Deck 9: Running Water and Groundwater

Question 1

The trellis drainage pattern shown below develops ______.

A) on isolated volcanic cones or domes
B) in areas of relatively uniform surface materials
C) on highly jointed bedrock
D) in areas of alternating weak and resistant bedrock
E) in areas of folded and fractured domes

Answer 1

in areas of alternating weak and resistant bedrock

Question 2

A stream begins at an elevation of 200 meters and flows a distance of 400 kilometers to the ocean. What is the average gradient?

A) 2 km/m
B) 0.5 m/km
C) 2 m/km
D) 0.5 km/in

Answer 2

0.5 m/km

Question 3

Which of the following is not a factor influencing a stream's flow velocity?

A) channel sinuosity
B) channel roughness
C) channel width and cross sectional shape
D) the amount of water in the channel
E) channel slope

Answer 3

channel sinuosity

Question 4

The Mississippi River has an average discharge of 17,300 cubic meters per second but the______ River discharges 12 times more water than the Mississippi River.

A) Yukon
B) Amazon
C) Colorado
D) Yangtze
E) Nile

Question 5

Which of the following is not a significant factor in determining whether precipitation will soak into the ground or run off on the surfaces?

A) lithology
B) amount and duration of precipitation
C) vegetation
D) steepness of the slope
E) saturation level

Question 6

Laminar flow, where water moves in approximately straight- line paths, characterizes ______.

A) the bottoms of channels
B) fast- moving streams
C) slow- moving streams
D) the edges of channels
E) all of the above

Question 7

Approximately how much of Earth's water supply is saline?

A) 98%
B) 20%
C) 67%
D) 43%
E) 100%

Question 8

Which of the following is not part of the water cycle?

A) water moving into creeks and streams following a rainstorm
B) water evaporating from a lake
C) calcium carbonate dissolving in soil water and groundwater
D) water infiltrating into the soil and bedrock

Question 9

Sediment deposition occurs primarily in what part of a river system?

A) the flood plain
B) the drainage divide
C) the trunk stream
D) the head waters
E) near the outlet

Question 10

A ______ refers to an area that contributes to a stream.

A) drainage basin
B) groundwater gradient
C) natural levee
D) divide

Question 11

A stream's turbulence is strongly influenced by its ______ .

A) velocity
B) viscosity
C) temperature
D) sinuosity
E) sediment load

Question 12

A dendritic tree- like. drainage pattern develops in regions where the underlying material is relatively uniform so the major control on the water movement is______ .

A) sediment load
B) vegetation
C) slope
D) saturation
E) climate

Question 13

The main process that links water in the atmosphere with water on Earth's surface is .

A) evaporation
B) transpiration
C) condensation
D) infiltration
E) wind

Question 14

A ______stream pattern is developed only on growing mountains like volcanoes or where the land surface is tectonically doming upward.

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

Question 15

Which of the following is the correct definition of stream gradient?

A) the drop in elevation of a stream divided by the distance the water travels
B) the increase in discharge of a stream per unit drop in elevation
C) the water pressure at the bottom of the stream divided by the stream's width
D) the distance traveled by water in a channel times a drop in elevation

Question 16

Sediment production occurs primarily in ______part of a river system.

A) the drainage divide
B) the trunk stream
C) the head waters
D) the flood plain
E) the outlet

Question 17

Which of these is considered to be "storage" part of the hydrologic cycle?

A) evaporation
B) infiltration
C) transpiration
D) condensation
E) addition to a glacier

Question 18

The release of water vapor to the atmosphere by plants is called______ .

A) infiltration
B) transpiration
C) evaporation
D) degassing

Question 19

Which one of the following statements is correct?

A) Sea level drops when water is stored in expanding ice sheets and continental glaciers.
B) Sea level rises when water is stored in expanding ice sheets and continental glaciers.
C) Sea level rises when water is added to the oceans through increased rainfall and increased inflow from rivers.
D) Sea level drops when evaporation rates increase over the oceans and when this extra atmospheric moisture falls on land as rain.

