Deck 15: Arid Region Landforms and Eolian Processes

Question 1

Wind erodes by the processes of ____ and abrasion.

A)saltation
B)deflation
C)suspension
D)scratching

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What is an excellent example of an exotic stream?

A)Danube River
B)Rhine Rive
C)Thames River
D)Nile River

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Alluvial fans are shaped like ____.

A)circles
B)squares
C)triangles
D)rectangles

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Desert pavement is ____.

A)a special type of asphalt that won't soften in the desert sun
B)a thin layer of stones that overlies fine-grained sediments below
C)the salt crust on some playa surfaces
D)the salt crust that forms on some sand dunes

Question 5

An alluvial fan forms where a stream emerging from a mountain canyon undergoes an ____.

A)increase in width
B)increase in velocity
C)increase in energy
D)increase in capacity

Question 6

Desert bolsons will most likely have ____.

A)exterior drainage
B)plateaus
C)exotic streams
D)playas

Question 7

Barchans ____.

A)are a type of longitudinal dune
B)have slip faces oriented parallel to the average wind direction
C)have arms that point downwind
D)are typically stabilized by vegetation

Question 8

Ayers Rock is an excellent example of a(n) ____.

A)alluvial fan
B)bajada
C)inselberg
D)arroyo

Question 9

In the Gobi Desert of China, the loess deposits are ____ thick.

A)10-20 centimeters
B)4-5 meters
C)15-20 meters
D)30-90 meters

Question 10

Caprocks are ____.

A)rock layers that form the top of mesas and buttes
B)hardened crusts that form the surface of playas
C)hat-shaped rocks on top of thin, rock pedestals
D)wind-deposited landforms

Question 11

Regions of rugged, barren topography with prominent ridges and ravines resulting from gully erosion of soft material are known as ____.

A)mesas
B)plateaus
C)pediments
D)badlands

Question 12

Desert landforms, referred to as fans, can be made by ____.

A)streams and debris flows
B)salt weathering and the wind
C)groundwater evaporation and weathering
D)solution and the wind

Question 13

Most desert streams ____.

A)are ephemeral
B)are perennial
C)meander
D)reach ultimate base level

Question 14

Earth's most fertile agricultural soils often come from ____ deposits.

A)sand
B)playa
C)debris flow
D)loess

Question 15

Desert regions characteristically ____.

A)have highly unpredictable frequencies and amounts of precipitation
B)receive low rates of potential evapotranspiration
C)experience low rates of weathering and erosion
D)experience one large and predictable dust storm per year

Question 16

Playas are ____.

A)ancient Pleistocene shorelines representing a past, more humid climate
B)ancient abandoned river courses representing a past, more humid climate
C)intensely gullied
D)occasionally and at least partly flooded with water

Question 17

The joining together of several adjacent alluvial fans results in the formation of a(n) ____.

A)playa
B)salt flat
C)pediment
D)bajada

Question 18

Knobs of bedrock that rise up from smooth desert pediments are ____.

A)easily eroded
B)deposits of alluvium
C)loess
D)inselbergs

Question 19

Streamlined eolian erosional landforms that taper in the downwind direction ____.

A)have slip faces
B)lie at the angle of repose
C)are yardangs
D)are drumlins

Question 20

The world's desert regions ____.

A)have always had arid climates
B)are 99% covered by active sand dunes
C)are fragile environments
D)have no vegetation

Question 21

Eolian saltation typically ____.

A)carries the heaviest part of the bed load
B)is the most effective kind of eolian erosion
C)transports silts and clays
D)makes sand bounce in the downwind direction

Question 22

Dunes along the coast ____.

A)are not conducive to wildlife habitats
B)are easily eroded by water
C)protect inland areas from storm waves
D)are covered with vegetation

Question 23

Compared to sandstorms, dust storms ____.

A)involve gravel-sized sediment
B)are moved by running water
C)carry lighter particles
D)carry sediment closer to the ground

Question 24

In arid regions, the wind is commonly able to pick up sand-sized particles and carry them high up in the air in suspension.

Question 25

Plateaus, mesas, and buttes are all related landforms..

Question 26

Desert pavement is caused by eolian abrasion that polishes rock surfaces.

Question 27

Star dunes ____.

A)have only been found on Mars
B)are the smallest type of sand dune
C)have long arms stabilized by vegetation
D)have multiple slip faces

Question 28

Longitudinal dunes are ____.

A)oriented parallel to the average wind direction
B)a type of transverse dune
C)a type of star dune
D)crescent-shaped dunes with arms point upwind

Question 29

Arroyos are a type of:

A)stabilized sand dune
B)playa
C)ephemeral stream channel
D)wind-eroded rock

Question 30

Besides deserts, sand dunes are also commonly found in what environment?

A)glacial regions
B)tropical rainforest regions
C)permafrost regions
D)coastal regions

Question 31

Barren areas with extremely low drainage density are known as badlands.

Question 32

Playa sediments are typically fine-grained clasts or salts.

Question 33

On barchan dunes, the "horns" point in the direction that the dune is moving.

Question 34

Running water is responsible for more geomorphic work than the wind in arid regions.

Question 35

Ventifacts are ____.

A)made of loess
B)found on Mars
C)the product of stream erosion
D)found in sand dunes

Question 36

Fault-block deserts of active tectonism would most likely have ____.

A)external drainage and dune fields
B)alluvial fans and playas
C)pediments and inselbergs
D)external drainage and badlands

Question 37

Large grains too heavy to be carried by wind move by surface creep.

Question 38

Playas form on the slopes of mountains.

Question 39

Barchans ____.

A)are the only kind of sand dune
B)are the only kind of silt dune
C)are the only kind of gravel dune
D)migrate

Question 40

Yardangs are created by eolian erosion.

Question 41

____________________ lakes evaporate and disappear only to reappear when rain provides adequate inflow.

Question 42

____________________ landforms and processes are those associated with the work of the wind.

Question 43

How is a pediment different from an alluvial fan?

Question 44

Name and describe three different types of sand dunes, emphasizing differences in their form and conditions under which they are created.

Question 45

The steep downwind slope of a dune that lies at the angle of repose is known as the ____________________.

Question 46

A large expanse of surface stones overlying fine-grained sediments in a desert is called ____________________.

Question 47

Turbulent wind flow that blows over a barren surface can pick up sediment by the process known as ____________________.

Question 48

A perennial river that begins in a humid region but flows across an arid region is a(n)
____________________ river.

Question 49

A coalesced apron of alluvial fans along the base of desert mountains is a(n) ____________________.

Question 50

A bedrock remnant held up by a resistant caprock, such as found in the Colorado Plateau area of the southwestern U.S., is called a(n) ____________________ if it is taller than it is wide.

Question 51

The large region of the western U.S.that is characterized by interior drainage, with no rivers flowing from there to the sea, is called the ____________________.

Question 52

A usually dry, very flat clay surface at the bottom of a desert basin is a kind of ____________________.