Deck 23: Surface Processes

Question 1

The physical disintegration and chemical decomposition of rock at or near Earth's surface is called

A) weathering.
B) gradation.
C) erosion.
D) none of these.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The principal landform resulting from a stream's erosive power is its ______________-shaped valley.

A) V
B) W
C) M
D) I

Answer 2

A

Question 3

At the end and along the sides of a glacier,the sediment deposits may form ridges known as

A) moraines.
B) cirque.
C) hills.
D) none of these.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The process of leveling of the Earth by the wearing away of high places and the transportation of sediment to lower places is known as

A) mass wasting.
B) the hydrologic cycle.
C) degradation.
D) gradation.

Question 5

A depression on the land surface caused by the collapse of a cavern is called

A) a sinkhole.
B) a shrink pit.
C) a culvert.
D) none of the above.

Question 6

Greenland and Antarctica are covered with glacial ice sheets called

A) valley glaciers.
B) mountain glaciers.
C) continental glaciers.
D) none of the above.

Question 7

Which of the following terms is(are)used to describe a division of a stream's load?

A) Bed load only.
B) Suspended load only.
C) Dissolved load only.
D) All of the above

Question 8

The downslope movement of surface materials as a result of gravity and of the agents that cause such movement is called

A) erosion.
B) gradation.
C) landslides.
D) none of these.

Question 9

The most important climatic factors that affect the rate of chemical weathering are heat and

A) moisture.
B) wind.
C) clouds.
D) none of these.

Question 10

Any flow of water occurring between well-defined banks is defined by geologists as

A) a stream.
B) a meander.
C) a lake.
D) none of these.

Question 11

A loop-like bend in a river channel is called

A) a meander.
B) a stream.
C) a detour.
D) none of these.

Question 12

The object above a valley floor that consists of glacial ice is called

A) a valley glacier.
B) a gulley glacier
C) a canyon glacier.
D) none of these.

Question 13

A large ice mass that flows on a land surface under the influence of gravity is called

A) a glacier.
B) a land slide.
C) an ice river.
D) none of these.

Question 14

When material is transported and deposited by ice,the process is called

A) glacial drift.
B) gradation.
C) erosion.
D) none of these.

Question 15

The process of leveling of the Earth by the wearing away of high places and the transportation to and deposition of sediments at lower levels is called

A) gradation.
B) weathering.
C) erosion.
D) none of the above.

Question 16

The most important acid involved in chemical weathering is

A) carbonic acid.
B) sulfuric acid.
C) hydrochloric acid.
D) none of these.

Question 17

The physical disintegration or fracturing of rock is called

A) mechanical weathering.
B) gradation.
C) chemical weathering.
D) none of these.

Question 18

A river's suspended and bed loads may accumulate at its mouth and form

A) a delta.
B) a meander.
C) a stream.
D) none of the above.

Question 19

Small glaciers that form along mountains in hollow depressions that are protected from the Sun are called

A) cirque glaciers.
B) moraines glaciers.
C) permanent glaciers.
D) none of these.

Question 20

Subsurface soil that remains permanently frozen is called

A) a swamp.
B) a bogg.
C) permafrost.
D) none of these.

Question 21

Which of the following phenomena results from limestone being dissolved by rainwater?

A) Caverns
B) Delta formation
C) Sea arches
D) Beaches

Question 22

A loop-like bend in a river channel is called a

A) rounder.
B) cirque.
C) wander.
D) meander.

Question 23

At the ends and along the sides of a glacier,the sediment deposits may form ridges known as

A) deltas.
B) levees.
C) drifts.
D) moraines.

Question 24

By which of the following characterisitcs is a desert defined?

A) High winds
B) High temperature
C) Lack of precipitation
D) Hot days and cold nights

Question 25

The limiting level below which a stream cannot erode the land is called its

A) base level.
B) ultimate level.
C) bed level.
D) erosion level.

Question 26

Which of the following statements is not true of glaciers?

A) They cause little erosion.
B) They are made of ice.
C) They form when more snow falls than melts.
D) They flow.

Question 27

Which of the following is a common type of mechanical weathering?

A) Frost wedging
B) Delta formation
C) Sinkhole formation
D) Moraine disintegration

Question 28

Glaciers are being considered as a source of

A) scarce metals.
B) fresh water.
C) salt.
D) fertile soil.

Question 29

The wearing away of soil and rock and the subsequent downslope movement of the fragments are called

A) erosion.
B) weathering.
C) cross-cutting.
D) deposition.

Question 30

Chemical weathering is most prevalent in what type of climate?

A) Moist and cold
B) Dry and cold
C) Dry and hot
D) Moist and hot

Question 31

Small glaciers that form along mountains in hollow depressions are called

A) cirque glaciers.
B) mountain glaciers.
C) caldera glaciers.
D) moraines.

Question 32

In latitudes where the subsurface layer of soil always remains frozen,the frozen layer is called

A) an aquifer.
B) the frost table.
C) a glacier.
D) permafrost.

Question 33

Which of the following is not a component of a stream's load?

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

Question 34

What type of glacier is formed when a valley floor is covered with compressed glacial ice?

A) Continental glacier
B) Stream glacier
C) Valley glacier
D) Cirque glacier

Question 35

The two major types of weathering studied in this chapter are mechanical weathering and ______________ weathering.

A) stream
B) chemical
C) abrasion
D) adverse

Question 36

The type of rock most susceptible to chemical weathering is

A) sandstone.
B) basalt.
C) shale.
D) limestone.

Question 37

A river's suspended load and bed load may accumulate at its mouth and form a(n)

A) delta.
B) flood plain.
C) moraine.
D) abyssal plain.

