Deck 25: Surface Processes

Question 1

Erosion and deposition depend on

A)energy from the Sun.
B)the properties of rock.
C)gravity.
D)all of these

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A depositional landform that is produced where a stream meets the sea is a

A)sea stack.
B)moraine.
C)cavern.
D)delta.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The size of a stream channel depends on the

A)stream channel's load.
B)gradient of the stream.
C)stream velocity.
D)All of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Glaciers reshape Earth's surface because they

A)move tectonic plates.
B)pluck rocks out of the ground, carry them away, and deposit them.
C)move slowly.
D)contain enormous amounts of water.

Question 5

When an alpine glacier flows through a valley, it makes the valley wider by

A)abrasion.
B)plucking.
C)deposition.
D)dissolving.

Question 6

Which landform can develop where groundwater dissolves rock?

A)cave
B)beach
C)sea stack
D)sand dune

Question 7

Caves usually form in

A)topsoil.
B)subsoil.
C)underground regions that contain little groundwater.
D)the saturated zone beneath the water table.

Question 8

As glaciers and streams move, they carry loads of sediment with them . . . but where is the sediment ultimately going to?

A)the shore
B)the sea
C)the poles
D)the equator

Question 9

What process produces most caves?

A)the dissolving action of groundwater on rock, especially on limestone
B)the dissolving action of groundwater on rock, especially on marble
C)the dissolving action of streams on rock, especially on marble
D)the dissolving action of glaciers on rock, especially on marble

Question 10

Why is erosion more severe at the beach in winter than in the summer?

A)Waves are stronger and more energetic in winter.
B)Waves carry more sediment in winter.
C)Weathering increases in winter.
D)All of these

Question 11

How would you characterize the size of the sediments that slowly moving water can carry?

A)large
B)small
C)large and small
D)Slowly moving water cannot carry sediments.

Question 12

A stream erodes the land as it flows to the sea. What landforms are likely to develop where the land is steep?

A)deltas
B)U-shaped valleys
C)V-shaped valleys
D)meanders

Question 13

Wind erodes rock by

A)applying the force of air molecules to rock.
B)applying water vapor molecules to rock.
C)grinding airborne sediments against rock and carrying away small fragments.
D)none of these

Question 14

The most powerful agent of erosion is

A)waves.
B)running water.
C)wind.
D)glaciers.

Question 15

Rainwater causes chemical weathering by

A)adding water molecules to rock.
B)applying a force to rock.
C)taking minerals out of rock and putting them in solution.
D)removing rock's surface layer.

Question 16

Softer kinds of rock such as sandstone are eroded ________ than harder kinds of rock such as granite.

A)faster
B)slower
C)at the same rate as
D)more

Question 17

What kind of erosion produces sinkholes?

A)wind erosion
B)groundwater erosion
C)ocean wave erosion
D)stream erosion

Question 18

Where is the world's largest glacier located?

A)Greenland
B)Asia
C)Antarctica
D)Minnesota

Question 19

Which one is a depositional feature found at the coast?

A)delta
B)sea stack
C)headlands
D)sand dune

Question 20

Surface processes of weathering and erosion tear the land down. What builds it up?

A)actions of plate tectonics
B)deposition
C)both a and b
D)none of the above

Question 21

What is the lowest level that sediment from a mountain can be transported to?

A)the bottom of a stream channel
B)sea level
C)the bottom of the sea
D)Earth's core

Question 22

Glaciers are like dirty snowballs because they

A)roll like a ball.
B)are always melting.
C)consist of debris embedded in ice.
D)are round.

Question 23

You are hopping on boulders beside a quiet stream that runs through a V-shaped valley. How did the boulders get there? The boulders were likely

A)carried in the stream then deposited at the stream bank.
B)produced when chemical weathering broke up the rock along the sides of the valley.
C)deposited along the stream bank by wind.
D)none of the above

Question 24

Floodplains have rich soil for farming because

A)small sediments settle out of slow-moving water at floodplains.
B)large sediments settle out of slow-moving water at floodplains.
C)there is no deposition of sediment at floodplains.
D)they are located near the mouth of a river.

Question 25

Which of the following can be an agent of mechanical weathering?

A)ice
B)an ocean wave
C)a tree
D)all of the above

Question 26

The major agent of erosion in the desert is

A)wave action.
B)ice.
C)wind.
D)groundwater.

Question 27

To reduce the potential for erosion, the safest place for a home by a river is

A)on the inside of a meander.
B)on the outside of a meander.
C)on a channel island.
D)on sand.

Question 28

The erosion of wind is most like the action of

A)sandpaper.
B)a bulldozer.
C)an ice cream scoop.
D)a skateboard.

Question 29

Erosion and deposition

A)affect the movement of Earth's tectonic plates.
B)create landforms such as caves, waterfalls and valleys.
C)are usually human-caused processes.
D)occur on land but not in the ocean basin.

Question 30

You are hiking in a delta environment. The sediment that you see under your feet is

A)fine-grained.
B)coarse-grained.
C)medium-grained
D)composed of grains of many sizes.

Question 31

One landform that is caused by erosion from running water is a

A)waterfall.
B)U-shaped valley.
C)sand dune.
D)mountain.

Question 32

Of the four agents of erosion-water, wind, and ice-the one that can move only small-sized sediments is

A)water.
B)wind.
C)ice.
D)all of these

Question 33

A stream channel has a cross sectional area of 20 square meters (20 m2). The stream's velocity at that point is 4 meters per second (4 m/s). Calculate the stream's discharge.