Question 20

Water plays an important role in sculpting the landscape of continents because______ .

A) water deposits sediments in areas like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park where they landscape is changing rapidly
B) water is a major cause of erosion on land
C) water moves through streams that are a major cause of mass wasting
D) water contributes to plant and animal life that strongly affects the landscape
E) ground water causes sinkholes and domes that change the landscape rapidly

Question 21

The Platte River crosses the Nebraska sandhills and carries large amounts of sand. It crosses relatively flat terrain that long ago was worn down. What kind of stream would you predict from this characteristic?

A) bedrock stream
B) braided stream
C) meandering stream
D) none of the above

Question 22

The main power of water in a channel is related to its ______.

A) discharge and viscosity
B) slope and temperature
C) slope and discharge
D) viscosity and velocity
E) velocity and temperature

Question 23

The main source of the dissolved load in a stream is ______ .

A) groundwater
B) cut bank soil
C) material along the bottom of the stream channel
D) salt flats
E) material along the sides of the stream channel

Question 24

______generally constitutes the highest percentage of the annual sediment load moved by a stream.

A) Saltation load
B) Suspended load
C) Bed load
D) Dissolved load

Question 25

As a stream changes from its headwaters to its mouth, which of the following is not likely to occur?

A) Flow velocity decreases.
B) Sediment size gets smaller downstream.
C) The volume of water increases.
D) The channel gets smoother.
E) The channel gets wider downstream.

Question 26

If you were to examine the profile of a typical river, you would probably find that the gradient is ______.

A) steepest near the head
B) steepest near the mouth
C) the same at both the head and mouth
D) none of these

Question 27

Bed load of a stream is carried ______.

A) as dissolved ions
B) in suspension
C) as river boulders
D) by rolling, sliding, and saltation

Question 28

People learned by trial and error years ago how to paddle a canoe upstream in meandering rivers, knowing where the strongest currents were located. Assuming you don't want to go backwards, what is the best paddling route to maximize your speed upstream?

A) Stay in midchannel.
B) Always stay close to one bank or the other, regardless of how the river bends.
C) Keep on the outside bends, near the cut banks, as much as possible.
D) Stay on the inside bend of meanders, crossing over whenever the meander turns so you can stay on the inside bend.

Question 29

The single most important erosional agent is ______.

A) wind
B) waves
C) ice
D) running water

Question 30

As stream discharge increases ______.

A) velocity, width, and depth decrease
B) only velocity increases
C) only depth increases
D) velocity, width, and depth increase

Question 31

You are in a boat and concerned about shallow water in a meandering river. Where should you aim your boat to find the deepest water?

A) midchannel
B) along the inside of the curve
C) on the outside of the curve, close to the cut bank
D) It doesn't matter, as long as you remain a meter or two from either bank

Question 32

______is an abandoned, cutoff, meander loop.

A) A gatorback
B) A cowhock
C) A bulltrail
D) An oxbow

Question 33

The type and amount of material carried in the suspended load of a stream depends on ______.

A) turbulence and viscosity
B) flow velocity and discharge
C) source accessibility and slope
D) ground cover and channel shape
E) settling and flow velocities

Question 34

Assuming rivers of comparable discharge, which type of stream would most likely be crossable by wading rather than having to swim?

A) bedrock stream
B) meandering stream
C) braided stream
D) There would be no difference.

Question 35

At a bend in a river, the main erosion is ______.

A) both outside and inside the bend
B) at an oxbow lake
C) on the inside of the bend
D) on the outside of the bend

Question 36

The Mississippi River today is a classic meandering river. 20,000 years ago the Mississippi River was a major outwash channel for the Laurentide ice sheet. What does this suggest about the ancient Mississippi?

