Question 1

How do freezing, thawing, wetting, and drying contribute to soil creep?

Accepted Answer

A)  The soil expands and contracts, lifting particles and dropping them a slight distance downslope. 
B)  The soil becomes much weaker when dry and frozen. 
C)  Eventually, these cause the soil and regolith to suddenly slide down the slope. 
D)  Gravity exerts a much stronger force when the soil is wet and thawed. 
A)  The soil expands and contracts, lifting particles and dropping them a slight distance downslope. 
B)  The soil becomes much weaker when dry and frozen. 
C)  Eventually, these cause the soil and regolith to suddenly slide down the slope. 
D)  Gravity exerts a much stronger force when the soil is wet and thawed.

Question 2

In much of what is now Canada, glaciers covered the land as little as 12,000 years ago and glacial erosion scoured the land surface leaving very thin soil or bare rock over large areas. The Midwestern United States was also covered in ice at this time, yet this area contains some of the richest farm land in the world with thick soils. These soils are formed on glacial sediments and windblown dust deposits from the ice age. Why are the soil conditions between these areas so different when the soils are virtually identical in age?

Accepted Answer

A)  Sea level rose following the ice age and covered the Midwest with an inland sea, rapidly forming soil. 
B)  It is much colder in Canada so chemical weather is much slower; thus and soils have not had time to form. 
C)  The Midwestern soils are transported soils with soil development on materials that were already loose, unconsolidated materials. 
D)  The Midwestern U.S. is much flatter than Canada, allowing soils to develop more quickly. 
A)  Sea level rose following the ice age and covered the Midwest with an inland sea, rapidly forming soil. 
B)  It is much colder in Canada so chemical weather is much slower; thus and soils have not had time to form. 
C)  The Midwestern soils are transported soils with soil development on materials that were already loose, unconsolidated materials. 
D)  The Midwestern U.S. is much flatter than Canada, allowing soils to develop more quickly.

Question 3

______is the fan- shaped pile of broken rock fragments at the base of a steep, bedrock slope or cliff.

Accepted Answer

A)  Talus 
B)  Debris pile 
C)  Slump 
D)  Alluvium 
A)  Talus 
B)  Debris pile 
C)  Slump 
D)  Alluvium

Question 4

A geologist is looking at deposits along a river below a large volcano. She finds large boulders mixed with sand and mud, and all of the material is comprised of volcanic rocks, particularly the mud which is volcanic ash. She quickly realizes these deposits represent an ancient ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  rock avalanche 
B)  lahar 
C)  earthflow 
D)  slump 
A)  rock avalanche 
B)  lahar 
C)  earthflow 
D)  slump

Question 5

What is the major distinction between internal and external Earth processes?

Accepted Answer

A)  Internal and external processes can occur inside and outside Earth, but external processes must also include the oxidation of Earth materials. 
B)  Internal processes are driven by processes like plate tectonics, and external processes are driven by the Sun. 
C)  Internal processes involve heat while external processes involve oxygen. 
D)  Internal processes can only occur inside the Earth, but external processes can occur inside or outside Earth. 
A)  Internal and external processes can occur inside and outside Earth, but external processes must also include the oxidation of Earth materials. 
B)  Internal processes are driven by processes like plate tectonics, and external processes are driven by the Sun. 
C)  Internal processes involve heat while external processes involve oxygen. 
D)  Internal processes can only occur inside the Earth, but external processes can occur inside or outside Earth.

Question 6

Which mass wasting process has the slowest rate of movement?

Accepted Answer

A)  rock avalanche 
B)  slump 
C)  rock fall 
D)  creep 
A)  rock avalanche 
B)  slump 
C)  rock fall 
D)  creep

Question 7

As a geologist working in a foreign country for the first time, you are asked to assess the potential for mass wasting in a particular region. What aspects or characteristics geologic, geographic, biologic, etc.. of the region are you interested in for your assessment? Also, how could you possibly determine if mass wasting has been active recently?

Accepted Answer

You would be interested in the type of r

Question 8

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

Accepted Answer

A)  vegetation 
B)  water 
C)  volcano 
D)  slope angle 
A)  vegetation 
B)  water 
C)  volcano 
D)  slope angle

Question 9

Lahars are essentially______ associated with volcanoes and volcanism.

Accepted Answer

A)  rockfalls 
B)  rockslides 
C)  mudflows 
D)  slumps 
A)  rockfalls 
B)  rockslides 
C)  mudflows 
D)  slumps

Question 10

The very fine- sized, clay mineral particles move downward from the E to the B- horizon of some soils. What is this process called?

Accepted Answer

A)  leaching 
B)  solifluction 
C)  mass wasting 
D)  eluviation 
A)  leaching 
B)  solifluction 
C)  mass wasting 
D)  eluviation

Question 11

What process of mass wasting is illustrated in the diagram below?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What process of mass wasting is illustrated...

Question 12

Which soil horizon represents the lowest part of the zone of accumulation, also referred to as the subsoil?

