Question 1

How is an alluvial fan formed?

Accepted Answer

A) a stream erodes down through older terraces and entrenched meanders 
B) sediment is deposited by debris flows and streams that decrease in velocity along the mountain front 
C) a landslide blocks the stream,causing sediment to accumulate upstream 
D) a dam increases the speed of currents below the dam 
A) a stream erodes down through older terraces and entrenched meanders 
B) sediment is deposited by debris flows and streams that decrease in velocity along the mountain front 
C) a landslide blocks the stream,causing sediment to accumulate upstream 
D) a dam increases the speed of currents below the dam

Question 2

Which of the following is true about how a stream erodes material?

Accepted Answer

A) abrasion is concentrated on the upstream side of obstructions 
B) turbulence of the water is less important than the temperature,which affects viscosity 
C) erosion occurs equally on two sides of a bend 
D) water cannot erode unless it is carrying sediment 
E) all of these 
A) abrasion is concentrated on the upstream side of obstructions 
B) turbulence of the water is less important than the temperature,which affects viscosity 
C) erosion occurs equally on two sides of a bend 
D) water cannot erode unless it is carrying sediment 
E) all of these

Question 3

Which of the following features can be formed by deposition along a low-gradient stream?

Accepted Answer

A) point bar 
B) oxbow lake 
C) cutbank 
D) none of these 
A) point bar 
B) oxbow lake 
C) cutbank 
D) none of these

Question 4

Which particles of sediment are most likely to be transported as suspended load?

Accepted Answer

A) small,low density particles 
B) pebbles of average density 
C) sand and gravel of relatively high density 
D) dissolved ions in solution 
E) all of these 
A) small,low density particles 
B) pebbles of average density 
C) sand and gravel of relatively high density 
D) dissolved ions in solution 
E) all of these

Question 5

What is NOT true about how terraces form?

Accepted Answer

A) most terraces were once part of a floodplain 
B) according to superposition,the lowest terrace is the oldest 
C) terraces develop along a river that is incising (eroding)downward 
D) a river can have more than one level of terraces 
A) most terraces were once part of a floodplain 
B) according to superposition,the lowest terrace is the oldest 
C) terraces develop along a river that is incising (eroding)downward 
D) a river can have more than one level of terraces

Question 6

This figure shows four numbered river terraces,with 1 being the highest and 4 being the lowest.Which is the youngest terrace?

Accepted Answer

A) 1 
B) 2 
C) 3 
D) 4 
A) 1 
B) 2 
C) 3 
D) 4

Question 7

Which of the following is properly called a flood?

Accepted Answer

A) when a meander is cut off and forms a lake 
B) when the entire bottom of the channel is covered with water 
C) if water spreads out over the floodplain 
D) when water is 1 meter below the top of the channel 
A) when a meander is cut off and forms a lake 
B) when the entire bottom of the channel is covered with water 
C) if water spreads out over the floodplain 
D) when water is 1 meter below the top of the channel

Question 8

What is the discharge of the stream shown in the accompanying figure if the velocity is 1.5 meters per second?

Accepted Answer

A) 3,000 cubic meters per second 
B) 1,500 cubic meters per second 
C) 1,250 cubic meters per second 
D) 125 cubic meters per second 
E) none of these 
A) 3,000 cubic meters per second 
B) 1,500 cubic meters per second 
C) 1,250 cubic meters per second 
D) 125 cubic meters per second 
E) none of these

Question 9

Which of the following sites is most likely to be flooded if all other factors are held constant?

Accepted Answer

A) a site that is higher but closer to the river than a site that is lower but farther from the river 
B) a site next to the river where the main channel is wider and deeper than other segments of the river 
C) a site on the floodplain instead of a site on an older terrace 
D) all of these 
A) a site that is higher but closer to the river than a site that is lower but farther from the river 
B) a site next to the river where the main channel is wider and deeper than other segments of the river 
C) a site on the floodplain instead of a site on an older terrace 
D) all of these

Question 10

The accompanying figure shows a series of river terraces.Which of these terraces is the oldest?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

What would happen if the amount of ice in this area increases?

Accepted Answer

A) the land near the ice would rise 
B) the area near the ice would experience isostatic rebound 
C) the weight of the ice depresses the land,possibly causing river to change direction 
D) none of these 
A) the land near the ice would rise 
B) the area near the ice would experience isostatic rebound 
C) the weight of the ice depresses the land,possibly causing river to change direction 
D) none of these

Question 12

If a stream-cut canyon is deep and narrow,which of the following is most likely to be true?

Accepted Answer

A) rocks in the canyon walls are relatively hard and so easy to erode 
B) the stream is probably close to its base level 
C) downcutting is occurring faster than widening 
D) the stream contains mostly small clasts,such as silt 
A) rocks in the canyon walls are relatively hard and so easy to erode 
B) the stream is probably close to its base level 
C) downcutting is occurring faster than widening 
D) the stream contains mostly small clasts,such as silt

Question 13

What could cause this stream to begin carving into the landscape?

Accepted Answer

A) if base level is lowered,such as a drop in sea level 
B) if the land is uplifted relative to the sea 
C) if a change in climate weathers and weakens the rocks 
D) all of these 
A) if base level is lowered,such as a drop in sea level 
B) if the land is uplifted relative to the sea 
C) if a change in climate weathers and weakens the rocks 
D) all of these

Question 14

What type of stream is shown in this figure?

Accepted Answer

A) meandering stream 
B) braided stream 
C) a stream whose main channel has high sinuosity 
D) an esker 
A) meandering stream 
B) braided stream 
C) a stream whose main channel has high sinuosity 
D) an esker

Question 15

Which of the following is true about levees?

