Exam 2 quizzes Flashcards
ch. 9 - Major sources of water in the continental hydrologic comes from
- evaporation from oceans at 20 to 40 degrees north and south
What is the major source of water that falls as precipitation in the southeastern United States?
- the Atlantic Ocean near the Caribbean Islands
Locally, the climate may differ from that dictated simply by latitude (position N or S of the equator) because of
- all of the above (mountain ranges that alter atmospheric flow patterns, cold and warm surface currents in the oceans, high elevations
Much carbon dioxide was removed from Earth’s original atmosphere by
- forming calcite (CaCO3) and other carbonate minerals in limestones
What is major source of water that falls as precipitation on the WESTERN US?
- the NW Pacific ocean
With regard to global atmospheric circulation, moist warm air ascends in the
- equatorial regions
Most of the world’s major deserts are located in the
- subtropical high-pressure belts
The source of energy the “fuels” motion in the ocean-atmosphere system is
- solar energy
The most imp. Layer of the atmosphere for geologic development of the surface is the
- troposphere bc that is where weather and the decay of rocks occurs
Which of the following gasses makes up the greatest % of the earth’s atmosphere?
- Nitrogen (N2)
The atmosphere is divided into several layers based on temp. gradients - in order upward they are
- troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, magnetosphere
The ocean has two important layers. Which is true of the upper layer as compared to the lower layer?
- the upper layer is well-mixed and turbulent
A geologist drills down into the continental crust and discovers this sequence of sedimentary rocks. Glacial tillite-stream sediments-sand dunes-coal and shale - assuming the changes were caused by the movement of the continent, which was the continent moving?
- toward a pole
The major dissolved constituent of the ocean is
- NaCl (Salt)
Which of the following minerals is most stable at earth’s surface?
- Quartz
During ___ weathering, the original minerals can be destroyed, and new minerals formed that are stable at earth’s surface
- Chemical
Joints aid in chemical weathering by
- increasing the surface area exposed to weathering agents
Which of the following common rock-forming minerals weathers to form most of the clay found in soils and regolith?
- Feldspar
The products of wedging often accumulate at the bases of cliffs to form piles of angular rock fragments called
- Talus
After granite has weathered and most of the igneous minerals have been altered to other minerals, which igneous mineral will probably NOT have been affected?
Quartz
The minerals hematite and limonite result from the chemical weathering of iron-rich minerals like olivine or pyrite by what process?
oxidation
Which of the following common rocks would be most susceptible to chemical weathering?
limestone
Chem. weathering would progress most rapidly in which location?
Northern South America
How is ice wedging important in preparing rocks for chemical weathering?
it enlarges fractures and cracks, therby inc. the surface area of the rock
the general term for the blanket of loose rock debris that covers large areas of Earth’s surface is
regolith
a talus accumulation consists largely of
coarse, angular rock fragments
which is NOT a type of physical weathering
a conversion of feldspar minerals to clay and soluble material (frost action, exfoliation/unloading, tree roots - all area phys. w)
ice wedging would be most effective in
areas where freezing and thawing occur many times a year
weathering is a near-surface phenomenon, but in somer egions chem. decpomosition may operate tens of meters below the surface if
the rocks are highly fractured
- Where would you expect to see solifluction?
Siberia
Which of the following factors decreases the risk of mass movement?
- adding vegetation to the side of a hill
The type of mass movement shown in the drawing is
mud flow
in this cross section of a valley, Slope A is
Stable - there are no planes of weakness sloping toward the highway
which of the following types of mass movement takes place most gradually?
creep
the immediate cause of incidents of mass movement is
graviation
the principal diff. btwn a lahar and a muflow is
former mass contains pyroclastic debris from a volcanic eruption
type of mass movement shown in pircture is (have it)
rockslide
in this cross section, slobe B is likely to be
unstable bc of bedding plane slippage
which of the following types of mass movement travels down a curved surface?
slump
which of the following dactors DECREASES risk of mass movement
adding vegetation to the side of a hill
which of the following INCREASES risk of mass movement
Flooding the sediment with water beyond saturation
what stripped the slope (in middle of photo) of trees and other vegetation?
a large landslide
- as the velocity of flow decreases…
ALL OF THE ABOVE
- –flow tends to become more laminar
- -the maximum flow velocity decreases
- -suspended sediment starts to be deposited
the lowest elevation to which a stream can down cut is the
base level
illustration of point bar
D
which creates this (picture) unique river pattern?
a braided stream has more sediment than it can carry
what explains the shape of this delta?
its shape was made by fluvial (River) deposition
the flat-lying area surrounding a river channel is termed the
floodplain
braided streams
consist of a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sediment
within a meander, where is sediment most likely to be deposited?