A) It probably looked similar to the river today, but was characterized by more dramatic summer floods that occurred every year.
B) It was probably a lush heavily vegetated valley due to the nutrients brought down by the glacial meltwater, producing a swampy landscape with numerous channels.
C) It probably resembled modern rivers in Alaska with a broad braided stream valley that dried up during the winter months, producing winter dust storms.
D) It is impossible to predict what the river might have looked like.

Question 37

______describes the total sediment load transported by a stream.

A) Hydro- load factor
B) Discharge
C) Capacity
D) Competence

Question 38

______make up the suspended loads of most rivers and streams.

A) Dissolved ions and sand
B) Silt and clay- sized, detrital grains
C) Sand and gravel that move during floods
D) Dissolved salts

Question 39

The suspended load of a stream______ .

A) is highly soluble substances
B) usually consists of fine particles
C) is deposited before the bed load
D) moves along the bottom

Question 40

The greater the channel roughness, the______ the stream.

A) slower flowing
B) more sediment laden
C) straighter
D) higher gradient there is in

Question 41

A natural levee is______ .

A) perpendicular to its stream channel
B) a depositional feature
C) found inside the stream channel
D) an erosional feature

Question 42

Which of the following is not a form of artificial flood control?

A) levee construction
B) dam construction
C) forced levee breaks to deflect flood waters
D) channel cutoff to form oxbow lakes during a flood

Question 43

Which of the following features characterize meandering streams and valleys?

A) rapids; channel bed potholes
B) V- shaped valley cross sections
C) natural levees; broad floodplains
D) waterfalls; entrenched meanders

Question 44

A stream meanders across a broad, flat valley with numerous swamps and lakes. This stream is ______.

A) running on bedrock
B) running well above base level
C) running at base level or below base level
D) responding to a fall in base level

Question 45

Channelization involves making stream channels______ .

A) larger
B) more meandering
C) straighter
D) more natural

Question 46

Which of the following must by definition result in a lower base level for rivers and streams?

A) sea level falls and land rises
B) sea level rises and land subsides
C) sea level rises and land rises
D) sea level drops and land subsides

Question 47

Engineers modify a natural, meandering, river channel is modified into straight and smooth channel. Which of the following statements is correct?

A) The natural channel had a lower gradient and higher friction than the straight channel.
B) The natural channel had a lower gradient and less friction than the modified channel.
C) The straight channel has a higher gradient and more friction than the natural channel.
D) All of the above statements are true.

Question 48

Downcutting also known as rejuvenation. of a stream may be due to______ .

A) thermal expansion
B) rising of sea level
C) uplift of land
D) a decreased gradient

Question 49

In 2011 snow melt and heavy rains in the upper Missouri River drainage basin produced record runoff that led to extensive flooding in lower Missouri River valley, despite the construction of numerous large flood control dams built on the river in the mid 20^th century. What type of failure in an artificial flood control system is this an example of?

A) a flood outside the design capabilities of the dam system overwhelmed the capacity of the reservoirs forcing opening of flood gates, exacerbating the downstream impact of the flooding
B) insufficient levee construction downstream of the dams
C) bad planning by the water managers who cared more about power production than downstream flooding
D) It was not a failure; the dam system worked as planned. It was poor planning by the downstream government agencies.

Question 50

If you just want to go for a swim in a meandering river and want to find a sandy beach, where is the best place to look for your swimming hole?

A) outside bend of the meander loops
B) a point bar on the inside bend of a meander
C) straight stretches between meander loops
D) It isn't easy to predict, you'll just have to look around.

Question 51

Over time as erosion lowers the landscape a river valley will typically ______.

A) deepen into a bigger and bigger canyon, like the Grand Canyon
B) become broader and lower gradient
C) become steeper and discharge increases in the streams
D) become narrower but with a lower gradient, entrenching meanders

Question 52

An alluvial fan ______ .

