Question 1

The primary reason that rocks accumulate on the surfaces of glaciers near their toes is ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the slope failure (rocksliding, etc.) of nearby cliffs and mountains 
B)  the incorporation of rock segments from the underlying sediment or rock surface 
C)  the melting and sublimation of surficial ice downslope from the equilibrium line of a glacier 
D)  volcanic eruption 
A)  the slope failure (rocksliding, etc.) of nearby cliffs and mountains 
B)  the incorporation of rock segments from the underlying sediment or rock surface 
C)  the melting and sublimation of surficial ice downslope from the equilibrium line of a glacier 
D)  volcanic eruption C

Question 2

The bedrock feature below is most likely a(n)__________.

Accepted Answer

A)  arête 
B)  kame 
C)  roche moutonnee 
D)  lateral moraine 
A)  arête 
B)  kame 
C)  roche moutonnee 
D)  lateral moraine C

Question 3

The current interglacial interval began a little more than ____________ years ago.

Accepted Answer

A)  1,000 
B)  10,000 
C)  100,000 
D)  1 million 
A)  1,000 
B)  10,000 
C)  100,000 
D)  1 million B

Question 4

Near the equator,glaciers only form at elevations greater than ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  1 km 
B)  2 km 
C)  3-4 km 
D)  5 km 
A)  1 km 
B)  2 km 
C)  3-4 km 
D)  5 km

Question 5

Which of the following was probably NOT a contributor to the Pleistocene Ice Ages?

Accepted Answer

A)  a long-term cooling trend since the end of the Eocene 
B)  the closing of the ocean passage between North America and South America 
C)  the collision of India with Asia and uplift of the Himalayas 
D)  the burning of wood and plant matter by early humans 
A)  a long-term cooling trend since the end of the Eocene 
B)  the closing of the ocean passage between North America and South America 
C)  the collision of India with Asia and uplift of the Himalayas 
D)  the burning of wood and plant matter by early humans

Question 6

In cross-section,valleys carved by glaciers tend to be shaped like the letter ____________,whereas unglaciated mountain valleys tend to shaped like the letter ____________ in cross-section.

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

Question 7

Sediments deposited directly by glaciers as they melt are characterized by ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  uniformly coarse grain size 
B)  uniformly fine grain size 
C)  an absence of sorting 
D)  graded bedding 
A)  uniformly coarse grain size 
B)  uniformly fine grain size 
C)  an absence of sorting 
D)  graded bedding

Question 8

Ice quakes are caused by ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the sudden brittle failure of ice when large new crevasses form 
B)  the manner in which S-waves move through ice 
C)  surges in the flow of glaciers 
D)  tectonic uplift beneath large ice sheets 
A)  the sudden brittle failure of ice when large new crevasses form 
B)  the manner in which S-waves move through ice 
C)  surges in the flow of glaciers 
D)  tectonic uplift beneath large ice sheets

Question 9

The two layers of sediment that are typically deposited each year,in lakes that freeze each winter and melt each summer,are called ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  varves 
B)  coupled laminae 
C)  glacial pairs 
D)  lacustrine duals 
A)  varves 
B)  coupled laminae 
C)  glacial pairs 
D)  lacustrine duals

Question 10

Today,continental glaciers are limited to Antarctica and ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Alaska 
B)  Greenland 
C)  Canada 
D)  Siberia 
A)  Alaska 
B)  Greenland 
C)  Canada 
D)  Siberia

Question 11

What is the most accurate statement of the difference between glacial polish and glacial striations?

Accepted Answer

A)  Glacial striations are larger than glacial polish. 
B)  Striations are caused by rocks and polish is caused by ice. 
C)  Glacial polish is formed by chemical weathering under wet-bottom glaciers; striations are physical weathering. 
D)  Polish is caused by the abrasion of sand-size rock clasts; striations are caused by the abrasion of larger sized rock clasts. 
A)  Glacial striations are larger than glacial polish. 
B)  Striations are caused by rocks and polish is caused by ice. 
C)  Glacial polish is formed by chemical weathering under wet-bottom glaciers; striations are physical weathering. 
D)  Polish is caused by the abrasion of sand-size rock clasts; striations are caused by the abrasion of larger sized rock clasts.

Question 12

When sea level rises,causing ocean water to fill a glacially carved valley,a ____________ is formed.

Accepted Answer

A)  smorgasbord 
B)  tarn 
C)  fjord 
D)  ford 
A)  smorgasbord 
B)  tarn 
C)  fjord 
D)  ford

Question 13

The effect of periodic changes in Earth's orbital eccentricity and magnitude and direction (precession)of Earth's axial tilt on the advance and retreat of ice sheets was first proposed by ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Richter 
B)  Milankovitch 
C)  Mohorivic 
D)  Lyell 
A)  Richter 
B)  Milankovitch 
C)  Mohorivic 
D)  Lyell

Question 14

Areas on the southern margins of the continental glaciers of the northern hemisphere were much ____________ during Plio-Pleistocene glaciations than they are today,as suggested by evidence of large ____________ during this time.