Question 38

Which of the following is not a main agent of erosion?

A) Permafrost
B) Ice
C) Wind
D) Streams

Question 39

The physical disintegration and chemical decomposition of rock at or near Earth's surface is called

A) the disintegration chain.
B) erosion.
C) the decomposition cycle.
D) weathering.

Question 40

An important agent in chemical weathering is

A) carbonic acid.
B) permafrost.
C) wind.
D) frost.

Question 41

The fast,downslope movement of large blocks of weathered materials is known as a

A) solifluction.
B) slump.
C) rock flow.
D) landslide.

Question 42

About what percent of Earth's water is fresh water?

A) 8%
B) 18%
C) 2%
D) 15%

Question 43

Hard water is due primarily to dissolved salts of which elements?

A) Zinc and copper
B) Calcium, iron, and magnesium
C) Sodium and potassium
D) Sodium and chlorine

Question 44

The percentage volume of unoccupied space in a material is called its

A) traction.
B) porosity.
C) permeability.
D) salinity.

Question 45

What is the largest ocean on Earth?

A) Atlantic
B) Indian
C) Antarctic
D) Mediterranean
E) Pacific

Question 46

The slow,particle-by-particle movement of weathered debris down a slope is called

A) an avalanche.
B) a landslide.
C) slump.
D) creep.

Question 47

Most of Earth's fresh water is in

A) the atmosphere.
B) lakes and rivers.
C) glacial ice sheets.
D) aquifers.

Question 48

The driest of Earth's regions are known as

A) hot spots.
B) deserts.
C) wastelands.
D) scablands.

Question 49

The natural sequence through which water from the oceans evaporates into the atmosphere and ultimately returns to the oceans is known as the

A) hydrous cycle.
B) aqueous cycle.
C) climactic cycle.
D) hydrologic cycle.

Question 50

The unsaturated zone of soil above the water table is known as the zone of

A) permeability.
B) unsaturation.
C) presaturation.
D) aeration.

Question 51

The general geologic term for the downslope movement of soil and rock under the influence of gravity is

A) mass wasting.
B) slump.
C) creep.
D) landslide.

Question 52

Which of the following is not one of the three major types of seawater movement?

A) Waves
B) Tides
C) Currents
D) Creep

Question 53

What is the second largest ocean on Earth?

A) Atlantic
B) Indian
C) Antarctic
D) Mediterranean
E) Pacific

Question 54

How many tidal bulges "move" around Earth daily?

A) Two
B) Six
C) One
D) Four

Question 55

A body of permeable rock through which groundwater moves is called

A) an aquifer.
B) a water table.
C) a porosity level.
D) a zone of aeration.

Question 56

The formation of which of the following is not directly caused by erosive wave action?

A) Wave-cut cliffs
B) Sea stacks
C) Pocket beaches
D) Sea caves

Question 57

A material's capacity to transmit fluids is called its

A) permeability.
B) solifluction.
C) drift.
D) porosity.

Question 58

Which of the following is not a form of downslope movement?

A) Creep
B) Mudflow
C) Overburden
D) Slump

Question 59

After the Pacific and Atlantic oceans,the next largest ocean on Earth is which ocean?

A) Arctic
B) Indian
C) Antarctic
D) Mediterranean

Question 60

The upper boundary of the region in which the soil is saturated with water is known as the

A) water table.
B) aquifer level.
C) zone of aeration.
D) Moho discontinuity.

Question 61

Isolated,submarine,volcanic mountains are known as

A) reefs.
B) atolls.
C) seamounts.
D) spits.

Question 62

Large,flat areas of sediments on the ocean basins are called

A) abyssal plains.
B) guyots.
C) continental shelves.
D) atolls.

Question 63

Geologists define a(n)______________ as any flow of water occurring between well-defined banks.

Question 64

The continuous circulation of Earth's water is known as the

A) hydrologic cycle.
B) aqua cycle.
C) redistribution cycle.
D) hydrogeologic cycle.

Question 65

A depression on the land surface caused by the collapse of a cavern is called a(n)______________.

Question 66

Subsurface soil that remains permanently frozen is called ______________.

Question 67

The most important climatic factors that affect the rate of chemical weathering are heat and ______________.

Question 68

The physical disintegration and chemical decomposition of rock at or near Earth's surface is called ______________.

Question 69

The most important acid involved in chemical weathering is ______________ acid.

Question 70

A loop-like bend in a river channel is called a(n)______________.

Question 71

A common depositional feature of shoreline topography is a

A) spit.
B) guyot.
C) seamount.
D) sea arch.

Question 72

A river's suspended load and bed load may accumulate at its mouth and form a

A) sea arch.
B) guyot.
C) delta.
D) sea mount.

Question 73

______________ is the downslope movement of surface materials as a result of gravity and of the agents that cause such movement.

Question 74

A stream's load is divided into three components: dissolved load,suspended load,and ______________ load.

Question 75

The process of leveling of the Earth by the wearing away of high places and the transportation of sediments to,and their deposition at,lower levels is called ______________.

Question 76

A common feature of coastal erosion is a

A) spit.
B) guyot.
C) seamount.
D) sea arch.

Question 77

About what percent of Earth's surface is covered with water?

A) 70%
B) 10%
C) 50%
D) 30%

Question 78

The physical disintegration or fracturing of rock is called ______________.

Question 79

Which of the following are not a common depositional feature of shoreline topography?

A) Barrier islands
B) Pocket beaches
C) Sea arches
D) Spits

Question 80

A stream's load is divided into three components: ______________ load,suspended load,and bed load.