Deck 20: Coastal Processes and Terrain

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT associated with beaches?

A) cobbles
B) gravel
C) clay
D) sediment
E) sand

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Over time, most coastal lagoons become .

A) terraces
B) beaches
C) marshes
D) spits
E) tombolos

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The distance between one wave crest and the next is known as the .

A) fetch
B) oscillation
C) trough
D) wave length
E) amplitude

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Global warming would cause

A) tectonic uplift.
B) innundation of coastal plains.
C) the size of the world ocean to become slightly smaller.
D) the seas to become less salty.
E) global eustatic fall of sea level.

Question 5

Which of the following is most closely associated with fjords?

A) chemical erosion
B) longshore drift
C) glaciers
D) coral
E) none of the above

Question 6

The phenomenon of waves changing direction as they approach the shoreline is known as .

A) eruption
B) carbonation
C) submergence
D) refraction
E) magic

Question 7

Concerning tsunamis, which of the following is FALSE?

A) They can devastate coastlines.
B) They move rapidly.
C) They have very long wavelengths.
D) They are associated with earthquakes.
E) They are very tall in the open sea.

Question 8

are strings of closely- spaced coral islets separated by narrow channels of water.

A) Fjords
B) Polyps
C) Motus
D) Tombolos
E) Notches

Question 9

is the longest barrier island along the coast of the United States.

A) Padre Island
B) Santa Catalina Island
C) Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
D) Mt. Desert Island, Maine
E) Rhode Island

Question 10

A wave will "break" because _ .

A) the density of water increases closer to shore
B) the bottom interferes with its oscillatory motion
C) the sediment load of water is greater near the shore
D) of random molecular motion in wave forms
E) the wind increases its speed near shorelines

Question 11

Tides

A) produce currents scouring the bottom.
B) are significant on large lakes.
C) are of approximately equal amplitude on all seacoasts.
D) do not occur in estuaries.
E) are unpredictable in occurrence.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a type of spit?

A) tombolo
B) connecting bar
C) hook
D) offshore bar
E) baymouth bar

Question 13

Along coastal cliffs, the most effective erosion takes place .

A) 2 meters below sea level
B) 5- 10 meters above sea level
C) at sea level
D) 5- 10 meters below sea level
E) 2 meters above sea level

Question 14

Which of the following is a term associated with coral reefs?

A) fringing
B) barrier
C) motus
D) atoll
E) all of the above

Question 15

The largest storm waves stir the subsurface water down to the .

A) depth of tens of kilometers
B) depth of tens of meters
C) depth at which the temperature goes below freezing
D) depth of tens of millimeters
E) bottom, however deep it is

Question 16

Coral is .

A) a cross between a plant and an animal
B) a plant
C) waste material from animals
D) an animal
E) an igneous rock

Question 17

A is formed when converging waves deposit sand from two directions.

A) tombolo
B) notch
C) hook
D) spit
E) beach

Question 18

As a wave approaches an irregular shoreline, one portion of the wave reaches shallow waters sooner than other portions and is thus slowed down. This slowing down causes the wave line to bend and the bending is called .

A) reflection
B) misdirection
C) a tsunami
D) refraction
E) oscillation

Question 19

The Great Barrier Reef is associated with .

A) Australia
B) Florida
C) Greenland
D) California
E) South Africa

Question 20

A group of anthozoan animals is responsible for the formation of .

A) spits
B) bleached reefs
C) ria shorelines
D) beaches
E) coral reefs

Question 21

Most material eroded from a coastal cliff ends up as a .

A) notch
B) terrace
C) beach
D) spit
E) none of the above

Question 22

Beach sand moves along the shore in a movement of materials called .

A) karst solution
B) barrier bar deposition
C) spit organization
D) tombolo genesis
E) beach drifting

Question 23

The combination of hydraulic pounding, abrasion and other forces at the base of a seacliff produces a(n) .

A) doline
B) spit
C) atoll
D) lagoon
E) notch

Question 24

Stream outflow is important to coastal landscapes because streams provide to the coastal environment.

A) freshwater fish
B) organic material
C) chemically crucial fresh water
D) additions to the volume of seawater
E) sediments

Question 25

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) Sea level will rise if the global warming scenario is correct.
B) Sea level responds to worldwide ice ages.
C) Sea level is higher today than during the Pleistocene.
D) Sea level rise has caused some submergence effects on almost all the present coasts.
E) Sea level is higher today than at any time in Earth's history.

Question 26

The force of , in conjunction with the wind, is the cause of most waves.

A) gravity
B) pressure
C) Coriolis effect
D) Friction
E) temperature

Question 27

Calcium carbonate affects coastal landforms because it is produced in huge amounts by .

