Deck 15: Preliminaries to Weathering: Mass Wasting and Erosion

Question 1

Lava ________ develop when gas is unable to escape as the lava solidifies.

A) holes
B) tubes
C) vesicles
D) joints
E) cavities

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following landscapes is most closely associated with jointing?

A) Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
B) the folded Appalachian Mountains
C) the Front Range of the Rockies
D) Chief Mountain in Glacier National Park, Montana
E) Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Weathering may reach as far as ________ below Earth's surface.

A) a few centimeters
B) a few meters
C) hundreds of meters
D) the bottom of the crust
E) the outer core

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A joint can be distinguished from a fault in that ________.

A) there is wider separation between two sides
B) joints are a feature of cold climates exclusively
C) there is no difference between joints and faults
D) there is no movement along joints
E) joints are not found in metamorphic rocks

Question 5

Which of the following is LEAST important in the weathering processes?

A) Microscopic open spaces
B) Lava vesicles
C) Joints
D) Faults
E) Earthquakes

Question 6

The general term signifying the overall lowering of the rock material on the Earth's crust is ________.

A) denudation
B) mass wasting
C) slumping
D) jointing
E) weathering

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT closely related to jointing?

A) Zion Canyon National Park, Utah
B) ease of percolation of water into rock
C) vesicles
D) contraction of sediments after they dry out
E) horizontal and vertical orientation

Question 8

Jointing is most regularly patterned in ________.

A) soil
B) coarse-grained rocks
C) fine-grained rocks
D) exfoliated rocks
E) faulted rocks

Question 9

Carbonate rock is closely associated with ________.

A) vesicles
B) exfoliation
C) hydration
D) granular disintegration
E) solution cavities

Question 10

________ are the most common structural features of rocks.

A) Joints
B) Faults
C) Solution cavities
D) Lava vesicles
E) Fractures

Question 11

Which process must take place FIRST during the denudation of a landscape?

A) weathering
B) erosion
C) mass wasting
D) They must occur simultaneously.
E) None of them must necessarily occur first.

Question 12

Denudation is NOT closely related to ________.

A) erosion
B) mass wasting
C) atmospheric weathering
D) biologic weathering
E) internal processes

Question 13

________ is(are) the most obvious result of weathering.

A) Fragmentation of bedrock
B) Landslides
C) Slumps
D) Earthquakes
E) Joints

Question 14

A lava ________ is a small hole which develops in cooling lava when gas is unable to escape as the lava solidifies.

A) chamber
B) cavity
C) vesicle
D) pore space
E) cavern

Question 15

The location of features, such as cliffs and valleys might be strongly influenced by the position of ________.

A) rocks which can be exfoliated
B) systems of microspaces
C) master joints
D) talus slopes
E) scree

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a type of opening along which weathering agents attack bedrock?

A) joints
B) faults
C) lava vesicles
D) solution cavities
E) batholiths

Question 17

Like faults, a ________ is a separation in a rock body.

A) sill
B) dike
C) joint
D) slump
E) graben

Question 18

Large ________ extend for considerable distances and depths through rock. Below the surface, there is minimal separation between the blocks on either side.

A) vesicles
B) master joints
C) solution cavities
D) glory holes
E) faults

Question 19

Residual rock that has not experienced erosion is termed ________.

A) basalt
B) talus
C) dome
D) block
E) bedrock

Question 20

Weathering and mass wasting can be classified as ________ processes.

A) quick
B) mountain building
C) constructive
D) denudational
E) tectonic

Question 21

The peeling of thin layers of stone off a large rock is ________.

A) carbonation
B) hydrolysis
C) scree
D) exfoliation
E) explosion

Question 22

________ might happen directly as the result of the removal of an overlying weight from the landscape.

A) Hydrolysis
B) Mass wasting
C) A slump
D) Exfoliation
E) Soil creep

Question 23

The term "exfoliation dome" is best applied to ________.

A) Bryce National Park, Utah
B) subarctic hillslopes
C) Yosemite National Park
D) unweathered parent material
E) Bunker Hill, Massachusetts

Question 24

Frost wedging is associated with ________ in coarse-grained rocks.

A) hydrolysis
B) granular disintegration
C) slumping
D) faults
E) solution cavities

Question 25

Salt wedging is most closely associated with ________.

A) chemical weathering
B) humid climates
C) freeze/thaw cycles
D) capillary action
E) plant roots

Question 26

Salt wedging is of slight consequence in ________.

A) regions above the treeline
B) humid regions
C) marshes
D) arid regions
E) volcanic regions

Question 27

In dry climates, ________ is a (are) prevalent process(es).

