Geoscience

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What type of weathering is accomplished by physical forces that break rock into smaller and smaller pieces without changing the rock's mineral composition?: mechanical weathering
When water in cracks and joints freezes and expands the rock is broken into angular fragments. This process is known as _____ ________. (two words): frost wedging
Stone Mountain, Georgia, and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park are excellent examples of ________ domes.: exfolation
______ weathering alters the internal structures of minerals by removing and/or adding elements.: Chemical
The general rounding of the corners and edges of angular blocks of rock is termed _____ _______. (two words): spheroidal weathering
The downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity is called _____ _______. (two words): mass wasting
Loose particles assume a stable slope called the _____ __ ______ (3 words), the steepest angle at which material remains stable.: angle of repose
________ occurs when material usually saturated with water moves downslope as a viscous fluid.: flow
The most rapid form of mass wasting is termed a ___ _________ (two words).: rock avalanche
The downward slipping of a mass of rock or unconsolidated debris moving as a unit along a curved surface is called _________.: slump
Events along Wyoming's Gros Ventre River (1925) represent an excellent example of _________.: rockslide
Mudflows that occur on the slopes of some volcanoes are known as ______.: lahars
The destructive mudflows at Nevado del Ruiz in 1985 are also known by the Indonesian term _____.: lahar
The most important weathering process is what?: unloading
What are three facts about sheeting?: -caused by unloading
-can produce exfoliation domes
-commonly associated with large bodies of granite
In what kind of climate would chemical weathering be most effective? (temperature, moisture): in a warm, humid climate
What are three examples of the products of chemical weathering of the mineral potassium (K) feldspar?: silica, potassiu bicarbonate, and clay
What sedimentary rock is composed of the most abundant product of chemical weathering?: shale
If granite and basalt outcropped in an area with a hot humid climate, what rock would weather faster, or both?: the basalt would weather quicker
Which type of weathering would predominate...(if granite and basalt outcropped a hot and humid area)?: chemical weathering
What is one true fact about mechanical weathering and its effect on metamorphic rocks?: it does not affect them
The incorporation and transportation of material by water, wind, or ice describes the process of...?: erosion
When water freezes, does its volume increase or decrease?: increase
An accumulation of angular rock fragments at the base of a steep cliff is called?: talus slope
Which of the locations would frost wedging be most effective? -Amazon Basin of Brazil -Chicago, Illinois -north (Arctic) coast of Alaska -frost wedging should be equally effective at all of these places: Chicago, Illinois
What factors influence the type and rate of weathering?: -mineral content
-climate
-presence of joints
-topography
Bauxite has an ore of...: aluminum
Bauxite formation is associated with what?: rainy, tropical climates
What factors contributed to the Gros Ventre rockslide?: -strata were dipping
-a layer of clay was present
-there were heavy rains and melting snow
What terms describe what happens in a mass wasting event? (3 terms): fall, slide, flow
What is the controlling force of mass wasting?: gravity
Solifluction is common during...?: summer
A rapid form of flowage that is common in dry regions is?: mudflow
Alternate wetting and drying or freezing and thawing leads to what?: creep
What occurs when a tongue of clay-rich material flows downslope in a humid region?: earthflow
True/False: Cleopatra's Needle, a granite obelisk moved to New York City from Egypt, illustrates that the rate of chemical weathering in New YOrk is much more rapid than in Egypt.: True
True/False: Cleopatra's Needle, a granite obelisk moved to New York City from Egypt, illustrates that granite weathers more rapidly in a dry climate.: False
True/False: Sheeting results from unloading: true
True/False: Sheeting most commonly affects large igneous masses composed of granite.: true
True/False: Sheeting is an especially important weathering process affecting thinly-bedded sedimentary rocks such as shale.: False
True/False: Chemical weathering is ineffective in polar regions.: True
True/False: Chemical weatheirng does not occur in arid regions.: False
True/False: Sheeting is a mechanical weathering process.: True
True/False: Thermal expansion is the most important process in the formation of an exfolation dome.: False
True/False: Quartz is very resistant to chemical weathering.: True
