Deck 14: Weathering, karst Landscapes, and Mass Movement

Question 1

If Earth did not experience endogenic processes,which would best describe the landscape?

A)It would be rugged and of great relief as a result of uplift in the absence of weathering and erosion.
B)It would consist of high mountains and hills with smooth,gentle slopes.
C)It would be of very low relief as a result of weathering and erosion in the absence of uplift.
D)It would appear much as it does in the present geologic time.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which are the consolidated or unconsolidated materials from which soils develop?

A)Bedrock.
B)Regolith.
C)Parent material.
D)Outcrop.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Consider that the climate of a region slowly changes and tectonic adjustments slowly occur.Which best describes the landscape?

A)It is constantly at a threshold condition.
B)It adjusts to new conditions that develop,and then remains unchanged for extended periods of time.
C)It is usually in a steady state of equilibrium.
D)It is continuously adjusting,and is in a state of dynamic equilibrium,but is not constantly at a threshold.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

On which part of a slope would rocks tend to fall at the highest speeds?

A)Waning slope.
B)Waxing slope.
C)Debris slope.
D)Free face.

Question 5

Which is the principle that landscape formation is balanced between endogenic and exogenic processes?

A)The dynamic equilibrium model.
B)Uniformitarianism.
C)Catostrophism.
D)Steady state theory.

Question 6

The dynamic equilibrium model refers to which of the following?

A)A balancing act between tectonic uplift and rates of denudation by weathering and erosion in a given landscape.
B)A theory involving the cyclic or evolutionary development of a landscape.
C)A sequential development of landforms.
D)An important concept first stated by William Morris Davis.

Question 7

After a threshold is crossed,which best describes the landscape?

A)The landscape remains unstable thereafter.
B)The landscape adjusts to a new equilibrium condition.
C)The landscape looks identical to the landscape that existed prior to the crossing of the threshold.
D)The landscape returns to the conditions that existed prior to the crossing the threshold.

Question 8

Which of the following is endogenic in nature?

A)Weathering.
B)Erosion.
C)Denudation.
D)Tectonic uplift.

Question 9

Which is the science that specifically studies the origin,evolution,form,and spatial distribution of landforms?

A)Geology.
B)Geography.
C)Geomorphology.
D)Environmental chemistry.

Question 10

All processes that cause reduction and rearrangement of landforms are included in which term?

A)Mass movement.
B)Erosion.
C)Weathering.
D)Denudation.

Question 11

If material is to move downslope,it must overcome which forces?

A)Tension,shearing and compression.
B)Stress,strain,and compression.
C)Cohesion of particles,compression and shearing.
D)Friction,cohesion of particles,and intertial resistance.

Question 12

Which of the following is a denudation process?

A)Weathering.
B)Subduction.
C)Orogeny.
D)Folding.

Question 13

Which is the concave lower portion of a typical slope?

A)Waning slope.
B)Pediment.
C)Debris slope.
D)Free face.

Question 14

Which is the process that works in place to break down rock at Earth's surface through disintegration of rocks into mineral particles or dissolving it into water?

A)Erosion.
B)Mass movement.
C)Landmass denudation.
D)Weathering.

Question 15

Which is the convex upper portion of a typical slope?

A)Pediment.
B)Debris slope.
C)Waxing slope.
D)Free face.

Question 16

Which is a steep scarp or cliff whose presence indicates an outcrop of resistant rock?

A)Waning slope.
B)Waxing slope.
C)Debris slope.
D)Free face.

Question 17

Which portions of a slope overlap substantially?

A)Waxing slope and waning slope.
B)Waxing slope and free face.
C)Free face and debris slope.
D)Debris slope and waning slope.

Question 18

On a typical hillside,which is the consolidated rock overlain by loose surface material?

A)Bedrock.
B)Regolith.
C)Parent material.
D)Outcrop.

Question 19

Which causes the uplift of mountains?

A)Endogenic processes.
B)Aggradation.
C)Denudation.
D)Exogenic forces.

Question 20

Which are inclined surfaces that form the boundaries of landforms?

A)Catchment.
B)Slopes.
C)Free face.
D)Regolith.

