Deck 16: The Fluvial Processes

Question 1

The largest river in the world without a delta is the River.

A) Hwang Ho
B) Nile
C) Mississippi
D) Amazon
E) Indus

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The idealized sequence of slope retreat, according to Davis, would result in _.

A) plate tectonics
B) diminishing slope angles
C) parallel valleys
D) parallel retreat of slopes
E) stream piracy

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which is the most common type of drainage pattern?

A) centripetal
B) dendritic
C) annular
D) radial
E) trellis

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Of the following fluvial terms, which is most closely associated with stream capture?

A) meander
B) thalweg
C) interfluve
D) beheaded
E) braided

Question 5

Splash erosion .

A) blasts fine soil particles upward and outward
B) moves eroded particles uphill
C) moves eroded particles downhill
D) is sometimes minimal because of vegetation
E) is described by all of the above

Question 6

The drainage pattern common in ridge and valley landscapes is _ .

A) disorganized
B) trellis
C) annular
D) centripetal
E) dendritic

Question 7

The general term applied to stream- deposited debris is .

A) refuse
B) capacity
C) bedload
D) alluvium
E) discharge

Question 8

As a stream- related measure, competence is expressed as a .

A) time (seconds)
B) velocity (meters per second)
C) discharge (cubic meters per second)
D) diameter (millimeters)
E) gradient (meters per kilometer)

Question 9

A prime example of the application of equilibrium theory can be seen in any hilly area where .

A) floodplains dominate the valley bottoms
B) tectonic plate boundaries are close by
C) peneplains exist
D) terraces are found on hillsides
E) tectonic uplift and fluvial erosion are simultaneous

Question 10

All but one of the following would cause an increase in the erosive effectiveness of stream flow: .

A) steepen the stream gradient
B) increase the flow speed
C) decrease the resistance of the bedrock
D) increase in channel roughness
E) decrease of turbulence

Question 11

In the system of stream orders, the smallest unit in the network is at the .

A) 3rd order
B) 2nd order
C) 4th order
D) 1st order
E) a variable number

Question 12

is the counterpart of "scouring"?

A) Filling
B) Erosion
C) Degradation
D) Corrosion
E) Turbulence

Question 13

This drainage pattern looks like the veins on the underside of a leaf:

A) centripetal
B) annular
C) trellis
D) radial
E) dendritic

Question 14

is a measure of the particle size a stream can transport.

A) Force
B) Competence
C) Capacity
D) Equilibrium
E) Gradient

Question 15

Which of the following rivers has the largest delta in the world?

A) Ob
B) Thames
C) Amazon
D) Mississippi
E) Indus

Question 16

An outstanding example of stream capture on a grand scale can be found along the _ .

A) Red River in Oklahoma
B) Mississippi River in Arkansas
C) Yukon River in Alaska
D) Amazon River in Brazil
E) Niger River in Africa

Question 17

Any stream may lengthen its valley by and delta formation.

A) alluvial deposition
B) headward erosion
C) saltation
D) siltation
E) none of the above

Question 18

A "bird's foot" pattern is indicative of a .

A) river delta
B) downcutting stream
C) captured stream
D) peneplain
E) knickpoint

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a component of stream load?

A) bedload
B) sediments undergoing saltation
C) dissolved load
D) suspended load
E) alluvium

Question 20

The elevation limit of a stream downcutting on a land mass is called .

A) base level
B) talus
C) meandering
D) a drainage anomaly
E) ground zero

Question 21

A valley bottom might be differentiated from valley sides in that .

A) valley bottoms are the sites of interfluves
B) valley sides tend to take more area than valley bottoms
C) valley sides commonly have "lips" or "rims"
D) valley bottoms tend to be at a higher altitude
E) valley sides have lesser slopes than valley bottoms

Question 22

The total volume of flow in streams is termed .

A) turbulence
B) discharge
C) the delta coefficient
D) the interfluve
E) overland flow

Question 23

Niagara Falls were formed .

A) after a series of spectacular earthquakes which are still helping the falls evolve
B) after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice sheets a few thousand years ago
C) so long ago that the river's knickpoint is now gone
D) by humans as a result of the damming of the St. Lawrence River
E) during Precambrian time approximately a billion years ago

Question 24

Equilibrium theory has serious shortcomings in deserts and areas which are .

A) tectonically stable
B) at high altitudes
C) mountainous
D) within drainage basins
E) at high latitudes

Question 25

The point of confluence of a tributary with a higher order stream is a(n) _.

A) local base level
B) knickpoint
C) ultimate base level
D) delta
E) none of the above

Question 26

An imaginary surface extending beneath the continents which limits how deep streams may cut is .