A) erosion of rocks
B) polyps
C) fish
D) stream outflow
E) seaweed

Question 28

The steepest beaches tend to be those with _.

A) shorelines facing the Equator
B) sand
C) the saltiest waves
D) particles larger than sand
E) no significance waves

Question 29

In the last few thousand years, sea level changes have resulted from .

A) deglaciation
B) submergence of land masses
C) eustatic changes
D) emergence of land masses
E) all of the above

Question 30

Which of the following shoreline features does NOT belong with the others?

A) notch
B) lagoon
C) terrace
D) bench
E) cliff

Question 31

Which of the following is a zone of deposition of materials by waves?

A) backshore
B) foreshore
C) offshore
D) dunes
E) none of the above

Question 32

Seismic sea waves may also be referred to as .

A) waves of translation
B) tombolos
C) breakers
D) forced waves
E) tsunamis

Question 33

Where are tides significant agents in coastal erosion?

A) in narrow bays
B) on barrier islands
C) along shorelines of submergence
D) on the ocean bottom
E) in all the above places

Question 34

A wave- cut platform closely resembles the letter .

A) C
B) U
C) T
D) V
E) L

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a necessary condition needed for the growth of coral?

A) the presence of an underwater volcano
B) warm water
C) saltwater
D) shallow water
E) the presence of tiny marine animals

Question 36

As they travel on the open sea, tsunamis .

A) move at speeds of 5- 10 kilometers per hour
B) become taller and taller
C) are inconspicuous
D) have very short wavelengths
E) can be as tall as 30 meters

Question 37

Which of the following categories of coastline is most closely associated with fjords?

A) emergence
B) submergence
C) coral
D) headland
E) convergence

Question 38

are the most prominent erosional features created by waves.

A) Headlands
B) Barrier islands
C) Spits
D) Estuaries
E) Beaches

Question 39

Which of the following is TRUE of tides?

A) There is 1 cycle per day.
B) They are unpredictable for most all areas on Earth.
C) They are caused by Earth's rotation.
D) They have small effects on landforms.
E) Daily ranges cannot exceed 2 meters.

Question 40

Compared to today, sea level 125,0000 years ago (in an interglacial part of the Pleistocene) was .

A) static (all the water was frozen)
B) lower
C) lower by more than 100 meters
D) higher
E) about the same

Question 41

A _ is a landform which almost always assumes a circular shape.

A) tombolo
B) spit
C) hook
D) atoll
E) none of the above

Question 42

Which of the following is most closely associated with waves of oscillation?

A) tsunamis
B) waves of perturbation
C) swash
D) backwash
E) surface waves on deep water

Question 43

An island connected to the coastline by a sandy spit is a relatively rare occurrence called a .

A) fjord
B) tombolo
C) hook
D) baymouth bar
E) lagoon

Question 44

Tectonically rising coasts are most closely associated with .

A) beaches
B) longshore currents
C) barrier islands
D) marine terraces
E) coral reefs

Question 45

is the location of the highest tides in the world.

A) The People's Republic of China
B) Tahiti
C) Greece
D) Canada
E) South Africa

Question 46

Water moving roughly parallel to the shoreline is called .

A) backwash
B) swash
C) stream outflow
D) a longshore current
E) oblique waves

Question 47

Coastal landform modifications are sometimes caused by a localized increase in the volume of water. The modification process is called _.

A) stream outflow
B) melting
C) ocean currents
D) wave action
E) ice push

Question 48

Only after have attained large size, do they begin to migrate toward the shore.

A) wave- cut cliffs
B) spits
C) tombolos
D) barrier bars
E) none of the above

Question 49

Which of the following is most closely associated with the compression of air in coastline rocks?

A) growth of salt crystals
B) abrasion
C) hydraulic pounding
D) coral reef formation
E) pneumatic action

Question 50

occurs first in the evolution of a single ocean wave.

A) Swash
B) Backwash
C) A wave of oscillation
D) A wave of translation
E) A breaker

Question 51

Most present atolls are on former islands.

A) karst
B) barrier
C) granitic
D) volcanic
E) tombolo

Question 52

The most advanced stage of tropical reef formation is exhibited in .

A) polyps
B) an atoll
C) a barrier reef
D) a fringing reef
E) dolines

Question 53

Some coastal landforms are built by sea creatures capable of producing rocklike material called .

A) clay
B) polyps
C) calcium carbonate
D) granite
E) sand

Question 54

In what time of year do beaches get smaller?

