Deck 12: Running Water--Streams and Rivers

Question 1

Infiltration capacity ____.

A)determines if streams will have turbulent flow
B)is low in loose, dry soils
C)is the minimum rate at which surface materials absorb water
D)determines if streams will have laminar flow
E)determines if runoff will occur

Answer 1

determines if runoff will occur

Question 2

What makes Earth unique from other planets and moons in our solar system?

A)It did not form by accretion.
B)It is the only planet known to have water.
C)It is the only known planet to currently have liquid water.
D)It is the only planet with water vapor in its atmosphere.
E)It formed much later than other planets, allowing for the presence of liquid water.

Answer 2

It is the only known planet to currently have liquid water.

Question 3

The hydrologic cycle is powered by ____.

A)consumption of water
B)runoff
C)solar radiation
D)Earth's rotation
E)ocean currents

Answer 3

solar radiation

Question 4

Flow in which there is no mixing between parallel layers in the water is known as ____.

A)turbulent flow
B)outflow
C)intermittent flow
D)laminar flow
E)stream flow

Question 5

Which statement about average stream velocity is true?

A)Velocity is higher in the upper reaches where gradients are steeper.
B)Velocity is constant along the river's course.
C)Velocity decreases downstream because the gradient is less steep.
D)Velocity increases in the downstream direction.
E)Velocity decreases downstream because of frictional forces.

Question 6

Most of Earth's fresh water is found in ____.

A)glaciers
B)lakes
C)rivers and streams
D)groundwater
E)the atmosphere

Question 7

What do the solid particles of a stream include?

A)bed load only
B)suspended load only
C)solution load only
D)bed load and suspended load
E)suspended load and solution load

Question 8

The suspended load consists of ____.

A)sand
B)gravel
C)clays
D)dissolved ions
E)pebbles

Question 9

The slope of a river is called the ____.

A)hill
B)radiant
C)headwaters
D)gradient
E)base level

Question 10

The ____ is transported in the body of the stream.

A)dissolved load
B)bed load
C)suspended load
D)hydraulic load
E)abrasive load

Question 11

The amount of water that passes a particular point in a river over a given time period is called the ____.

A)velocity
B)channel flow
C)discharge
D)channel capacity
E)channel load

Question 12

Streams do most of their erosion, transportation of sediment, and deposition of sediment during ____.

A)day-to-day flow movement
B)icy winters
C)flooding
D)rainstorms
E)wind storms

Question 13

The primary factor that determines whether water moves by turbulent or laminar flow is ____.

A)discharge
B)gradient
C)velocity
D)area
E)infiltration capacity

Question 14

River deposits are collectively called ____.

A)alluvium
B)fluvium
C)bed loads
D)saltations
E)deltium

Question 15

Braided streams develop when ____.

A)topography restricts flow to a narrow channel
B)rainfall is regular and frequent
C)meanders are cut off
D)abrasive action exceeds hydraulic action
E)the stream is supplied with excessive sediment

Question 16

Streamflow is fastest ____.

A)at the bottom of the channel
B)at the surface of the water
C)along the sides of the channel
D)at the center of the channel, just below the surface
E)at the center of the channel, at the surface

Question 17

Runoff moves overland via ____.

A)sheet flow only
B)channel flow only
C)laminar flow only
D)sheet and channel flow
E)laminar, channel flow

Question 18

The hydrologic cycle is a three step process over the ocean. Which list below has these steps in the correct order?

A)precipitation, runoff, evaporation
B)precipitation, condensation, evaporation
C)evaporation, condensation, runoff
D)evaporation, condensation, precipitation
E)condensation, runoff, evaporation

Question 19

The outer bank of a meandering river is called a ____ and is where ____ occurs..

A)point bar; deposition
B)point bar; erosion
C)cut bank; deposition
D)cut bank; erosion
E)cut bar; erosion and deposition

Question 20

What percentage of Earth's water is in the oceans?

A)50 percent
B)55 percent
C)93 percent
D)97 percent
E)99 percent

Question 21

Floodplain deposits are primarily ____.

A)gravels and sand
B)silts, clays, and muds
C)formed via bedload transport
D)poor in organic materials
E)caused when braided streams overflow

Question 22

Most water in the United States comes from groundwater.

Question 23

Streams with broad, shallow channels and narrow, deep channels have a higher flow velocity than do those with semi-circular channels.

Question 24

What do scientists mean when they say that a flood is a 100-year flood?

