Unit 3 Review - Surface Processes 1. Why is the surface of Mercury covered with meteor impact craters, while Earth s surface has relatively few craters? A) Mercury is larger than Earth, so it gets hit with more meteors. B) Mercury is an older planet, so it has a longer history of meteor impacts. C) Earth s less dense water surface attracts fewer meteors. D) Earth s hydrosphere and atmosphere destroyed or buried most meteor impact sites. 2. The diagram below shows granite bedrock with cracks. Water has seeped into the cracks and frozen. The arrows represent the directions in which the cracks have widened due to weathering. Which statement best describes the physical weathering shown by the diagram? A) Enlargement of the cracks occurs because water expands when it freezes. B) This type of weathering occurs only in bedrock composed of granite. C) The cracks become wider because of chemical reactions between water and the rock. D) This type of weathering is common in regions of primarily warm and humid climates. 3. Which rock weathers most rapidly when exposed to acid rain? A) quartzite B) granite C) basalt D) limestone 4. The diagram below shows the stump of a tree whose root grew into a small crack in bedrock and split the rock apart. The action of the root splitting the bedrock is an example of A) chemical weathering B) deposition C) erosion D) physical weathering 5. Which type of climate has the greatest amount of rock weathering caused by frost action? A) a wet climate in which temperatures remain below freezing B) a wet climate in which temperatures alternate from below freezing to above freezing C) a dry climate in which temperatures remain below freezing D) a dry climate in which temperatures alternate from below freezing to above freezing 6. By which processes are rocks broken up and moved to different locations? A) evaporation and condensation B) weathering and erosion C) burial and cementation D) compaction and transportation 7. Which factor has the greatest influence on the weathering rate of Earth s surface bedrock? A) local air pressure B) angle of insolation C) age of the bedrock D) regional climate 8. Which agent of erosion most likely formed the drumlins and finger lakes in New York State? A) running water B) moving ice C) wave action D) mass movement
9. The block diagram below shows a cross section of a landscape. Letters A, B, C, D, and E represent different rock layers. Which rock layers appear to be most resistant to weathering? A) A and B B) B and D C) C, D, and E D) A, C, and E 10.The generalized cross section below shows the sedimentary rock layers at Niagara Falls in western New York State. 12.The cross section below shows sedimentary rocks being eroded by water at a waterfall. Which rock layer appears to be most resistant to weathering and erosion? A) Lockport dolostone B) Rochester shale C) Grimsby sandstone D) Queenston shale 11. Which long-term atmospheric changes would increase the rate of chemical weathering of surface bedrock? A) decreasing temperature and decreasing precipitation B) decreasing temperature and increasing precipitation C) increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation D) increasing temperature and increasing precipitation The sedimentary rock layers are being weathered and eroded at different rates primarily because the rock layers A) formed during different time periods B) contain different fossils C) have different compositions D) are horizontal 13. In hot, wet climates, bedrock rapidly weathers into soil because water A) dissolves many minerals B) expands when it freezes C) is part of most chemical compounds D) cools the surroundings when it evaporates 14. The formation of soil is primarily the result of A) stream erosion and mass movement B) stream deposition and runoff C) precipitation and wind erosion D) weathering and biological activity
15. The cross section below shows residual soils that developed on rock outcrops of metamorphic quartzite and sedimentary limestone. 18. The four limestone samples illustrated below have the same composition, mass, and volume. Under the same climatic conditions, which sample will weather fastest? A) B) Which statement best explains why the soil is thicker above the limestone than it is above the quartzite? A) The quartzite formed from molten magma. B) The limestone is thicker than the quartzite. C) The quartzite is older than the limestone. D) The limestone is less resistant to weathering than the quartzite. 16. The demonstration shown in the diagram below indicates that powdered limestone reacts faster than a single large piece of limestone of equal mass when both are placed in acid. The most likely reason powdered limestone reacts faster is that it has A) less total volume B) more chemical bonds C) more total surface area D) lower density 17. On the Earth's surface, transported materials are more common than residual materials. This condition is mainly the result of A) subduction B) erosion C) folding D) recrystallization C) D) 19. Which factor has the most influence on the development of soil? A) climate B) longitude C) amount of rounded sediment D) slope of the landscape 20. Sediments found in glacial moraines are best described as A) sorted and layered B) sorted and not layered C) unsorted and layered D) unsorted and not layered 21. What is the best evidence that a glacial erratic has been transported? A) It is located at a high elevation in a mountainous area. B) It is less than 25 centimeters in diameter. C) Its composition is different from that of the bedrock under it. D) It appears to have been intensely metamorphosed. 