Question 1

List and describe one short-term cause for glaciations.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary but may cover the following topics.
The Milankovitch cycles describe the variation in Earth's position relative to the Sun, with changes in the tilt, eccentricity, and precession of Earth. The summation of all three cycles can lead to Earth receiving relatively more solar insolation, which in turn can help to spur a change in Earth's climate.
Changes in the reflectivity, or albedo, of Earth because of changes in the amount of snow can cause more (or less) solar insulation to be reflected back into space.
Disruption of sea currents can also lead to a shift in climate by forcing changes in the sea surface temperature, such as decreasing the temperature at the poles and allowing glaciers to form.
Increases or decreases in greenhouse gases as a result of biological processes can also shift the climate; one example of this is the decrease in CO₂ during the Middle Carboniferous period, which led to a period of global cooling during the Late Carboniferous period.
Changes in the output of solar radiation by the Sun changes the amount of insolation Earth receives and thus can either warm or cool the planet.

Question 2

Fine-grained sediment, such as dust and silt, is transported by wind in

Accepted Answer

A) suspension. 
B) saltation. 
C) deflation. 
D) surface creep. 
A) suspension. 
B) saltation. 
C) deflation. 
D) surface creep. A

Question 3

Valleys carved by glaciers tend to be shaped like the letter __________ , whereas valleys carved by water tend to be shaped like the letter __________ .

Accepted Answer

A) V; U 
B) V; C 
C) U; V 
D) V; I 
A) V; U 
B) V; C 
C) U; V 
D) V; I C

Question 4

Imagine a flat, thick layer of rock salt in an outcrop. What can be determined about the sedimentary environment in which it was formed?

Accepted Answer

A) It was an ocean. 
B) It was a beach. 
C) It was humid. 
D) It was arid. 
A) It was an ocean. 
B) It was a beach. 
C) It was humid. 
D) It was arid.

Question 5

A desert may form along a coastline because a

Accepted Answer

A) warm current warms and dries the air. 
B) warm current forces hot air inland. 
C) cold current cools and dries the air. 
D) cold current forces hot air inland. 
A) warm current warms and dries the air. 
B) warm current forces hot air inland. 
C) cold current cools and dries the air. 
D) cold current forces hot air inland.

Question 6

Which of the figures below shows glacial lake-bed deposits?

Accepted Answer

A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D

Question 7

Sea level __________ during glaciation and __________ during interglaciation.

Accepted Answer

A) decreases; increases 
B) increases; decreases 
C) remains constant; decreases 
D) decreases; remains constant 
A) decreases; increases 
B) increases; decreases 
C) remains constant; decreases 
D) decreases; remains constant

Question 8

Which types of features would be found in a glacially carved landscape?

Accepted Answer

A) eskers, drumlins, cirques, and kettles 
B) cirques, arêtes, horns, and striations 
C) cirques, arêtes, kettles, and tarns 
D) drumlins, ground moraines, and arêtes 
A) eskers, drumlins, cirques, and kettles 
B) cirques, arêtes, horns, and striations 
C) cirques, arêtes, kettles, and tarns 
D) drumlins, ground moraines, and arêtes

Question 9

Conversion of productive land to desert is known as

Accepted Answer

A) deflation. 
B) saltation. 
C) degradation. 
D) desertification. 
A) deflation. 
B) saltation. 
C) degradation. 
D) desertification.

Question 10

What type of deserts form on the leeward (dry) side of mountain ranges?

Accepted Answer

A) tropical 
B) rain-shadow 
C) coastal 
D) subtropical 
A) tropical 
B) rain-shadow 
C) coastal 
D) subtropical

Question 11

Why is chemical weathering relatively rare in deserts?

Accepted Answer

A) Chemical weathering requires much colder temperatures than are seen in deserts. 
B) Physical weathering occurs only in hot regions; thus it is more prevalent in deserts. 
C) Chemical weathering only occurs in the presence of salt water from the ocean. 
D) Chemical weathering most often involves reaction with water, which is rare in deserts. 
A) Chemical weathering requires much colder temperatures than are seen in deserts. 
B) Physical weathering occurs only in hot regions; thus it is more prevalent in deserts. 
C) Chemical weathering only occurs in the presence of salt water from the ocean. 
D) Chemical weathering most often involves reaction with water, which is rare in deserts.