A)15 m3/s
B)40 m3/s
C)80 m3/s
D)150 m3/s

Question 34

Why do you typically find bigger rocks along the banks of a fast-moving stream and smaller rocks and pebbles beside a slower-moving stream?

A)As a stream slows, it deposits its smaller sediments first.
B)As a stream slows, it deposits its larger sediments first.
C)Fast-moving streams carry only large sediments.
D)Slow-moving streams carry only dissolved sediments.

Question 35

Which of the following landscapes were not carved by glaciers?

A)the Grand Canyon
B)Yosemite National Park
C)the Swiss Alps
D)the Great Lakes of North America

Question 36

Expensive homes on coastal cliffs are at risk due to

A)erosion from ocean waves.
B)erosion from wind.
C)erosion from groundwater.
D)erosion from streams.

Question 37

A landslide is produced by the action of

A)gravity.
B)running water.
C)groundwater.
D)glacial erosion.

Question 38

The Bear River looks very muddy. It contains a high

A)bed load.
B)suspended load.
C)dissolved load.
D)sediment load.

Question 39

Rainwater can cause chemical weathering by

A)freezing into the cracks in rock.
B)applying a force to rock.
C)taking minerals out of rock and putting them in solution.
D)removing rock's surface layer.

Question 40

What is the ingredient found in topsoil that's necessary for plant growth?

A)air
B)mineral matter
C)humus
D)surface litter

Question 41

What geological process created the Grand Canyon?

A)wave erosion
B)groundwater erosion
C)stream erosion
D)glacial erosion

Question 42

A wave moves from the open ocean to the shore-but what is actually traveling from one place to another?

A)energy
B)water molecules
C)salt
D)wind

Question 43

Why do most caves form in limestone rock formations?

A)Limestone is a soft rock.
B)Limestone dissolves in rainwater.
C)Limestone is the most common kind of rock on Earth.
D)Limestone chemically reacts readily with acidified groundwater.

Question 44

How do worms help plants grow?

A)They are a source of minerals.
B)They carry out chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide to nitrogen.
C)They decompose organic material into compounds plants can use.
D)They add excrement, a source of nutrients, plus they produce air space by crawling through the soil.

Question 45

Describe how a glacier is like a bulldozer, an ice cream scoop, and a piece of sandpaper.

Question 46

How do water molecules below the ocean surface move as a waves passes by?

A)up and down
B)in an elliptical path
C)toward shore
D)in a circular path

Question 47

How do ocean waves chemically weather rock?

A)by dissolving it
B)by applying a force to them
C)by undergoing acid-base reactions
D)by acting like a sledge hammer upon them

Question 48

What role do fungi play in the formation of fertile soil?

A)They are a source of minerals.
B)They carry out chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide to nitrogen.
C)They decompose organic material into compounds plants can use.
D)They add air to soil.

Question 49

Where does chemical weathering occur fastest?

A)Sahara Desert
B)Antarctic Circle
C)Amazon Rain Forest
D)Alaska

Question 50

What does the presence of large meanders suggest about a river?

A)The river has a high velocity.
B)The river is old.
C)The river has a high sediment load.
D)The river is young.

Question 51

A prairie was covered by grasses and wildflowers. A farmer removed this native vegetation so he could plow the land and plant crops. For years, normal rain fell and the farm thrived. But after a few years of drought, the crops died and the topsoil on the farm eroded. Explain how the farmer's use of the land led to the erosion that occurred there.

Question 52

One of the end products of weathering rock is soil. What is another end product of weathering?

A)humus
B)limestone
C)well-sorted sediments
D)dissolved atoms or molecules in ocean water

Question 53

What landform is produced when a sea cave weathers all the way through?

A)headlands
B)sea arch
C)sea stack
D)sandbar

Question 54

When your grandma was a young girl she lived in a house on the bank of a river. When she returns to the house after 60 years, she is surprised to see that the river has moved several feet away from the bank. Explain how the river shifted its position.

Question 55

What do the tracks a glacier leaves on rocks indicate?

A)the weight of the glacier
B)the direction that the glacier moves
C)the age of the glacier
D)the composition of the rock

Question 56

How do caves and caverns form in limestone?

Question 57

Water flows into the cracks in a boulder and freezes. The water expands and pushes the rock apart. What surface process is this?

A)differential weathering
B)fast weathering
C)mechanical weathering
D)chemical weathering

Question 58

Why do most caves form in limestone rock formations?

A)Limestone is a soft rock.
B)Limestone dissolves in rainwater.
C)Limestone is the most common kind of rock on Earth.
D)Limestone chemically reacts readily with acidified groundwater.

Question 59

What property of soil affects how well soil retains and transmits air and water to plants?

A)texture
B)percentage of organic material
C)hardness
D)albedo

Question 60

What soil texture supports the growth best in the majority of plants?

A)loam
B)an even mixture of clay, sand, and silt
C)silt
D)both A and B

Question 61

Write a children's book about Hal the halite crystal. As the story begins, Hal is residing in a salt deposit in the desert. When the story ends, Hal is residing in the ocean and helping to give the seawater its salty flavor. In your story, tell how Hal ends up in the ocean.

Question 62

What is a delta? Where and how do deltas form?