Deck 17: Karst and Hydrothermal Processes

Question 1

The brilliant colors around hot springs and geysers is ________.

A) largely unexplained
B) best seen in the winter
C) very short-lived
D) due to algae
E) due to high pressure

Answer 1

D

Question 2

From the text's description it is clear that sinkholes conflict with urban land uses in ________.

A) New York City
B) Florida
C) Iowa
D) Los Angeles
E) Chicago

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When hot water is ejected from a geyser, that flow is called a(n) ________.

A) travertine
B) motu
C) fumarole
D) eruption
E) tufa

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Caves are found in most parts of the world where there are thick ________ deposits under the surface.

A) sandstone
B) till
C) dripstone
D) limestone
E) tufa

Question 5

Most limestone is ________ mechanical surface weathering.

A) resistant to
B) prone to
C) compatible with
D) neutral to the effects of
E) the cause of

Question 6

When a stalactite meets a stalagmite the result is a ________.

A) dripstone
B) tombolo
C) doline
D) pillar
E) hydrothermal

Question 7

________ is the term for solution topography in areas of limestone bedrock.

A) Hydrothermal
B) Dripstone
C) Doline
D) Travertine
E) Karst

Question 8

Just beneath the surface of Yellowstone National Park is a large ________.

A) karst cavern
B) aquifer
C) volcano
D) magma chamber
E) area of tower karst

Question 9

All major geyser basins are similar in that they are covered with ________.

A) a salt glaze
B) mineral deposits
C) tufa layers
D) a thick sulfur layer
E) a gravel layer

Question 10

The primary way in which underground water shapes topography is through ________.

A) mechanical erosion
B) abrasion
C) dilution
D) chemical action
E) hydraulic pounding

Question 11

Geyser deposits tend to form ________.

A) mesas
B) terraces
C) fumaroles
D) sheets of precipitated matter
E) none of the above

Question 12

Which of the following is not very resistant to solution in water?

A) sodium
B) iron
C) aluminum
D) silicon
E) All of the above are very resistant.

Question 13

In karst landscapes of slight relief, ________ is (are) the most common features.

A) hot springs
B) caverns
C) sinkholes
D) travertine
E) mogotes

Question 14

The production of travertine first requires that ________ dissolves in hot water and makes an acid that dissolves great quantities of limestone.

A) carbon dioxide
B) oxygen
C) argon
D) nitrogen
E) xenon

Question 15

Which of the following enhances the rate of solution of bedrock?

A) stagnation of underground water
B) a profusion of joints and bedding planes
C) rock including great amounts of aluminum
D) an arid climate
E) a cold climate

Question 16

In rock, ________ is an end product of common dissolution reactions.

A) limestone
B) gypsum
C) chalk
D) dolomite
E) bicarbonate

Question 17

Like limestone, ________ is highly susceptible to subsurface erosion.

A) gypsum
B) sandstone
C) granite
D) shale
E) basalt

Question 18

Deposition of dissolved minerals in caverns leaves deposits such as the icicle-like ________.

A) tufa
B) stalactites
C) stalagmites
D) sinkholes
E) dolines

Question 19

A hot spring that lacks water is known as a ________.

A) hot spring
B) fumarole
C) geyser
D) sinter
E) travertine

Question 20

One of the common surface features of karst landscapes are sinkholes, also known as ________.

A) travertine
B) dripstone
C) dolines
D) tufa
E) geysers

Question 21

The most rapid landscape solution occurs in ________ areas.

A) cold
B) dry
C) humid
D) granite
E) middle latitude

Question 22

________ is a deposit of hydrothermal materials.

A) Travertine
B) Karst
C) Limestone
D) Stalagmite
E) Stalactite

Question 23

Which of the following is an example of a speleothem?

A) a stalactite
B) a doline
C) a mogote
D) a sinkhole
E) a cavern

Question 24

Geysers are best described as ________.

A) usually faithful in the timing of their eruptions
B) rarely disturbed by earthquakes
C) common over most of Earth's land surface
D) eruptions of steam and water
E) an integral part of karst landscapes

Question 25

A large, steep-sided, circular hill of residual limestone bedrock is known as a ________.

A) stalagtite
B) doline
C) mogote
D) sinkhole
E) cavern

Question 26

Which of the following terms does NOT belong with the others?

A) speleothem
B) hydrothermal activity
C) hot spring
D) fumarole
E) geyser

Question 27

A fumarole has ________.

A) liquid water as its principal product
B) many of the characteristics of a hot spring
C) a large amount of water involved in its functions
D) a direct connection to a cave
E) all of the above

Question 28

The solubility of carbon dioxide ________ as water temperature ________.