Question 12

Most of the erosion in desert environments is caused by

Accepted Answer

A) wind. 
B) surface water. 
C) groundwater. 
D) salt wedging. 
A) wind. 
B) surface water. 
C) groundwater. 
D) salt wedging.

Question 13

Label the images below with the name of the type of sand dune shown.

Accepted Answer

The images

Question 14

Mesas, buttes, and chimneys are all the result of

Accepted Answer

A) cliff retreat. 
B) wind erosion. 
C) chemical weathering. 
D) deposition. 
A) cliff retreat. 
B) wind erosion. 
C) chemical weathering. 
D) deposition.

Question 15

The Dust Bowl event in 1933 resulted from which natural event?

Accepted Answer

A) overpopulation 
B) long-term drought 
C) bad farming practices 
D) change in the course of rivers 
A) overpopulation 
B) long-term drought 
C) bad farming practices 
D) change in the course of rivers

Question 16

What are the circumstances that lead to glacial advance versus glacial retreat? Most glaciers today are in retreat. What does this imply about the glaciers and their environment?

Accepted Answer

In order for a glacier to advance there

Question 17

Which of the following human activities will lead to desertification?

Accepted Answer

A) addition of fertilizer to soil 
B) diversion of water from an area 
C) overirrigating an area 
D) building a city in an area 
A) addition of fertilizer to soil 
B) diversion of water from an area 
C) overirrigating an area 
D) building a city in an area

Question 18

Wind blows finer particles long distances from glacial environments, where they settle out to form

Accepted Answer

A) firn. 
B) loess. 
C) outwash 
D) till. 
A) firn. 
B) loess. 
C) outwash 
D) till.

Question 19

Desert varnish consists of

Accepted Answer

A) pesticides and other pollutant residues. 
B) iron and magnesium sulfides. 
C) dust deposits affected by microorganisms. 
D) carbonate cements with iron impurities (e.g., siderite). 
A) pesticides and other pollutant residues. 
B) iron and magnesium sulfides. 
C) dust deposits affected by microorganisms. 
D) carbonate cements with iron impurities (e.g., siderite).

Question 20

Deserts do not need to be in hot regions; they only need to be __________ . For example, deserts can form in cold, dry, __________ regions.

Accepted Answer

A) dry; tropical 
B) humid; polar 
C) arid; polar 
D) humid; subtropical 
A) dry; tropical 
B) humid; polar 
C) arid; polar 
D) humid; subtropical

Exam 14: Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

List and describe one short-term cause for glaciations.

Fine-grained sediment, such as dust and silt, is transported by wind in

Valleys carved by glaciers tend to be shaped like the letter __________ , whereas valleys carved by water tend to be shaped like the letter __________ .

Imagine a flat, thick layer of rock salt in an outcrop. What can be determined about the sedimentary environment in which it was formed?

A desert may form along a coastline because a

Which of the figures below shows glacial lake-bed deposits?

Sea level __________ during glaciation and __________ during interglaciation.

Which types of features would be found in a glacially carved landscape?

Conversion of productive land to desert is known as

What type of deserts form on the leeward (dry) side of mountain ranges?

Why is chemical weathering relatively rare in deserts?

Most of the erosion in desert environments is caused by

Label the images below with the name of the type of sand dune shown.

Mesas, buttes, and chimneys are all the result of

The Dust Bowl event in 1933 resulted from which natural event?

What are the circumstances that lead to glacial advance versus glacial retreat? Most glaciers today are in retreat. What does this imply about the glaciers and their environment?

Which of the following human activities will lead to desertification?

Wind blows finer particles long distances from glacial environments, where they settle out to form

Desert varnish consists of

Deserts do not need to be in hot regions; they only need to be __________ . For example, deserts can form in cold, dry, __________ regions.

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

Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

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

Filters

Valleys carved by glaciers tend to be shaped like the letter , whereas valleys carved by water tend to be shaped like the letter .

Sea level during glaciation and during interglaciation.

Deserts do not need to be in hot regions; they only need to be . For example, deserts can form in cold, dry, regions.