Deck 5: Running Water and Groundwater

Question 1

The most common drainage pattern is ________.

A) dendritic
B) radial
C) trellis
D) boreal

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The release of water vapor to the atmosphere by plants is called ________.

A) evaporation
B) degassing
C) transpiration
D) infiltration

Answer 2

C

Question 3

At a bend in a river, the main erosion is ________.

A) on the outside of the bend
B) on the inside of the bend
C) both outside and inside the bend
D) at an oxbow lake

Answer 3

A

Question 4

If you were to examine the profile of a typical river, you would probably find that the gradient is ________.

A) steepest near the mouth
B) steepest near the head
C) the same at both the head and mouth
D) none of these

Question 5

Which of the following is the correct definition of stream gradient?

A) the distance traveled by water in a channel times a drop in elevation
B) the drop in elevation of a stream divided by the distance the water travels
C) the water pressure at the bottom of the stream divided by the stream's width
D) the increase in discharge of a stream per unit drop in elevation

Question 6

At the head of a delta, the major channel splits into smaller channels that follow different paths to the sea. These smaller channels are known as ________.

A) endotributaries
B) exotributaries
C) distributaries
D) cotributaries

Question 7

________ is an abandoned, cutoff, meander loop.

A) A bulltrail
B) An oxbow
C) A cowhock
D) A gatorback

Question 8

________ describes the total sediment load transported by a stream.

A) Capacity
B) Discharge
C) Competence
D) Hydro-load factor

Question 9

Which one of the following factors does NOT influence stream velocity?

A) channel size and shape
B) laminar flow
C) discharge
D) gradient

Question 10

________ make up the suspended loads of most rivers and streams.

A) Dissolved ions and sand
B) Dissolved salts
C) Silt and clay-sized, detrital grains
D) Sand and gravel that move during floods

Question 11

Which of the following must result in a lower base level for rivers and streams?

A) sea level drops; land subsides
B) sea level falls; land rises
C) sea level rises; land subsides
D) sea level rises; land rises

Question 12

The world's largest river in terms of discharge is the ________.

A) Congo
B) Mississippi
C) Nile
D) Amazon

Question 13

Downcutting (also known as rejuvenation) of a stream may be due to ________.

A) rising of sea level
B) uplift of land
C) a decreased gradient
D) thermal expansion

Question 14

A ________ stream pattern develops on lands underlain by alternating bands of resistant and less-resistant rock.

A) dendritic
B) radial
C) trellis
D) boreal

Question 15

A natural levee is ________.

A) an erosional feature
B) a depositional feature
C) essentially parallel to its stream channel
D) both B and C

Question 16

The suspended load of a stream ________.

A) is deposited before the bed load
B) is highly soluble substances
C) moves along the bottom
D) usually consists of fine particles

Question 17

Which one of the following statements is correct?

A) Sea level drops when water is stored in expanding ice sheets and continental glaciers.
B) Sea level rises when water is added to the oceans through increased rainfall and increased inflow from rivers.
C) Sea level drops when evaporation rates increase over the oceans and when this extra atmospheric moisture falls on land as rain.
D) Sea level rises when water is stored in expanding ice sheets and continental glaciers.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT part of the water cycle?

A) water evaporating from a lake
B) water infiltrating into the soil and bedrock
C) calcium carbonate dissolving in soil water and groundwater
D) water moving into creeks and streams following a rainstorm

Question 19

A ________ stream pattern is developed only on growing mountains like volcanoes or where the land surface is tectonically doming upward.

A) radial
B) dendritic
C) boreal
D) trellis

Question 20

A natural, meandering, river channel is modified into a more or less straight and smooth, canal-like channel. Which of the following statements is correct?

A) The natural channel had a lower gradient and less friction than the modified channel.
B) The straight channel has a higher gradient and more friction than the natural channel.
C) The natural channel had a lower gradient and higher friction than the straight channel.
D) All of the above statements are true.

Question 21

Permeable rock strata or sediment that transmit groundwater freely are called ________.

A) perched water tables
B) aquitards
C) springs
D) aquifers

Question 22

________ are characteristics of downcutting streams and a youthful stage of valley evolution.

A) Rapids and lots of whitewater
B) Wide floodplains
C) U-shaped, cross-valley profiles
D) Meandering channels and natural levees

Question 23

Caves most commonly form in ________.

A) limestone
B) sandstone
C) quartzite
D) shale

Question 24

The term karst topography was first used in ________.

A) the Republic of Slovenia, a province of the former Yugoslavia
B) eastern Canada in areas of fractured igneous and metamorphic rocks
C) India near the southern foothills of the Himalayan Mountains
D) Australia for the extremely dry interior area near Ayres Rock and Alice Springs

Question 25

A stream begins at an elevation of 200 meters and flows a distance of 400 kilometers to the ocean. What is the average gradient?

A) 2 m/km
B) 2 km/m
C) 0.5 m/km
D) 0.5 km/in

Question 26

Which of the following best describes how geysers erupt?

A) Water suddenly boils in disconnected voids and cracks above the water table, causing the aquifer to explosively fragment.
B) Water slowly boils in a network of vertical cracks above the water table, sending up a plume of steam and hot water.
C) Water below the water table slowly boils in a vertical crack or natural conduit, causing a plume of condensed water vapor to rise above the vent.
D) With a slight reduction in pressure, water in a saturated, natural conduit suddenly boils, sending a plume of steam and hot water into the air above the vent.

Question 27

A ________ is the icicle-like speleothem that grows down from the roof of a cavern.

