Question 1

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 A

Question 2

Desertification may also be responsible for which of the following far-reaching consequences?

Accepted Answer

A) excess organic material blown over cities 
B) excess salts added to the ocean 
C) contamination of artic waters 
D) destruction of coral reefs 
A) excess organic material blown over cities 
B) excess salts added to the ocean 
C) contamination of artic waters 
D) destruction of coral reefs D

Question 3

Describe the differences between lag deposits and desert pavement.

Accepted Answer

Lag deposits are layers of large cobbles and pebbles that form a surface in the desert,while desert pavement is a layer of smaller rocks that cover a soil layer.Lag deposits are formed by the removal of small particles of sediment by the wind in a process called deflation.The larger particles (cobbles,pebbles,gravel)are left behind while the smaller particles (sand,silt,clay)are picked up and carried away by the wind.Desert pavement forms when larger particles (cobbles and pebbles)collect in an area and dust begins to settle among the cobbles and pebbles to form a soil layer beneath.The cobbles and pebbles are eventually broken down into smaller pieces by heat and form a layer of smaller stones on the surface.

Question 4

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

Question 5

Piles of sand that form simple,wave-like shapes are called ________ dunes.

Accepted Answer

A) barchans 
B) transverse 
C) star 
D) parabolic 
A) barchans 
B) transverse 
C) star 
D) parabolic

Question 6

When fine-grained sediment is blown away as shown in the figure below,the coarser sediment left behind is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A) a sabkha 
B) ventifacts 
C) a lag deposit 
D) talus 
A) a sabkha 
B) ventifacts 
C) a lag deposit 
D) talus

Question 7

________ results from the transformation of a once-fertile area to an arid desert.

Accepted Answer

A) Desertification 
B) Desert pavement 
C) Deflation 
D) Toxification 
A) Desertification 
B) Desert pavement 
C) Deflation 
D) Toxification

Question 8

How do chimneys (also called hoodoos)and yardangs differ?

Accepted Answer

A) Yardangs are formed by the erosion of water,whereas chimneys are formed by evaporation. 
B) Chimneys are formed by evaporation,whereas yardangs are formed by the erosion of water. 
C) Chimneys are fossilized trunks of saguaro and other large cactus,whereas yardangs are not. 
D) Chimneys are remnants of physical erosion,whereas yardangs are remnants of wind erosion. 
A) Yardangs are formed by the erosion of water,whereas chimneys are formed by evaporation. 
B) Chimneys are formed by evaporation,whereas yardangs are formed by the erosion of water. 
C) Chimneys are fossilized trunks of saguaro and other large cactus,whereas yardangs are not. 
D) Chimneys are remnants of physical erosion,whereas yardangs are remnants of wind erosion.

Question 9

Which of the following images is the result of sediment deposited at the mouth of a canyon?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

The figure below illustrates the formation of a ________ desert.

Accepted Answer

A) coastal 
B) subtropical 
C) rain-shadow 
D) continental-interior 
A) coastal 
B) subtropical 
C) rain-shadow 
D) continental-interior

Question 11

Calcrete (caliche)forms in a desert climate through the dissolution and the reprecipitation of ________ during and after rainstorms.

Accepted Answer

A) manganese oxide 
B) quartz 
C) calcite 
D) iron oxide 
A) manganese oxide 
B) quartz 
C) calcite 
D) iron oxide

Question 12

Which of the following would NOT be a cause of desertification?

Accepted Answer

A) overpopulation 
B) overgrazing 
C) rainfall 
D) natural drought 
A) overpopulation 
B) overgrazing 
C) rainfall 
D) natural drought

Question 13

What is the dominant erosional force in deserts,wind or water? Why?

Accepted Answer

Water is the dominant erosional force in

Question 14

Imagine that you come across a flat,thick layer of rock salt in an outcrop.What can you determine 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 15

Why do deserts form in polar regions?

Accepted Answer

A) Increased albedo prevents evaporation. 
B) There is no vegetation to release CO₂ . 
C) There are no sources of water to evaporate. 
D) Cold air does not hold much moisture. 
A) Increased albedo prevents evaporation. 
B) There is no vegetation to release CO₂ . 
C) There are no sources of water to evaporate. 
D) Cold air does not hold much moisture.

Question 16

________ 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 17

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 18

Imagine you are a farmer moving into the Great Plains area after the Dust Bowl of 1933.What can you do to make the land fertile enough for farming again? What about grazing of livestock?

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary,but students might men

Question 19

The majority of erosion in the desert is due to ________.

Accepted Answer

A) wind 
B) water 
C) ice 
D) heat 
A) wind 
B) water 
C) ice 
D) heat

Question 20

Compared with humid climates,the rates of chemical weathering in deserts are ________.

Accepted Answer

A) much faster 
B) much slower 
C) very similar 
D) too variable to understand 
A) much faster 
B) much slower 
C) very similar 
D) too variable to understand

Exam 17: Dry Regions: The Geology of Deserts

Mesas,buttes,and chimneys are all the result of ________.

Desertification may also be responsible for which of the following far-reaching consequences?

Describe the differences between lag deposits and desert pavement.

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

Piles of sand that form simple,wave-like shapes are called ________ dunes.

When fine-grained sediment is blown away as shown in the figure below,the coarser sediment left behind is known as ________.

________ results from the transformation of a once-fertile area to an arid desert.

How do chimneys (also called hoodoos)and yardangs differ?

Which of the following images is the result of sediment deposited at the mouth of a canyon?

The figure below illustrates the formation of a ________ desert.

Calcrete (caliche)forms in a desert climate through the dissolution and the reprecipitation of ________ during and after rainstorms.

Which of the following would NOT be a cause of desertification?

What is the dominant erosional force in deserts,wind or water? Why?

Imagine that you come across a flat,thick layer of rock salt in an outcrop.What can you determine about the sedimentary environment in which it was formed?

Why do deserts form in polar regions?

________ deserts form on the leeward (dry)side of mountain ranges.

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

Imagine you are a farmer moving into the Great Plains area after the Dust Bowl of 1933.What can you do to make the land fertile enough for farming again? What about grazing of livestock?

The majority of erosion in the desert is due to ________.

Compared with humid climates,the rates of chemical weathering in deserts are ________.

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 Earth S 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

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Interlude A: Rock Groups

Interlude B: A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

Interlude C: The Rock Cycle

Interlude D: The Earth S Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Interlude E: Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Interlude F: An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters

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