Question 1

If a large airport, complete with paved runways, parking lots, and many new structures, is built next to a river, what might the effect be?

Accepted Answer

A) The fish population will decrease. 
B) The nutrient supply for fish will be diminished. 
C) There will be an increased likelihood of flooding. 
D)  Overuse of water will dry out the river. 
A) The fish population will decrease. 
B) The nutrient supply for fish will be diminished. 
C) There will be an increased likelihood of flooding. 
D)  Overuse of water will dry out the river. C

Question 2

During a particularly cold winter in Florida, the temperatures remained below freezing for several weeks. To avoid freeze damage to the crops, farmers used well water to continuously spray the crops and maintain a protective coating of ice around the crops. Shortly after this long cold snap, sinkholes began forming throughout the region. Were these events linked?

Accepted Answer

A) No; watering crops does not cause the formation of sinkholes. 
B) No; sinkholes form in a karst landscape, on which farmers cannot farm. 
C) Yes; the farmers removed too much water from the aquifers and induced subsidence. 
D) Yes; the farmers added too much weight to the surface and induced subsidence. 
A) No; watering crops does not cause the formation of sinkholes. 
B) No; sinkholes form in a karst landscape, on which farmers cannot farm. 
C) Yes; the farmers removed too much water from the aquifers and induced subsidence. 
D) Yes; the farmers added too much weight to the surface and induced subsidence. C

Question 3

The base level of a tributary would become ___________ if a dam and a reservoir were constructed where it flowed into a trunk stream.

Accepted Answer

A) lower 
B) slower 
C) faster 
D) higher 
A) lower 
B) slower 
C) faster 
D) higher D

Question 4

What physical property of the underlying rock would lead to the formation of a cliff over which a waterfall may form?

Accepted Answer

A) a high resistance to erosion 
B) high porosity 
C) large permeability 
D) very fine grain sizes 
A) a high resistance to erosion 
B) high porosity 
C) large permeability 
D) very fine grain sizes

Question 5

What does it mean if the water table of a potential spring does NOT reach above the ground surface?

Accepted Answer

A) The aquifer does not have any recharge into it and thus is dry. 
B) There will never be any artesian wells or springs associated with the aquifer. 
C) It will not be possible to pull water out of the aquifer from any type of well. 
D) The aquifer does not have a high enough permeability to produce water. 
A) The aquifer does not have any recharge into it and thus is dry. 
B) There will never be any artesian wells or springs associated with the aquifer. 
C) It will not be possible to pull water out of the aquifer from any type of well. 
D) The aquifer does not have a high enough permeability to produce water.

Question 6

If a dam is built on a river, what effects might be felt downstream?

Accepted Answer

A) increase in the fish population 
B) decrease in sediment supply 
C) increase in the sediment load 
D) increase in flood potential 
A) increase in the fish population 
B) decrease in sediment supply 
C) increase in the sediment load 
D) increase in flood potential

Question 7

How do geologists distinguish between a natural lake and a reservoir?

Accepted Answer

A) Reservoirs can become a natural lake over time. 
B) Natural lakes can provide areas on recreational activities but a reservoir cannot. 
C) Natural lakes are where Earth's surface is relatively higher and can provide surface runoff. 
D) Reservoirs are lakes that have been trapped by the construction of a dam or retaining wall. 
A) Reservoirs can become a natural lake over time. 
B) Natural lakes can provide areas on recreational activities but a reservoir cannot. 
C) Natural lakes are where Earth's surface is relatively higher and can provide surface runoff. 
D) Reservoirs are lakes that have been trapped by the construction of a dam or retaining wall.

Question 8

Lakes are bodies of standing water, but not all lakes contain freshwater. Why are some lakes fated to become salt lakes?

Accepted Answer

A) They have only inlets but no outlets. 
B) They have both an inlet and outlet. 
C) They have neither an inlet nor an outlet. 
D) There are no salt lakes. 
A) They have only inlets but no outlets. 
B) They have both an inlet and outlet. 
C) They have neither an inlet nor an outlet. 
D) There are no salt lakes.

Question 9

What are porosity and permeability, and how do they affect the rate of groundwater flow?

Accepted Answer

Porosity refers to the pore spaces withi

Question 10

A relatively impermeable layer of rock or sediment is termed a(n) ___________ in hydrogeologic contexts.

Accepted Answer

A) aquitard 
B) confined aquifer 
C) unconfined aquifer 
D) unsaturated zone 
A) aquitard 
B) confined aquifer 
C) unconfined aquifer 
D) unsaturated zone

Question 11

What is a stream? How is it similar to and different from a river or a creek?

Accepted Answer

A stream is a body of water th

Question 12

Hot groundwater is mineralized because

Accepted Answer

A) minerals cannot precipitate in hot water. 
B) the hot water dissolves minerals. 
C) cold water cannot dissolve minerals. 
D) it runs through layers containing salts. 
A) minerals cannot precipitate in hot water. 
B) the hot water dissolves minerals. 
C) cold water cannot dissolve minerals. 
D) it runs through layers containing salts.

