Deck 18: The Topography of Arid Lands

Question 1

Where the landscape is covered by sand and the crests of the sand dunes are perpendicular to the wind, the dunes are labeled .

A) longitudinal
B) seifs
C) reverse
D) barchans
E) transverse

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The zone at the base of desert mountain ranges is one of the most prominent areas of active fluvial deposition.

A) wadi
B) deflation
C) piedmont
D) gibber
E) none of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A desert consisting of a large area of sand dunes is termed a(n) .

A) erg
B) arroyo
C) salina
D) wadi
E) reg

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In the center of a desert basin what would one likely find?

A) a scarp
B) a pediment
C) fine- grained particles
D) canyons
E) inselbergs

Question 5

Great vertical escarpments are associated with of sedimentary strata in desert climates.

A) abrasion
B) sandblasting
C) tectonic upwarping
D) differential erosion
E) solution

Question 6

Rivers like the Nile or Colorado which rise in moist regions and then flow through arid landscapes are called streams.

A) pediment
B) gibber
C) exotic
D) playa
E) barchan

Question 7

Of the list of arid landscape features below, a boulder would most likely be found on(in) a(n) .

A) sand dune
B) basin floor
C) playa
D) erg
E) stream channel

Question 8

In the Sahel, desertification is likely to continue because of .

A) perennial drought
B) the presence of the Sahara to the north
C) decreasing numbers of grazing animals
D) expanding population
E) mistakes of the United Nations

Question 9

"Dust Bowl" conditions in the North American Great Plains of the 1930s represented .

A) an identical situation to the Sahel of the late 1960s
B) deforestation
C) changes which occurred because the climate changed
D) desertification
E) something that will not happen again

Question 10

Africa's best example of an exotic river is the .

A) Orange
B) Congo
C) Rhine
D) Amazon
E) Nile

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT an area thickly covered with loess?

A) portions of Russia
B) portions of Southern Africa
C) portions of eastern China
D) portions of Argentina
E) portions of the central United States

Question 12

The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of .

A) Lake Mead
B) Mono Lake
C) Lake Bonneville
D) Tulare Lake
E) Salton Sea

Question 13

An arroyo is to a wadi as an inselberg is to a .

A) erosion surface
B) bornhardt
C) desert
D) piedmont
E) pediment

Question 14

Ergs are .

A) usually composed of silt
B) notable for the absence of dunes
C) sometimes originated by non- desert conditions
D) absent from the Sahara
E) large, crescent- shaped dunes

Question 15

Of the following, which is the LEAST important in creating most desert landforms?

A) wind
B) impermeable surfaces
C) intense precipitation
D) lack of vegetation
E) prominence of mechanical weathering

Question 16

A(n) might be formed when a narrow "fin" of rock collapses in mesa- and- scarp topography.

A) canyon
B) arch
C) inselberg
D) butte
E) playa

Question 17

Variations in rock type and structure affect the slope and shape of landforms. These landforms are produced by _.

A) exotic streams
B) solution
C) pediments
D) differential erosion
E) aeolian erosion

Question 18

Flattish erosional platforms with no well- defined scarps or edges are .

A) plateaus
B) buttes
C) badlands
D) stripped plains
E) mesas

Question 19

High salt concentrations give a striking whitish surface to .

A) wadis
B) salinas
C) pedestals
D) alcove arches
E) mesas

Question 20

As loess erodes, it .

A) weathers to gravel size
B) forms floodplains
C) weathers to a darker color
D) can be deposited to make sand dunes
E) forms bluffs

Question 21

In deserts, a claypan is found on a .

A) playa
B) mountain range
C) erg
D) pediment

Question 22

Relative to the others, which landform is found at the lowest elevation?

A) piedmont
B) playa
C) range
D) alluvial fan
E) pediment

Question 23

Many of today's desert lakes are best described by which phrase?

A) They receive flow from nearby mountains.
B) They are remnants of Pleistocene lakes.
C) They receive water from exotic streams.
D) They were once much larger.
E) all of the above

Question 24

Basin- and- range topography is characterized by found above the basin floor and underneath the alluvial fans.

A) pediments
B) sand dunes
C) playas
D) inselbergs
E) mesas

Question 25

The process of shifting loose particles by blowing them into the air or rolling them on the ground is called .

A) the arid cycle
B) sand motion
C) the fluvial process
D) deflation
E) aggradation

Question 26

The Nile River is .

A) in Europe
B) building a huge sand delta
C) without major tributaries in the desert
D) has its headwaters in the desert
E) ephemeral

Question 27

"Exotic" is a term closely associated with .