A) base level
B) a knickpoint
C) a trellis
D) grade
E) traction

Question 27

In arid climates, most small streams are .

A) perennial
B) ephemeral
C) without channels
D) nonexistent
E) intermittent

Question 28

Marking the outer edge of floodplains are landforms called .

A) bluffs
B) levees
C) meanders
D) mesas
E) ox bow lakes

Question 29

Fluvial process includes both the stream flow within valleys as well as .

A) rock glaciers
B) hydrolysis
C) groundwater
D) overland flow
E) none of the above

Question 30

determines the erosive effectiveness of a stream.

A) Volume of flow
B) Turbulence of flow
C) Speed of flow
D) Gradient of the stream bed
E) all of the above

Question 31

Branching channels that cross a delta are known as .

A) graded streams
B) distributaries
C) 3rd order streams
D) Youthful streams
E) tributaries

Question 32

The degree of turbulence in stream flow is determined by the velocity and the .

A) solar incidence
B) stream channel roughness
C) tidal bore
D) bedrock chemistry
E) none of the above

Question 33

Uplift and rejuvenation are indicated by the presence of landforms known as .

A) peneplains
B) V- shaped valleys
C) meanders
D) floodplains
E) stream terraces

Question 34

If a stream's velocity is doubled, its competence .

A) increases by half
B) doubles
C) remains the same
D) drops by half
E) increases sixty- four times

Question 35

The greatest amount of material transported by a stream is carried in its .

A) bed load
B) saltation
C) traction
D) dissolved load
E) suspended load

Question 36

A(n) stream has developed a channel along a zone of structural weakness?

A) antecedent
B) superimposed
C) subsequent
D) consequent
E) channelized

Question 37

The eventual result of _ is to reduce almost all stream- carried debris to very small silt particles.

A) rill erosion
B) precipitation
C) abrasion
D) splash erosion
E) sheet erosion

Question 38

The most prominent of all depositional landscapes is the .

A) cut- off
B) meander scar
C) oxbow lake
D) backswamps
E) floodplain

Question 39

Which stream channels tend to be most turbulent?

A) ones with smooth channel bottoms
B) deep ones
C) ones with high speeds of flow
D) wide ones
E) all of the above tend to be turbulent

Question 40

Which of the following correctly describes a stream's capacity?

A) It varies tremendously from time to time.
B) It is the potential load a stream can transport.
C) It depends mostly on fluctuations in the volume and velocity of flow.
D) It is defined as a volume of sediment passing a given point during a given time.
E) It is correctly described by all of the above.

Question 41

Which type of erosion involves the most sediment per square meter in the places where it occurs?

A) splash erosion
B) erosion by raindrops
C) rill erosion
D) gulley erosion
E) sheet erosion

Question 42

Which of the following scientists is closely associated with the theory of crustal change and development?

A) Wegener
B) Penck
C) Richter
D) Bacon
E) Davis

Question 43

The most numerous stream type on the landscape is the _ .

A) fourth- order stream
B) third- order stream
C) fifth- order stream
D) first- order stream
E) second- order stream

Question 44

Which of the following is closely associated with the former position of a river channel?

A) oxbow swamps
B) cutoff meanders
C) oxbow lakes
D) meander scars
E) all of the above

Question 45

is the basic characteristic that occurs in overland flow and not stream flow.

A) Erosion
B) Channelized flow
C) Gravitational influence
D) Sediment transport
E) Traction

Question 46

Which of the following is descriptive of hillslope form as found in nature?

A) irregular
B) convex
C) concave
D) steep
E) all of the above

Question 47

Which of the following DECREASES with increasing stream order number?

A) average stream discharge
B) average watershed area
C) average stream gradient
D) average stream length
E) all of the above

Question 48

First order streams are the _ of all streams.

A) deepest
B) fastest
C) longest
D) shortest
E) widest

Question 49

A a stream's is chemically altered and transported?

A) dissolved load
B) saltation materials
C) suspended load
D) traction materials
E) bedload

Question 50

During low water cycles, any channel bottom change is likely to undergo .

A) aggravation
B) nivation
C) saltation
D) degradation
E) none of the above

Question 51

Where might one find alluvium in a stream valley?

A) in the center
B) in overflow areas
C) at the base of knickpoints
D) on the stream bottom
E) at any of the above locations

Question 52

A flat alluvium- floored valley with fairly steep walls and a stream beginning to meander would be in the stage of the erosion cycle.

A) bajada
B) peneplain
C) mature
D) old age
E) youth

Question 53

If a stream carries water only during and immediately after a rain, it is classified as _.

