Studied by 29 people
A glacier is a _____ that forms over hundreds or thousands of years
thick ice mass
Which of the following locations does not currently have glaciers
scotland
when was the last glacial maximum
18,000 years ago
the Laurentide ice sheet is an example of _____ glaciation
continental
______ is an elevation point above which snow remains throughout the year
snowline
which crevasse will form perpendicular to the terminus as a glacier moves over a change in slope
transverse
why are the ice shelves off antarctica breaking off
global warming
arêtes, horns, and hanging valleys are evidence of ______ glaciation
alpine
_____ is an erosional method where meltwater penetrates fractures in subglacial bedrock and freezes
plucking
what shape do glacial troughs generally display
U
A _____ is a small, circular lake that occupies a cirque basin
tarn
a(n) ______ is a sharp, knife-edged ridge that forms between
arête
which part of a glacier is responsible for abrasion and plucking
basal sliding zone
how is "rock flour" formed
a glacier pulverizes rock
long narrow grooves gouged into the rock by glacial erosion are called _____
striations
_____ are stratified sands and gravels carried away from the glacial terminus by meltwater
outwash
______ is unsorted, unstratified, bimodal sediment directly deposited by the glacial ice
till
which moraine marks the furthest extent of glacial ice
terminal moraine
read the following exerpt from "The works of john playfair (1822). What glacial landform is being described?
"...For the moving of large masses of rock, the most powerful engines without doubt that nature employs are the glaciers....[Rock] fragments they gradually transport to their utmost boundaries, where a formidable wall ascertains the magnitude, and attests the force, of the great engine by which it was erected
moraine?????
lateral and medial moraines are found in connection with _____ glaciation
alpine
which of the following best explains the formation of a medial moraine on a glacier
a ridge of debris carried down the center of glacial ice
deposits of stratified sands and gravels transported from the glacial margin by meltwater are called a(n) ______ when adjacent to an ice sheet and a(n) ______ when adjacent to an alpine glacier
outwash plain; valley train
what bodies of water are formed when a stagnant block of glacial ice near the terminus becomes partly or completely buried in glacial sediments, eventually melting to create a lake
kettle lakes
which of the following scenarios can lead to the formation of a kame
sediment accumulates in a hole in the ice
which state would you not expect to contain drumlines, eskers, and kettle lakes
Tennessee
What name doe we give to large boulders that have been carried long distances by glacial ice
erratics
how does isostatic rebound affect a glacial landscape after the glacier is removed
a depressed crust rises after glacial retreat
what is a pluvial lake
a lake that fills in an arid/semiarid region due to increased precipitation in a cooler, wetter climate
which continent had the greatest area covered by glaciers at the height of the ice age
north america
which of the following is not part of the Milankovitch cycle
isostacy
traditionally, a region is defined as a desert if it receives less than _____ cm of rain per year
25
from a climatological perspective, a region is a desert if _____
yearly precipitation is less than evaporation
a true desert is defined by a lack of what substance
water
most dry lands exist between _____ degrees latitude on either side of the equator
20 and 30
which of the following statements about deserts is true
although rainfalls are infrequent, erosion and deposition related to water are more important than wind in deserts
which of the following areas is known for its rainshadow deserts
south America east of the Andes
within water-deficient regions, two climatic types are recognized. what are they
desert and steppe
deserts from in the subtropical regions as a result of _____
subsiding air masses
what is the definition of an ephemeral stream
an intermittent stream that only has water after specific episodes of rain
there are many names for ephemeral desert streams that remain empty for most of the year. which of the following is not another name for an ephemeral desert stream
playa
______ weathering is most common in a desert environment
mechanical
which of the following can contain large quantities of evaporite minerals such as borate and halite
playa
which desert location in the united states consists of alternating mountain ranges and flat-bottomed valleys as a result of fault-block mountains
basin and range province
why doesn't interior drainage, such as the drainage that develops in deserts, flow out of the desert
the water evaporates before the stream can exit the desert region
how was the salt pan at death valley created? what is the name of such a desert feature
evaporation; playa
a steep sided, flat topped desert hill is known as a(n) _____
butte
______ refers to the bouncing motion sands will display when transported by moving water or wind
saltation
which size(s) of sediment commonly make up most of winds suspended load
silt
which set of characteristics would best fit a geologically recent fault-block mountain uplift
flat upland surface, steep slopes, and small alluvial fans
which mechanical weathering process is most common in an arid environment
abrasion
what makes up the bulk of the wind-transported suspended load
silt
what process creates desert blowouts