Question 21

Exfoliation and pressure-release jointing are examples of which weathering process?

A)Chemical.
B)Physical.
C)Biological.
D)Biogeochemical.

Question 22

Salt-crystal growth (salt weathering)is prevalent in which climate type?

A)Mesothermal.
B)Tropical.
C)Arid.
D)Polar.

Question 23

Chemical weathering is greatest under which conditions?

A)Higher rainfall and temperatures.
B)Lower rainfall and temperatures.
C)Higher rainfall,but lower temperatures.
D)Lower rainfall,but higher temperatures.

Question 24

When rock is broken down and disintegrated in the presence of water and with chemical alterations to the rock,which is the process in operation?

A)Physical weathering.
B)Chemical weathering.
C)Hydrolysis.
D)Carbonation.

Question 25

When pressure is removed from overlying rock,the pressure of deep burial is relieved,initiating pressure-release jointing.The joints then separate into curved slabs.This is which process?

A)Exfoliation.
B)Frost wedging.
C)Salt crystal growth.
D)Spheroidal weathering.

Question 26

Salt-crystal growth (salt weathering)is an example of which weathering process?

A)Chemical.
B)Physical.
C)Biological.
D)Biogeochemical.

Question 27

Which of the following is a type of chemical weathering process?

A)Exfoliation.
B)Hydrolysis.
C)Salt crystal growth.
D)Frost wedging.

Question 28

Which of the following best describes joints?

A)Joints are small,localized fault planes along which movement occurs.
B)Joint impede both physical and chemical weathering.
C)Joints decrease the amount of exposed surface area of rocks.
D)Joints are fractures in rock that occur without displacement on either side.

Question 29

Which is likely the weathering process responsible for breaking this marble?

A)Exfoliation.
B)Carbonation.
C)Frost wedging.
D)Salt-crystal growth.

Question 30

Many of the Native American dwellings at Mesa Verde and elsewhere in the western United States are located under overhangs that form along the contact between permeable and impermeable rock layers.These overhangs (niches)were primarily created by what process?

A)Exfoliation.
B)Salt-crystal growth.
C)Hydrolysis.
D)Frost wedging.

Question 31

Chemical weathering is greatest under which conditions?

A)Higher mean annual rainfall and temperatures.
B)Lower mean annual rainfall and temperatures.
C)Temperatures below freezing.
D)Rainfall of less than 25 cm per year.

Question 32

Which is the broken-up rock created when the upper surface of consolidated rock undergoes constant weathering?

A)Bedrock.
B)Regolith.
C)Parent material.
D)Outcrop.

Question 33

When rock is broken down and disintegrated without any chemical alterations,which is the process in operation?

A)Physical weathering.
B)Chemical weathering.
C)Hydrolysis.
D)Carbonation.

Question 34

In most areas,which is the upper surface of bedrock that is partially weathered to broken-up rock?

A)Parent rock.
B)Bedrock.
C)Sediment.
D)Regolith.

Question 35

Frost wedging is an example of which weathering process?

A)Chemical.
B)Physical.
C)Biological.
D)Biogeochemical.

Question 36

Which explains why exfoliation occurs?

A)Water combines with minerals and increases their size,thereby causing surrounding minerals to expand.
B)Water freezes in joints and expands.
C)Overlying rock is removed,thereby allowing the underlying rock mass to expand and fracture.
D)Evaporated water leaves behind previously dissolved mineral to form crystals,which accumulate and grow over time,exerting pressure on the rock.

Question 37

A niche in sandstone,such as that in Arizona's Canyon de Chelly,is indicative of which weathering process?

A)Exfoliation.
B)Carbonation.
C)Frost wedging.
D)Salt-crystal growth.

Question 38

Other than the rock itself,which is the most important chemical substance needed for the majority of weathering processes?

A)Oxygen.
B)Nitrogen.
C)Water.
D)Carbon dioxide.

Question 39

Which occurs because water expands by as much as 9% of its volume as it freezes?

A)Oxidization.
B)Exfoliation.
C)Salt crystal growth.
D)Frost wedging.

Question 40

In which climates would rocks experience the highest amounts of chemical decomposition and decay?