Accepted Answer

A)  warmer; tropical rainforests 
B)  wetter; tropical rainforests 
C)  drier; deserts 
D)  wetter; pluvial lakes 
A)  warmer; tropical rainforests 
B)  wetter; tropical rainforests 
C)  drier; deserts 
D)  wetter; pluvial lakes

Question 15

An angular peak surrounded by three or more bowl-shaped depressions formed by mountain glaciers is termed a(n)____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  arête 
B)  cirque 
C)  horn 
D)  tarn 
A)  arête 
B)  cirque 
C)  horn 
D)  tarn

Question 16

The primary cause of permafrost is ___________.

Accepted Answer

A)  nightly temperatures of -15°C or colder 
B)  cold seeping out of glaciers into underlying soil or sediment 
C)  average temperatures of -5°C or colder 
D)  the very long winter nights and very short winter days that occur in polar regions 
A)  nightly temperatures of -15°C or colder 
B)  cold seeping out of glaciers into underlying soil or sediment 
C)  average temperatures of -5°C or colder 
D)  the very long winter nights and very short winter days that occur in polar regions

Question 17

In the figure below,an ice sheet flows from the upper left to the lower right,where it melts.At which location are you most likely to find a medial moraine?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

Given the modern continental configuration,it is much easier for large continental ice sheets to become established in the ____________ hemisphere than in the ____________ hemisphere.

Accepted Answer

A)  eastern; western 
B)  western; eastern 
C)  northern; southern 
D)  southern; northern 
A)  eastern; western 
B)  western; eastern 
C)  northern; southern 
D)  southern; northern

Question 19

Tillites are _____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  sediment layers formed of varves 
B)  lithified moraines 
C)  formed in outwash plains 
D)  rocks formed by lithification of till 
A)  sediment layers formed of varves 
B)  lithified moraines 
C)  formed in outwash plains 
D)  rocks formed by lithification of till

Question 20

What will happen to the land surface and lithosphere when the ice sheet melts?

Accepted Answer

A)  It will rise. 
B)  It will experience volcanism. 
C)  It will become a rift zone and possibly a divergent boundary. 
D)  It will subside. 
A)  It will rise. 
B)  It will experience volcanism. 
C)  It will become a rift zone and possibly a divergent boundary. 
D)  It will subside.

Exam 18: Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

The primary reason that rocks accumulate on the surfaces of glaciers near their toes is ____________.

The bedrock feature below is most likely a(n)__________.

The current interglacial interval began a little more than ____________ years ago.

Near the equator,glaciers only form at elevations greater than ____________.

Which of the following was probably NOT a contributor to the Pleistocene Ice Ages?

In cross-section,valleys carved by glaciers tend to be shaped like the letter ____________,whereas unglaciated mountain valleys tend to shaped like the letter ____________ in cross-section.

Sediments deposited directly by glaciers as they melt are characterized by ____________.

Ice quakes are caused by ____________.

The two layers of sediment that are typically deposited each year,in lakes that freeze each winter and melt each summer,are called ____________.

Today,continental glaciers are limited to Antarctica and ____________.

What is the most accurate statement of the difference between glacial polish and glacial striations?

When sea level rises,causing ocean water to fill a glacially carved valley,a ____________ is formed.

The effect of periodic changes in Earth's orbital eccentricity and magnitude and direction (precession)of Earth's axial tilt on the advance and retreat of ice sheets was first proposed by ____________.

Areas on the southern margins of the continental glaciers of the northern hemisphere were much ____________ during Plio-Pleistocene glaciations than they are today,as suggested by evidence of large ____________ during this time.

An angular peak surrounded by three or more bowl-shaped depressions formed by mountain glaciers is termed a(n)____________.

The primary cause of permafrost is ___________.

In the figure below,an ice sheet flows from the upper left to the lower right,where it melts.At which location are you most likely to find a medial moraine?

Given the modern continental configuration,it is much easier for large continental ice sheets to become established in the ____________ hemisphere than in the ____________ hemisphere.

Tillites are _____________.

What will happen to the land surface and lithosphere when the ice sheet melts?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Global Change in the Earth System

Rock Groups

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earths Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters

In cross-section,valleys carved by glaciers tend to be shaped like the letter ,whereas unglaciated mountain valleys tend to shaped like the letter in cross-section.

Areas on the southern margins of the continental glaciers of the northern hemisphere were much during Plio-Pleistocene glaciations than they are today,as suggested by evidence of large during this time.

Given the modern continental configuration,it is much easier for large continental ice sheets to become established in the hemisphere than in the hemisphere.