A)A flood of that magnitude will occur once every 100 years.
B)Every year there is a 1% chance of a flood of a certain magnitude occurring.
C)There isn't enough information to determine how frequently flooding occurs.
D)Every year, there is a 10% chance of a flood of a certain magnitude occurring.
E)The last time a flood of that size occurred was 100 years ago.

Question 25

A dry surface has a higher infiltration capacity than a moist surface.

Question 26

Stream gradient is constant along the course of a river.

Question 27

Most of a stream's kinetic energy is involved in eroding and transporting sediment.

Question 28

Point bars are depositional features that form on the inside curve of meandering rivers.

Question 29

Wind gaps are created when superposed streams eroded downward into resistant rocks to create a narrow canyon.

Question 30

A delta with long, fingerlike sand bodies, each deposited in a distributary channel that progrades far seaward, such as the Mississippi River, is typically formed as a(n)____-dominated delta.

A)avian
B)stream
C)wave
D)tide
E)sediment

Question 31

To predict floods, scientists ____.

A)monitor a stream's water levels
B)evaluate a stream's past behavior
C)assume the same behavior as last year
D)monitor water levels and evaluate past behavior for a stream
E)makes guesses, as floods cannot be predicted.

Question 32

Mass wasting can be an important source of sediment carried in a stream.

Question 33

When a river flows into a standing body of water, what forms?

A)natural levees
B)deltas
C)scarps
D)alluvial plains
E)underwater canyons

Question 34

Headward erosion cuts through a drainage divide and diverts part of the drainage to another stream. This process is known as ____.

A)stream erosion
B)stream piracy
C)downcutting
D)stream terracing
E)stream division

Question 35

The drainage pattern in a basin is affected in large part by ____.

A)the type of river
B)the underlying geology
C)local topography
D)base level
E)erosion

Question 36

A stream's equilibrium profile shows a delicate balance among gradient, discharge, flow velocity, channel shape and sediment load. We would say that the stream is ____.

A)superposed
B)incised
C)graded
D)divided
E)braided

Question 37

A delta that has islands reworked by waves on the seaward side, such as the Nile delta, is typically formed as a(n)____-dominated delta.

A)avian
B)stream
C)wave
D)tide
E)sediment

Question 38

Alluvial fans form best in humid climates.

Question 39

The majority of most states' mineral revenues comes from sand and gravel.

Question 40

What is the ultimate base level for a stream?

A)sea level
B)the nearest lake
C)the nearest stream
D)the nearest spring
E)the nearest valley

Question 41

What is the difference between the velocity and the discharge of a stream?

Question 42

The lower limit to which the stream can erode is its ____________________.

Question 43

Former meanders that have been cut off from the stream are called ____________________.

Question 44

An uplifted erosional remnant of a floodplain that formed when a stream was flowing at a higher level is called a(n)____________________.

Question 45

Imagine you are a geologist in the field examining a fluvial deposit. Explain how you could determine if the deposit was from a braided stream, meandering stream, or delta.

Question 46

The gradient of streams tends to be ____________________ in their upper reaches and ____________________ in their lower reaches.

Question 47

The types of marine deltas that are recognized, based on the relative importance of the processes involved in their formation are ____________________-dominated, ____________________-dominated, and ____________________-dominated.

Question 48

Levees can protect many areas during floods. Why are they controversial?

Question 49

A fan-shaped deposit of alluvium that forms adjacent to highlands in arid or semiarid climates is called a(n)____________________.

Question 50

The total surface region that provides runoff to a stream system is known as a(n)____________________.

Question 51

List the three stages of stream development, and explain what happens in each along with the associated changes to the surrounding topography.

Question 52

____________________ is the process where bed load is transported by intermittent bouncing, skipping, and resting along the stream bed.

Question 53

The maximum rate at which materials absorb water is called ____________________ and depends on the intensity and duration of rainfall.

Question 54

Ridges of alluvium left along a stream's margins by repeated deposition during floods are called ____________________.

Question 55

Why does the velocity of a stream generally increase downstream even though the gradient decreases?

Question 56

Is it possible to change the velocity of a stream but have it maintain the same discharge? Explain.

Question 57

Sketch a diagram of the hydrologic cycle as it occurs over the land and ocean. Indicate on the sketch where evaporation, precipitation, condensation, runoff and infiltration occur.

Question 58

Briefly explain the trade-offs that accompany any flood control project.