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87 Cards in this Set
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This mass-wasting process is especially associated with the permanently frozen ground found underlying much of Alaska and Canada. a. Debris Flow b. Slump c. Rockslide d. solifluction |
d. solifluction |
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When __________ occurs, a crescent-shaped scarp (cliff) is created at its head. a. Rockfall b. Slump c. Debris Flow d. Creep |
b. Slump |
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This diagram illustrates which mass-wasting process? Pg. 501 fig 15.13 a. Slump b. Rock slide c. Debris Flow d. lahar |
a. Slump |
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Which one of these factors played a significant role in the massive rockslide along Wyoming's Gros Ventre River in 1925? a. Water from heavy rains and snowmelt b. Fires that removed stabilizing vegetation c. Oversteepened slopes caused by highway construction d. An earthquake |
a. Water from heavy rains and snowmelt |
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The steepest angle that a pile of dry unconsolidated particles can sustain before moving downslope is the angle of ________. a. Repose b. Talus c. Stability d. Retention |
a. Repose |
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The massive landslide in the canyon of Montana's Madison River was triggered by __________. a. Water from heavy rains and snowmelt b. Fires that removed stabilizing vegetation c. Oversteepened slopes caused by highway construction d. An earthquake
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d. An earthquake |
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This term is used to describe material that slides downslope as a unit along a curved surface. a. Debris flow b. Slump c. lahar d. solifluction |
b. slump |
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A debris flow composed mostly of volcanic materials is called a (an) _________. a. Earthflow b. Solifluction lobe c. lahar d. slump |
c. lahar |
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Saturating the pore spaces of weathered debris with water will usually decrease the likelihood of downslope movement. (TRUE or FALSE)
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False |
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In the evolution of many landforms mass-wasting is the step that precedes weathering. (True or False) |
False |
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This mass-wasting process is most frequently associated with hillsides in humid regions during times of heavy rains or snowmelt. a. Earthflow b. Rockslide c. Solifluction d. Unloading |
E. Earthflow |
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Slump describes the very slow, downhill movement of soil. (True or False)
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False |
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When and where is solifluction common? a. Rainy season in the tropics b. Dry season in subtropical deserts like the Sahara c. Summer monsoon season in India d. Summer in northern Alaska |
d. Summer in northern Alaska |
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Plants tend to anchor slopes and contribute to slope stability (True or False) |
True |
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The largest river in North America in terms of discharge is the ___________ River. a. Columbia b. Colorado c. Mississippi d. Yukon |
c. Mississippi |
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As stream discharge increases ___________. a. Stream velocity, channel width, and channel depth all increase b. Stream velocity increases but channel width and depth decrease c. Stream velocity, channel width, and channel depth all decrease d. Channel depth increases but channel width and stream velocity decrease |
a. Stream velocity, channel width, and channel depth all increase |
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We know that the oceans contain most of Earth's water. Which one of the following ranks second? a. Groundwater b. Lakes c. Glaciers d. Atmosphere |
c. Glaciers |
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Channel width X channel depth X velocity is the formula used to determine a stream's ___________. a. Discharge b. Gradient c. Longitudinal profile d. Sheetflow |
a. Discharge
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Which one of the following is NOT a type of drainage pattern? a. Radial b. Rectangular c. Triangular d. Dendritic |
c. Triangular |
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The vertical drop of a stream channel over a certain distance defines _________. a. Discharge b. Laminar flow c. Runoff d. Gradient |
d. Gradient |
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Which one of the following is NOT one of the four basic drainage patterns? a. Conate b. Trellis c. Rectangular d. Dendritic |
a. Conate |
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If you were to examine the longitudinal profile of a typical river, you would probably find that the gradient is ___________. a. Steepest near the mouth b. Steepest near the head c. About the same at both the head and the mouth
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b. Steepest near the head |
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Stream velocity usually decreases toward the mouth of a river. (True of False) |
False |
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More water evaporates from the oceans than is returned to the oceans by precipitation. (True or False) |
True |
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The single most important agent sculpting Earth's surface is ________ erosion. a. Wind b. Ice c. Ocean current d. Stream |
d. Stream |
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The continuous movement of water from the oceans to the atmosphere, from the atmosphere to the land and from the land back to the sea is known as _________. a. Evapotranspiration b. Kreb's cycle c. Hydrologic cycle d. Atmospheric cycle
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c. Hydrologic cycle |