deflation by wind
there is no one maximum depth for desert blowouts. they vary in depth depending on conditions present at the location. what controls the depth of all blowouts
elevation of water table
a(n) ______ is a smooth, polished rock that has been abraded by the wind
ventifact
what is a yardang
a wind-sculpted landform oriented parallel to the prevailing wind, often narrow at the base
the _____ was a period of drought in the 1930s in the united states that resulted in significant dust storms blowing fine sediment for hundreds of miles
dust bowl
_____ are mounds and ridges of and that are deposited by the wind
dunes
deposits of silt carried by blowing winds are referred to as _____
loess
the central united states is covered with extensive deposits of loess. where did this loess come from
weathering and erosion of western mountains
long ridges of sand that form more or less parallel to the prevailing wind where sand supplies are moderate are called ______ dunes
longitudinal
the _____ is the line that marks the contact between land and sea
shoreline
what is the fetch
a large area of open water over which wind blows to generate waves
under which conditions will a wave be considered a deepwater wave
water depth > 1/2 wavelength
when will a deepwater wave change to shallow water wave as it approaches shore
wavelength = 2 times water depth
what is the wave base
water depth equal to 1/2 the distance between successive waves
if the distance from one wave crest to the next is 10 ft., what will the depth to the wave base be
5 ft
as the quantity of energy transferred to the wave increases, what will happen to the height and the steepness of the wave
both the wave height and steepness increase
defined by breaking waves in the surf zone, which two terms describe the directions of water movement associated with a wave breaking on the beach
swash and backwash
circular orbital motion in waves will occur in ____ water
deep
which circumstance will force a wave displaying circular orbital motion to slow down at the base, which allows the wave to break
the wave feels bottom with shallower depth
abrasion will be greatest in which part of the beach environment
surf zone
what term describes the bending of waves
refraction
_____ form when waves that approach the beach at an angle and produce a net current direction that is parallel to the shore, resulting in beach drift
longshore currents
______ is a strong current formed by backwash concentrated into small channels and flows rapidly away from the beach
rip currents
which of the following will not occur as the result of longshore currents
refraction of waves
which of the following scenarios is not related to wave refraction
large quantities of sand are carried from estuaries and deposited on the seacoast side of a barrier island system
if you happen to be caught in a rip current, what is the best way to get to safety
swim parallel to the shore
why does hawaii have black sands on some beaches
the source rock being weathered is nearby basalt
a _____ is hard shoreline stabilization feature, detached from the shoreline, that protects shorelines from the pounding of waves by creating an area of quiet water behind it
breakwater
which of the following deposition/erosion scenarios will develop when a groin is constructed on the beach
deposition on upcurrent side and erosion on downcurrent side
which of the following is an artificial coastal feature
jetty
a ridge of sand that connects an island to the mainland or to another island is known as a ______
tombolo
a(n) _____ coast will be created when sea level rises or the land subsides
submergent
a(n) ______ coast will be created when sea level falls or the land is uplifted
emergent
what system of measurement is used to categorize the strength of a hurricane
saffir-simpson scale
hurricanes get their energy from _____ water
warm
what prevents hurricanes from developing in the band five degrees on either side of the equator
the Coriolis effect is too weak
the erosional retreat of a coastal cliff will lead to the enlargement of a ______
wave-cut platform
during the last glaciation, a large tongue of glacial ice occupied lake Michigan for thousands of years. Now, several thousand years after the retreat of the ice, an emergent coastline is developing along part of the lake. What geologic process is creating an emergent coastline in lake Michigan
lake levels are falling
what generates tides on the earth
gravitational attraction of the moon
The _____ explains the formation of the solar system by describing how the sun and planets formed from a rotating cloud of interstellar gases
nebular theory
an estimated 99.85% of the mass in the solar system is concentrated in ______
the sun
what is a planetesimal
rocky material accreted through repeated collisions
_____ is the speed required for an object to escape a planets gravitational force
escape velocity
orbital periods of jovian planets range from ____ to _____ years
12; 165
mercury is very hot on one side and very cold on the other side. Why might that be the case
long rotation cycle
which of the following processes created the lunar maria
large impact craters were then filled with basaltic lava flows
what is the age of the moon
4.5 billion years
the major bombardment period that shaped much of the surface of the moon ended _______
3.8 billion years ago
because of the low relative mass, the gravitational attraction on the moon is _____ that of the earth
1/6
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Flashcard (32)