True/False: Clay minerals are a product of chemical weathering.: True
True/False: The order in which the silicate minerals chemically weather is opposite their order of crystallization.: False
True/False: Water is basic to all mass wasting processes.: True
True/False: Slump is an imperceptibly slow, downhill flow of soil.: False
True/False: Solifluction is definitely more common in Alaska than in Florida.: True
True/False: Mudflows are most common in semiarid mountainous regions.: False
True/False: Mudflows are equally common in humid and dry regions.: True
True/False: Gravity plays an important role in all mast wasting events.: True
True/False: The Gros Ventre slide of 1925 has recently been reclassified as a lahar.: False
True/False: Slump is the most rapid form of mass wasting.: False
True/False: Mass wasting has played an important role in forming the Grand Canyon.: True
True/False: Lahars occur in association with volcanoes.: True
True/False: Earthflows are most common in arid and semiarid regions.: False
True/False: The freezing and thawing of soil can produce a gradual downhill movement of material.: True
True/False: Mudflows that accur when layers of volcanic ash become saturated are termed solifluction lobes.: False
Another name for the Ice Age is:: the Pleistocene epoch
What are the glacial stages of the Ice Age in order from first to last?: Nebraskan, Kansan, Illinoian, Wisconsinan
How does an alpine glacier modify the valley through which it moves?: it straightens it
What are three characteristics of continental glaciation moraines?: -terminal moraine
-ground moraine
-recessional moraine
What are three true facts about glacial deposits?: -drift refers to any glacial deposit
-stratified drift is deposited by meltwater
-erratics are rocks deposited by a glacier
What is a fiord?: a drowned glacial trough
Give one true fact about drumlins: they are found in clusters (groups)
If the steep side of a drumlin is on the northeast, it indicates that the glacier advanced from what direction?: southwest
what feature is created when two lateral moraines join?: medial moraine
During the most recent ice age, what percentage of the earth did glaciers cover?: 30%
What are three indirect effects of glaciers?: -extinction of organisms
-changes in river courses
-formation of pluvial lakes
What percent of the earth's land surface is covered by ice sheets?: 10%
What are three glacial erosion effects or processes?: -glacial striations
-plucking
-abrasion
In North America, the greatest concentration of pluvial lakes existed in:: the Basin and Range region of Utah and Nevada
Who proposed the astronomical theory of the Ice Age climatic fluctuations?: Milankovitch
What three factors may have contributed to the climatic changes related to the Ice Age?: -plate movement
-wobbling of the earth's axis
-variations in the shape of the earth's orbit
A layer of till deposited as the front of a glacier retreats is called a(n):: ground moraine
What is a streamlined asymmetrical hill composed of till?: drumlin
A broad accumulation of stratified drift deposited adjacent to the downstream edge of an end moraine is a(n):: outwash plain
A long and narrow sinuous ridge composed of sand and gravel is:: an esker
How does wind transport sand grains?: by saltation as part of the bed load
Desert pavement is a result of:: deflation
The slip face of a particular barchan dune is on the southeast side. The prevailing wind in this area is from the:: northeast
Which stage of landscape evolution in a mountainous desert is relief greatest?: early stage
Inselbergs are:: erosional remnants on an old age desert landscape
Desert and steppe regions cover what fraction of the earth's land surface?: 1/3rd
What percent of the desert's surface is covered by sand dunes?: 60%
A wash is:: a desert stream channel
What are three types of wind erosion?: -deflation
-blowout
-slip face
Blowouts are most common in the: (it's a place): Great Plains
What is a place that represents the late stage of the evolution of a mountainous desert landscape?: southern Arizona
How high can the surface can sand be carried during very strong winds?: one meter
Dunes whose tips point into the wind are:: parabolic dunes
Often form along coasts where strong winds create a blowout: (a type of dune): parabolic
Solitary dunes whose tips point downwind are:: barchan dunes
Sand ridges oriented at right angles to the wind are:: transverse dunes
Long sand ridges that are pointed more or less parallel to the wind are:: longitudinal dunes
True/False: Even when the front of a glacier is retreating, the ice withing the glacier is advancing.: True
True/False: crevasses form in the zone of fracture.: True
True/False: When accumulation exceeds ablation, the front of the glacier advances.: True
True/False: Till is sediment deposited directly by a glacier.: True
True/False: Except for their relative positions, terminal and recessional moraines are essentially alike.: True
