.
The phrase "considerable-to-serious damage to buildings" would be used in the __________ scale.
Mercalli
The boundary between the crust and the rest of the lithospheric upper mantle is a discontinuity known as the
Moho.
At which of the following locations does subduction occur?
along collision zones between continental and oceanic plates
maximum velocity in a stream is found
at the center and near the surface, corresponding with the deepest parts of the stream channel
which of the following would not be found along a tectonically active shoreline?
barrier islands
Which of the following gives the correct sequence of layers in Earth, from the surface to the center?
crust, aesthenosphere, lower mantle, core
the effect of urbanization on a typical stream hydrographic is to
decrease the lag time between storm peak and peak stream discharge
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 ________ . this process eventually causes ________ to form.
elliptical; breakers
Which of the following lists the correct sequence of divisions in the geologic time scale, from largest to smallest?
eon, era, period, epoch
The area at the surface directly above the subsurface location where seismic waves are initiated is termed the
epicenter
natural levees are created during
floods
the fact that water expands as much as 9 percent of its volume as it freezes is the basis of
frost wedging
conflicting forces work to establish an optimum incline on a slope. when any of these conditions are disturbed or altered the materials on the slope reach a
geomorphic threshold, or change point
Continental crust is basically __________, whereas oceanic crust is basically __________.
granite; basalt
chemical weathering is greatest under conditions of
higher mean annual rainfall and temperatures
Volcanic activity located away from plate boundaries is associated with
hot spots
a squeeze-and-release action works to loosen and lift rocks in a stream channel. this is an example of
hydraulic action
The principles of buoyancy and balance, when applied to Earth's crust, helps us to explain fluctuations in Earth's outer crust, a property known as
isostasy.
which of the following is correct regarding spheroidal weathering?
it attacks the corners and edges of rocks
which of the following is correct regarding mean sea level?
it is calculated based on average tidal levels recorded hourly at a given site over a period of many years.
On the Mercator projection, areas at high latitudes appear __________.
larger than areas of the same size located nearer to the equator
when people go swimming along a coast, they often find themselves, after a while, down the coast from where they first entered the water. they moved down shore because of
longshore currents
the lengths of the individual channels in a dendritic drainage pattern are ________ and this increases energy ________ .
minimized;efficiency
about 2 percent of the oceanic mass comprises the
mixing zone of blended solutes and temperatures
what type of feedback maintains stability in a system; i.e., what type of feedback keeps a system functioning properly?
negative
which of the following is incorrect? -earth represents a vast integrated system -earth represents an open system in terms of energy. -earth represents a closed system in terms of matter. -new resources and matter are being added to Earth's systems all the time.
new resources and matter are being added to Earth's systems all the time.
the yellow-red stains that occur on rock surfaces are the result of ________ which is a form of ________ weathering.
oxidation;chemical
The three most abundant elements in Earth's crust are
oxygen, silicon, and aluminum.
If a system responds to a change in input by moving further away from its equilibrium condition, what type of feedback has occurred?
positive
The Precambrian Eon encompasses what percentage of Earth's total history?
87.6 percent
Which of the following is correct? A) The age of the sea floor is the same in most areas of the ocean. B) The age of the sea floor does not follow a discernable pattern. C) The age of the sea floor increases with increasing distance from a midocean ridge. D) The age of the sea floor increases with increasing distance from a trench.
C) The age of the sea floor increases with increasing distance from a midocean ridge.
when a river reaches a base level, its forward velocity rapidly decelerates as it enters a large body of standing water and ________ is formed
a delta
Which of the following best describes the condition of steady-state equilibrium?
System inputs and outputs fluctuate around a stable average so the system does not move far from its average condition.
A hypsographic curve is
a generalized curve showing Earth's surface by area and elevation in relation to sea level.
On which one of the following projections do great circle routes appear as straight lines?
a gnomonic projection
the total possible load a stream can transport is its ________ , whereas a streams ability to move particles of a specific size is its ________ .
capacity; competence
The nucleus of old crystalline rock in each of the principal continental masses is called a
continental shield, or craton.
Which of the following regions is probably the most tectonically active at this time? a. the Canadian shield b. the Appalachian Mountains c. the Himalayas d. the Gulf Coast region of the United States
-
sand that extends from a coast into open water is called a
barrier spit
which of the following channel characteristics adjusts in response to changes in energy of flow and sediment load in the channel?
both a & b channel slope & channel width and depth
the dynamic equilibrium model refers to
a balancing act between tectonic uplift and rates of denudation by weathering and erosion in a given landscape.
Orogenesis refers to
a general term for a mountain-building episode that thickens continental crust.
The aesthenosphere can best be described as
a plastic
Mafic minerals are __________ minerals.
dark colored, high density
a meandering stream is one that is
delicately balanced between equilibrium and chaos
Earth's interior is layered because
materials became sorted based on density while Earth was still molten
which of the following occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in alignment (i.e., in opposition or conjunction)?
maximum tidal ranges occur
An instrument used to record vibrations in the crust is the
seismograph
which of the following is not correct regarding tides?
they are produced solely by the gravitational pull of the sun
which of the following is not an example of an erosional coastal landform?
tombolo
which drainage pattern is produced by folded topography?
trellis
Which of the following is an endogenic process?
volcanism
other than the rock itself, the most important chemical substance needed for the majority of weather processes is
water
a tributary that is physically unable to join the main channel on a floodplain is called a
yahoo tributary
If we burn fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide and warm the atmosphere, as the oceans warm they will release more carbon dioxide, which warms the atmosphere. This is an example of __________ feedback. If the increased atmospheric carbon dioxide causes increased plant growth which removes carbon dioxide and cools the atmosphere, this is an example of __________ feedback.
positive; negative
Which of the following has a high silica content, a high resistance to weathering, a low melting temperature, and a light coloration?
quartz
in most areas, the upper surface of bedrock is partially weathered to broken-up rock called
regolith
entrenchment of a channel occurs because
rejuvenation occurs due to uplift.
Vertical elevation differences in a local landscape are referred to as
relief
as regards wetlands, which of the following is correctly matched?
salt marsh-- poleward of the 30th parallel in either hemisphere
human-induced mass movements produce a category of processes known as
scarification
If you wanted to avoid earthquakes, which of the following areas would be the safest to live?
shield
the hills which form cockpit karst are separated from one another by
sinkholes
The larger the scale of a map, the __________ the area covered by the map and the __________ detail it provides.
smaller; more.
a slow persistent mass movement of surface soil is called
soil creep
With increasing depth, the mantle becomes __________ due to greater __________.
stiffer; pressures
The San Andreas system in California is an example of a
strike-slip fault. transform fault. right-lateral motion.
the littoral zone extends inland to
the highest water line that occurs during a storm
Ocean floor subducts under continents because
the ocean floor is made of mafic material and is therefore more dense than continental material.
Uniformitarianism assumes that
the same physical processes we see today are a key to understanding the processes that have been operating throughout geologic time.
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
wave refraction
which of the following lists of process are are in the correct sequence as to their occurrence in nature?
weathering, erosion, transport, deposition