A) desert climates
B) physical geography courses
C) desert vegetation
D) desert streams
E) desert soils

Question 28

represents the largest region with continuing desertification.

A) The basin- and- range
B) The Amazon rainforest
C) The Sahel
D) The North American Great Plains
E) The Sahara

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT associated with the work of the wind?

A) solution
B) traction
C) sandblasting
D) deflation
E) saltation

Question 30

The most common landscape forms in the dry western U.S. are the basin and range and the .

A) hamada
B) mesa and scarp
C) bajada
D) claypan
E) playa

Question 31

After the Sahara, which of the following is the world's major location of ergs?

A) The North American deserts
B) The Antarctic "desert"
C) The European desert
D) The Arabian desert
E) The South American desert

Question 32

One would find the piedmont angle at _.

A) the base of the resistant caprock layer
B) a change in slope at a mountain base
C) the top of a mesa that is being sapped
D) the bottom of canyons
E) none of the above

Question 33

is a notable characteristic of mesa- and- scarp topography.

A) Erosion of igneous rocks
B) Folding
C) A high average annual rainfall total
D) Vivid color
E) Soil creep

Question 34

In mesa- and- scarp topography, less resistant rock erodes more quickly than caprock. Which type of rock is noted as a less resistant rock in such areas?

A) basalt
B) granite
C) shale
D) limestone
E) sandstone

Question 35

A prominent feature of loess is its .

A) vertical slopes
B) low agricultural fertility
C) dark red color
D) high sand content
E) high resistance to erosion

Question 36

Which of the below can be found in loess?

A) a buff coloration
B) jointlike vertical cleavage planes
C) fine grain sizes
D) angular individual grains
E) all of the above

Question 37

is the Spanish world for "table" and is applied to flat topped landforms in the American West.

A) Barranca
B) Reg
C) Arroyo
D) Mesa
E) Pediment

Question 38

Sand dunes are composed mainly of individual grains of .

A) lime
B) calcium carbonate
C) quartz
D) loess
E) sodium

Question 39

Which of the following does NOT belong on the list?

A) deflation
B) reg
C) abrasion
D) dune
E) blowout

Question 40

The world's longest expanse of coastal dunes is located in .

A) Bolivia
B) Brazil
C) France
D) California
E) China

Question 41

If a salty playa lake evaporates, a might be left behind.

A) pediment
B) salina
C) gulley
D) wadi
E) scarp

Question 42

In the creation of rock escarpments in dry lands, much of the undermining is accomplished by a process called _ _.

A) erosion
B) particulate sorting
C) sapping
D) evapotranspiration
E) sandblasting

Question 43

The channel of a desert stream is usually covered with .

A) bedrock
B) sandy debris
C) pediments
D) salt
E) none of the above

Question 44

It is now clear that desertification is

A) human- caused
B) intensified by the planting of shrubs and trees
C) related to the enhanced greenhouse effect
D) caused by a mix of natural and human circumstances
E) natural

Question 45

In arid lands, the flow of exotic rivers _ with increasing distance towards the mouth.

A) becomes more stable with time
B) increases
C) becomes purer via evaporation
D) carries more sediment
E) decreases

Question 46

In arid regions, differential erosion tends to be best developed in areas of .

A) sandstone rocks
B) massive metamorphic rocks
C) multiple sedimentary layers
D) minimal weathering
E) massive igneous rocks

Question 47

Rounded hills or mountain prominence surrounded by extensive plains and basins are .

A) grabens
B) wadis
C) salines
D) inselbergs
E) mesas

Question 48

is the primary agent that anchors sand dunes to prevent their migration?

A) Liquid water
B) Wind
C) Vegetation
D) Ice
E) Soil

Question 49

Of the states below, has the greatest extent of interior drainage basins.

A) Maine
B) Nevada
C) Michigan
D) Wyoming
E) Arkansas

Question 50

The best example of the remnant of a Pleistocene lake in the United States is .

A) Lake Mead
B) Salton Sea
C) Lake Powell
D) Lake Huron
E) Great Salt Lake

Question 51

One of the primary special characteristics of deserts is their _.

A) lack of trees other than palms
B) complete absence of vegetation
C) prevalence of soil creep
D) basins of internal drainage
E) complete absence of precipitation

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT made of bedrock?

A) playa
B) scarp
C) hamada
D) inselberg
E) pediment

Question 53

Because of short steep canyons on the east side of Death Valley no are found there.

A) salt pans
B) pedestal rocks
C) mesas
D) bajadas
E) horsts

Question 54

Mesa- and- scarp topography is most closely associated with .