Accepted Answer

A)  soil 
B)  sol 
C)  solt 
D)  dirt 
A)  soil 
B)  sol 
C)  solt 
D)  dirt

Question 13

Frost wedging is the major weathering process contributing to the formation of which regolith material?

Accepted Answer

A)  clay minerals 
B)  talus slopes 
C)  soil horizons 
D)  tropical soils 
A)  clay minerals 
B)  talus slopes 
C)  soil horizons 
D)  tropical soils

Question 14

Most stream valleys have a V shaped cross section because______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  water washing down the slope makes straight channels 
B)  mass wasting of weathered rocks on the slope maintain an angle of repose slope 
C)  vegetation on the slopes forces this profile 
D)  none of the above 
A)  water washing down the slope makes straight channels 
B)  mass wasting of weathered rocks on the slope maintain an angle of repose slope 
C)  vegetation on the slopes forces this profile 
D)  none of the above

Question 15

Which of the following is most resistant to both chemical and physical weathering?

Accepted Answer

A)  limestone 
B)  clay minerals 
C)  quartz 
D)  granite 
A)  limestone 
B)  clay minerals 
C)  quartz 
D)  granite

Question 16

Ferromagnesian minerals like olivine and pyroxene. that crystallize at high temperatures in Bowen's reaction series are generally______ than quartz.

Accepted Answer

A)  more susceptible to weathering 
B)  higher on Moh's hardness scale 
C)  more oxygen rich 
D)  more difficult to erode 
A)  more susceptible to weathering 
B)  higher on Moh's hardness scale 
C)  more oxygen rich 
D)  more difficult to erode

Question 17

Removal of inorganic soil components from a soil is termed ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  leaching 
B)  lithification 
C)  loaming 
D)  calichezation 
A)  leaching 
B)  lithification 
C)  loaming 
D)  calichezation

Question 18

Given enough time, what factor is typically most important in soil formation?

Accepted Answer

A)  bedrock type 
B)  months of snow cover 
C)  slope direction 
D)  climate 
A)  bedrock type 
B)  months of snow cover 
C)  slope direction 
D)  climate

Question 19

Which of the following statements concerning mudflows is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mudflows create talus slopes. 
B)  Mudflows may be caused by heavy rains or melting snow. 
C)  In hilly areas, mudflows move down the canyons and stream valleys. 
D)  Mudflows can move and carry very large boulders and other coarse debris. 
A)  Mudflows create talus slopes. 
B)  Mudflows may be caused by heavy rains or melting snow. 
C)  In hilly areas, mudflows move down the canyons and stream valleys. 
D)  Mudflows can move and carry very large boulders and other coarse debris.

Question 20

Red, brown, and yellow soil- coloring minerals originate by what process?

Accepted Answer

A)  mechanical weathering of very fine- grained, blue- gray clays 
B)  precipitation of iron oxides from chemical weathering 
C)  chemical weathering of quartz and feldspars 
D)  mechanical weathering of the feldspars and micas in granite and rhyolite 
A)  mechanical weathering of very fine- grained, blue- gray clays 
B)  precipitation of iron oxides from chemical weathering 
C)  chemical weathering of quartz and feldspars 
D)  mechanical weathering of the feldspars and micas in granite and rhyolite

Exam 8: Weathering, Soil, and Mass Movement

How do freezing, thawing, wetting, and drying contribute to soil creep?

______is the fan- shaped pile of broken rock fragments at the base of a steep, bedrock slope or cliff.

A geologist is looking at deposits along a river below a large volcano. She finds large boulders mixed with sand and mud, and all of the material is comprised of volcanic rocks, particularly the mud which is volcanic ash. She quickly realizes these deposits represent an ancient ______.

What is the major distinction between internal and external Earth processes?

Which mass wasting process has the slowest rate of movement?

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

Lahars are essentially______ associated with volcanoes and volcanism.

The very fine- sized, clay mineral particles move downward from the E to the B- horizon of some soils. What is this process called?

What process of mass wasting is illustrated in the diagram below?

Which soil horizon represents the lowest part of the zone of accumulation, also referred to as the subsoil?

Frost wedging is the major weathering process contributing to the formation of which regolith material?

Most stream valleys have a V shaped cross section because______ .

Which of the following is most resistant to both chemical and physical weathering?

Ferromagnesian minerals like olivine and pyroxene. that crystallize at high temperatures in Bowen's reaction series are generally______ than quartz.

Removal of inorganic soil components from a soil is termed ______.

Given enough time, what factor is typically most important in soil formation?

Which of the following statements concerning mudflows is not true?

Red, brown, and yellow soil- coloring minerals originate by what process?

Introduction to Earth Science

Matter and Minerals

Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth

Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity

Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Running Water and Groundwater

Glaciers, Deserts, and Wind

Geologic Time

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

The Ocean Floor

Ocean Water and Ocean Life

The Dynamic Ocean

The Atmosphere: Composition, Structure, and Temperature

Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation

Air Pressure and Wind

Weather Patterns and Severe Storms

World Climates and Global Climate Change

Origins of Modern Astronomy

Touring Our Solar System

Light, Telescopes, and the Sun

Beyond Our Solar System

Filters