Physical Geology

Dale Easley
Final Test

Dale Easley

December 10, 1998

  1. The main distinction between coastlines along the southern Atlantic coast of the US and along the Pacific part is (a) the amount of rainfall (b) mantle hot spots (c) the past action of glaciers (d) the presence of longshore currents
  2. Which of the following is not a discharge point for ground water? (a) infiltration (b) springs (c) streams (d) wells
  3. On the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which of the following is not happening? (a) artificial dunes have been constructed (b) barrier reefs are dying (c) Cape Hatteras is eroding (d) Cape Lookout is migrating landward
  4. Which of the following is not a cause of springs? (a) erosion (b) faults and fractures allow water to move upward through confining units (c) impenetrable layers impede the downward movement of water (d) water is heated to the boiling point and erupts onto the land surface
  5. Using ground water faster than it is recharged leads to all of the following except (a) increased evapotranspiration (b) lowering of the water table (c) subsidence (d) wells going dry
  6. Artificial recharge of ground water is (a) evaporating sea water to remove salt (b) infiltrating additional surface water (c) the result of overpumping (d) a type of irrigation that conserves water
  7. Which of the following is not a common feature in karst topography? (a) disappearing streams (b) natural bridges (c) sinkholes (d) thick soils
  8. When a growing spit becomes curved, it is called a (a) baymouth bar (b) hook (c) sea stack (d) tombolo
  9. Which of the following is not an alpine glacier? (a) cirque glacier (b) continental glacier (c) ice cap (d) valley glacier
  10. A U-shaped valley is an indication of (a) glaciation (b) rapid uplift (c) recent tectonic activity (d) wind erosion
  11. Which of the following types of deserts is due to descending dry air that initially rose at the equator? (a) continental interior desert (b) polar desert (c) subtropical (d) rainshadow
  12. A triangularly shaped deposit where a stream meets a lake or ocean is called (a) an alluvial fan (b) a delta (c) a pediment (d) a ventifact
  13. A triangularly shaped deposit where a stream empties out of the mountains into the bottom of the valley, often drying up, is called (a) an alluvial fan (b) a delta (c) a pediment (d) a ventifact
  14. A triangularly shaped deposit formed from erosion of the base of a mountain is called (a) an alluvial fan (b) a delta (c) a pediment (d) a ventifact
  15. The Channeled Scablands of Eastern Washington were formed by (a) a massive flood resulting from a melted ice dam (b) melting of frozen underground water (c) a tremendous earthquake that rang church bells in Boston (d) volcanic eruptions
  16. The ephemeral lakes in deserts that are often highly saline are called (a) arroyos (b) bornhardts (c) inselbergs (d) playas
  17. When the wind blows away the fine-grained topsoil, leaving only the coarse, the resulting surface is called (a) blowouts (b) desert pavement (c) ventifacts (d) yardangs
  18. The asymmetry of dunes may indicate (a) the amount of rainfall (b) how hard the wind blew (c) the prevailing paleowind direction (d) size of sand grains
  19. Which of the following human activities is not likely to contribute to desertification? (a) deforestation (b) desalination (c) overgrazing of livestock (d) poor farming practices
  20. The depth to which a wave affects water motion is (a) wave base (b) wave height (c) wave length (d) wave trough
  21. The process that causes waves to approach the shore nearly parallel to it is called (a) a longshore current (b) refraction (c) rip currents (d) wave induction
  22. A major mover of sediment along shorelines is (a) a longshore current (b) refraction (c) rip currents (d) wave induction
  23. A relatively narrow section of the coast that is washed regularly by waves is called (a) a beach (b) a marsh (c) the shoreline (d) a swamp
  24. A part of the backshore representing storm deposition is called (a) a berm (b) a hook (c) longshore drift (d) a spit
  25. A structure intended to extend a channel and decrease sediment deposition is called ( as is my sister) (a) groin (b) hook (c) jettie (d) spit
  26. Circular reefs, often formed atop of subsiding volcanoes, are called (a) atolls (b) barrier islands (c) barrier reefs (d) fringing reefs
  27. A heap of angular boulders intended to absorb wave energy is called (a) a jettie (b) a hook (c) riprap (d) a seawall
  28. A typical source rock for the organic material that is converted to petroleum is (a) carbonate rock (b) peat (c) sandstone (d) shale
  29. In South Louisiana, accumulations of crude oil are often found (a) around salt domes (b) in igneous rocks (c) in metamorphic rocks (d) under gasoline stations
  30. The most abundant fossil fuel is (a) coal (b) natural gas (c) oil (d) uranium
  31. Depletion of the ozone layer leads to (a) an increase in sunspot activity (b) a decrease in the length of summer (c) wetter weather (d) an increase in ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface of the earth
  32. Which of the following fossil fuels contribute sulfur to the acid rain problem? (a) coal (b) natural gas (c) oil (d) uranium
  33. Which of the following gases is of most concern for its effect on global warming? (a) carbon dioxide (b) CFC's (c) ozone (d) sulfur dioxide
  34. Which of the following is not a renewable source of energy? (a) geothermal energy (b) hydroelectric power (c) nuclear energy (d) solar energy
  35. The very earliest geologic time, before there were continents or life and the Earth was very hot, is called (a) the Archean Eon (b) the Hadean Eon (c) the Paleozoic Era (d) the Proterozoic Eon
  36. The time period in which life first appeared as blue-green algae is (a) the Archean Eon (b) the Hadean Eon (c) the Paleozoic Era (d) the Proterozoic Eon
  37. Another term for the Age of Reptiles, in which the dinosaurs thrived, is (a) the Archean Eon (b) the Hadean Eon (c) the Paleozoic Era (d) the Proterozoic Eon



    -continued-

    Answer the following True/False questions with A for True and B for False.


  38. Porosity is a measure of the ease with which ground water flows through a rock or sediment.
  39. An aquifer with the water table at the top is confined.
  40. Rainwater is naturally neutral- neither acidic nor basic.
  41. Caves commonly form below the water table.
  42. A glacier recedes by flowing back up the mountain it came from.
  43. An ice age is likely to occur when all the continents are joined near the equator.
  44. Ice ages were common during the Mesozoic (Age of Reptiles).
  45. Mammoth Cave is the world's longest cave system.
  46. The author of The Grapes of Wrath was Woody Guthrie.
  47. Waves are caused mainly by the moon's gravitational pull.
  48. The Gulf of Mexico has two high tides each 24 hours.
  49. The largest artificial beach in the world is along the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
  50. For plant life to evolve, an oxygen-rich atmosphere had to be formed first.


Footnotes:


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On 18 Aug 2000, 12:27.
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Physical Geology 1