True/False: Melting is a form of ablation.: True
True/False: Glaciers cannot erode below sea level.: False
True/False: The Hudson Bay region has been gradually subsiding (sinking) since the close of the Ice Age.: False
True/False: The Pleistocene eopch is the only glacial period for which evidence exists.: False
True/False: Many scientists believe that the plate tectionics theory offers the best explanation for the alternation glacial and interglacial climates of the Ice Age.: False
True/False: Greenland's ice sheet is about equal in sizee to Antarctica's.: False
True/False: A cirque is the primary sone of ablation for alpine glaciers.: False
True/False: The coasts of Norway, Chile, and Alaska all exhibit fiords.: True
True/False: Sea level does not act as base level for glaciers.: True
True/False: Ice Age glaciers covered more lan din North America than in Siberia.: True
True/False: Louis Agassiz proposed the astronomical theory of Ice Age climatic fluctuations.: False
True/False: The Matterhorn is an excellent example of an arete.: False
True/False: Fiords are found exclusively along the coast of Norway.: False
True/False: All of Wisconsin is characterized by relatively thick glacial deposits.: False
True/False: Moraines are the only glacial deposits composed of till.: False
True/False: Running water is the most important erosional agent in arid regions.: True
True/False: The geological processes (forces) operating in deserts are quite different than those operating in humid regions.: False
True/False: Loess deposits are more blanket-like whereas deposits of wind-blown sand are more commonly in the form of mounds or ridges.: True
True/False: Arid and semiarid climates cover nearly one-third of the earht's land surface.: True
True/False: The Basin and Range region of the western US is an excellent example of a mountainous desert landscape.: True
True/False: A playa is a dry, flat lake bed on the floor of a desert basin.: True
True/False: The Colorado River is an example of a large wash.: False
True/False: Loess deposits usually take the form of dunes.: False
True/False: Except for some scattered accumulations in Alaska, loess deposits are not present in the US.: False
True/False: Blowouts are shallow depressions caused by deflation.: True
True/False: Desert pavement results from deflation.: True
True/False: Desert pavement protects a surface from deflation.: True
True/False: The windward slope of a sand dune is known is a slip face.: False
True/False: The famous Navajo Sandstone exposed in Zion National Park shows excellent cross bedding.: True
True/False: Longitudinal dunes are oriented at right angles to the prevailing wind whereas transverse dunes are more or less parallel to the prevailing wind.: False
True/False: THe predominant particle size in loess deposits is silt.: True
The upper 50 meters or so of a glacier consists of brittle ice that often exhibits cracks called ______.: crevasses
The upper 50 meters or so of a glacier is britlle and referred to as the zone of ______.: fracture
The general term for the wastage of glacial ice is __________.: ablation
Glaciers erode on the land and primarily in two ways. List these two processes.: abrasion and plucking
Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite National Park cascades a feature called a ________ _________. (two words): hanging valley
The bowl-shaped depressions at the head of glaciated valleys are termed _______.: cirques
The word ____ is an all-embracing term for sediments of glacial origin.: drift
Glacial deposits are divided into two distinct types: ______ and ___________ _________. (three words, but two terms): till, stratified drift
An _____ ________ is a ridge of till that forms at the terminus of both alpine and continental glaciers. (two words): end moraine
A gently rolling layer of till laid down as the front of a glacier retreats is termed _______ _________. (two words): ground moraine
Smooth, elongate hills composed of till called __________ have a steeper slope that faces the direction of glacial ice advance.: drumlins
Depressions called ______ are found when a block of stagnant ice becomes buried in drift and then melts.: kettles
Most of the recent Ice Age occurred during the __________ epoch.: Pleistocene
Desert stream courses, which are usually dry, are known as ________.: washes
The lifting and removal of loose material by wind is called ________.: deflation
The main factor that controls the depth of a blowout is ____ _________. (two words): water table
As deflation lowers the surface by removing sand and silt, eventually a continuous cover of coarse particles known as ________ _________ remains. (two words): desert pavement
The leeward slope of a dune, called the ________ ________, maintains an angle of about thirty-four degrees.: slip face