Accepted Answer

A) they are a reliable way to protect an area from flooding 
B) to be called a levee,a feature needs to be at least partly constructed by humans 
C) a levee can trap water on the floodplain after the flood has subsided 
D) none of these 
A) they are a reliable way to protect an area from flooding 
B) to be called a levee,a feature needs to be at least partly constructed by humans 
C) a levee can trap water on the floodplain after the flood has subsided 
D) none of these

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT true about rivers?

Accepted Answer

A) major rivers,like the upper Mississippi near the Great Lakes,must be relatively old rivers 
B) the boundary between hard rocks and soft rocks can be marked by waterfalls 
C) loading and unloading of the crust by ice sheets can change the direction rivers flow 
D) different parts of a river can be different ages 
A) major rivers,like the upper Mississippi near the Great Lakes,must be relatively old rivers 
B) the boundary between hard rocks and soft rocks can be marked by waterfalls 
C) loading and unloading of the crust by ice sheets can change the direction rivers flow 
D) different parts of a river can be different ages

Question 17

If erosion and deposition occur at the same rate,how can we best describe the particles of sediment on a streambed?

Accepted Answer

A) only very small particles will be present along the stream bottom 
B) particles neither move in,nor move out of this part of the stream 
C) as the sediment moves downstream,it is replaced by a similar volume of sediment 
D) pebbles and cobbles carried away are replaced by the same number of smaller particles 
A) only very small particles will be present along the stream bottom 
B) particles neither move in,nor move out of this part of the stream 
C) as the sediment moves downstream,it is replaced by a similar volume of sediment 
D) pebbles and cobbles carried away are replaced by the same number of smaller particles

Question 18

At which site along this stream would a cut bank form?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

How did the entrenched meanders shown in this figure form?

Accepted Answer

A) rising seas flooded a meandering river valley 
B) the land subsided and the river deposited sediment 
C) a meandering river carved into the land due to uplift or falling base level 
D) none of these 
A) rising seas flooded a meandering river valley 
B) the land subsided and the river deposited sediment 
C) a meandering river carved into the land due to uplift or falling base level 
D) none of these

Question 20

Which site along this stream would have the highest velocity for that segment of the stream?

Accepted Answer

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

How is an alluvial fan formed?

Which of the following is true about how a stream erodes material?

Which of the following features can be formed by deposition along a low-gradient stream?

Which particles of sediment are most likely to be transported as suspended load?

What is NOT true about how terraces form?

This figure shows four numbered river terraces,with 1 being the highest and 4 being the lowest.Which is the youngest terrace?

Which of the following is properly called a flood?

What is the discharge of the stream shown in the accompanying figure if the velocity is 1.5 meters per second?

Which of the following sites is most likely to be flooded if all other factors are held constant?

The accompanying figure shows a series of river terraces.Which of these terraces is the oldest?

What would happen if the amount of ice in this area increases?

If a stream-cut canyon is deep and narrow,which of the following is most likely to be true?

What could cause this stream to begin carving into the landscape?

What type of stream is shown in this figure?

Which of the following is true about levees?

Which of the following is NOT true about rivers?

If erosion and deposition occur at the same rate,how can we best describe the particles of sediment on a streambed?

At which site along this stream would a cut bank form?

How did the entrenched meanders shown in this figure form?

Which site along this stream would have the highest velocity for that segment of the stream?

The Nature of Geology

Investigating Geologic Questions

Plate Tectonics

Earth Materials

Igneous Environments

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Sedimentary Environments and Rocks

Deformation and Metamorphism

Geologic Time

The Seafloor and Continental Margins

Mountains, basins, and Continents

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Climate, weather, and Their Influences on Geology

Glaciers, shorelines, and Changing Sea Levels

Weathering, soil, and Unstable Slopes

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Exam 16: Streams and Flooding

How is an alluvial fan formed?

Which of the following is true about how a stream erodes material?

Which of the following features can be formed by deposition along a low-gradient stream?

Which particles of sediment are most likely to be transported as suspended load?

What is NOT true about how terraces form?

This figure shows four numbered river terraces,with 1 being the highest and 4 being the lowest.Which is the youngest terrace?

Which of the following is properly called a flood?

What is the discharge of the stream shown in the accompanying figure if the velocity is 1.5 meters per second?

Which of the following sites is most likely to be flooded if all other factors are held constant?

The accompanying figure shows a series of river terraces.Which of these terraces is the oldest?

What would happen if the amount of ice in this area increases?

If a stream-cut canyon is deep and narrow,which of the following is most likely to be true?

What could cause this stream to begin carving into the landscape?

What type of stream is shown in this figure?

Which of the following is true about levees?

Which of the following is NOT true about rivers?

If erosion and deposition occur at the same rate,how can we best describe the particles of sediment on a streambed?

At which site along this stream would a cut bank form?

How did the entrenched meanders shown in this figure form?

Which site along this stream would have the highest velocity for that segment of the stream?

The Nature of Geology

Investigating Geologic Questions

Plate Tectonics

Earth Materials

Igneous Environments

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Sedimentary Environments and Rocks

Deformation and Metamorphism

Geologic Time

The Seafloor and Continental Margins

Mountains, basins, and Continents

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Climate, weather, and Their Influences on Geology

Glaciers, shorelines, and Changing Sea Levels

Weathering, soil, and Unstable Slopes

Water Resources

Energy and Mineral Resources

Geology of the Solar System

Filters