A) increases, increases
B) stays the same, decreases
C) decreases, increases
D) decreases, stays the same
E) decreases, decreases

Question 29

Movement of underground water promotes solution where ________.

A) high temperatures are found
B) high pressures are found
C) differences in rock resistance make the rock "softer"
D) the water is not saturated with bicarbonate
E) the water is flowing in a stream

Question 30

The presence of a hot spring on the surface means ________.

A) a volcano will soon erupt
B) underground water is virtually absent
C) heated rocks or magma are underneath
D) a volcano will erupt within 1,000 years
E) the end of Earth is drawing near

Question 31

According to the text, tower karst exists in ________.

A) China and Vietnam
B) the U.S. and Canada
C) the former U.S.S.R. and Iran
D) Japan and India
E) Hawaii and Alaska

Question 32

The rapid appearance of new sinkholes in Florida can be explained by ________.

A) several years of above-normal rainfall
B) buildings built on top of bedrock cavities
C) sandstone
D) the rise of the water table
E) all of the above

Question 33

Commonly, materials flowing out of hot springs build a ________.

A) dome
B) sinkhole
C) geyser
D) cavern
E) doline

Question 34

Part of Kentucky has karst topography. Knowing this, it would be logical to find _________ there.

A) sinkholes
B) stalactites
C) soluble bedrock
D) dry streambeds
E) all of the above

Question 35

The term "karst" is derived from the language and topography in a section of ________.

A) New York City
B) Brazil
C) the former Yugoslavia
D) the former Soviet Union
E) Australia

Question 36

Calcium carbonate is most readily dissolved in ________.

A) water nearly saturated with bicarbonate
B) cool water
C) warm water
D) caverns
E) the process of stalagtite formation

Question 37

In a cavern-as compared with its bedrock surroundings-lime readily precipitates from solution because ________.

A) pressures are greater
B) temperatures are greater
C) the water is purer
D) the water can run in streams
E) pressure is lowered and precipitation is possible

Question 38

A collapse doline is the remains of a ________.

A) stalagtite
B) stalagmite
C) mogote
D) sinkhole
E) cavern

Question 39

Which country leads the world in terms of production of geothermal energy?

A) United Kingdom
B) Nigeria
C) United States
D) Monaco
E) Nepal

Question 40

________ makes lime precipitate out of a water solution.

A) Rain falling out of clouds
B) Water squeezed into rock joints
C) Sublimation of liquid water
D) Reduction of temperature and pressure
E) Photosynthesis in heat-loving algae

Question 41

Limestone caverns are closely associated with ________.

A) granite bedrock
B) hot springs and geysers
C) bedding and jointing planes
D) bicarbonate acting as an acid to dissolve rocks
E) none of the above

Question 42

Cavern openings to the surface are usually ________.

A) small
B) the largest part of the cavern
C) the site of hot springs
D) warmer than the air outside
E) triangular in shape

Question 43

Which of the following Earth materials is MOST resistant to solution?

A) aluminum
B) calcium
C) magnesium
D) sodium
E) limestone

Question 44

Which of the following does NOT belong with the others?

A) tufa
B) sinter
C) travertine
D) hot springs
E) caverns

Question 45

Which of the following is a MASSIVE accumulation of calcium carbonate?

A) granite
B) tufa
C) sinter
D) travertine
E) carbonic acid

Question 46

Yellowstone National Park is the world's classic location for hydrothermal activity and the ________ River drainage basin contains most of the hydrothermal activity. So, this river basin is the world's best spot to observe hydrothermal activity.

A) Teton
B) Firehole
C) Bear
D) Wind
E) Snake

Question 47

By far, the world's largest concentration of hydrothermal features occurs in ________.

A) Chile
B) Switzerland
C) Wyoming
D) Siberia
E) Florida

Question 48

Speleothems are associated with the ________ stage of cavern formation.

A) initial excavation
B) dead
C) decoration
D) solution
E) room

Question 49

________ is a calcium magnesium carbonate rock which dissolves almost as easily as limestone.

A) Shale
B) Granite
C) Dolomite
D) Basalt
E) Gneiss

Question 50

Underground water is a weak ________ acid.

A) citric
B) sulfuric
C) tannic
D) nitric
E) carbonic

Question 51

Which feature is created by solution?

A) stalactites
B) stalagmites
C) speleothems
D) pillars
E) sinkholes

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT closely associated with hydrothermal activity?