The sloping layers within a sand dune are called ____ ____. (two words): cross bed
What are four basic dune types?: barchan, transverse, longitudinal, and parabolic
Dunes whose tips point into the wind are ________ dunes.: parabolic
Deposits of windblown silt are known as _____.: loess
What is the source of the energy that radiates in all directions from an earthquake?: focus
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale releases about ____ times more energy than one with a magnitude of 5.5.: 30
What is the term used to describe what occurs to produce an earthquake?: elastic rebound
The Mercalli scale rates earthquake intensity by determining:: the amount of damage to structures
The amount of destruction caused by earthquake vibrations is affected by:(three factors): -the design structures
-the intensity and duration of the vibrations
-the nature of the surface
The method of using a seismograph to establish the strength of earthquakes wasd developed by:: Charles Richter
Major earthquakes are often followed by somewhat smaller events known as:: aftershocks
The instrument which records earthquake events is termed a:: seismograph
Most strong earthquakes occur in a zone known as the:: circum-pacific belt
What is the type of measurement used to describe the quantity of energy released by an earthquake: magnitude
The position on the earth's surface directly above the earthquake source is called:: epicenter
The mechanism by which rocks store and eventually release energy in the form of an earthquake is termed:: elastic rebound
The study of seismology dates back to when?: the ancient chinese
The principle of the seismograph is based on:: the inertia of a suspended mass
What seismic wave is the most destructive overall?: surface waves
An increase of one unit of magnitude on the Richter scale equates to about a:: 30-fold increase in energy
What seismic wave travels the most rapidly?: P waves (primary)
At 6.5 Richter magnitude earthquake releases _____ times more energy than a 4.5 Richter magnitude earthquake.: 900
Considering its distance from the source of the September 19, 1985 earthquake, Mexico City was damaged more than might be expected because:: the unconsolidated sediments on which the city was built intensified the vibrations
Following the 1964 Alaskan earthquake, much of the destruction was attributed to:: numerous ground failures and landslides
What are two names that are the correct term for the succession of ocean waves set in motion by a submarine earthquake called?: tsunami or seismic sea waves
The distance between a seismological recording station and the earthquake source is determined from what?: the arrival time of P and S waves
The record obtained from seismic instruments of an earthquake is called:: seismogram
The slow continual movement which occurs along some fault zones is termed:: creep
Most of our knowledge about the earth's interior comes from:: seismic waves
The discovery of the shadow zone provided evidence for what?: the existence of a core.
The dense core of the earth is thought to consist mostly of:: iron
The thinnest layer of the earth is the:: crust
S waves are not transmitted through this layer.: inner core
The densest layer of the earth is the:: inner core
The lithosphere is defined as:: a rigid layer of crustal and mantle material
The Moho is the boundary between the: (two layers it is the boundary between): mantle and crust
The average composition of the upper mantle is thought ot approximate that of:: peridotite
The average composition of the oceanic crust is thought to approximate that of:: basalt
The average composition of the continental crust most closely approximate that of:: granite
The astenosphere is located:: in the upper mantle
True/False: Since San Francisco has already experienced a very destructive earthquake (1906), it is not likely to experience another.: False
True/False: During the 1964 Alaskan earhtquake, structures which has been built to conform to the earthquake provisions of the Uniform Housing Code of California went undamaged.: False
True/False: Seismographs can only detect earthquakes within 500 miles of the instrument.: False
True/False: During the 1964 Alaskan earthquake, landslides and ground subsidence probably caused more damage to buildings than was caused directly by the vibrations of the earth.: True
True/False: The adjustments which follow a major earthquake often generate small earthquakes called foreshocks.: False
True/False: The epicenter is the location on the earth's surface directly above the focus.: True
True/False: An increase of one on the Richter scale corresponds to a tenfold increase in the amplitude of surface waves.: false
True/False: An earthquake is the vibration of the earth produced by the rapid release of energy.: True
True/False: The energy released during an earthquake can be detected for at most a few minutes.: False
