Geology Questions
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Which of the following factors favors movement of a rock slide? A. layers that are inclined opposite to the slope of the hillB. solid rock with few preexisting joints or faultsC. a massive rock with no bedding or other through-going discontinuitiesD. a valley or other open space downslope from the rock slideE. all of the above
Some rocks and minerals are not stable at the surface because they: A. are exposed to waterB. formed in high-temperature environmentsC. formed in high-pressure environmentsD. are exposed to oxygenE. all of the above
How might you determine that an upper layer of unconsolidated sediments became thicker toward a basin? A. drillingB. gravity studiesC. measurements of discharge in surface streamsD. all of the aboveE. a and b only
Which of the following is true about the water table? A. the shape of the water table does not mimic topographyB. the water table generally is highest in elevation beneath lakesC. the water table can slope in opposite directions beneath a hill D. all of the aboveE. none of the above
What does a terminal moraine represent? A. the end of a polished and scratched segment of bedrockB. the sharp ends of a jagged ridge formed by glaciersC. the end of an ice sheet that is floating in the seaD. a pile of sediment deposited at the end of the glacierE. the final time that two glaciers come together
Where does the quartz in granite typically end up? A. as small clay minerals that are deposited in lakes and the seaB. quartz does not weather and so it keeps the granite from weatheringC. it ends up as sand in rivers, dunes, and beachesD. it is converted into feldspar and weathers into clays
Which of the following factors does NOT control the stability of a slope? A. the angle of repose for intact bedrockB. whether the slope is rock or soilC. the amount of water in the soilD. the orientation of fractures, cleavage, and bedding
How could changes in Earth's tilt influence global climate? A. a high angle of tilt causes snow and ice to fall off the planetB. a minimum angle of tilt causes high latitudes to receive less sunlight during the summer, causing an increase in glaciersC. a maximum angle of tilt causes Earth to reflect more sunlight into space, causing an increase in glaciersD. a high angle of tilt causes the continents to move away from the poles leading to more glaciers
What happens on either side of the equilibrium line in a glacier? A. sublimation occurs only above the line and melting occurs only below the lineB. melting occurs only above the line and sublimation occurs only below the lineC. above the equilibrium line, the amount of accumulation exceeds the amount lost by various processesD. air temperatures are below freezing below the line and above freezing above the line
Which of the following parts of a shoreline is more likely to experience intense erosion? A. a straight part of the shorelineB. a gently curved part of the shorelineC. areas within a bayD. the seaward end of a promontory
How does the rate of seafloor spreading affect sea level? A. faster spreading causes faster subduction, which pulls down continental marginsB. faster spreading produces broader ridges that displace water out of the oceansC. faster spreading heats up ocean waters causing them to expand and flood the landD. they have no effect because the rates of seafloor spreading do not change over time
What causes the seafloor to deepen across a typical continental slope? A. thinning of continental crust because of normal faultsB. a transition from continental crust to oceanic crustC. down flexing of oceanic crust because of subductionD. deposition of sediment from turbidity currentsE. a and b only
Which of the following has the lowest potential for landslides? A. Pacific NorthwestB. southern CaliforniaC. bluffs along rivers in the central U.S.D. FloridaE. Appalachian Mountains
Which of the following slope failures is least likely to cause casualties? A. rock avalancheB. debris flowC. creepD. rock slideE. rock fall
What has happened to the Pacific Ocean in the last 200 million years? A. it has become deeper as the rate of seafloor spreading increasedB. it became wider because of seafloor spreadingC. it became smaller as the Atlantic Ocean openedD. it remained unchanged in sizeE. none of the above
How can climate influence the processes along coastal landscapes A. it controls the amount of precipitation, which affects the amount of erosionB. it affects the size and intensity of stormsC. wet climates result in less vegetation because plants are washed awayD. melting glaciers cause sea level to dropE. both a and b
Which of the following shoreline features is generally composed of bedrock? A. barrier islandB. offshore barC. spitD. wave-cut platformE. none of the above
If you were looking for graded beds, where would be a good place to start? A. in a warm and shallow lagoonB. in the center of an atollC. just offshore of a sediment-poor beachD. in a submarine fanE. none of the above
If you drilled into an oceanic plateau, what would you most likely find? A. a thin layer of oceanic sediment over continental crustB. andesitic volcanoes buried by turbidity currentsC. a normal thickness of oceanic crust overlain by andesitic volcanoesD. large amounts of basalt derived from melting in the mantle
Under what conditions is it possible for a material to have both high porosity and low permeability? A. it is not possible to have both high porosity and low permeabilityB. it is possible only if the rock is a sandstoneC. it is possible if the void spaces are not well connectedD. it is possible if the void spaces are small enoughE. both c and d