A) dendritic
B) perennial
C) ephemeral
D) exotic
E) intermittent

Question 54

The existence of a stream terrace is sure evidence of .

A) entrenched meanders
B) knickpoint
C) rejuvenation
D) delayed tributary junction
E) volcanic activity

Question 55

Which of the following would be most likely to develop a radial drainage pattern?

A) folded, ridge- and- valley topography
B) mountain ridges caused by faulting
C) a cone- shaped volcano
D) flat- lying, sedimentary rocks
E) none of the above

Question 56

Running water is referred to as a(n) process in terms of being a landform creator.

A) insignificant
B) weak
C) localized
D) aeolian
E) fluvial

Question 57

Which of the following is NOT associated with streams over time?

A) deposition of sediments
B) widening of valleys
C) lengthening of valleys
D) shortening of valleys
E) erosion of sediments

Question 58

Which of the following is LEAST affected by the action of channelized water?

A) valley sides
B) floodplains
C) interfluves
D) stream channels
E) valley bottoms

Question 59

The deepest part of a stream channel is known as the .

A) thalweg
B) deepest part of the stream channel
C) levee
D) rill
E) valley bottom

Question 60

A stream has an interwoven network of small channels separated by much loose debris.

A) high- capacity
B) competent
C) thalweg- less
D) meandering
E) braided

Question 61

A peneplain is the of the classical geomorphic cycle of erosion.

A) old age stage
B) end product
C) youthful stage
D) beginning
E) mature stage

Question 62

Solution and hydrolysis combine to create in streams.

A) stream load
B) corrosion
C) hydraulic head
D) abrasion
E) saltation

Question 63

A steep walled defile with a V- shaped profile and narrow valley floor would, according to the geomorphic cycle, be in the stage.

A) mature
B) peneplain
C) equilibrium
D) youthful
E) old age

Question 64

An oxbow lake was formerly a _ .

A) natural levee
B) river meander
C) stream terrace
D) knickpoint
E) marsh

Question 65

is an expression of the total load a stream can transport.

A) Capacity
B) Corrosion
C) Bedload
D) Competence
E) Volume

Question 66

Surface indicators of turbulence in stream flows include eddies and .

A) dissolved load
B) fluvial processes
C) whirlpools
D) braided streams
E) meandering

Question 67

Niagara Falls is a large waterfall on a river, so it can be considered as an example of .

A) a knickpoint
B) a water gap
C) stream capture
D) lateral erosion
E) a rill

Question 68

Death Valley is below sea level. Therefore, in Death Valley, base level is ultimate base level.

A) equal to
B) lower than
C) not related to
D) higher than
E) unchanging with respect to

Question 69

The chemical erosion of stream channels is known as .

A) corrosion
B) erosion
C) turbulence
D) competence
E) abrasion

Question 70

Davisian theory is usually referred to as the .

A) geomorphic cycle
B) equilibrium theory
C) idea of concave slopes
D) rejuvenation theory
E) stream development theorem

Question 71

A stream valley lengthens at the expense of the .

A) alluvial fan
B) interfluve
C) delta
D) peneplain
E) levee

Question 72

An interfluve can be found .

A) in valley bottoms
B) on valley sides
C) in valleys
D) in a delta
E) between valleys

Question 73

The process in which small particles are moved along by streamflow or wind in a series of jumps or bounces is _.

A) base level
B) saltation
C) turbulence
D) meandering
E) traction

Question 74

The land separating adjoining valleys is known as a(n) _.

A) gulley
B) valley side
C) rill
D) interfluve
E) levee

Question 75

Which of the below is the major concept to which all the others are part of?

A) drainage divide
B) valley side
C) interfluve
D) valley bottom
E) drainage basin

Question 76

Streams which flow for only a part of the year are _ .

A) superimposed
B) antecedent
C) consequent
D) intermittent
E) dry

Question 77

In terms of erosion, a gulley is a larger example of a feature called a(n) .

A) dendritic pattern
B) radial
C) rill
D) alluvial fan
E) interfluve

Question 78

Downcutting is usually most prominent along the _ part of a stream valley.

A) lower
B) delta
C) interfluve
D) upper
E) none of the above

Question 79

When a meandering stream is incised into a gradually rising crust or bedrock the result is a(n) .

A) peneplain
B) stream terrace
C) cut off
D) delayed tributary junction
E) entrenched meander

Question 80

When a first- order stream joins a second- order stream, the result is always .

A) a first- order stream
B) a third- order stream
C) a fourth- order stream
D) a second- order stream
E) none of the above