True/False: Most major earthquakes are followed by smaller tremors, some of which can be destructive to already weakened structures.: True
True/False: When examining a typical seismic record, we expect to find surface waves arriving before body waves.: False
True/False: S waves can only travel through a solid medium.: True
True/False: P waves can travel through solids, liquids, and gases.: True
True/False: Travel-time graphs are used to determine the distances to earthquakes.: True
True/False: A total of 1,000 earthquakes are estimated to occur worldwide each year.: False
True/False: All of the major earthquakes in the United States have occurred in coastal regions.: False
True/False: It is now possible for seismologists to predict an earthquake to withing a few weeks or at most a few months of its occurrence.: False
True/False: Faults which are not experiencing active creep are considered safe.: False
True/False: Generally speaking, brick structures are far more resistant to earthquake damage than are wood frame buildings.: False
True/False: During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, much of the destruction was caused by fires which ran unchecked because of damaged water lines.: True
True/False: There are several reliable methods of short-range earthquake prediction.: False
True/False: The outer core is solid and the inner core behaves as a liquid.: False
True/False: The continental crust is much thicker than the oceanic crust.: True
True/False: Most of our knowledge about the earth's interior comes from deep-sea drilling.: False
True/False: Continental rocks are very similar in composition (mineral make-up) to ocean rocks.: False
True/False: The Moho is a boundary which seperates the mantle and crust.: True
True/False: The lithosphere is a plastic layer located in the mantle.: False
True/False: The composition of the upper mantle is thought to approximate that of the rock peridotite.: True
True/False: The oceanic crust has a composition similar to the rock basalt.: True
The mechanism of earthquake generation was discovered by ______ following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.: Reid
Earthquakes frequently are associated with large fractures in the earth called ______.: faults
The source of an earthquake is known as the ______.: focus
The position at the earth's surface directly above the earthquake source is called the ________.: epicenter
The mechanism by which rocks store and eventually release energy to produce an earthquake is termed _____ ________. (two words): elastic rebound
The greatest frequency of large earthquakes occur along a relatively narrow zone known as the ______ _________ ______. (three words): circum-pacific belt
An earthquake is the vibration of the earth produced by the rapid release of ________.: energy
Which type of body wave can be transmitted through solids but not fluids?: S waves
The slow continual movement which occurs along some fault zones is termed _________.: creep
Seismic sea waves are also known by the Japanese name ________.: Tsunami
The method by which seismographs are used to determine the magnitude of an earthquake was developed by _________.: Richter
Major earthquakes are preceded by smaller seismic events known as ______.: foreshocks
The instrument used to record the vibrations generated by earthquakes is called a(n) ____________.: seismograph
The energy released by an earthquake is a measurment referred to as _________.: magnitude
The principle of a seismograph is based on the ___________ of a suspended mass.: inertia
Most of the destruction produced by earthquakes is associated with ______ waves.: surface
An increase of one unit of magnitude on the Richter scale means that the release of energy will be ____ times greater.: 30
In addition to damage caused by vibrations, many buildings in San Francisco were destroyed during the 1906 earthquake by ____.: fire
The most voluminous layer of the earth is the _______.: mantle
The rigid layer of the earth which consists of the crust and uppermost mantle is termed the ________.: lithosphere
Which of the major subdivisions of the earht's interior is thought to be liquid?: outer core
List the major subdivisions of the earth's interior.: crust, mantle, outer core and inner core
The thinnest layer of the earth is the _______.: crust
The mobile layer of the earth located directly below the lithosphere is the ____________.: asthenosphere
The mineral composition of the oceanic crust is similar to the rock ________.: basalt
The dense core of the earth is thought to consist predominantly of _____.: iron
The boundary between the crust and the mantle is called the ________.: Moho
The man who pioneered the continental drift hypothesis was:: Alfred Wegener
Pangaea:: is the name of a supercontinent
The asthenosphere is the source of what at divergent boundaries?: magma

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