A) erosion
B) faulting
C) metamorphism
D) deposition
E) extrusive vulcanism

Question 55

Which of the following landforms does not belong with the others?

A) butte
B) alluvial fan
C) pillar
D) natural bridge
E) badlands

Question 56

Desert pavement is another term for a(n) .

A) reg
B) erg
C) playa
D) wadi
E) hamada

Question 57

The is a type of very long dune which might form as an adjustment to two seasonal wind systems.

A) crescent
B) transverse
C) blowout
D) barchan
E) seif

Question 58

A densely- packed stream network on erodible sedimentary rocks produces .

A) pinnacles
B) caprock
C) badlands
D) mesas
E) pediments

Question 59

Alluvial fans which have expanded and joined over time form a landscape feature known as a(n) .

A) plinth
B) slip face
C) bajada
D) alkali flat
E) sand plain

Question 60

The main dune form in most deserts is crescent shaped and is migrating across a non- sand surface; it is called a(n) .

A) bajada
B) self
C) transverse
D) barchan
E) alluvial

Question 61

Which is NOT a regional name for a wash or gully?

A) wadi
B) gibber
C) coulee
D) nullah
E) donga

Question 62

An aeolian form NOT unique to arid lands is _.

A) desert pavement
B) loess
C) the seif
D) the gibber
E) a pediment

Question 63

Which should be the next word in the following series?: plateau, mesa, butte, and _.

A) badlands
B) pinnacle
C) talus
D) playa
E) scarp

Question 64

The steeper leeward side of a sand dune is called a .

A) slip face
B) self
C) bajada
D) gibber
E) playa

Question 65

Which of the following is associated with weathering in arid environments as opposed to humid environments?

A) greater amounts of chemical weathering
B) more angular products of weathering
C) faster chemical weathering
D) faster mechanical weathering
E) none of the above

Question 66

The single most important agent of landscape formation in deserts is _ .

A) solution
B) wind
C) geologic uplift
D) water
E) creep

Question 67

Badlands are closely associated with Badlands National Park in South Dakota and .

A) Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming
B) Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee
C) Mt. Rainer National Park in Washington
D) Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah
E) Yosemite National Park in California

Question 68

A _ is a desert which is covered with coarse gravel, pebbles, and boulders and from which all sand and dust have been removed.

A) relict erg
B) peneplain
C) wadi
D) erg
E) reg

Question 69

A common characteristic of all the basins of interior drainage in the United States is that they .

A) are all in rugged mountain areas
B) are all drained by the Colorado River
C) are of very small size
D) are all in the western United States
E) all drain to the Pacific Ocean

Question 70

The barren surface composed of consolidated material, usually of exposed bedrock is _.

A) a reg
B) an hamada
C) desert armor
D) an erg
E) none of the above

Question 71

The prime factors in desertification in the Sahel were a natural drought and _.

A) overgrazing
B) fence building
C) an increase in forest cover
D) deposition of desert sand
E) tribal wars

Question 72

In mesa- and- scarp topography, are typically the most resistant layers which form a caprock.

A) gneiss and loess
B) folds and faults
C) granite and basalt
D) limestone and sandstone
E) shale and volcanic ash

Question 73

Approximately percent of the coterminous United States is covered by loess.

A) 30
B) 1
C) 10
D) 3
E) 100

Question 74

A bedrock surface resistant to erosion overlying a bedrock surface less resistant to erosion will help create meas- and- scarp topography. The resistant bedrock surface is a _ .

A) piedmont
B) seif
C) pediment
D) dongo
E) caprock

Question 75

A dark, shiny coat of iron and manganese oxides on pebbles, stones, and larger outcrops is known as .

A) a hamada
B) an erg
C) pediment
D) desert vanish
E) a reg

Question 76

Which of the following is the same thing as an arroyo or gulley?

A) coulee
B) playa
C) hardpan
D) exotic stream
E) caprock

Question 77

Dry lake beds with especially heavy salt concentrations are .

A) playas
B) wadis
C) arroyos
D) salinas
E) all of the above

Question 78

Which of the following is NOT a specialized feature of arid environments?

A) mechanical weathering dominates
B) soil creep determines slope development
C) prevalence of impermeable surfaces
D) thin regolith
E) relatively intense precipitation

Question 79

Most blowouts are _ _.

A) microscopic
B) small
C) about a mile across
D) created by fluval processes
E) created by wind deposition

Question 80

In general, large boulders will not be found on .

A) bajadas
B) pediments
C) playas
D) arroyos
E) any of the above