Question 1

The loess deposited in the Upper Mississippi Valley was derived primarily from

Accepted Answer

A) coastal sand dunes. 
B) glacial deposits. 
C) desert regions lying to the west. 
D) volcanic dust. 
A) coastal sand dunes. 
B) glacial deposits. 
C) desert regions lying to the west. 
D) volcanic dust.

Question 2

How much of the Sahara Desert is covered with sand and sand dunes?

Accepted Answer

A) approximately 1% 
B) approximately 10% 
C) approximately 50% 
D) approximately 90% 
A) approximately 1% 
B) approximately 10% 
C) approximately 50% 
D) approximately 90%

Question 3

The thickest loess deposits of China exceed

Accepted Answer

A) 300 m. 
B) 1000 m. 
C) 500 m. 
D) 725 m. 
A) 300 m. 
B) 1000 m. 
C) 500 m. 
D) 725 m.

Question 4

Desert varnish is composed of all of the following,except

Accepted Answer

A) carbonate minerals. 
B) clay minerals. 
C) iron oxides. 
D) manganese oxides. 
A) carbonate minerals. 
B) clay minerals. 
C) iron oxides. 
D) manganese oxides.

Question 5

"Making the desert bloom" is a slogan that is used when

Accepted Answer

A) desert areas are irrigated to convert to farmland. 
B) desert areas undergo flash flooding. 
C) desert cacti bloom during springtime. 
D) desert travelers hallucinate an oasis. 
A) desert areas are irrigated to convert to farmland. 
B) desert areas undergo flash flooding. 
C) desert cacti bloom during springtime. 
D) desert travelers hallucinate an oasis.

Question 6

What minerals are responsible for the orange-brown colors of weathered surfaces in the desert?

Accepted Answer

A) carbonates 
B) framework silicates 
C) iron oxides 
D) sulfates 
A) carbonates 
B) framework silicates 
C) iron oxides 
D) sulfates

Question 7

Why do sand grains saltating in air "jump" higher than sand grains saltating in water?

Accepted Answer

A) because air flow is more laminar than water flow 
B) because air is denser than water 
C) because air is less viscous than water 
D) because air is warmer than water 
A) because air flow is more laminar than water flow 
B) because air is denser than water 
C) because air is less viscous than water 
D) because air is warmer than water

Question 8

Which of the following is not a cause of desertification?

Accepted Answer

A) cattle grazing 
B) climate change 
C) irrigation 
D) latitude changes caused by plate tectonics 
A) cattle grazing 
B) climate change 
C) irrigation 
D) latitude changes caused by plate tectonics

Question 9

What type of sedimentary deposit results from the settling of fine-grained particles from a dust cloud?

Accepted Answer

A) loess 
B) playa 
C) pediment 
D) sand dune 
A) loess 
B) playa 
C) pediment 
D) sand dune

Question 10

Radar imaging from the space shuttle Endeavor has provided evidence that the Sahara Desert

Accepted Answer

A) has always been an arid environment. 
B) was once a tropical region,with many different types of vegetation. 
C) once had an extensive system of river channels,which are now dry. 
D) has sand dunes in excess of 300 m in height. 
A) has always been an arid environment. 
B) was once a tropical region,with many different types of vegetation. 
C) once had an extensive system of river channels,which are now dry. 
D) has sand dunes in excess of 300 m in height.

Question 11

Which wind belt is located between 30˚N and 60˚N?

Accepted Answer

A) the northerlies 
B) the westerlies 
C) the easterlies 
D) the trade winds 
A) the northerlies 
B) the westerlies 
C) the easterlies 
D) the trade winds

Question 12

Sand will accumulate _______ of a boulder.

Accepted Answer

A) mostly on the leeside (downwind) 
B) mostly on the windward side (upwind) 
C) equally on the leeside and the windward side 
D) neither on the leeside nor on the windward side 
A) mostly on the leeside (downwind) 
B) mostly on the windward side (upwind) 
C) equally on the leeside and the windward side 
D) neither on the leeside nor on the windward side

Question 13

Other than on Earth,where have ventifacts been seen? (Hint: Dust storms are common there.)

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury 
B) Mars 
C) Venus 
D) the Moon 
A) Mercury 
B) Mars 
C) Venus 
D) the Moon

Question 14

The amount of windblown material that wind can carry does not depend on the

Accepted Answer

A) particle size. 
B) surface material. 
C) temperature. 
D) wind strength. 
A) particle size. 
B) surface material. 
C) temperature. 
D) wind strength.

