Physical geography Unit 3 practice questions

from quizzes 8-10

The six major terrestrial vegetation groups discussed are forest, savanna, shrubland, grassland, desert, and tundra.

true

Ecotones are always abrupt.

false

Explain how climatic regions help predict the distribution of biomes on land. Give one example using any two biomes from the slides.

Climatic regions summarize long-term temperature and moisture patterns that control vegetation structure. Where climates are warm and wet year-round, dense forests (e.g., tropical rain forest) dominate; where climates are cold with short summers, tree growth is limited and tundra or boreal forests occur.

A biome is best defined as:

A large, stable terrestrial ecosystem characterized by specific plant and animal communities, often named for its dominant vegetation

Which statement about dry climates (permanent moisture deficits) is most accurate?

They are associated with subtropical high-pressure cells and can be extended poleward by rain shadows along mountain ranges.

Which group lists the core components that shape climate on Earth?

Insolation and energy balance; temperature; air pressure and winds; air masses; moisture

Ecosystem

Self-sustaining association of organisms and their abiotic environment

Biogeography

Study of the distribution of plants and animals

Biome

Large, stable terrestrial ecosystem named for dominant vegetation

Ecotone

Boundary zone between adjoining ecosystems

Which of the following pairs correctly matches a climate classification approach with what it uses?

Genetic → causative factors (e.g., circulation, energy balance); Empirical → statistical temperature and precipitation data

Mesothermal climates (mild winters)

Midlatitudes with migrating cyclones; strong land–sea contrasts

Polar and highland climates

Low sun angles, long winters, low humidity; Earth’s frozen deserts

Microthermal climates (cold winters)

Continental interiors with cold winters; strong air-mass contrasts

Tropical climates

Consistently warm; seasonal rains migrate with the intertropical convergence zone

Deserts occupy less than 10% of Earth’s land surface.

false

What primary evidence reveals Earth’s internal structure?

Seismic waves from earthquakes

The base of the crust is marked by which boundary

Mohorovičić (Moho) discontinuity

What generates Earth's magnetic field?

Movement of liquid metallic outer core

Large mineral crystals in an igneous rock most directly indicate:

Slow cooling underground (intrusive)

The asthenosphere is the rigid layer (crust plus uppermost mantle) that forms tectonic plates; the lithosphere below is weak and plastic

false

The principle of superposition states that in an undisturbed sequence of layered rocks, the youngest layer is at the top.

true

In the oceans, the oldest rocks are found at the mid-ocean ridges.

false 

Gutenberg Discontinuity

Boundary between outer core and mantle

Asthenosphere

Weak, plastic zone of the upper mantle below the lithosphere

Lithosphere

Rigid outer shell made of crust plus uppermost mantle (tectonic plates)

Moho discontinuity

Boundary between crust and mantle

Mineral

Natural, inorganic substance with a specific chemical formula and crystalline structure

Sedimentary rock

Forms by lithification of fragments or chemical precipitation

Metamorphic rock

Forms when pre-existing rock changes by heat and/or pressure

Igneous rock

Forms by cooling and solidification of molten material

Radiometric dating

Determining numerical ages by measuring parent and daughter isotopes

Superposition

In undisturbed layered rocks, the oldest is at the base and the youngest at the top

Uniformitarianism

The present is the key to the past; the same physical processes operated in the past

Give two independent lines of evidence that support plate tectonics, and explain in one sentence each how they support the theory.

Two pieces of evidence for plate tectonics is the fact that fossils are similar all over the world, and that all of the contents fit together. If all of the continets are looked at, you can see that they all look as if they should fit together as if a puzzle. for fossil evidence, you can see that the land animals who do not swim, can be found in different, non connected continents, proving that all of the continents were once connected.

Briefly describe the rock cycle by explaining how one rock type can transform into each of the other two.

Igneous rock weathers to sediments that lithify into sedimentary rock; sedimentary or igneous rock can be altered by heat and pressure to become metamorphic rock; any rock can melt to form magma that cools into new igneous rock

Which data set most directly outlines tectonic plate boundaries on a global map?

Earthquake locations and volcanoes

Which combination best characterizes ocean–continent convergence?

Deep trench, volcanic mountains on the continent, and deep earthquakes (to ~600 km)

Which statement best describes transform plate boundaries?

Plates slide past; surface features offset laterally; shallow earthquakes are common

What features are typical of continental collision?

Thickened lithosphere, tallest mountain ranges, rare volcanism

The elastic rebound theory explains that rock elastically deforms as stress builds and then snaps to a new position when the fault slips, producing an earthquake.

true

The Richter scale is used worldwide and has fully replaced the Moment Magnitude scale for measuring earthquake size.

false 

Hot spots move laterally through the mantle, producing straight volcanic chains while plates stay fixed.

false

Compression

Shortening with folding and thrust faults

Tension

Stretching with normal faults and rifting

Shearing

Lateral motion with transform faults

Caldera

Basin-shaped summit collapse ≥1 km after major eruption

Stratovolcano

Large, layered lava/ash; high-viscosity magma; explosive

Shield Volcano

Broad, low profile from many basalt flows; effusive

Cinder Cone

Small, scoria-rich cone; often in clusters

S-wave

Up–down shear motion (body wave); second fastest

Rayleigh Wave

Retrograde rolling motion like a backward ocean wave (surface wave)

P-wave

Compressional motion; fastest body wave

Love Wave

Side-to-side “snake-like” surface motion

Describe the relationship between volcanic eruptions (explosive, effusive) and magma temperature, gas content, and silica content.

The viscosity and gas content will determine the type of eruption in a volcano. Higher temperatures and lower silica content will make magma less viscous, therefore leading to an effusive eruption. Lower temperatures and high silica content will make the magma more viscous, + high gas content will make magma explosive.

Describe how continents grow through terrane accretion.

Continents grow when buoyant crustal fragments—such as microcontinents, island arcs, oceanic plateaus, and sediment packages—arrive at a subduction margin on an oceanic plate and are too light to sink; they get scraped off and welded onto the continental edge, creating accretionary wedges and suture zones. Repeated docking of these terranes thickens the crust and builds mountain belts.