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Sea level drops when water is stored in expanding glaciers. (True and False) |
True |
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Which one of the following factors does NOT favor increased infiltration? a. Porous and sandy soil b. Gentle rainfall c. Saturated ground d. Gentle slop |
c. Saturated ground |
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A river originates 200 meters above sea level and travels 400 kilometers to the ocean. What is the average gradient in meters per kilometer? a. 0.5 m/km b. 2 m/km c. 5 m/km d. 0.2 m/km |
a. 0.5 m/km |
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The amount of water flowing past a certain point in a given unit of time is termed the infiltration capacity. (True or False) |
False |
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Which one of the following rivers has the greatest average discharge? a. Ganges b. Congo c. Nile d. Mississippi e. Amazon |
e. Amazon |
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Which of the following represents the greatest volume of water? a. Lakes b. Rivers c. Groundwater d. atmosphere
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c. Groundwater |
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Which one of the following is NOT a subdivision of the zone of aeration? a. Zone of soil moisture b. Capillary fringe c. Zone of ablation d. Intermediate belt |
c. Zone of ablation |
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A measure of a material's ability to transmit groundwater through interconnected pore spaces is known as its ________. a. Permeability b. Transmission coefficient c. Porosity d. Artesian flow |
a. Permeability |
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In the United States, more groundwater is used for this purpose than for any other. a. Drinking b. Industry c. Flushing toilets d. Irrigation |
d. Irrigation |
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The shape of the water table is a subdued replica of the surface topography (True of False) |
True |
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About what percentage of Earth's water is groundwater? a. 0.6% b. 6.0% c. 16% d. 60% |
a. 0.6% |
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At any one location, the height of the water table generally does not fluctuate. (True or False) |
False |
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The natural flow of groundwater that exists when the water table intersects the ground surface is called a(n) ____________. a. Well b. Acquitard c. Sinkhole d. Spring |
d. Spring |
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Diagram pg. 560, label |
. |
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This term is used to describe an impermeable layer that hinders or prevents the movement of groundwater. a. Artesian b. Aquitard c. Aquifer d. Spelothem |
b. Aquitard |
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This term refers to rock strata or sediments that readily transmit groundwater. |
Aquifer |
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The term _________ applies to any situation in which groundwater under pressure rises on its own above the level of the aquifer. a. Aeration b. Aquitard c. Artesian d. perched |
c. Artesian |
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A hole dug into the zone of saturation is called a ___________. a. Cone of depression b. Well c. Spring d. Aquifer |
b. Well |
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This is a measure of the amount of groundwater that can be stored by rock or sediment. a. Capillary capacity b. Soil moisture index c. Porosity d. Hydraulic gradient |
c. Porosity |
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As ice sheets get larger, sea level _______. a. Rises b. Drops c. Remains unchanged d. Fluctuates |
b. Drops |
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During the last major advance of the Ice Age about 18,000 years ago, sea level was about ___________ meters ___________ than at present. a. 50; higher b. 200; higher c. 100; lower d. 300; lower |
c. 100; lower |
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As a glacier moves down a valley, the ice in the center moves ________ than the ice along the sides. a. Faster b. Slower c. About the same rate as |
a. Faster |
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Where was the Atlantic shoreline of North America 18,000 years ago when ice sheets of the most recent glacial episode were at a maximum? a. To the east of the present shoreline b. To the west of the present shoreline c. Very near its present location |
a. To the east of the present shoreline |
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Alpine glaciers typically widen and deepen valleys, creating a U-shaped glacial _____________. a. Horn b. Arete c. Trough d. Moraine |
c. Trough |
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A single glacier may produce many end moraines. (True or False) |
True |
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The broad deposit of stratified drift that is deposited beyond the end moraine of an ice sheet is a (an) ___________. a. Drumlin b. Outwash plain c. Kame d. Esker |
b. Outwash plain |
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Chesapeake and Delaware Bays are prominent examples of estuaries. (True or False) |
True |
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The outer limit of a glacier's zone of accumulation is defined by the __________. a. End moraine b. Terminus c. Snowline d. Tam |
c. Snowline |
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Estuaries form when sea level _________. a. Rises b. Drops c. Remains unchanged d. Fluctuates widely |
a. Rises |
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Studies have shown that the margins of some North American ice sheets advanced at rates of about 50-320 meters per ____________. a. Day b. Week c. Month d. Year |
d. Year |
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Fractures in the uppermost part of a glacier are called __________. a Crevasses b. Eskers c. Fissures d. Ice faults |
a. Crevasses |
