Geology 0800 Name Review for Third Exam, Fall 2014 Please read all the questions very carefully. 1. The slope of a stream bed measured at some point along its course is the. a. base level b. floodplain c. stream gradient d. thalweg 2. In a region with prominent perpendicular sets of joints, a drainage network is expected. a. dendritic b. radial c. rectangular d. trellis 3. In a region characterized by a parallel series of ridges and valleys, a drainage network is expected. a. dendritic b. radial c. rectangular d. trellis 4. All else being equal, water will flow faster in a stream that has a. a. steep stream gradient b. gentle stream gradient 5. Pirate streams. a. consist of a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sediment b. have flowing water either episodically or during a portion of the year c. have a channel that is highly sinuous (curvy) d. are those that divert flow from streams they have, through stream erosion, intersected 6. Which has greater capacity? a. a small mountain stream b. the Mississippi River 7. All the water in rivers and streams arrives directly from rainfall runoff. 8. All else being equal, a deep, narrow stream will flow a shallow, broad stream. a. more slowly than b. more rapidly than c. at the same rate as 1
9. The stream gradient of most rivers. a. is greater near the source than near the mouth b. is greater near the mouth than near the source c. does not change significantly as the river flows downstream d. is greater for a meandering stream than for any other type 10. If a 50-year flood occurs on the Mississippi River in 2010, what is the probability that a flood of the same magnitude will occur in 2011? a. zero b. 1% c. 2% d. 50% 11. At a waterfall, where two sedimentary lithologies are juxtaposed, which lithology is more likely to form the cliff over which the water falls? a. sandstone b. shale 12. The inner edge of a meander, where sediment is deposited, is a(n). a. meander neck b. cut bank c. point bar d. abandoned meander 13. The deltas of all major rivers consist of multiple radiating lobes of sediment building outward into the sea similar to the Mississippi River delta. 14. The discharge of a river traveling through a humid region will typically downstream; the discharge of a river traveling through an arid region will typically downstream. a. increase; increase b. decrease; decrease c. increase; decrease d. decrease; increase 15. All flooding events occur so rapidly that there is no time to alert people in harm s way. 16. The form and topography (depth profile) of the ocean floor is termed. a. orogeny b. bathymetry c. allocthony d. aquitopography 2
17. The shallowest portion of the ocean is found along the margins of continents in regions termed. a. abyssal plains b. continental rises c. continental shelves d. continental slopes 18. Of the choices below, which portions of the sea floor are most steeply tilted? a. abyssal plains b. continental rises c. continental shelves d. continental slopes 19. As compared to freshwater, saline ocean water is and therefore provides support to floating objects. a. less dense; more buoyant b. less dense; less buoyant c. denser; more buoyant d. denser; less buoyant 20. What percentage of seawater, on average, consists of dissolved salt ions? a. 1.5% b. 3.5% c. 5.5% d. 6.5% 21. The density of seawater increases with. a. increasing temperature and increasing salinity b. decreasing temperature and increasing salinity c. increasing temperature and decreasing salinity d. decreasing temperature and decreasing salinity 22. Major oceanic surface currents travel. a. parallel to the prevailing wind direction in the region b. in direct opposition to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect c. at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect d. at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Doppler effect 23. Which type of continental coastline features a much broader continental shelf? a. passive continental margins b. active continental margins 24. The most prominent force inducing tides on Earth is the. a. Sun s gravitational pull b. Moon s gravitational pull c. electromagnetic attraction between Earth and the Sun d. gravitational attraction between ocean waters and the continents on Earth 3