A)Cold and wet.
B)Cold and dry.
C)Hot and wet.
D)Hot and dry.

Question 41

Which are extensive landscapes formed by the dissolution of limestone and other carbonate rock and characterized by pitted,bumpy surface topography,poor surface drainage,and well developed solutions channels?

A)Plains.
B)Basins.
C)Karst topography.
D)High tablelands.

Question 42

Cones and cockpit karst develop in which of the following?

A)Cold,midlatitude climates.
B)Arid regions.
C)Wet tropical areas.
D)Polar regions.

Question 43

Which may form at the bottom of cockpits and may even be an important cause of cockpit karst topography?

A)River floodplains.
B)Sinkholes.
C)Stalactites.
D)Grabens.

Question 44

Hydration involves which of the following?

A)The chemical reaction of water.
B)The addition of water with little chemical change.
C)Frost action.
D)Salt crystal growth from evaporation.

Question 45

Which are the circular depressions that result from weathering of limestone?

A)Uvalas.
B)Stalactites.
C)Sinkholes.
D)Caverns.

Question 46

Which of the following is not necessary for well-developed karst to form?

A)High proportion of calcium carbonate in the rock.
B)Joints in rock of otherwise low permeability.
C)Vegetation.
D)Arid conditions.

Question 47

Hydrolysis,hydration,oxidation,and carbonation are all examples of which weathering processes?

A)Physical.
B)Chemical.
C)Biological.
D)Biogeochemical.

Question 48

When rainwater attacks formations of limestone,the minerals dissolve and wash away with the mildly acid rainwater.Of which is this an example?

A)Oxidation.
B)Crystallization.
C)Frost action.
D)Carbonation.

Question 49

Rust,formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water,is an example of which of the following?

A)Hydration.
B)Frost wedging.
C)Carbonation.
D)Oxidation.

Question 50

Hydrolysis involves which of the following?

A)The chemical reaction of water.
B)The addition of water with little chemical change.
C)Frost action.
D)Salt crystal growth from evaporation.

Question 51

These rounded granite outcrops are the result of which weathering process?

A)Oxidation.
B)Hydration.
C)Spheroidal weathering.
D)Carbonation.

Question 52

Which is any large cave formed by chemical processes?

A)Cavern.
B)Doline.
C)Karst valley.
D)Collapse sinkhole.

Question 53

Chemical weathering processes are particularly effective on limestone,forming which landscapes?

A)Karst topography.
B)Hydrolysis plains.
C)Pressure-release jointing.
D)Exfoliation domes and arch-like forms.

Question 54

Why are plants important to the development of karst?

A)Primarily because openings adjacent to their roots serve as microchannels that allow water to enter the rock.
B)Primarily because the decay of large roots below the surface produces cavities which eventually enlarge to form caves.
C)Primarily because they supply organic acids that enhance the dissolution process.
D)Plants really do not play a role in the development of karst.

Question 55

Which of the following is a type of physical weathering process?

A)Pressure-release jointing.
B)Hydrolysis.
C)Oxidation.
D)Carbonation.

Question 56

Which is weathering that softens and rounds the sharp edges and corners of jointed rock?

A)Spheroidal weathering.
B)Exfoliation.
C)Hydration.
D)Hydrolysis.

Question 57

Which of the following are the principal active agents involved in chemical weathering?

A)Oxygen,silicon,aluminum.
B)Magnesium,water,limestone.
C)Water,oxygen,carbon dioxide.
D)Nitrogen,oxygen,argon.

Question 58

Continuing dissolution and collapse may lead to the coalescing of sinkholes to form which feature?

A)Disappearing stream.
B)Rise.
C)Doline.
D)Karst valley.

Question 59

Karst topography is formed primarily by which of the following?

A)Carbonation and solution.
B)Mass wasting processes.
C)Oxidation and hydrolysis.
D)Exfoliation and hydration.

Question 60

Which process and which type of weathering are correctly paired to best describe the yellow-red stains that occur on some rock surfaces?

A)Hydration; physical.
B)Hydration; chemical.
C)Dolution; chemical.
D)Oxidation; chemical.

