MARS final TAMUG

A beach stabilization structure made up of large blocky material and built perpendicular to the beach to prevent drift of beach sand is known as a

) groin

A stabilization structure built parallel to shore to protect the mouth of harbors from waves is known as a

) breakwater

An expansive and costly stabilization structure built to armor the entire coastline and protect from potential flooding is known as a

) seawall

A stablization stucure built perpendicular to store, usually as one of a pat, to protea the mouth of a harbor on m sediment drift is known as a

) jetty

A flooded glacial valley is known as a

) fjord

A flooded river valley is known as a

estuary

Which of the following marine organisms is considered infaunal?

) jellyfish

Plankton that live their entire lives as plankton are known as

holoplankton

Plankton that are autotrophic, producing their own food, are known as

) phytoplankton

Plankton that are only plankton for a portion of their life cycle are known as

meroplankton

Plankton that are heterotrophic, reliant on food produced by other organisms, are known as

zooplankton

A marine organism that can only withstand small changes in salinity is said to be

stenohaline

Planktonic viruses are known as

) zooplankton
) phytoplankton
) meroplankton
) holoplankton
) none of the above

The marine adaptation in which an organism has darker colors on its top, but lighter colors on its underside to bledation m. both above and below is known as

countershading

Which of the following is the Redfield ratio?

106 C: 16 N: 1 P

Which of the following is NOT a factor affecting primary productivity?

) light availability
) season
) nutrient content
) upwelling
) all the above are

The organism commonly referred to as seaweed belongs to which marine photosynthetic group?

Macroscopic algae

Which marine organisms are responsible for red tides?

dinoflagellates

In temperate environments, there is a seasonal shift in biological productivity. Which
time of year is typically MOST productive?

spring

The area of the shore located between low tide and high tide is known as the

foreshore

The area of the shore above high tide is known as the

backshore

Which of the following features is associated with a depositional shoreline?

barrier island

A body of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river is known as a

delta

Which of the following materials would make for the best well?

quartz sandstone (high porosity and high permeability) A

The subsurface zone in which all rock openings are filled with water is known as the

phreatic zone

An ice-transported boulder not derived from underlying bedrock is known as a(n)

erratic

The dinoflagellate algae that form symbiotic relationships with coral are called

zooxanthellae

The out area sourcing a stream and is various tibutiesis known as a

drainage basin

_________ are circular reefs that rim lagoons and are surrounded by deep water.

atolls

Stromatolites are ancient trace fossil produced by which of the following organisms?

cyanobacteria

Which of the following rocks is the most common in the mantle?

peridotite

Which of the following metamorphic rocks is NOT considered foliated?

marble

Metamorphism occurring adjacent to intruding magma bodies is known as

contact metamorphism

What is magma?

Liquid earth materials below Earth's surface

Which of the following sedimentary rocks are associated with great masses of sediment-laden water flowing downhill due to gravity?

turbidites

Which of the following is NOT potential source of biogenic sediment?

foraminifera
diatoms
radiolarians
coccolithophores
All of the above are

Which of the following types of hydrothermal vents is associated with the HIGHEST
temperature?

black smokers

Which of the following devices has NOT been used in mapping the ocean bottom?

piston core

Which of the following features is primarily associated with active continental margins?

Both A and C

A group of students examining layers of rock deduce that the layer on the bottor is the oldest layer present. They have utilized which of the following stratigraphic principles?

-Principle of Original Horizontality
-Principle of Components
-Law of Crosscutting Relationships
-Principle of Lateral Continuity
-None of the above

Which layer of Earth's interior is liquid?

outer core

A mineral is

- a naturally occurring solid
- a specific chemical composition
- generally inorganic
- a specific atomic arrangement in 3D space
-All of the above

Which mineral represents the calcium endmember of the plagioclase feldspar series?

