GEO Quiz III

Removal and lifting of individual loose particles by the wind is termed

deflation

A maze of interconnected channels formed on a river with a high sediment load is known as __________ streams

braided

A large region identified by several topographic or geological traits is known as

physiographic provinces

The general term for the land degradation in arid and semiarid regions characterized by expansion of deserts is

desertification

arid and semiarid climates cover about ___________ of earth

one-third

the drop in stream elevation per unit distance is known as

gradient

________ streams flow year-round, fed by snowmelt, rainfall, groundwater, or a combination thereof

Perennial

Drainage density is determined by

dividing length of stream channels in the basin by the area of the basin

which side of a dune typically has a slope angle equal to that of the angle of repose for sand?

leeward

if the load exceeds a stream's capacity, sediment accumulates in the bed in a process called

aggradation

the suspended load of a stream consists of particles that are

held aloft in the stream flow

In a given section of channel, the greatest flow velocity are usually

near the surface, near the center

a _______ is a dry bed of an ephemeral lake in a dryland region

playa

Erosion performed by flowing water alone is known as

hydraulic action

the main process contributing material in solution in sediment load is

chemical weathering

If a stream originates in a humid region, but subsequently flows through an arid region, discharge is likely highest

upstream

stream transport involves all of the following

saltation, bed load, traction

an alcove in sandstone, such as that in the Cliff House at Mesa Verde, is indicative of which weathering process?

salt-crystal growth

windblown dust that accumulates into homogeneous deposits known as

loess

Erosion which boulders/gravel moving along the channel break apart rock and sediment and grind and carve streambeds is

abrasion

the process whereby streams lengthen their channels upstream is called

headwater erosion

rectangular drainage patterns form primarily as a result of

flow through a faulted and jointed landscape

bed load is moved by

both saltation and traction

base level refers to

a level below which a stream cannot erode its valley

The area of land form which all water in it drains into the same place is known as

watershed

This drainage pattern is associated with steep slopes

parallel

______ are large flat-topped landforms with steep slopes resulting from differential weathering

mesas

a 50-year flood has an annual exceedance probability of

2%

The coarsest materials, such as gravel, of an alluvial fan are found

near the mouth of the canyon

a graphic depiction of stream gradients from its headwaters to mouth is called

longitudinal profile

______ are isolated remnants of resistant rock and products of long-term weathering and erosion

inselbergs

Watersheds are defined by

drainage divides

an interruption in a streams graded profile of equilibrium is called a

nickpoint

_______ dunes form parallel to prevailing wind, often extending for hundred of kilometers in length

longitudinal dunes

The entrenchment of a river into its own floodplain can produce

alluvial terraces

a yazoo tributary stream cannot join with the main river in an area because

natural levee on the main river prevents joining

the total possible load a steam can transport is its _______, where a streams ability to move particles is its _______

capacity, competence

Factors that influence dry climate does not include

seasonal influences of the ITCZ

A streams volume of flow per unit of time is its

discharge

_____ is the general term for unconsolidated clay, silt, sand, gravel, and mineral fragmentation deposisted by running water

alluvium

Cone-shaped deposits of sediment often found at the mouth of canyons in arid and semiarid climates are called

alluvial fans

dryland rugged terrain of slopes dissected by rills and gullies are known as

badlands

a streams ability to move particles of specific size is its

competence

______ streams are not connnected to groundwater systems and only flow after precipitation events

ephemeral