point bar
a delta is part of the ___ part of a stream
distributary
drainage off of an isolated volcano will follow a ___ pattern
radial
urbanization increases the amount of runoff within stream systems T/F
TRUE
flow within a stream system is most commonly
turbulent
a watershed is the total area drained by a given stream system T/F
TRUE
alluvial fans tend to form where
streams flow into dry basins in arid regions
- Pumping vast quantities of water locally -
lowers the ocal water table, forming a cone-shaped depression
water flowing from hot springs
contains more dissolved minerals than does water flowing from cool springs
the zone below the water table is the zone of
saturation
groundwaer erodes by
solution
map of Anvil Cave, Alabama - growth of vace system probably controlled by
distribution of fractures along which ground water flowed
this block diagram shows a karst area - choose which leter represents a SINK HOLE
A
the majority of fresh liquid water on earth exists in
pores within rock and sediment
the topography of the water table
is a subdued (less steeply sloping) mimic of surface topography
the ability of a porous solid to transmit fluid is called
permeability
the water table is
the surface that marks tehh top of the saturated zone
excessive pumping of a well
ALL OF THE ABOVE (will create a cone of depression, may cause saltwater invation in coastal areas, may cause adjacent wells to become dry, will lower the water table locally)
groundwater discharge occurs at
ALL OF THE ABOVE
- -wells
- -geysers
- -springs
- -streams
the cone of depression surrounding a well
enlarges and deepens as the rate of pumping increases
the block diagram shows a karst area
–choose CAVE
B
human manipulation of the groundwater system may result in:
ALL OF THE ABOVE
- -chemical changes
- -change in water table level
- -salt water invasion
- -subsidence
sinkholes are a concern for residents whose dwellings are constructed atop
limestone
- sediment deposited directly by glaciers as they melt are characterized by
very poor sorting
large continental glaciers are found today in
greenland and Antarctica
Cirques and horns are features associated with
mountain glaciation
the first scientist to theorize the past presence of glaciers in Europe was
Louis Agassiz
at the present, glaciers cover about ___ of the surface of continents
10%
sediment deposited directly by glaciers as they melt are termed
till
when sea level rises, causing the ocean to fill a glacially carved valley, a __ results
fjord
valleys carved by glaciers tend to be shaped like the letter ___ and valleys carved by water are shaped like the letter ___
U - glaciers
V - water
a lake that forms within a bowl-shaped depression formed by a mountain glacier is called a
tarn
during glacial epoch, global sea level is
lower bc water is stored on the continents
ice is a substance with a high albedo, meaning it
relfects most of the light that falls upon it
the current interglacial interval began a little more than ___ years ago
10,000
an imp. long-term factor determining whether glacial ice will form on the continentes has likely been the proportion of which gas in the atmosphere
carbon dioxide
look at picture - where in this pic. does the total ann. amount of snow fall exceed teh total annual am. of snow melting?
E
Lake Bonneville was the predecessor of
Great Salt Lake
- which stmt. is NOT a good description of ocean waves
water particles in waves move along at the same velocity as the wave
GOOD
- -wave height is the vertical distance btwn crest and trough
- -energy is imparted to waves by winds
- -waves originate by the frictional action of wind on water
- -wave refraction causes irregular distribution of energy along the coast
longshore drift moves water and sediment
along the beach in a zig-zag path
which of the following is most likely in the evolution of coastal features
sea cave, sea arch, sea stack, sea cliff
an atoll normally
evolves from a fringe or barrier reeg
the major force in the generation of tides is
the gravitational pull of the moon
what percentage of seawater, on ave. consists of dissolved salt ions
3.5%
in this drawing, the net movement of sand is
up the coast (toward the upper side)
photo of Washington shorelines is a
wave-cut platform
if you found ancient rocks in Antarctica that had formed in an organic reef, what could you suggest?
that the climate has changes and that Antarctica has moved
the path of movement of water particle in a wave at sea is
circular
the horizontal distance btwn two successive waves’ crests is called
wave length
ordinary ocean waves derive their energy from
winds
which of the following is NOT a depositional feature
sea stack
ARE (spit, beach, barrier island, baymouth bar)
these drawings show stages of evolution for coastline - what is the order?
CABD
what % of earth’s surface is covered with water?
70%
when sea level rises, the ocean may invade a river valley, producing a nearshore body of water of mixed and variable salinity called
estuary
- in general, the dominant erosional landforms in desert regions are developed by
running water
ventifacts are a product of
abrasion
wind transports materal by
all of the above
–rolling, saltation, sliding, suspension
these dunes formed where?
sand supply was limited
–called BARCHAN dunes
the type of dune formed by winds blowing from at least 3 diff. directions is a
star
to qualify as a desert, a region must be
arid, with less tha 25 c, annual precipitation and very low relative humidity
as compared to humid climates, rates of chemical weathering in deserts are
slower
saltation of sand involves
grains hopping into the air, traveling for a short distance and returning to the ground
which stmt does NOT apply? desertification occurs
only in small reas affecting at most a few million ppl of central Africa
DOES APPLY (Desertification occurs)
- -when continents move into dry climates in low latitude zones
- -as a result of global climate change
- -as a result of overgrazing
- -when humans strip a landscape for firewood
which of the following is eolian in origin
loess
the wind direction at the time that these ancient sand dunes were deposited was
from the left
a lag deposit, or desert pavement, is a concentration of
gravel-size particles left behind as wind selectively moves sand and dust from the surface
the migration of sand dunes results from
erosion of sand on the windward side and depostion on the slip face
globaly most deserts are found
A and B
- -above 66 defrees north and south latitude (near poles)
- -near 30 defrees N and 30 S latitude (subtropics)