Question 13

A flowing artesian well is one that

Accepted Answer

A) discharges groundwater at the ground surface without pumping. 
B)  has its intake sited within the vadose zone of an unconfined aquifer. 
C)  has its intake sited within the unsaturated zone of an unconfined aquifer. 
D) has its recharge area at an elevation below sea level. 
A) discharges groundwater at the ground surface without pumping. 
B)  has its intake sited within the vadose zone of an unconfined aquifer. 
C)  has its intake sited within the unsaturated zone of an unconfined aquifer. 
D) has its recharge area at an elevation below sea level.

Question 14

Topography dominated by depressions formed by the collapse of caves is termed a

Accepted Answer

A) valley and ridge province. 
B) karst landscape. 
C) horst and graben landscape. 
D) speleothem formation. 
A) valley and ridge province. 
B) karst landscape. 
C) horst and graben landscape. 
D) speleothem formation.

Question 15

Ephemeral streams, as opposed to permanent streams,

Accepted Answer

A) are subject to erosion of sediment. 
B) contain water only during rainfall. 
C) can be fed by large drainage basins. 
D) occur only in tropical regions. 
A) are subject to erosion of sediment. 
B) contain water only during rainfall. 
C) can be fed by large drainage basins. 
D) occur only in tropical regions.

Question 16

Building dams on rivers traps sediment behind the dams. This sediment would normally have traveled all the way down the river and out into the ocean. How might this sediment starvation affect the coastal beaches?

Accepted Answer

Beach sand along rivers is con

Question 17

Recharge areas for artesian wells and springs are generally in the

Accepted Answer

A) desert. 
B) mountains. 
C) ocean. 
D) flatlands. 
A) desert. 
B) mountains. 
C) ocean. 
D) flatlands.

Question 18

Lakes can form

Accepted Answer

A) when soil becomes supersaturated. 
B) during hurricane activity. 
C) because of a collapsed volcanic caldera or subsidence caused by rifting. 
D) as a result of the deposition of valley walls or subsidence caused by convergence. 
A) when soil becomes supersaturated. 
B) during hurricane activity. 
C) because of a collapsed volcanic caldera or subsidence caused by rifting. 
D) as a result of the deposition of valley walls or subsidence caused by convergence.

Question 19

In uniform sediments with a relatively constant and gentle slope at the surface, a ___________ drainage network is expected.

Accepted Answer

A) dendritic 
B) radial 
C) rectangular 
D) trellis 
A) dendritic 
B) radial 
C) rectangular 
D) trellis

Question 20

Ephemeral streams

Accepted Answer

A) consist of a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sediment. 
B) have flowing water either episodically or during only a portion of the year. 
C) have a channel that is highly sinuous (curvy). 
D) are those that divert flow from streams they have intersected through stream erosion. 
A) consist of a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sediment. 
B) have flowing water either episodically or during only a portion of the year. 
C) have a channel that is highly sinuous (curvy). 
D) are those that divert flow from streams they have intersected through stream erosion.

Exam 13: Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

If a large airport, complete with paved runways, parking lots, and many new structures, is built next to a river, what might the effect be?

The base level of a tributary would become ___________ if a dam and a reservoir were constructed where it flowed into a trunk stream.

What physical property of the underlying rock would lead to the formation of a cliff over which a waterfall may form?

What does it mean if the water table of a potential spring does NOT reach above the ground surface?

If a dam is built on a river, what effects might be felt downstream?

How do geologists distinguish between a natural lake and a reservoir?

Lakes are bodies of standing water, but not all lakes contain freshwater. Why are some lakes fated to become salt lakes?

What are porosity and permeability, and how do they affect the rate of groundwater flow?

A relatively impermeable layer of rock or sediment is termed a(n) ___________ in hydrogeologic contexts.

What is a stream? How is it similar to and different from a river or a creek?

Hot groundwater is mineralized because

A flowing artesian well is one that

Topography dominated by depressions formed by the collapse of caves is termed a

Ephemeral streams, as opposed to permanent streams,

Building dams on rivers traps sediment behind the dams. This sediment would normally have traveled all the way down the river and out into the ocean. How might this sediment starvation affect the coastal beaches?

Recharge areas for artesian wells and springs are generally in the

Lakes can form

In uniform sediments with a relatively constant and gentle slope at the surface, a ___________ drainage network is expected.

Ephemeral streams

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle

Crags, Cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Shaping the Earths Surface: Landscapes, the Hydrologic Cycle, and Mass Wasting

Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts

The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths Atmosphere

Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems

Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems

Climate and Climate Change

Our Solar System and Beyond

Our Neighborhood in Space

The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space

Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science

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