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As the front of a glacier is retreating, a layer of unsorted glacial sediment (till) known as a (an) _______________ is deposited. a. Ground moraine b. Outwash plain c. Zone of accumulation d. Deflation veneer |
a. Ground moraine |
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When ice accumulation exceeds ice wastage, the front of a glacier will __________. a. Advance b. Remain stationary c. Retreat d. Disappear |
a. Advance |
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Maine's Acadia National Park and vicinity is an excellent example of ___________________. a. A portion of new England that was not glaciated during the Ice Age. b. A region eroded by alpine glaciers c. An area flooded by the post-Ice Age rise in sea level |
c. An area flooded by the post-Ice Age rise in sea level |
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Which one of the following regions has NOT been modified by glacial erosion and/or deposition? a. Yosemite Valley, CA b. Great Lakes c. Stone Mountain, GA d. Cape Cod, MA |
c. Stone Mountain, GA |
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Desert streams are usually dry and carry water only after periods of rain. Such streams are said to be _____________. a. Peripheral b. Ephemeral c. Anticlinal d. Dendritic |
b. Ephemeral
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Approximately ____________ percent of the world's land area is characterized by dry climates. a. 10 b. 20 c. 30 d. 40 |
c. 30 |
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Which one of the following statements about deserts is accurate? a. Infrequent desert rains are often heavy b. They consist of mile after mile of sand dunes c. Wind is the most important erosional agent d. Deserts are lifeless or almost lifeless |
a. Infrequent desert rains are often heavy |
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Steppe climates can also be described as __________. a. Ultra-dry b. Glacial c. Humid d. Semiarid |
d. Semiarid |
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Many middle latitude deserts may also be characterized as __________ deserts. a. Orographic b. Ephemeral c. Rainshadow d. Parabolic |
c. Rainshadow |
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Climatologists define dry climates as those in which annual precipitation is exceeded by potential annual ______________. a. Runoff b. Infiltation c. Evaporation |
c. Evaporation |
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Which one of the following is NOT a rainshadow desert? a. Arabian Desert b. Great Basin desert c. Patagonian Desert d. Gobi Desert |
a. Arabian Desert |
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Usually sand dunes cover 50 percent or more of desert surfaces. (True or false) |
False |
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Rainshadow deserts occur on the __________ sides of mountains. a. Leeward b. Steepest c. South d. Windward |
a. Leeward |
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Which term is used to describe a desert climate? a. Arid b. Littoral c. Taiga d. Steppe |
a. Arid
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The lifting and removal of loose material by wind is known as _____________. a. Deflation b. Inflation c. Refraction d. Ablation |
a. Deflation |
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A surface of tightly packed coarse pebbles on the desert surface is called __________. a. Desert pavement b. Pedalfer c. Desert varnish d. Blowout |
a. Desert pavement |
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A ___________ is a depression excavated by wind in easily eroded materials. a. Sinkhold b. Kettle hole c. Barchans d. Blowout |
d. Blowout |
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Desert pavement _______________. a. Represents a layer of stream-deposited pebbles b. Is created when wind carries away finer particles, leaving coarse particles behind c. Is formed when strong winds roll coarse pebbles into an area |
b. Is created when wind carries away finer particles, leaving coarse particles behind |
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Longshore currents move opposite the direction of the beach drift. (True or False) |
False |
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The collapse of a sea arch often produces a sea stack. (True or False) |
True |
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A ridge of sand that extends into the mouth of an adjacent bay is a ___________. a. Tombolo b. Spit c. Sea arch d. Groin |
b. Spit |
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A __________ is an isolated mass of rock standing just offshore produced by a wave erosion of a headland. a. Seamount b. Seawall c. Sea arch d. Sea stack |
d. Sea stack |
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Longshore currents are responsible for producing all of the following features EXCEPT a ___________. a. Spit b. Baymouth bar c. Tombolo d. Groin |
d. Groin |
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Over time the beach behind a breakwater tends to _________. a. Widen as more sand accumulates b. Get narrower because it is starved for sand c. Show little or no change |
a. Widen as more sand accumulates |
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In the open sea, the form of a wave moves forward while the water itself moves backward. (True or False) |
False |
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Expanding air is responsible for breaking rocks and enlarging fractures as a wave withdraws. (True or False) |
True |
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A ridge of sand that connects an island to the mainland is a ________ |
Tombolo |
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Breakwaters are wall-like structures built parallel to the shore to protect boats from the force of breaking waves (True and False) |
True |
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The grinding action of water "armed" with rock fragments is a process called __________. |
abrasion |
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The movement of water parallel to the shore in the surf zone is called __________. a. Baymouth current b. Longshore current c. Saltation d. Fetch |
b. Longshore current |