A) landslides
B) hydrolysis
C) salt wedging
D) carbonation
E) frost wedging

Question 28

Where is the daily temperature change the most significant in rock weathering?

A) mountain summits
B) the Arctic region
C) the humid tropics
D) the subtropical deserts
E) midlatitude valleys

Question 29

In rock, ________ is another term for pressure release.

A) creep
B) slumping
C) unloading
D) rusting
E) oxidation

Question 30

As water freezes it expands almost ________ percent and is able to mechanically weather rock.

A) 1
B) 10
C) 50
D) 75
E) 100

Question 31

Which of the following is most effective in weathering rock?

A) salt wedging
B) daily heating and cooling
C) fire
D) freeze/thaw cycles
E) plant roots

Question 32

Granular disintegration is most closely associated with ________.

A) hydrolysis
B) biological weathering
C) frost wedging
D) mass wasting
E) landslides

Question 33

The chemical union of water with another substance is called ________.

A) talus
B) hydrolysis
C) solifluction
D) oxidation
E) magma

Question 34

Frost shattering is also called frost ________.

A) wedging
B) creep
C) exfoliation
D) weathering
E) slump

Question 35

A weathering type associated with curved and concentric sets of joints break away in successive layers is called ________.

A) exfoliation
B) hydrolysis
C) landslide
D) creep
E) solifluction

Question 36

Water is a major agent of weathering because of its property that, when it freezes, it decreases in density and ________.

A) evaporates
B) turns white
C) expands in volume
D) stays in liquid form below 0°Celsius
E) turns acidic

Question 37

The most important type of mechanical weathering process is ________.

A) salt wedging
B) oxidation
C) frost shattering
D) hydrolysis
E) uniformitarianism

Question 38

In frost wedging, the principal force is exerted against the ________ of the confining rock.

A) top
B) outside
C) walls
D) microscopic openings
E) bottom

Question 39

Exfoliation is probably the result of unloading and ________.

A) jointing
B) glaciation
C) hydration
D) mechanical weathering
E) salt wedging

Question 40

Frost wedging is NOT a significant agent in producing ________.

A) large boulders
B) sand
C) clay
D) mechanical weathering effects
E) dust

Question 41

The main chemical weathering processes all take place more or less simultaneously because they all require the presence of ________.

A) water
B) air
C) hydrogen
D) plants
E) salt crystal growth

Question 42

Water penetrating into soil promotes chemical weathering by acting as a weak ________.

A) acid
B) base
C) saline solution
D) neutral agent
E) catalyst

Question 43

The rotting of rock by the various types of chemical weathering takes place best in ________.

A) polar regions
B) upland montane forests
C) arid lands
D) humid regions
E) limestone regions

Question 44

Invariably, hydrolysis makes a mineral ________.

A) more beautiful
B) redder
C) more acidic
D) take up more volume
E) denser

Question 45

Which openings in rocks are associated with calcareous rocks?

A) microscopic openings
B) joints
C) faults
D) lava vesicles
E) solution cavities

Question 46

Chemical weathering is speeded because mechanical weathering tends to ________.

A) greatly increase the surface area to be weathered
B) stop when chemical weathering starts
C) deliver rocks to where chemical processes are dominant
D) prevent moisture from washing away the chemicals
E) make coarse-grained materials decompose more rapidly than fine-grained materials

Question 47

In percolating rainwater, dissolved gases and the decay products of local vegetation increases the water's capacity to ________.

A) evaporate
B) condense
C) drive chemical reactions
D) freeze
E) undergo mechanical weathering

Question 48

Calcium bicarbonate produced in the chemical weathering process of carbonation ________.

A) is rare
B) is very resistant to erosion
C) is very soluble
D) is difficult to remove from the spot where it was formed
E) eventually transforms into diamonds

Question 49

Oxidation of aluminum causes which of the following colors on the surfaces of rocks?

A) light purple
B) grayish-blue
C) lime green
D) black
E) reddish brown

Question 50

Which of the following processes is most closely associated with "rusting"?

A) hydrolysis
B) hydration
C) carbonation
D) oxidation
E) nivation

Question 51

Caverns are most closely associated with ________.

A) microscopic open spaces
B) joints
C) faults
D) lava vesicles
E) solution cavities

Question 52

The single most important weathering agent is ________.

A) carbon dioxide
B) water vapor
C) water
D) oxygen
E) nitrogen

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT associated with biological weathering?

A) expansion of rock cracks by tree roots
B) flaking of rock particles because of lichens present
C) leaching of nutrient minerals from rocks
D) disintegration of rock by burrowing animals
E) formation of rock joints

Question 54

The most common oxidation effect in the lithosphere is ________.