22. Pieces of bedrock material that are broken from a cliff and deposited by a landslide at the base of the cliff are best described as A) rounded and sorted B) rounded and unsorted C) angular and sorted D) angular and unsorted
23. A landslide is an example of A) river deposition B) glacial scouring C) mass movement D) chemical weathering 24. A large, scratched boulder is found in a mixture of unsorted, smaller sediments forming a hill in central New Jersey. Which agent of erosion most likely transported and then deposited this boulder? A) wind B) a glacier C) ocean waves D) running water 25. Which rock material was most likely transported to its present location by a glacier? A) rounded sand grains found in a river delta B) rounded grains found in a sand dune C) residual soil found on a flat plain D) unsorted loose gravel found in hills 26. The diagram below shows the surface features of a landscape. 28. Which cross section best represents the valley shape where a rapidly flowing stream is cutting into the bedrock in a mountainous area? A) B) C) D) 29. The diagram below shows a glacial landscape feature forming over time from a melting block of ice. Based on the features shown, which erosional agent had the greatest effect on tree growth and the structures that humans have built on this landscape? A) running water B) moving ice C) prevailing wind D) mass movement 27. A river s current carries sediments into the ocean. Which sediment size will most likely be deposited in deeper water farthest from the shore? A) pebble B) sand C) silt D) clay This glacial landscape feature is best identified as A) a kettle lake B) an outwash plain C) a finger lake D) a moraine 30. The occurrence of parallel scratches on bedrock in a U-shaped valley indicates that the area has most likely been eroded by A) a glacier B) a stream C) waves D) wind
Base your answers to questions 31 through 33 on the diagram below, which shows several different landscape features. Points X and Y indicate locations on the streambank. 35. The map below shows a meandering stream as it enters a lake. The arrow shows the direction of stream flow. Points A through D represent locations on the surface of the stream. The greatest stream velocities are found closest to points A) A and B B) B and C C) C and D D) D and A 36. The diagram below shows a section of a meander in a stream. The arrows show the direction of stream flow. 31. Explain why the stream meanders on the floodplain, but not in the mountains. 32. Identify which point, X or Y, has more stream erosion and explain why the amounts of erosion are different. 33. Explain why the upper valley in the mountains is U-shaped and the lower valley is V-shaped. 34. Which event is the best example of erosion? A) breaking apart of shale as a result of water freezing in a crack B) dissolving of rock particles on a limestone gravestone by acid rain C) rolling of a pebble along the bottom of a stream D) crumbling of bedrock in one area to form soil The streambank on the outside of this meander is steeper than the streambank on the inside of this meander because the water on the outside of this meander is moving A) slower, causing deposition B) faster, causing deposition C) slower, causing erosion D) faster, causing erosion
Base your answers to questions 37 and 38 on the reading passage below and on your knowledge of Earth science. Roche Moutonée A roche moutonée is a glacial landscape feature produced as an advancing glacier slides over a hill of surface bedrock. As the glacier advances up the side of the hill, the surface bedrock is abraded and smoothed by rock fragments carried within the base of the glacial ice, creating a more gentle hillslope. As the glacier advances down the opposite side of the hill, chunks of bedrock are broken off and removed by the ice, a process called glacial quarrying (plucking), making this side of the hill steeper. The resulting hill resembles a drumlin, except it is often smaller and is composed of solid rock. 37. The chunks of bedrock removed by glacial quarrying and transported by the glaciers most likely produce A) terminal outwash plains B) kettle lake depressions C) V-shaped valleys D) parallel scratches in surface bedrock 38. A drumlin differs from a roche moutonée because a drumlin is A) formed by glaciers B) dome shaped C) deposited by glacial meltwater D) composed of loose sediments