A) a plant that grows in deltas and is diagnostic of a delta
B) is another name for a small delta forming along a beach
C) a fan- shaped sediment mass generated by a distributary channel
D) a fan- shaped mass of sediment deposited at the base of a mountain front due to an abrupt change in stream gradient

Question 53

______are characteristics of downcutting streams and a youthful stage of valley evolution.

A) Wide floodplains
B) U- shaped, cross- valley profiles
C) Rapids and lots of whitewater
D) Meandering channels and natural levees

Question 54

A meandering river is flowing in a broad, alluvial valley and the river is silt- laden but also moves sand and a small amount of gravel. The government decides to build a dam across the valley for power and flood control. What will happen to the river downstream of the dam?

A) The river will not change.
B) The trapping of silt in the reservoir will change the river to a braided stream because it will only have sand and gravel in its sediment load.
C) The river will respond to the new temporary base level and cut laterally outside its valley, widening the valley.
D) The river will start to deposit sand and gravel, frequently spilling out of its channel.

Question 55

The city of New Orleans is in the delta of a great river. During hurricane Katrina most of the city flooded but the area along the river, like the French Quarter, did not. Why didn't these areas flood?

A) These areas were natural levees of the river, and were higher in elevation than adjacent areas.
B) The water couldn't flow fast enough to cover these areas and was halted before it could flood these areas.
C) The army corps of engineers must have dredged the river and built these areas up before the city was built.
D) The river flowed away from these areas into other parts of the city when it broke the levees, and these areas just happened to be spared.

Question 56

At the head of a delta, the major channel splits into smaller channels that follow different paths to the sea. These smaller channels are known as______ .

A) cotributaries
B) endotributaries
C) distributaries
D) tributaries

Question 57

A ______ flood occurs when heavy rain strikes a mountainous area.

A) flash
B) quick
C) monsoon
D) regional

Question 58

When a stream is in a v- shaped valley running on bedrock, the stream is______ .

A) responding to a rise in base level
B) at base level
C) below base level
D) well above base level

Question 59

The below image is a picture of an incised meander. What process would have formed this?

A) Uplift of the land.
B) Human engineered channelization.
C) A stream becoming more mature and remaining that way.
D) A sinkhole.

Question 60

A river is flowing in a broad, alluvial valley and the river is silt- laden but also moves sand and a small amount of gravel. The government decides to build a dam across the valley for power and flood control. What will happen to the river, upstream of the dam?

A) The river will not change.
B) The river will start to deposit sand and gravel, frequently spilling out of its channel.
C) The river will respond to the new temporary base level and cut laterally outside its valley, widening the valley.
D) The river will downcut.

Question 61

Farmer Brown lives in a semi- arid part of the United States with numerous small lakes associated with glacial deposits of sand and gravel. He decides he needs to irrigate part of his land and drills a shallow well 100m from his property line with Farmer Smith who has a small lake just across the property line, and he depends on this lake to water his cattle. By late summer, Farmer Smith goes out to his lake and discovers it is dry. What happened?

A) There must have been a drought or Farmer Brown wouldn't have needed to irrigate, so it must be natural.
B) Farmer Brown's well produced a sinkhole that swallowed up Farmer Smith's lake.
C) Farmer Browns well has dropped the water table in the well's cone of depression, and the well has led to the lake drying up.
D) Farmer Brown has been secretly pumping water from Farmer Smith's lake, and now Farmer Smith is going to come out at night with a shotgun.

Question 62

Permeable rock strata or sediment that transmit groundwater freely are called ______.

A) springs
B) perched water tables
C) aquitards
D) aquifers

Question 63

Hot springs are most numerous in which region of the United States?

A) Northeast
B) West
C) Southeast
D) Midwest

Question 64

The water table is ______.

A) a boundary between unsaturated bedrock below and saturated bedrock above
B) an underground mass of partly saturated rock
C) a boundary between saturated rock below and unsaturated rock above
D) a boundary between unsaturated bedrock and an underground river

Question 65

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) suspended load
B) bed load
C) dissolved load
D) cap load

Question 66

An artesian well is one in which______ .

