Deck 13: Climatic Extremes: Deserts and Glaciers

Question 1

The main mechanism of glacial movement is _____.

A)melting
B)basal sliding
C)frost heaving
D)icewedging

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The steepest portion of a desert sand dune is on the _____ side.

A)windward
B)top
C)bottom
D)leeward

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In the glacial "ice budget," a zone of snow accumulation is balanced by a zone of _____.

A)abrasion
B)exhalation
C)rockfall
D)ablation

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A _____ is a broad lobe of ice that terminates on open slopes beyond a mountain front.

A)piedmont glacier
B)surging glacier
C)tributary glacier
D)icecap

Question 5

Deserts comprise approximately _____ of the world's total land area outside of polar areas.

A)5%
B)10%
C)15%
D)25%

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a glacial deposit?

A)till
B)erratics
C)moraines
D)cirque

Question 7

The glacial valley shown here was formed by ______.

A)glacial deposition
B)sea level rise
C)climate change
D)glacial erosion

Question 8

Continental ice sheets gouged out _____,a major feature in the central North American lowlands.

A)cirques
B)piedmont glaciers
C)eskers
D)the Great Lakes

Question 9

The rocks at the base of an advancing glacier leave parallel scratches termed glacial _____.

A)till
B)moraines
C)drumlins
D)striations

Question 10

The mechanism of wind erosion in which loose particles of sand and dust are picked up and removed,leaving behind only coarser particles,is called _____.

A)deflation
B)saltation
C)abrasion
D)inflation

Question 11

When desert canyons are closely spaced,their flatland deposits often form _____.

A)sand dunes
B)ventifacts
C)bajadas
D)desertification

Question 12

When sedimentary particles move in series of short bounces,the process is termed _____.

A)siltation
B)saltation
C)sublimation
D)suspension

Question 13

A _____ dune,shown in the figure below,forms from shifting wind directions and abundant sand.

A)barchan
B)transverse
C)longitudinal
D)star

Question 14

When arroyos empty their sediments onto a flat desert floor,the resulting deposit forms a(n)_____.

A)alluvial fan
B)inselberg
C)point bar
D)sanddune

Question 15

Irrigation in the Great Plains,as shown in the figure below,helps prevent desertification,but it also leads to _____.

A)continental deserts
B)wetlands
C)loss of topsoil
D)depletionof aquifers

Question 16

Glacial ice is generally formed by _____.

A)frozen rivers
B)recrystallized snow
C)icebergs
D)frostwedges

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a type of desert?

A)interior
B)subtropical
C)Polar
D)grassland

Question 18

A ridge of material that rides along the middle of a glacial ice stream is called a _____ moraine.

A)terminal
B)recessional
C)medial
D)lateral

Question 19

An American experience with desertification in the earlier part of the 20ᵗʰ Century,as shown in this picture,is called The_____.

A)Sahelian Desert
B)Mojave Desert
C)Great Plains
D)Dust Bowl

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a type of glacier?

A)marine glacier
B)polar glacier
C)ice sheet
D)cirque glacier

Question 21

A ventifact is a steep-sided,flat-topped desert landform.

Question 22

Most deserts have extensive sand dunes.

Question 23

Rainfall in a desert region typically results from intense downpours that occur during a brief rainy season.

Question 24

Land degradation is the invasion of desert conditions into non-desert areas.

Question 25

Suspension is a type of sediment transport in which the wind carries very fine particles over long distances and periods of time.

Question 26

At the head of an advancing valley glacier,more ice is rapidly lost to evaporation and melting than is replaced by snow.

Question 27

Permafrost is a heterogeneous mixture of crushed rock,sand,pebbles,cobbles,and boulders deposited by a glacier.

Question 28

_____is a type of sediment transport in which the wind causes particles to roll along the ground.

A)Surface creep
B)Saltation
C)Desertification
D)Suspension

Question 29

Rainshadow deserts form when a mountain range creates a barrier to the flow of moist air,causing a zone of low precipitation to form on the downwind side of the range.