25. Tidal reach is affected by. a. the slope of the coastline b. the position of the Sun c. Both A and B are correct. d. None of the above is correct. 26. Which trench includes the world s deepest sea floor (more than 11 km below sea level)? a. Peru-Chile Trench b. Puerto Rican Trench c. Mariana Trench d. Kamchatka Trench 27. Longshore currents flow. a. directly toward the shoreline b. directly away from the shoreline c. parallel to the shoreline 28. Every shoreline experiences a tidal reach (difference in elevation between high and low tide) of about 3 m. 29. When high tide occurs at any single shoreline, that means it is also high tide at all other coasts throughout the world. 30. Estuaries most commonly have salinity that is. a. identical to normal marine salinity b. identical to fresh water c. hypersaline (greater than normal marine salinity) d. brackish (between freshwater and marine salinity) 31. Due to the Coriolis effect, surface currents in the oceans are always pulled to the in the northern hemisphere as compared to the prevailing wind direction. a. north b. east c. right d. left 32. Global circulation of ocean water is influenced by. a. surface winds b. coastal upwelling and downwelling c. sinking of cold and saline water d. All of the above. 4
33. Ice is a substance with a high albedo, which means it. a. requires much heat to raise its temperature by 1 C b. absorbs most of the light that falls on it c. reflects most of the light that falls on it d. strongly refracts the light that falls on it 34. Glacial ice exhibits behavior near the top, but behavior beneath a depth of 60 m. a. brittle; plastic b. plastic; brittle c. solid; liquid d. plastic; elastic 35. The current interglacial interval began a little more than years ago. a. 1000 b. 10,000 c. 100,000 d. 1,000,000 36. An intermediate product in the transformation of snow to glacial ice is. a. firn b. sublimation c. ablation d. terminus 37. A bowl-shaped depression formed by a mountain glacier is termed a(n). a. arête b. cirque c. horn d. tarn 38. A remnant ridge separating two bowl-shaped depressions formed by a mountain glacier is termed a(n). a. arête b. cirque c. horn d. tarn 39. When sea level rises, causing the ocean to fill a glacially carved valley, a results. a. smorgasbord b. tarn c. fjord d. ford 5
40. Sediments deposited directly by glaciers as they melt are characterized by. a. uniformly coarse grain size b. uniformly fine grain size c. an absence of sorting d. graded bedding 41. That periodic changes in Earth s orbital eccentricity and magnitude, as well as in the direction (precession) of Earth s axial tilt, affect the advance and retreat of ice sheets was first proposed by. a. Richter b. Milankovitch c. Mohorivic d. Lyell 42. Advance and retreat of massive glacial ice sheets during glacial episodes is a simple function of incident sunlight. Glacial behavior can be modeled precisely by considering only Milankovitch orbital variation and variable solar output. 43. During heavy rainstorms, rates of physical weathering and erosion are. a. greater in humid climates than in deserts, because dry desert soils can soak up all of the available moisture b. greater in deserts than in humid climates, where vegetation tends to hold soil together c. greater in humid climates than in deserts, because vegetation in humid climates tends to break up the soil d. about equally as fast in deserts or in humid climates 44. At 30 North latitude, at the northern edge of tropical (Hadley) cell convection in the northern hemisphere,. a. cool, dry air sinks, becoming drier as it heats up b. warm, moist air rises, increasing in relative humidity as it rises c. warm, dry air rises, becoming cooler d. cool moist air sinks, providing abundant rainfall 45. Some of the physiographic features that cause extreme aridity may be found together within a single desert, but the deserts found in the western United States form primarily due to being located. a. in the subtropics b. within the rain shadow of one or more mountain ranges c. near the center of a large continent d. next to a cold ocean current 6
46. The Sahara of Africa is a desert primarily because it is located. a. in the subtropics b. within the rain shadow of a mountain range c. near the center of a large continent d. next to a cold ocean current 47. Most regions that are now deserts have. a. been deserts throughout the geologic past b. experienced other climates in the geologic past 48. As compared to humid climates, rates of chemical weathering in deserts are. a. much faster b. much slower c. very similar 49. The iron oxides and manganese oxides that produce desert varnish on the exterior surfaces of rocks are derived from ions. a. in the interiors of the rocks, which are transported outward by the capillary action of water b. in the interiors of the rocks, which are transported outward by microorganisms c. that occur naturally in rain water and precipitate out as oxides after the rain evaporates d. that occur naturally on the surfaces of carbonate and silicate rocks 50. A(n) is a wedge of sand and gravel deposited by the distributary channels that arise when an ephemeral stream reaches a plain at the base of a slope. a. alluvial fan b. ventifact c. wadi d. yardang Short Answer questions. 51. Sketch the hydrologic cycle. 52. Sketch the rock cycle. 7