39. Which graph best represents the relationship between the discharge of a stream and the velocity of stream flow? A) 42. The diagram below shows points A, B, C, and D on a meandering stream. B) C) At which point does the greatest stream erosion occur? A) A B) B C) C D) D 43. The map below shows a meandering river. A A' is the location of a cross section. The arrows show the direction of the river flow. D) 40. The natural sandblasting (abrasion) of surface bedrock in a desert region is the result of A) wind erosion B) wave erosion C) mass movement D) chemical precipitation 41. What is the largest sediment that can be transported by a stream that has a velocity of 125 cm/sec? A) cobbles B) pebbles C) sand D) clay Which cross section best represents the shape of the river bottom at A A'? A) B) C) D)
44. The map below represents a meandering stream flowing into a lake. A student measured water depths in the stream at three locations: A A', B B', and C C'. 47. Which size particle will remain suspended longest as a river enters the ocean? A) pebble B) sand C) silt D) clay 48. Four quartz samples of equal size and shape were placed in a stream. Which of the four quartz samples below has most likely been transported farthest in the stream? A) Which set of cross sections best represents the stream bed at the three locations? A) B) C) B) D) C) D) 45. What change will a pebble usually undergo when it is transported a great distance by streams? A) It will become jagged and its mass will decrease. B) It will become jagged and its volume will increase. C) It will become rounded and its mass will increase. D) It will become rounded and its volume will decrease. 46. Which property would best distinguish sediment deposited by a river from sediment deposited by a glacier? A) mineral composition of the sediment B) amount of sediment sorting C) thickness of sediment layers D) age of fossils found in the sediment 49. What is the minimum water velocity necessary to maintain movement of 0.1-centimeter-diameter particles in a stream? A) 0.02 cm/s B) 0.5 cm/s C) 5.0 cm/s D) 20.0 cm/s 50. Sediment is deposited in a river delta because the A) velocity of the river decreases B) force of gravity decreases C) volume of the river increases D) gradient of the river increases 51. What is the approximate minimum stream velocity needed to keep a 6.4-cm-diameter particle in motion? A) 10 cm/s B) 50 cm/s C) 100 cm/s D) 200 cm/s 52. When the velocity of a stream suddenly decreases, the sediment being transported undergoes an increase in A) particle density B) erosion C) deposition D) mass movement
53. The diagram below represents a cross section of a stream. Points A, B, C, D, and E are locations within the stream channel. Which graph best represents stream velocity at locations A through E? A) B) C) D) 54. Which diagram best represents a cross section of a valley which was glaciated and then eroded by a stream? A) B) 56. The map below shows an overhead view of sediments that have accumulated at the bottom of a lake. Points A through D represent locations on the shoreline of the lake. C) D) 55. The entire area drained by a river and its tributaries is called a A) delta B) watershed C) valley D) floodplain A river most likely flows into the lake nearest to location A) A B) B C) C D) D
Base your answers to questions 57 and 58 on the map below, which shows a portion of the continent of North America and outlines the Mississippi River watershed. Points A, B, C, D, and E represent locations on Earth's surface. 57. Which landform is produced at location E where the Mississippi River enters the Gulf of Mexico? A) a delta B) a drumlin C) an escarpment D) an outwash plain 58. At which location would the Mississippi River's discharge most likely be the greatest? A) A B) B C) C D) D 59. The maps below labeled A, B, and C, show three different stream drainage patterns. Which factor is primarily responsible for causing these three different drainage patterns? A) amount of precipitation B) bedrock structure C) stream discharge D) prevailing winds
60. The block diagram below shows a region that has undergone faulting. Which map shows the stream drainage pattern that would most likely develop on the surface of this region? A) B) C) D)
Answer Key Review - Surface Processes 1. D 2. A 3. D 4. D 5. B 6. B 7. D 8. B 9. D 10. A 11. D 12. C 13. A 14. D 15. D 16. C 17. B 18. D 19. A 20. D 21. C 22. D 23. C 24. B 25. D 26. D 27. D 28. D 29. A 30. A 31. The stream began to flow over a nearly flat landscape. Stream velocity decreased. Gradient decreases from the mountains to the floodplain. The stream flows more slowly on the floodplain. The floodplain is composed of loose sediment. 32. Point X is on the outside of a meander curve. Stream velocity is greater at point X. More deposition occurs at Y. 33. U-shaped: It was eroded by glaciers. A glacier formed the valley. formed by glacial ice 34. C 35. B 36. D 37. D 38. D 39. B 40. A 41. B 42. C 43. C V-shaped: Running water cut the V-shaped valley. A stream formed the valley. 44. A 45. D 46. B 47. D 48. D 49. C 50. A 51. D 52. C 53. A 54. D 55. B 56. C 57. A 58. D 59. B 60. C