Question 15

Which of the following is a coarse,gravelly ground surface that results from the removal of fine-grained particles by wind erosion?

Accepted Answer

A) alluvial fan 
B) desert pavement 
C) pediment 
D) talus slope 
A) alluvial fan 
B) desert pavement 
C) pediment 
D) talus slope

Question 16

Boomerang-shaped sand dunes are termed

Accepted Answer

A) barchans. 
B) crescents. 
C) lunar. 
D) horse shoes. 
A) barchans. 
B) crescents. 
C) lunar. 
D) horse shoes.

Question 17

Due to the Coriolis effect,any large-scale current of air or water is deflected to the _______ in the northern hemisphere and to the _______ in the southern hemisphere.

Accepted Answer

A) left; left 
B) left; right 
C) right; left 
D) right; right 
A) left; left 
B) left; right 
C) right; left 
D) right; right

Question 18

Ergs are

Accepted Answer

A) eolian deposits similar to alluvial fans. 
B) a type of rock varnish. 
C) a particularly shaped sand dune. 
D) large fields of dunes. 
A) eolian deposits similar to alluvial fans. 
B) a type of rock varnish. 
C) a particularly shaped sand dune. 
D) large fields of dunes.

Question 19

Particles that can be carried in the atmosphere for days or weeks are referred to as

Accepted Answer

A) silts. 
B) muds. 
C) clays. 
D) aerosols. 
A) silts. 
B) muds. 
C) clays. 
D) aerosols.

Question 20

Long sand ridges that are more or less parallel to the prevailing wind are called

Accepted Answer

A) barchan dunes. 
B) blowout dunes. 
C) linear dunes. 
D) transverse dunes. 
A) barchan dunes. 
B) blowout dunes. 
C) linear dunes. 
D) transverse dunes.

Exam 19: Winds and Deserts

The loess deposited in the Upper Mississippi Valley was derived primarily from

How much of the Sahara Desert is covered with sand and sand dunes?

The thickest loess deposits of China exceed

Desert varnish is composed of all of the following,except

"Making the desert bloom" is a slogan that is used when

What minerals are responsible for the orange-brown colors of weathered surfaces in the desert?

Why do sand grains saltating in air "jump" higher than sand grains saltating in water?

Which of the following is not a cause of desertification?

What type of sedimentary deposit results from the settling of fine-grained particles from a dust cloud?

Radar imaging from the space shuttle Endeavor has provided evidence that the Sahara Desert

Which wind belt is located between 30˚N and 60˚N?

Sand will accumulate _______ of a boulder.

Other than on Earth,where have ventifacts been seen? (Hint: Dust storms are common there.)

The amount of windblown material that wind can carry does not depend on the

Which of the following is a coarse,gravelly ground surface that results from the removal of fine-grained particles by wind erosion?

Boomerang-shaped sand dunes are termed

Due to the Coriolis effect,any large-scale current of air or water is deflected to the _______ in the northern hemisphere and to the _______ in the southern hemisphere.

Ergs are

Particles that can be carried in the atmosphere for days or weeks are referred to as

Long sand ridges that are more or less parallel to the prevailing wind are called

The Earth System

Plate Tectonics: The Unifying Theory

Earth Materials: Minerals and Rocks

Igneous Rocks: Solids From Melts

Sedimentation: Rocks Formed by Surface Processes

Metamorphism: Alteration of Rocks by Temperature and Pressure

Deformation: Modification of Rocks by Folding and Fracturing

Clocks in Rocks: Timing the Geologic Period

Early History of the Terrestrial Planets

History of the Continents

Geobiology: Life Interacts With Earth

Volcanoes

Earthquakes

Exploring Earths Interior

The Climate System

Weathering,erosion,and Mass Wasting: Interactions Between the Climate and Plate Tectonic Systems

The Hydrologic Cycle and Groundwater

Stream Transport: From Mountains to Oceans

Coastlines and Ocean Basins

Glaciers: the Work of Ice

Landscapes: Tectonic and Climate Interaction

The Human Impact of Earths Environment

Filters

Due to the Coriolis effect,any large-scale current of air or water is deflected to the _ in the northern hemisphere and to the _ in the southern hemisphere.