A) rusting
B) exfoliation
C) talus
D) scree
E) hydrolysis

Question 55

Which of the following can occur far below the surface in the tropics?

A) oxidation
B) hydrolysis
C) carbonation
D) differential weathering
E) soil formation

Question 56

From a chemical standpoint, the three reacting agents of greatest importance to weathering are ________.

A) hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen
B) oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide
C) carbon dioxide, oxygen, and water
D) water vapor, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide
E) argon, aluminum, and calcium

Question 57

Which material is most resistant to chemical weathering?

A) limestone
B) dolomite
C) quartz
D) gypsum
E) iron-bearing rocks

Question 58

The new substances made through oxidation of existing minerals are ________ than the original minerals.

A) less voluminous
B) softer
C) less easily eroded
D) less oxygen rich
E) more organic

Question 59

Which sort of rocks are most susceptible to hydrolysis?

A) metamorphic
B) unjointed
C) plutonic
D) sedimentary
E) igneous

Question 60

The major end product of chemical weathering is(are) ________.

A) silts
B) clays
C) sands
D) talus
E) airborne dust

Question 61

The best example of a product of mass wasting is ________.

A) exfoliation domes
B) sandstone monoliths
C) faults
D) scree
E) limestone

Question 62

Mass wasting is most likely during ________.

A) freezing temperatures
B) heavy rain
C) joint formation
D) the perihelion of Earth to the Sun
E) daytime

Question 63

Weathering is deepest ________.

A) at high latitudes
B) in the humid tropics
C) in the middle latitudes
D) at high altitudes
E) on ocean floors

Question 64

Where the land is flat, ________ exerts a minimal influence on topographic development.

A) water
B) chemical weathering
C) mechanical weathering
D) biological weathering
E) gravity

Question 65

Gravity is the main force impelling movement in all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A) creep
B) slide
C) solifluction
D) hydrolysis
E) fall

Question 66

Mass wasting is associated with which speed of movement?

A) 100 kilometers per hour
B) imperceptibly slow
C) a few centimeters per day
D) a few meters per year
E) a wide variety of speeds

Question 67

The rock debris which accumulates at the base of steep slopes by gravitational action is called ________.

A) exfoliation
B) talus
C) slump
D) creep
E) vesicles

Question 68

________ and amount of moisture present can be used to classify types of mass wasting.

A) Gravity
B) Temperature
C) Speed of movement
D) Amount of chemical weathering
E) Amount of mechanical weathering

Question 69

Which of the following processes is NOT associated with the biological weathering of he landscape?

A) the burrowing of animals
B) ion exchange by lichens
C) wedging by roots
D) photosynthesis
E) wetting and drying of lichens

Question 70

A result of soil creep might be ________.

A) an earthquake along a fault
B) a house engulfed in mud
C) a sinking land surface
D) a landslide
E) a tilted fence post

Question 71

With the passage of time, all talus migrates ________.

A) downslope
B) upslope
C) out of the ravine
D) very quickly
E) only when there are earthquakes

Question 72

________ is a facilitator of mass wasting.

A) Calcium carbonate
B) Gravel
C) Friction
D) Clay
E) Talus

Question 73

Clay is a facilitator for mass wasting because clay ________.

A) particles are so small
B) absorbs water
C) has solution cavities
D) dissolves when wet
E) particles are larger than sand

Question 74

The main downslope movement of subarctic and arctic landscapes is ________.

A) permafrost
B) mass wasting
C) mud slide
D) rock glacier
E) solifluction

Question 75

Which of the following is thought to transfer materials WITHOUT the lubricating effect of water?

A) landslides
B) solifluction
C) mudflow
D) debris flows
E) rock glaciers

Question 76

If no water is involved, rocks can mechanically weather if they undergo ________ temperature change cycles.

A) two
B) a dozen
C) hundreds of
D) thousands of
E) millions of

Question 77

Mass movements are likely to happen after ________.

A) summer
B) heavy rains
C) material has been moved to the talus cone
D) erosion is finished
E) denudation

Question 78

The single most important mechanism of transport for weathered overburden in the subarctic zones is ________.

A) mass wasting
B) frost wedging
C) oxidation
D) exfoliation
E) hydrolysis

Question 79

The slowest and least perceptible form of mass wasting is ________.

A) mudflow
B) creep
C) landslide
D) solifluction
E) exfoliation

Question 80

Clays are sometimes instrumental in mass movements because of their ability to ________.

A) become smaller over time
B) move uphill
C) become translucent
D) absorb water
E) capture sunlight