Deck 24: Earths Surfaceland and Water

Question 1

Volcanic mountains are produced by

A)tectonic compression.
B)tectonic tension.
C)tectonic forces.
D)the movement of magma.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The sea is salty because

A)it contains salts from Earth's crust that have been dumped into the ocean and dissolved.
B)marine organisms manufacture salts.
C)rainwater is salty.
D)the mantle is salty.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Earth's landforms are built up by

A)erosion.
B)deposition and plate tectonics.
C)weathering.
D)infiltration.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Humans shape Earth's surface

A)to a small degree.
B)to a large degree.
C)by making it toxic to all forms of life.
D)not at all

Question 5

Earth's oceans

A)occupy half of Earth's surface.
B)each have different levels of salinity.
C)are joined so there is really one global ocean.
D)are continually forming new water molecules.

Question 6

Groundwater is a nonrenewable resource because

A)it takes thousands of years to recharge aquifers.
B)the amount of all water in the hydrosphere is decreasing.
C)groundwater canCH₃(CH₂)₆CHOnot be filtered and reused.
D)groundwater is the rarest form of freshwater.

Question 7

What percentage of Earth's water is freshwater?

A)3%
B)25%
C)50%
D)85%

Question 8

Groundwater is defined as

A)water that resides underground.
B)Liquid water and ice that resides underground.
C)water that resides in the saturation zone.
D)water that resides in an aquifer.

Question 9

The water cycle includes water in the

A)atmosphere, biosphere, ground, surface, and ocean.
B)hydrosphere.
C)oceans and atmosphere only.
D)both A and B

Question 10

Rivers collect water from runoff and

A)flooding.
B)groundwater.
C)evaporation.
D)condensation.

Question 11

The water table is

A)located 100 feet under the ground.
B)part of the mantle.
C)flat like a kitchen table.
D)uneven and generally follows surface contours.

Question 12

Mountain ranges that are made up of many folded mountains are usually produced by

A)tectonic compression.
B)tectonic tension.
C)uplifting along fault planes.
D)magma rising up from Earth's interior.

Question 13

The salinity of seawater remains constant because

A)salts are removed from seawater about as fast as they are deposited.
B)salts are included in the molecular formula of seawater.
C)salts no longer form in the ocean.
D)salinity measurement technology is unreliable.

Question 14

What part of the water cycle requires direct input of solar energy?

A)precipitation
B)condensation
C)evaporation
D)infiltration

Question 15

The Ogallala Aquifer is a source of

A)salt water.
B)minerals.
C)freshwater.
D)magma.

Question 16

Which of the following is not true of faults?

A)They are the locations of most earthquakes.
B)They are cracks through which magma erupts.
C)They can control the flow of fossil fuels.
D)They can control the flow of groundwater.

Question 17

Shield volcanoes are made of

A)pyroclastics, ash, and rocks.
B)cooled lava.
C)cinders.
D)all of the above

Question 18

Where does surface runoff from the Appalachian Mountains eventually go?

A)to the Pacific Ocean
B)to the Atlantic Ocean
C)to the Gulf of Mexico
D)to the Dead Sea

Question 19

The ocean floor topography is

A)smooth.
B)varied.
C)flat.
D)unknown.

Question 20

What kind of fault indicates that crust has been pulled apart?

A)normal
B)reverse
C)strike-slip
D)all of the above

Question 21

You are hiking in the desert. Just when you think you have run out of water, you see a cool spring. As you sip from the spring you are thinking:

A)"I may die from drinking this salt water."
B)"Interesting. . . this spring is where the water table meets the land surface."
C)"This spring is a clue that rain has recently fallen here."
D)"This spring is a source of point pollution."

Question 22

A cowboy says he is going to ride his horse across the "Great Divide". What landform is he talking about?

A)a stream
B)a volcano
C)a watershed
D)a mountain range

Question 23

The difference between point pollution and nonpoint pollution is that

A)point pollution has a clear source.
B)it is not possible to clean up point pollution.
C)nonpoint pollution is water pollution while point pollution is air pollution.
D)none of the above

Question 24

Most mountains are produced by

A)earthquakes.
B)volcanic activity.
C)compression.
D)tension.

Question 25

A section of crust is pushed up from below creating a dome-like mountain. What kind of mountain is this?