A) stalandite
B) stalactite
C) stalagmite
D) slagdite

Question 28

Hot springs are most numerous in which region of the United States?

A) Southeast
B) Midwest
C) West
D) Northeast

Question 29

Which of the following is associated with areas of karst topography?

A) sinkholes
B) soluble rock
C) caverns
D) all of these

Question 30

________ would have the largest capacity to naturally remove sewage pollutants.

A) Fractured granite
B) Well-sorted, coarse gravel
C) Slightly clayey sand
D) Limestone with solution channels and caverns

Question 31

Which of the following features characterize wide streams and valleys?

A) natural levees; broad floodplains
B) rapids; channel bed potholes
C) waterfalls; entrenched meanders
D) V-shaped valley cross sections

Question 32

________ is the volume of voids or open space in a rock or unconsolidated material.

A) Permeability
B) Space yield
C) Porosity
D) Saturation index

Question 33

As stream discharge increases ________.

A) velocity, width, and depth increase
B) only velocity increases
C) velocity, width, and depth decrease
D) only depth increases

Question 34

________ generally constitutes the highest percentage of the annual sediment load moved by a stream.

A) Bed load
B) Dissolved load
C) Suspended load
D) Saltation load

Question 35

A ________ drainage pattern is common in areas where the bedrock is criss-crossed by a series of joints and/or faults.

A) dendritic
B) rectangular
C) circular
D) trellis

Question 36

An artesian well is one in which ________.

A) the water is warm, fairly saline, and recharged by an affluent stream
B) pressurized groundwater rises from a deep, unsaturated aquifer
C) water rises above the top of the aquifer without any pumping
D) the well is horizontal and the water table is perched

Question 37

The single most important erosional agent is ________.

A) running water
B) wind
C) ice
D) waves

Question 38

When water is pumped from a well, a depression is often produced in the water table. Such a depression is a(n) ________.

A) perched water table
B) pumping dimple
C) cone of depression
D) artesian well

Question 39

Which one of the following concerning artesian wells is NOT true?

A) The well penetrates an aquifer overlain by an aquitard.
B) The well penetrates an aquifer underlain by an impermeable bed.
C) The aquifer is generally inclined, and it is saturated to an elevation above the point where the well penetrates the aquifer.
D) When the well penetrates the aquifer, the water rises to the bottom of the aquitard above the aquifer.

Question 40

The water table is ________.

A) a boundary between unsaturated bedrock and an underground river
B) a boundary between unsaturated bedrock below and saturated bedrock above
C) an underground mass of partly saturated rock
D) a boundary between saturated rock below and unsaturated rock above

Question 41

Creating artificial cutoffs increases stream velocity.

Question 42

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. porosity B. permeability C. aquitard D. aquifer

Question 43

Alluvium refers to stream deposits, mainly sand and gravel.

Question 44

The Mississippi River is North America's largest river in terms of discharge.

Question 45

If two streams are identical in every respect except for gradient, the stream with the higher gradient would have the greater velocity.

Question 46

The lowest base level for most streams is sea level.

Question 47

Porosity is a measure of the volume of open space in rocks and unconsolidated geological materials such as alluvium and soils.

Question 48

More water is evaporated from the ocean than is returned to the ocean by precipitation.

Question 49

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. cut bank B. point bar C. natural levee D. delta

Question 50

A V-shaped valley and no floodplain indicate a youthful, downcutting stream.

Question 51

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. stalagmite B. soda straw C. sinkhole D. stalactite

Question 52

One river can be the base level for another.

Question 53

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. gradient B. velocity C. capacity D. discharge

Question 54

Point bars are depositional features located along the outer portions of meander bends.

Question 55

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. artificial levees B. dams C. floodplains D. channelization

Question 56

The capacity of a stream measures the maximum size of particles it is capable of transporting.

Question 57

Stream discharge is defined as the quantity of water flowing past a specific channel location per unit time.

Question 58

Floods are the least destructive of all geologic hazards.

Question 59

As its name implies, the water table is always very level (flat).

Question 60

Gradients usually decrease downstream in a major river system.

Question 61

________ refers to sediments deposited from streams.

Question 62

Most caves and caverns originate by solution of limestone.

Question 63

What term denotes the percentage of open space or voids in a material?

Question 64

The formation of stalactites and stalagmites occurs in the zone of saturation.

Question 65

________ is the quantity of water flowing past a certain stream cross section per unit time.

Question 66

One environmental problem associated with groundwater is land subsidence caused by withdrawal.

Question 67

As a form of flood control, ________ involves altering a stream channel to speed the flow of water to prevent it from reaching flood height.

Question 68

Highly impermeable layers such as compacted clay or shale are known as ________.

Question 69

For a well to be characterized as being artesian, water must flow freely at the surface.

Question 70

The source of heat for most hot springs is hot igneous material beneath the surface.

Question 71

________ is defined as the drop in elevation of the stream surface divided by the distance the water flows.

Question 72

What stream characteristic is measured by the size of the largest particle that a stream can move?

Question 73

Sinkholes are actively forming in portions of the southeastern United States.

Question 74

Which component of the water cycle describes the recharge of water to the soil and groundwater systems?

Question 75

Karst topography is most commonly associated with areas underlain by massive sandstone strata.

Question 76

________ is the boundary line separating adjacent stream drainage basins.

Question 77

________ is the total quantity of sediment carried by a river.

Question 78

Most hot springs in the United States are located in the southeast, especially Georgia.

Question 79

Lowering of the water table around a pumping well results in a cone of infiltration.

Question 80

The lowest elevation limiting stream erosion is called ________.