Deck 22: Landscapes: Tectonic and Climate Interaction

Question 1

On a global scale,the relief of the continental land surface is approximately

A)3 kilometers.
B)9 kilometers.
C)30 kilometers.
D)90 kilometers.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

On a topographic map,the more closely spaced the contour lines,

A)the higher the mountain.
B)the gentler the slope.
C)the lower the mountain.
D)the steeper the slope.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What is the origin of the helium that can be used to date the surfaces of basalt lava flows?

A)It forms by the decay of uranium atoms in the lava.
B)It is gas that was trapped during melt formation in the mantle.
C)It is formed by interaction of cosmic rays with atoms in the lava.
D)It is released from the ground beneath the hot lava.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The vertical distance above sea level is called the

A)elevation.
B)contour.
C)relief.
D)topography.

Question 5

On a topographic map,what types of lines connect points of equal elevation?

A)contacts
B)contours
C)horizons
D)isograds

Question 6

What is the highest mountain in the world?

A)Denali (Mount McKinley)
B)Mount Everest
C)Mount Fuji
D)Mount Shasta

Question 7

Arrange these three landforms in terms of increasing tilt of their surface layer.

A)cuesta,mesa,hogback
B)mesa,hogback,cuesta
C)hogback,cuesta,mesa
D)mesa,cuesta,hogback

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the relief of an area?

A)the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points
B)the elevation of the highest point in the area relative to sea level
C)the elevation of the lowest point in the area relative to sea level
D)the steepest slope in the area measured in degrees

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Areas of high elevation always have high relief.
B)A plateau is a broad,flat area of low elevation.
C)The difference between the highest and lowest elevation in an area is relief.
D)Widely spaced contours on a map indicate a steep slope.

Question 10

Which of the following sciences is the study of landscapes and their evolution?

A)geochronology
B)geology
C)geomorphology
D)topology

Question 11

Which of the following regions has the lowest elevation?

A)Atlantic coast
B)Dead Sea
C)Death Valley
D)East African Rift

Question 12

The characteristic landscapes resulting from erosion and sedimentation are called

A)bedding.
B)contours.
C)landforms.
D)relief.

Question 13

The lowest continental land area in the world is located

A)at sea level.
B)100 meters below sea level.
C)400 meters below sea level.
D)1000 meters below sea level.

Question 14

The lowest land elevation in the world occurs at

A)the Dead Sea.
B)the Tibetan Plateau.
C)Death Valley.
D)the North American Interior Plain.

Question 15

Which of the following is written in order of increasing relief?

A)Appalachian Mountains,Midwestern plains,Rocky Mountains
B)Midwestern plains,Appalachian Mountains,Rocky Mountains
C)Midwestern plains,Rocky Mountains,Appalachian Mountains
D)Rocky Mountains,Appalachian Mountains,Midwestern plains

Question 16

Which of the following regions has the lowest relief?

A)the Appalachian Mountains
B)the midwestern plains
C)the Rocky Mountains
D)All of the above have approximately the same relief.

Question 17

Which of the following statements about mountains is false?

A)The more recent the tectonic activity,the more likely the mountains are to be high.
B)The steepest slopes are generally found in high mountains with great relief.
C)Mountains are defined as landforms more than 1000 meters above sea level.
D)The Himalayas have greater relief than the Appalachians.

Question 18

Landforms are the product of

A)erosion.
B)sedimentation.
C)tectonics.
D)erosion,sedimentation,and tectonics.

Question 19

How high is Mount Everest,the highest mountain in the world?

A)approximately 3000 meters
B)approximately 6000 meters
C)approximately 9000 meters
D)approximately 12,000 meters

Question 20

Which of the following methods would be best for dating the surface of a basalt lava flow?

A)carbon-14
B)teprochronology
C)dendrochronology
D)cosmogenic helium

Question 21

Where slopes are gentle,stream discharge is ________ and stream power is ______.

A)lower; higher
B)lower; lower
C)higher; lower
D)higher; higher

Question 22

What type of process produces an effect that slows down the original action and stabilizes the process at a slower rate?

A)constructive correlation
B)negative-feedback process
C)destructive correlation
D)positive-feedback process

Question 23

Which of the following would lead to the formation of badland?

A)rapid erosion of metamorphic rocks
B)slow erosion of metamorphic rocks
C)rapid erosion of sedimentary rocks
D)slow erosion of sedimentary rocks

Question 24

In which of the following stream valleys does the stream power exceed the resistance to erosion?

A)a broad,flat lowland valley
B)a steep V-shaped canyon
C)a wide,open valley
D)Stream power exceeds the resistance to erosion in all of the above.

Question 25

Which of the following states contains badlands?

A)Alaska
B)Florida
C)Massachusetts
D)South Dakota

Question 26

Cuestas and hogbacks are formed by erosion of

A)flat-lying basaltic lava flows.
B)stratovolcanoes.
C)granites and diorites.
D)tilted sedimentary rocks.

Question 27

Which of the following is a small,flat-topped landform with steep slopes on all sides?