A)folded mountain
B)fault-block mountain
C)upwarped mountain
D)volcano

Question 26

Along a reverse fault, the________ wall moves down ward relative to the ________ wall.

A)foot; hanging
B)hanging; foot
C)foot; normal
D)hanging; reverse

Question 27

Most of Earth's freshwater is located in

A)polar ice caps and glaciers.
B)groundwater.
C)rivers, lakes, and streams.
D)the atmosphere.

Question 28

In what reservoir does water reside for the longest time?

A)deep groundwater
B)the ocean
C)the biosphere
D)glaciers

Question 29

An "ice sheet" is also known as a(n)

A)alpine glacier.
B)continental glacier.
C)frozen lake.
D)polar continent.

Question 30

How does the ocean change with increasing depth?

A)It gets darker, warmer, and contains more organisms.
B)It gets darker and warmer, pressure decreases and it contains more organisms.
C)It gets darker and colder, pressure increases and it contains fewer organisms.
D)It doesn't change in a consistent way.

Question 31

Compression cannot produce

A)anticlines.
B)synclines.
C)normal faults.
D)reverse faults.

Question 32

An arch-shaped fold is called a(n)

A)fault.
B)syncline.
C)anticline.
D)fissure.

Question 33

Anticlines and synclines are like

A)strike-slip faults because they rub together.
B)the stretched places in a piece of taffy when you pull its ends.
C)the compression in a tennis ball when it hits a racket.
D)wrinkles in a rug when you push the ends of the rug toward one another.

Question 34

Why is the solution to pollution not always dilution?

A)Liquid pollutants cannot be dissolved in water.
B)Some pollutants cannot be dissolved in any solvent.
C)Some pollutants are toxic at such low concentrations that they cannot be practically diluted.
D)Water itself is a pollutant.

Question 35

When you stretch a rubber band you are applying

A)compressional stress.
B)tensional stress.
C)simple stress.
D)none of the above

Question 36

Why is clay poor soil?

A)It doesn't allow sufficient drainage.
B)It does not contain organic matter.
C)Clay particles pack so tightly there is little air in clay soil.
D)all of the above

Question 37

Human population growth affects water pollution because

A)more people produce more industrial waste that is discharged into streams and the ocean.
B)people consume too much freshwater.
C)people take water out of the water cycle.
D)all of the above

Question 38

Evaporation of seawater produces clouds that precipitate freshwater because

A)salts convert to atmospheric gas after seawater evaporates.
B)the clouds retain the salt from the evaporated seawater.
C)dissolved salt prevents evaporation.
D)salts are left behind when water evaporates.

Question 39

You wade into the ocean. Where can you stand so that you MIGHT be able to keep your head above water?

A)the abyssal plain
B)the midocean ridge
C)the continental shelf
D)the coast

Question 40

A community organization forms to protect the Yuba River Watershed. What is the Yuba River Watershed?

A)a dam over the Yuba River
B)the area of land that features streams that flow into the Yuba River
C)a shed on the banks of the Yuba River where people come to fish and hang out
D)the banks of the Yuba River

Question 41

Compressive forces cause the crust to

A)buckle and fold, thereby shortening the crustal surface.
B)buckle and fold, thereby lengthening the crustal surface.
C)stretch and pull, thereby shortening the crustal surface.
D)break and fracture, thereby lengthening the crustal surface.

Question 42

Water in the unsaturated zone is called

A)groundwater.
B)unsaturated water.
C)pore-water.
D)soil-moisture.

Question 43

Snow converts to glacial ice when subjected to

A)decreasing temperature.
B)pressure.
C)sliding of the base downhill.
D)plastic deformation.

Question 44

The movement of water in a wave travels

A)with the wave.
B)in a circular path at and just below the water surface.
C)in a circular path at a depth of one-half the wavelength.
D)in both a longitudinal and circular path.

Question 45

When rock is subjected to compressive force, it may fault. If rocks in the hanging wall are pushed up over rocks in the footwall, it is called a

A)reverse fault.
B)strike slip fault.
C)normal fault.
D)none of the above

Question 46

In a well is an aquifer. What is the highest level water can rise to if there is no pump?

A)to the level of the water table
B)just below the level of the water table
C)to the top of the well
D)It depends how deep the well is.