A) pressurized groundwater rises from a deep, unsaturated aquifer
B) water rises above the top of the aquifer without any pumping
C) the well is horizontal and the water table is perched
D) the water is warm, fairly saline, and recharged by an affluent stream

Question 67

In the canyonlands of Utah and Arizona, canyon walls often support "hanging gardens" in which plants cling to sandstone cliffs and these hanging gardens are typically along shale beds in the sandstone. Why is this happening in a desert setting?

A) The shales trap groundwater along the shale horizons that helps aid plant growth.
B) The shales are more fractured than the sandstones so the plants have an easier time starting in the shale.
C) The shales form better soils than the sand, so the plants grow there.
D) The shales hold the water better than the sandstone, so plants preferentially grow in them.

Question 68

How does a permeable sandstone compare to a karst limestone in terms of groundwater flow?

A) Flow is faster in the sandstone so pollution is more of a threat.
B) Flow is faster in the limestone so pollution is less of a threat.
C) Flow is faster in the limestone so pollution is more of a threat.
D) Flow is faster in the sandstone so pollution is less of a threat.

Question 69

Sinkholes and karst topography are a clear indication that ______.

A) there is nothing unusual; these features occur everywhere there is fast motion of groundwater in the subsurface
B) the groundwater is moving through cracks in the rock
C) the groundwater is moving through a limestone and forming caves that periodically collapse
D) the area has been subjected to past meteorite bombardments and groundwater is moving through the fractured rock

Question 70

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) gradient
B) capacity
C) discharge
D) velocity

Question 71

Which of the following best describes how geysers erupt?

A) Water suddenly boils in disconnected voids and cracks above the water table, causing the aquifer to explosively fragment.
B) With a slight reduction in pressure, water in a saturated, natural conduit suddenly boils, sending a plume of steam and hot water into the air above the vent.
C) Water slowly boils in a network of vertical cracks above the water table, sending up a plume of steam and hot water.
D) Water below the water table slowly boils in a vertical crack or natural conduit, causing a plume of condensed water vapor to rise above the vent.

Question 72

______is the volume of voids or open space in a rock or unconsolidated material.

A) Permeability
B) Saturation index
C) Space yield
D) Porosity

Question 73

Which of the following is associated with areas of karst topography?

A) soluble rock
B) sinkholes
C) caverns
D) all of these

Question 74

Which one of the following concerning artesian wells is not true?

A) The aquifer is generally inclined, and it is saturated to an elevation above the point where the well penetrates the aquifer.
B) When the well penetrates the aquifer, the water rises to the bottom of the aquitard above the aquifer.
C) The well penetrates an aquifer overlain by an aquitard.
D) The well penetrates an aquifer underlain by an impermeable bed.

Question 75

Caves most commonly form in______ .

A) shale
B) sandstone
C) limestone
D) quartzite

Question 76

Much of the city of New Orleans is below sea level, yet it was not an ocean when the city was first settled. How did it get below sea level?

A) Oil production withdrew oil and produced land subsidence.
B) The area was dredged to build levees, and so it was left below sea level.
C) Drainage canals and groundwater withdrawal produced subsidence that dropped the land below sea level.
D) Sea level is just rising.

Question 77

______would have the largest capacity to naturally remove sewage pollutants.

A) Limestone with solution channels and caverns
B) Slightly clayey sand
C) Fractured granite
D) Well- sorted, coarse gravel

Question 78

The term karst topography was first used in______ .

A) the Republic of Slovenia, a province of the former Yugoslavia
B) India, near the southern foothills of the Himalayan Mountains
C) Australia for the extremely dry interior area near Ayres Rock and Alice Springs
D) eastern Canada in areas of fractured igneous and metamorphic rocks

Question 79

When water is pumped from a well, a depression is often produced in the water table. Such a depression is an______ .

A) cone of depression
B) perched water table
C) pumping dimple
D) artesian well

Question 80

A______ is the icicle- like speleothem that grows down from the roof of a cavern.

A) slagdite
B) stalactite
C) stalagmite
D) stalandite