Question 61

Which is the maximum angle at which soil,sediment,and rock will remain without moving downslope (e.g.a stable slope)?

A)Height of the slope.
B)Angle of repose.
C)Mass movement gradient.
D)The speed of the particles.

Question 62

The presence of talus slopes indicates that which occur?

A)Planar slides.
B)Mudflow.
C)Creep.
D)Rockfall.

Question 63

Which of the following is correctly matched?

A)Stalagmite - formation hanging from a cave ceiling.
B)Sinkhole - sill.
C)Karst towers - formations created by the merging of stalactites and stalagmites.
D)Complex landscape of intersecting dolines - cockpit karst.

Question 64

Which is the sudden rapid movement of an unsaturated cohesive mass of regolith or bedrock?

A)Rockfall.
B)Mudflow.
C)Debris avalanche.
D)Landslide.

Question 65

The photograph shows an example of which mass movement processes?

A)Debris flow and scarification.
B)Scarification and mudflow.
C)Landslide and earthflow.
D)Scarification and landslide.

Question 66

Which are a category of processes produced by human-induced mass movements?

A)Debris flows.
B)Denudation.
C)Scarification.
D)Translational slides.

Question 67

Of which is this photograph an example?

A)Talus slope.
B)Debris avalanche.
C)Mudflow.
D)Landslide.

Question 68

One side of a sand dune is typically steeper than the other side.The steepest slope is controlled by the angle of repose for sand and most materials.Which is this angle of repose?

A)5°.
B)15°.
C)34°.
D)78°.

Question 69

Which of the following is an example of a karst depression?

A)Stalagmite.
B)Stalactite.
C)Cockpits.
D)Soda straw.

Question 70

Which does a translational slide involve?

A)Rotational movement of surface material.
B)Movement of surface material along a planar surface.
C)Unconsolidated flow of material.
D)Mudflow.

Question 71

When do landslides occur?

A)When a threshold is reached.
B)When the internal friction is overcome by the force of frictional resistance.
C)When resisting forces exceed driving forces.
D)When gravity overcomes the weight of the material.

Question 72

In polar and alpine regions,which slow downslope movement results from thawing and saturation of the upper layer of soil?

A)Transitional slide.
B)Mudflow.
C)Solifluction.
D)Lahar.

Question 73

In 1973,part of the flat ground on which a subdivision was located became saturated and began to flow toward the Saint Lawrence River at speeds of up to 26 km · h-1.The ground that flowed consisted of silts and clays-not large,rocky regolith.What type of mass wasting event was this?

A)Debris avalanche.
B)Soil creep.
C)Earthflow.
D)Lahar.

Question 74

In the Andes Mountains of South America,entire towns of thousands of people have been buried suddenly when water and loose materials travelled downhill as a viscous fluid.Which is this type of catastrophic event?

A)Lahar.
B)Slump.
C)Rock fall.
D)Debris avalanche.

Question 75

Which is the downslope movement of a body of material made up of soil,sediment,or rock propelled by the force of gravity?

A)Lahar.
B)Downslope flow.
C)Mass movement.
D)Slide.

Question 76

In the spring of 1903 in Frank,AB,about 82 million tonnes of rock and sediment moved down the east side of Turtle Mountain and surged up the other side of the valley.Of which mass movement is this an example?

A)Slide.
B)Earthflow.
C)Slump.
D)Rockfall.

Question 77

Which is the mass movement process responsible for the curved growing pattern in the trees and the downslope leaning of the utility posts and fences?

A)Debris avalanche.
B)Soil creep.
C)Landslide.
D)Rockfall.

Question 78

The angle of repose represents a balance between the driving force and resisting force.Which of the following is the driving force?

A)Friction.
B)Shear.
C)Gravity.
D)Inertia.

Question 79

Which is a slow persistent mass movement of surface soil?

A)Debris avalanche.
B)Soil creep.
C)Soil slide.
D)Rockfall.

Question 80

Which is a mass of falling and tumbling rock,debris,and soil traveling at a high velocity owing to the presence of ice or water?

A)Rockfall.
B)Mudflow.
C)Debris avalanche.
D)Landslide.