Question 47

Fault-block mountains are produced by

A)tensional forces and movement of sections of rock along fault planes.
B)compressional forces and movement of sections of rock along fault planes.
C)the wrinkling of rock where tectonic plates converge.
D)the movement of magma.

Question 48

A rock's permeability can be described by its

A)density.
B)depth of burial.
C)water-holding capacity.
D)water-transmitting capability.

Question 49

A soil composed of well-rounded sand grains of uniform size will most likely have a

A)high porosity.
B)low porosity.
C)high permeability.
D)low permeability.

Question 50

When subsurface ground material is completely saturated with water, we call it

A)the water table.
B)groundwater.
C)the saturated zone.
D)both B and C

Question 51

A rock with very low porosity will most often have a

A)low permeability.
B)high permeability.
C)large proportion of open spaces.
D)very high density.

Question 52

The volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands are

A)stratovolcanoes.
B)composed of andesite.
C)shield volcanoes.
D)cinder cones.

Question 53

A trough-shaped fold away from the fold axis is

A)called a syncline.
B)called an anticline.
C)plunging.
D)tilted.

Question 54

Where does most rainfall on Earth finally end up before becoming rain again?

A)underground
B)in lakes
C)in the oceans
D)on the ground surface

Question 55

A composite volcano is formed by

A)successive flows of fluid basaltic lava.
B)a mixture of rock and lava.
C)alternating layers of lava, ash, and mud flow debris.
D)the accumulation of ash, cinders, and rock debris.

Question 56

A glacier forms when

A)snow accumulates to form ice and the ice mass begins to flow under its own weight.
B)temperatures do not rise above freezing.
C)snow moves downslope under the influence of gravity.
D)meltwater at the base of a snowmass contributes to downslope flow.

Question 57

The driving force of our planet's hydrologic cycle comes from

A)the balance between precipitation and evaporation.
B)precipitation of water over the oceans.
C)solar energy.
D)wind.

Question 58

Folded mountains, such as the Himalayas, are created by compression

A)associated with the movement of magma.
B)from converging tectonic plates.
C)along a transform fault boundary.
D)none of the above

Question 59

The poorest absorber of water is

A)sand and gravel.
B)clay.
C)rocky surfaces covered by a soil layer.
D)rocky surfaces with no soil layer.

Question 60

A fault in which the footwall has moved down relative to the hanging wall is called a

A)normal fault.
B)reverse fault.
C)transform fault.
D)horizontal fault.

Question 61

How can rock respond to stress?

A)It can break.
B)It can deform elastically.
C)It can deform plastically.
D)all of these

Question 62

Water precipitated over land completes its cycle as it

A)enters streams and lakes and makes its way to the oceans.
B)percolates into the ground.
C)evaporates from the surface to the atmosphere.
D)all of the above

Question 63

Why are plains, above sea level as well as under the ocean, so flat?

Question 64

Describe why reverse faults are found near divergent plate boundaries and normal faults occur near convergent plate boundaries.

Question 65

Complete a children's story is about Wanda Water Molecule. As we begin, Wanda resides in the ocean. Discuss the events of her "lifetime." Why might Wanda live to be billions of years old?

Question 66

What is the source of the water vapor in Earth's atmosphere? What is the "sink" for this water vapor? (In other words, how does water vapor leave the atmosphere?)

Question 67

Where could you find an accretionary wedge in the ocean?

A)at a passive margin
B)at an active margin
C)on an abyssal plain
D)at a midocean ridge

Question 68

Where are most of the volcanoes on Earth located?

A)along the midocean ridge
B)in Sumatra
C)around the equator
D)in the Ring of Fire

Question 69

What are the four kinds of mountains? How are they formed?

Question 70

Why is groundwater in an aquifer a nonrenewable resource?

A)It can take thousands of years for rainwater to percolate downward to recharge the aquifer.
B)Once water is pumped out, it can never refill the aquifer because the rock changes its porosity.
C)It is vanishing from earth for no apparent reason.
D)The water in an aquifer comes from ancient seas trapped underground.

Question 71

Discuss the reasons that people may face water shortages in the future.

Question 72

Identify the locations of Earth's waters, both salt water and freshwater. Give the percentages of water stored at each location.