Question 30

In order to be classifies as a desert,a region must receive less than _____ millimeters of precipitation in a given year.

A)50
B)150
C)200
D)250

Question 31

A cirque glacier covers a mountaintop (or low-lying land in the polar regions)completely,and usually displays a radial-outward flow pattern.

Question 32

Water erosion rarely occurs in deserts.

Question 33

Arid and semi-arid regions are collectively known as _____.

A)deserts
B)drylands
C)arroyos
D)bajadas

Question 34

The cryosphereis the perennially frozen part of the hydrosphere.

Question 35

The angle of repose is the steepest angle at which loose particles will come to rest.

Question 36

Bajadas are steep-sided canyons that result from erosion by the rapid run-off from intense rainfall.

Question 37

When cirques form on several sides of a mountain,they often form a _____.

A)horn
B)hanging valley
C)kettle moraine
D)terminal moraine

Question 38

The term _____ refers to wind-related processes.

A)desertification
B)saltation
C)eolian
D)suspension

Question 39

Glacial striations and glacial grooves are evidence of glacial erosion.

Question 40

All deserts are in hot,tropical areas.

Question 41

A pile or ridge of rock debris carried or deposited directly by glacial ice is a(n)_____.

Question 42

An abraded and wind-shaped sediment or rock is a(n)_____.

Question 43

Invasion of desert conditions into non-desert areas is termed _____.

Question 44

A steep-sided desert canyon,as shown,is called a(n)_____.

Question 45

A desert that forms on the leeward slope a mountain is called a rain _____ desert.

Question 46

A thick sheet of floating ice at sea,adjoining a land glacier,is an ice _____.

Question 47

A glacier that fills a bowl-shaped depression on a mountain is a(n)_____ glacier.

Question 48

The Dust Bowl caused the largest short-term migration in the history of the United States.

Question 49

A glacier that advances rapidly,as in the photograph,is said to _____.

Question 50

Long-term deflation as shown may lead to the development of desert _____.

Question 51

A glacial valley,as marked by the * in the illustration below,partly filled by an arm of the sea,is a(n)_____.

Question 52

Walden Pond is an example of a kettle pond.

Question 53

Saltation is a type of sediment transport in which particles move forward in a series of short jumps along arc-shaped paths.

Question 54

Tundra is the most common type of environment in present-day periglacial regions.

Question 55

Deserts,both hot and cold,tend to occur in global zones of _____ dry air.

Question 56

Freeze-thaw cycles in tundra create _____ ground.

Question 57

Two great deserts in Africa are the _____ and Kalaharian (or Namibian).

Question 58

The stable shape of a pile of sand or other sediment is determined by its angle of _____.

Question 59

Land areas which receive between 250 and 500 mm of rain per year are called _____ lands.

Question 60

Depressions in glacial terrains made by left-behind ice are termed _____.

Question 61

What caused the 1930s "Dust Bowl" in western United States?

Question 62

An ice deposit formed as a glacier melts and recedes is a(n)_____ moraine.

Question 63

When glaciers advance and then retreat,what sort of evidence is left behind to show the extent and nature of the ice cover?

Question 64

Why do desert sand dunes take on several specific shapes?

Question 65

Why are the world's deserts located in bands centered on 30⁰N and 30⁰S latitude?

Question 66

_____ is defined as a treeless,periglacial terrain,often featuring permafrost and patterned ground.

Question 67

_____ is ground that is perennially below the freezing point of water.

Question 68

Explain how solid ice can flow within a glacier.

Question 69

How do glaciers advance?

Question 70

Stresses in the brittle surface layer of glacial ice cause cracks as seen in the photograph,which become _____.

Question 71

How do glaciers shape the land across which they flow?

Question 72

Describe the process which results in the crystal axes illustrated,whereby snow is transformed into glacial ice.

Question 73

What techniques can be used to halt desertification of agricultural lands?

Question 74

Why is some land in Antarctica depressed below sea level?