'Anorthite

Gypsum is an example of which type of mineral?

halide

Gold is an example of which type of mineral?

native element

Calcite is an example of which type of mineral?

carbonate

Quartz and Feldspar minerals are also known as

framework silicates

Biotite, muscovite, and clay minerals are also known as

sheet silicates

Which of the following is NOT a mineral?

amber

What is the name for two different minerals with the same chemical formula but different crystal structure?

polymorphs

Siltstone is an example of which of the following?

lithogenous sedimentary rock

What rock is a fundamental component of the oceanic crust?

basalt

Which of the following is NOT an igneous rock?

shale

An aphanitic rock texture characterizes

an extrusive igneous rock with a fine-grained texture

Which of the following scientists originally proposed the concept of continental drift?

Alfred Wegener

The two kinds crusts are

oceanic crust and continental crust

The San Andreas Fault is a strike-slip fault and is a

Transform plate boundary

Ocean trenches, like the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, are most associated with

Convergent plate boundaries

Rift valleys, such as the Great Rift Valley in Africa, are most associated with

Divergent plate boundaries

Volcanic island ares, such as the Japanese islands, are most associated with

Convergent plate boundaries

A change in density with increased water depth is described as which of the following?

pycnocline

Fast moving waves generated by undersea seismic activity are known as

tsunamis

Wave height is determined as the distance between which two points of a wave?

crest to trough

Which of the following types of waves are associated with the ocean surface?

transverse

A wave that breaks gradually over a gently sloping shoreline is known as a

Spilling breaker

A wave that breaks over a steep shoreline, forming a distinctive "tunnel" is known as a

Plunging breaker

Which of the following best describes resultant force?

mathematical difference between gravitational and centripetal forces

The time when tidal range increases due to the sun being closer to the Earth is known as

perihelion

The time when tidal range decreases due to the moon being furthest from the Earth is known as

apogee

Two high tides and two low tides per day with varying tidal ranges best describes which of the following tidal patterns?

mixed

Which of the following does NOT exhibit influence over tides?

-moon
- sun
declination
-continental arrangement
- all of the above do

The loves lager of the atmosphere, where al weather oceans is known as the

troposphere

The wind belts blowing from the northeast and southeast that converge on the equator are known as

polar easterlies

The wind belts blowing from the west from 30-60° latitude are known as

westerlies

The wind belts blowing from the east from 60-90° latitude are known as

polar easterlies

A certain percentage of incoming radiation is absorbed by darker surfaces dike
asphalt) while a percentage of radiation is reflected by lighter surfaces (like ice flows). This is an example of which of the following phenomena?

Albedo effect

Wind-driven motion of ocean currents is always at a 45° angle to wind direction.
This angle increases as the wind's influence lessens with greater water depth. This is a phenomenon known as

Ekman spiral

Objects in motion are deflected (to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere by the motion of Earth's rotation. This is a phenomenon known as

Coriolis effect

The wind blowing along a shoreline dispels warm surface water, allowing nutrient-rich deep cold water to rise in its place. This is a phenomenon known as

Upwelling

The sun, moon, and Earth are aligned, increasing tidal range. This is a phenomenon known as

)Coriolis effect

) Albedo effect

) Ekman spiral

) Upwelling

)none of the above

The atmosphereric circulation cells located between 30 and 60 latitude are known as

Ferrel Cells

Which of the following aspects of a hurricane is responsible for causing the most damage

storm surge

Rings of water (either cold or warm) that spin off looping ocean currents are known as

eddies

The Gulf Stream is a famous example of which of the following ocean currents?

western boundary currents

The fast-moving warm-water currents moving away from the equator and forming one of the boundaries of a subtropical gyre are called

western boundary currents

The slow-moving cold-water currents moving toward the equator and forming one of the boundaries of a subtropical gyre are called

eastern boundary currents

Which of the following factors is NOT a condition considered favorable for hurricane development in the Atlantic Ocean?

El Nino

A storm with sustained winds between 38 and 74 miles per hour, cyclonic spin, and no clearly defined eye is officially designated a

tropical storm

The average pH of ocean surface water is

8.1

The average salinity of seawater is

35 PPT