A) Yellowstone National Park
B) hot springs
C) caverns
D) geysers
E) fumaroles

Question 53

A complex of intersecting dolines is known as a(n) ________.

A) sinkhole
B) cavern
C) speleothem
D) geyser basin
E) uvala

Question 54

The slopes of these features have angles of repose of 20° to 30°:

A) sinkholes.
B) stalagmites.
C) cavern walls.
D) pillars.
E) geyser basins.

Question 55

Soluble carbonate rocks are at or near approximately ________ percent of Earth's land surface.

A) 1
B) 5
C) 10
D) 50
E) 100

Question 56

In the original language, "karst" means "________".

A) limestone
B) solution
C) cavern
D) flat
E) barren land

Question 57

Water flowing into sinkholes frequently disappears into ________.

A) karst
B) swallow holes
C) bedding planes
D) joints
E) geysers

Question 58

Jointing systems cause many caverns to have a(n) ________ pattern.

A) linear
B) circular
C) random
D) rectangular
E) inconspicuous

Question 59

In karst topography, ________ are said to be the fundamental unit of both erosion and weathering.

A) caverns
B) joints
C) rivers
D) geysers
E) sinkholes

Question 60

Which three substances are required to interact to form calcium bicarbonate?

A) water, carbon dioxide, and dolomite
B) water, carbon dioxide, and lime
C) carbon dioxide, sunlight, and plants
D) plants, magnesium, dolomite
E) oxygen, water, magnesium bicarbonate

Question 61

The term "decoration stage" of cave development is related to all but one of the following terms:

A) carbon dioxide and calcite
B) uvala
C) speleothem
D) stalactite
E) stalagmite

Question 62

________ is a term which refers to solution landscapes and literally means "barren land".

A) Dolomite
B) Doline
C) Karst
D) Speleothem
E) Fumarole

Question 63

A swallow hole is most closely associated with ________.

A) geysers
B) fumaroles
C) tower karst
D) a magma chamber
E) sinkholes

Question 64

________ are typically found at the intersections of joints.

A) Rivers
B) Sinkholes
C) Magma chambers
D) Uvala
E) Tower karst

Question 65

In hydrothermal situations, superheating of water is possible because of the presence of ________.

A) joints
B) bedding planes
C) sodium bicarbonate
D) high pressure
E) lava

Question 66

Geysers are associated with karst topography and sandstone bedrock.

Question 67

Which of the following is a landscape feature that would be last to form on a karst landscape?

A) sinkholes
B) collapsed doline
C) cavern
D) tower karst
E) disappearing stream

Question 68

Yellowstone National Park is known for its hydrothermal features. Yellowstone contains about ________ of all the world's hydrothermal features.

A) 1%
B) 10%
C) 50%
D) 75%
E) virtually 100% (99.999%)

Question 69

The largest sinkholes are in ________ regions.

A) high altitude
B) polar
C) tropical
D) middle latitude
E) ocean

Question 70

Water in hot springs is usually impregnated with a great deal of dissolved mineral water.

Question 71

In terms of underground water, ________ is the most effective shaper of landforms.

A) corrosion
B) dissolution
C) hydraulic power
D) channelized flow
E) mechanical erosion

Question 72

Tower karst forms spectacular scenery in which part of the world?

A) the Rocky Mountains near Denver
B) most of Alaska
C) Yellowstone National Park
D) the Alps of Europe
E) southeastern China

Question 73

Karst landscapes ________.

A) are somewhat less common in the U.S. than on Earth as a whole
B) seldom have steep-sided terrain
C) are formed in arid climates
D) can be said to be the same as hydrothermal landscapes
E) are formed by underground processes

Question 74

Cavern development is facilitated by the presence of sandstone.

Question 75

Karst landscapes are noteworthy because ________ are absent.

A) chemical weathering processes
B) caverns
C) surface streams
D) hills of any size
E) limestone and dolomite

Question 76

The eruptions of Yellowstone's geysers as well as most of the others on Earth can be characterized as ________.

A) regular
B) irregular
C) containing only steam
D) becoming much more frequent over time
E) mysterious as to how they come to be

Question 77

Underground water has little importance in the shaping of landforms.

Question 78

Travertine and tufa are both composed of ________.

A) calcium carbonate
B) granite
C) igneous rock
D) non-soluble minerals
E) heat-resistant algae

Question 79

Surface streams are relatively rare in karst regions, but many streams flow in caverns below karst surfaces.

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT a component of karst landscapes?

A) steep slopes
B) dry stream valleys
C) sinkholes common
D) swallow holes common
E) extensive stream channels