A)cuesta
B)dome
C)mesa
D)plateau

Question 28

What is the average elevation of the Tibetan Plateau?

A)200 meters
B)500 meters
C)2000 meters
D)5000 meters

Question 29

Which of the following is an example of an erosional landform?

A)cuesta
B)floodplain
C)moraine
D)sand dune

Question 30

The topography of the Valley and Ridge province in the Appalachian Mountains is controlled by

A)undeformed flat-lying sedimentary rocks.
B)sedimentary rocks deformed by anticlines and synclines.
C)sedimentary rocks cut by normal faults.
D)sedimentary rocks cut by reverse faults.

Question 31

The difference in elevation measured from the highest tributary to the lowest channel is called ___________ relief.

A)hillslope
B)trunk channel
C)tributary
D)mountain

Question 32

The steepest slopes are generally found in

A)mountains with low elevations and low relief.
B)mountains with high elevations and low relief.
C)mountains with low elevations and high relief.
D)mountains with high elevations and high relief.

Question 33

The erosion of bedrock by suspended and saltating sediment is called

A)abrasion.
B)diagenesis.
C)dissolution.
D)weathering.

Question 34

Contour lines are lines of equal

A)relief.
B)height above flat ground.
C)height above sea level.
D)slope.

Question 35

The highest peak for a given mountain is recorded as 5 km.If the mountain base is at 2 km above sea level,what is the mountain's relief?

A)2 km
B)3 km
C)5 km
D)7 km

Question 36

Stream power is river slope _____ river discharge.

A)plus
B)times
C)minus
D)divided by

Question 37

What type of topography consists of deep gullies resulting from the rapid erosion of easily eroded shales and clays?

A)badland topography
B)karst topography
C)cuesta topography
D)plateau topography

Question 38

What is the geologic term for an asymmetric ridge where gently dipping beds of erosion-resistant rocks are undercut by erosion of a weaker underlying bed?

A)cuesta
B)hogback
C)mesa
D)syncline

Question 39

Which of the following processes is not a principal process by which bedrock is eroded?

A)abrasion
B)current drag force
C)dissolution
D)glacial erosion

Question 40

In a region that has been deformed into a series of anticlines and synclines,

A)anticlines always form ridges.
B)anticlines always form valleys.
C)anticlines form ridges during the early stages of landscape evolution but may develop into valleys later.
D)anticlines form valleys during the early stages of landscape evolution but may develop into ridges later.

Question 41

The process whereby the land surface undergoes uplift due to erosion is called

A)isostatic buoyancy.
B)isostatic rebound.
C)positive feedback.
D)topographic rebound.

Question 42

How rapid are tectonic uplift rates in active mountain ranges?

A)approximately 1 to 10 millimeters per year
B)approximately 1 to 10 centimeters per year
C)approximately 10 to 100 centimeters per year
D)approximately 1 to 10 meters per year

Question 43

Elevation is a balance between

A)erosion and deposition.
B)tectonic uplift and erosion.
C)deposition and tectonic uplift.
D)deposition and isostasy.

Question 44

Which of the following best describes the effect of tectonic uplift on the erosion rate?

A)Tectonic uplift decreases the erosion rate.
B)Tectonic uplift increases the erosion rate.
C)Tectonic uplift can either decrease or increase the erosion rate.
D)Tectonic uplift does not affect the erosion rate.

Question 45

Penck's model of the link between uplift and erosion suggested

A)erosion processes and uplift processes occur simultaneously.
B)erosion processes inhibit uplift processes.
C)erosion processes affect mountains only after uplift has ceased.
D)uplift processes inhibit erosion processes.

Question 46

Scientists who suggest that uplift of the Tibetan Plateau promoted glaciations of the Northern Hemisphere use the following argument:

A)uplift led to a change in atmospheric circulation that promoted cooling.
B)uplift led to an increased erosion rate,lowering sea level.
C)uplift induced a greater albedo effect causing global cooling.
D)uplift caused a decrease in solar radiation,which induced cooling.

Question 47

Another name(s)for a river valley is

A)canyon.
B)arroyo.
C)gulch.
D)canyon,arroyo,or gulch.

Question 48

Who proposed that landscape evolution can achieve a dynamic equilibrium where uplift and erosion rates are sustained for a long period?

A)Charles Darwin
B)John Hack
C)Walther Penck
D)William Davis

Question 49

The evolutionary path of landscapes depends very strongly on the

A)amount of precipitation in the area.
B)underlying rock type.
C)time scale over which change occurs.
D)global temperature.

Question 50

_________ weathering tends to dominate in mountainous regions,whereas _______ weathering is more prevalent in lowlands.

A)Chemical; physical
B)Chemical; erosional
C)Erosional; physical
D)Physical; chemical

Question 51

Scientists who suggest that global cooling promoted the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau use the following argument:

A)cooling promoted a drier climate,which allowed for increased deposition on the plateau.
B)increased erosion rates brought on by global cooling caused uplift of the plateau because of isostasy.
C)global cooling is related to a slowing down of collision rates,which caused the uplift of the plateau to slow down.
D)global cooling produced glaciers on the plateau,which raised the surface elevation.