A) winter
B) fall
C) spring
D) summer
E) at no time; there is no seasonal pattern

Question 55

In an idealized beach profile, which feature would occur at the highest elevation?

A) the dunes
B) the foreshore
C) the berm
D) the backshore
E) the high- water line

Question 56

The most effective coastal erosion is accomplished by .

A) abrasion
B) compressed air
C) chemical action
D) wind
E) hydraulic pounding

Question 57

Spray from breaking waves has been found to move at more than miles an hour.

A) 150
B) 20
C) 300
D) 70
E) 10

Question 58

Which location does NOT possess a fjorded coastline?

A) Chile
B) Alaska
C) Norway
D) California
E) Greenland

Question 59

The most widespread of all coastal depositional features is .

A) the tombolo
B) the spit
C) the beach
D) the cliff
E) the bar

Question 60

Concerning lakeshores, which of the following is FALSE?

A) Coral reefs can be present.
B) Development is by the same forces than by ocean shores.
C) Tides significantly affect coastal landform development.
D) Lake levels tend to change with time.
E) Lakeshore landforms are less conspicuous than ocean shore landforms.

Question 61

If you were floating in the middle of the ocean and a wave passed by, your motion would be .

A) in the direction of the wave
B) up and down
C) first in the direction of the wave and then in the direction opposite to that of the wave
D) in the direction opposite to that of the wave
E) none of the above

Question 62

The vertical distance from the still water level to the crest of a wave is called the _ .

A) swash
B) refraction
C) trough
D) oscillation
E) amplitude

Question 63

The cascading forward motion of breaking waves as they rush upon the shore is called .

A) swash
B) backwash
C) a littoral current
D) an oscillation wave
E) wave refraction

Question 64

Besides waves, is(are) important to coastal erosion.

A) abrasion by water- carried materials
B) solution of rocks
C) crystallization of salts in rock crevices and pores
D) air forced into cracks in rocks
E) all of the above

Question 65

Which of the following coastline EFFECTS is best matched with a CAUSE?

A) significant erosion : tides
B) beach sand : ocean bottom erosion
C) sand transport : longshore currents
D) cliffs : shorelines of submergence
E) barrier islands : rising sea level

Question 66

The is regularly covered and uncovered by the rise and fall of tides.

A) berm
B) foreshore zone
C) offshore zone
D) beach
E) backshore zone

Question 67

A linear extension of sand from the shore into the ocean is a .

A) lagoon
B) barrier island
C) spit
D) estuary
E) none of the above

Question 68

The sandy barrier islands, characteristic of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, are as long as _ kilometers.

A) 500
B) 1
C) 10
D) 1,000
E) 50

Question 69

Which of the following is NOT associated with tides?

A) greatest erosion along shallow coasts
B) gravitational influence of the Moon
C) two tidal cycles per day on most coasts
D) large amounts of erosion on most coasts
E) gravitation influence of the Sun

Question 70

Waves generated by wind are also known as _ .

A) waves of oscillation
B) trough waves
C) waves of translation
D) backwash
E) forced waves

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT a beach area regularly covered by water?

A) the berm
B) the sand
C) the foreshore zone
D) the mudflats
E) the offshore zone

Question 72

A(n) shoreline is one with numerous estuaries.

A) ria
B) emergent
C) atoll
D) compound
E) coral

Question 73

Waves become when they travel beyond the influence of the wind that generates them.

A) breakers
B) forced
C) higher
D) tsunamis
E) swell

Question 74

Almost all of the world's oceanic coastlines show evidence of during the past 15,000 years.

A) isostasy
B) emergence
C) long- term stability
D) submergence
E) none of the above

Question 75

A is attached to and built out from the shoreline?

A) atoll
B) motu
C) barrier reef
D) fringing reef
E) coral reef

Question 76

A _ transforms a bay into a lagoon.

A) baymouth bar
B) berm
C) tombolo
D) beach
E) mudflat

Question 77

Debris in seawater is usually carried _ _ along the beach.

A) straight
B) randomly
C) in a zigzag path
D) obliquely
E) at a right angle

Question 78

Most atolls began as around volcanic islands which later subsided beneath the sea.

A) tombolos
B) polyps
C) fringing reefs
D) dolines
E) none of the above

Question 79

The angle of the beach slope is controlled by .

A) tidal range
B) the chemical composition of sandy
C) the size of the materials
D) longshore drift
E) chance

Question 80

Which of the following has origins linked to lowered Pleistocene sea levels?

A) the location of today's coral reefs
B) the presence of the large barrier islands
C) the formation of continental shelves
D) wave- cut terraces observed on today's coastlines
E) great damage done by Pleistocene tsunamis