Question 52

Which of the following radioactive isotopes is generated by cosmic rays that penetrate the upper meter of soil and rock?

A)beryllium-10
B)carbon-14
C)potassium-40
D)uranium-235

Question 53

The uranium-thorium radioisotope system can be used to date _____ to determine the age of a landscape surface.

A)wood fragments
B)carbonate material
C)quartz silt
D)olivine fragments

Question 54

In which of the following regions will erosion rates be highest?

A)high elevation and high relief
B)low elevation and high relief
C)high elevation and low relief
D)low elevation and low relief

Question 55

The more closely spaced the contour lines on a map are,the

A)higher the elevation.
B)greater the relief.
C)steeper the slope.
D)larger the area covered.

Question 56

Uplift rates of the land surface can be measured using _________ techniques.

A)GPS
B)paleomagnetic
C)dendrochronology
D)isostatic

Question 57

The progression from young,high,rugged mountains to older,worn-down,rounded hills is called ______ theory.

A)Davis's
B)Penck's
C)Hack's
D)the dynamic equilibrium

Question 58

Which of the following is not one of the fundamental components of relief?

A)trunk channel relief
B)hillslope relief
C)mountain relief
D)tributary channel relief

Question 59

How rapid are stream erosion rates in the Himalayas according to radioactive dating?

A)2 to 12 mm/yr
B)2 to 12 cm/yr
C)2 to 12 m/yr
D)2 to 12 km/yr

Question 60

Which of the following is the highest and largest topographic feature on Earth?

A)the Alps
B)the Rocky Mountains
C)the Andes Mountains
D)the Tibetan Plateau

Question 61

Which of the following sequences is in the order of areal extent (from left to right)?

A)mesa,plateau,tableland
B)tableland,mesa,plateau
C)plateau,mesa,tableland
D)mesa,tableland,plateau

Question 62

Badland topography develops most easily in bedrock made up of

A)basalt.
B)granite.
C)shales.
D)limestone.

Question 63

Who proposed the theory that as landscapes develop they will eventually reach a dynamic equilibrium,such that uplift and erosion are balanced?

A)William Morris Davis
B)Walther Penck
C)John Hack
D)the theorist is unknown

Question 64

Trunk channel relief is the decrease or difference in elevation=

A)along the tributaries.
B)between the channel bank and bottom.
C)between the mountain summit and highest channel.
D)between highest tributary and end of the channel.

Question 65

Table mountains are flat-topped mountains,typically of volcanic origin.What other term is often used for this particular landform?

A)hogback
B)mesa
C)cuesta
D)plateau

Question 66

In the absence of erosion mountains would

A)rise indefinitely.
B)rise,but eventually collapse under their own weight.
C)rise,but at a slower rate.
D)reach about the same height they have today.

Question 67

Hillslope relief is the difference in elevation measured between ______ and _____.

A)mountain; sea level
B)a mountain peak; the start of the highest channel
C)a mountain base; the start of the lowest channel
D)the highest tributary; the end of the channel

Question 68

Which of the following methods would be most suitable to date the surface of an olivine-bearing lava flow?

A)carbon-14
B)teprochronology
C)dendrochronology
D)cosmogenic helium

Question 69

Arroyos,canyons,gulches,and gullies are all

A)found in areas of high relief.
B)stream valleys.
C)found in mountainous regions.
D)found in plateaus.

Question 70

According to Davis's cycle of erosion model for landscape evolution,mountains were formed during the ________ cycle.

A)entire
B)start of the
C)middle of the
D)end of the

Question 71

Which of the following flat areas that rise above their surrounding is the largest in area?

A)tablelands
B)mesa
C)guyot
D)plateau

Question 72

Why does rock debris (e.g.,in talus)at high elevations appear to be fresh?

A)There is not enough oxygen for chemical weathering.
B)It is too cold for chemical weathering.
C)Clays don't form at high elevation.
D)Products of chemical weathering are carried away as soon as they form.

Question 73

What was John Hack's breakthrough in terms of landscape evolution?

A)He discovered that there was a limit to the height of mountains.
B)He discovered that tectonic uplift is episodic.
C)He discovered the concept of isostacy.
D)He discovered that uplift and erosion are simultaneous events.

Question 74

Generally,in order to be called a mountain a hill must be at least ______ high.

A)several meters
B)50 meters
C)100 meters
D)several hundred meters

Question 75

Dynamic equilibrium in the evolution of landscape is achieved when

A)uplift exceeds erosion.
B)erosion exceeds uplift.
C)a period of uplift is followed by period erosion.
D)the overall landscape remains the same.

Question 76

What do mesas,plateaus,and tablelands have in common?

A)They were produced by volcanism.
B)They have flat surfaces.
C)They are steep-sided.
D)They are made from the sedimentary rock.

Question 77

Badland topography forms when __________are rapidly eroded.

A)limestone and dolostone
B)standstone and tillite
C)shale and clay
D)granite and gneiss

Question 78

Large flat features that stand high above their surrounds are called

A)tablelands.
B)mesas.
C)guyots.
D)plateaus.