Question 1

Frost wedging would be most prominent in:

Accepted Answer

A)  mid- latitude regions where temperatures hover around 0°C (32°F) during certain seasons. 
B)  desert regions where day and night temperatures fluctuate radically for much of the year. 
C)  low- latitude rainforests where there is abundant moisture to enter fractures and pores in rocks. 
D)  polar regions where temperatures remain below 0°C (32°F) most of the year. 
A)  mid- latitude regions where temperatures hover around 0°C (32°F) during certain seasons. 
B)  desert regions where day and night temperatures fluctuate radically for much of the year. 
C)  low- latitude rainforests where there is abundant moisture to enter fractures and pores in rocks. 
D)  polar regions where temperatures remain below 0°C (32°F) most of the year.

Question 2

All of the following deposits represent paleosols EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  Australian ultisols. 
B)  Connecticut caliches. 
C)  Georgia bauxites. 
D)  New England forest soils. 
A)  Australian ultisols. 
B)  Connecticut caliches. 
C)  Georgia bauxites. 
D)  New England forest soils.

Question 3

In a temperate region, the most distinctive feature of the O horizon of a soil is:

Accepted Answer

A)  its inability to maintain fertility because of constant leaching of materials to lower soil horizons. 
B)  the mixture of mostly inorganic matter and humus. 
C)  the abundance of finely ground rock particles. 
D)  the abundance of both organic matter and living organisms. 
A)  its inability to maintain fertility because of constant leaching of materials to lower soil horizons. 
B)  the mixture of mostly inorganic matter and humus. 
C)  the abundance of finely ground rock particles. 
D)  the abundance of both organic matter and living organisms.

Question 4

In which type of climate would mechanical weathering occur most quickly, and in which type would it occur most slowly? Explain.

Accepted Answer

Frost wedging is the most effective-and

Question 5

Which of the following statements about the B horizon is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The B horizon generally lies above the E horizons. 
B)  In arid and semi- arid climates, calcium carbonate accumulates to form a caliche layer within or below the B horizon. 
C)  The B horizon tends to be more fertile than the E horizon. 
D)  Some B horizons contain a high concentration of humus. 
A)  The B horizon generally lies above the E horizons. 
B)  In arid and semi- arid climates, calcium carbonate accumulates to form a caliche layer within or below the B horizon. 
C)  The B horizon tends to be more fertile than the E horizon. 
D)  Some B horizons contain a high concentration of humus.

Question 6

Which of the following formulas presents an example of hydrolysis?

Accepted Answer

A) 	2 KAlSi3O8 + 2 H+ + 9 H2O Al2Si2O5(OH)4 + 4 H4SiO4 + 2 K+2 
B) 	CaCO3 + H2CO3 Ca+2 + 2 HCO3- 
C) 	H2O + CO2 H2CO3 
D)  4 Fe+2 + 3 O2 2 Fe2O3 
A) 	2 KAlSi3O8 + 2 H+ + 9 H2O Al2Si2O5(OH)4 + 4 H4SiO4 + 2 K+2 
B) 	CaCO3 + H2CO3 Ca+2 + 2 HCO3- 
C) 	H2O + CO2 H2CO3 
D)  4 Fe+2 + 3 O2 2 Fe2O3

Question 7

The reason that rocks or even footprints on the Moon do not weather is that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the temperatures on the Moon are so hot that all water is evaporated. 
B)  the temperatures on the Moon are so cold that all water at the surface exists only as ice. 
C)  the Moon's atmosphere is made exclusively of CO2 and is completely lacking in water. 
D)  the Moon has no atmosphere, and therefore no chemical weathering can occur. 
A)  the temperatures on the Moon are so hot that all water is evaporated. 
B)  the temperatures on the Moon are so cold that all water at the surface exists only as ice. 
C)  the Moon's atmosphere is made exclusively of CO2 and is completely lacking in water. 
D)  the Moon has no atmosphere, and therefore no chemical weathering can occur.

Question 8

The dissolution of limestone to form caves results from water combining with:

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid. 
B)  sulfur to form sulfuric acid. 
C)  carbon to form bicarbonate. 
D)  calcium to form calcite. 
A)  carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid. 
B)  sulfur to form sulfuric acid. 
C)  carbon to form bicarbonate. 
D)  calcium to form calcite.

Question 9

Which of the following chemical effects is not a consequence of acid rain?

Accepted Answer

A)  Corrosion of paint and steel in bridges. 
B)  Dissolution of concrete buildings and marble statues. 
C)  Dissolution of soil nutrients. 
D)  Precipitation of calcium carbonate. 
A)  Corrosion of paint and steel in bridges. 
B)  Dissolution of concrete buildings and marble statues. 
C)  Dissolution of soil nutrients. 
D)  Precipitation of calcium carbonate.

Question 10

Stability of silicate minerals follows the inverse of their order of crystallization (Bowen's Series). The correct sequence of stability for the minerals below would be (most stable- first, least stable- last):

Accepted Answer

A)  pyroxene, olivine, mica, quartz. 
B)  olivine, pyroxene, mica, quartz. 
C)  quartz, mica, pyroxene, olivine. 
D)  mica, pyroxene, olivine, quartz. 
A)  pyroxene, olivine, mica, quartz. 
B)  olivine, pyroxene, mica, quartz. 
C)  quartz, mica, pyroxene, olivine. 
D)  mica, pyroxene, olivine, quartz.

Question 11

Hydrolysis refers to:

Accepted Answer

A)  the removal of a mineral's ions or groups of ions by water. 
B)  the substitution of water molecules for silicon molecules in a mineral's internal structure. 
C)  the displacement of a mineral's ions by the H+ or OH- ions from water. 
D)  the chemical combination of a mineral's ions with oxygen. 
A)  the removal of a mineral's ions or groups of ions by water. 
B)  the substitution of water molecules for silicon molecules in a mineral's internal structure. 
C)  the displacement of a mineral's ions by the H+ or OH- ions from water. 
D)  the chemical combination of a mineral's ions with oxygen.

Frost wedging would be most prominent in:

All of the following deposits represent paleosols EXCEPT:

In a temperate region, the most distinctive feature of the O horizon of a soil is:

In which type of climate would mechanical weathering occur most quickly, and in which type would it occur most slowly? Explain.

Which of the following statements about the B horizon is NOT true?

Which of the following formulas presents an example of hydrolysis?

The reason that rocks or even footprints on the Moon do not weather is that:

The dissolution of limestone to form caves results from water combining with:

Which of the following chemical effects is not a consequence of acid rain?

Stability of silicate minerals follows the inverse of their order of crystallization (Bowen's Series). The correct sequence of stability for the minerals below would be (most stable- first, least stable- last):

Hydrolysis refers to:

A First Look at Planet Earth - Its Origins, Systems, and Tectonic Plates

Minerals

Igneous Rocks and Processes

Volcanoes and Volcanism

Sedimentary Processes, Environments, and Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Telling Time Geologically

Earth Structures - Folds, Faults, and Fabrics

Earthquakes

The Earths Interior - Whats Going on Down There

Plate Tectonics and the Formation of the Earths Oceans

Continental Tectonics and the Formation of the Earths Continents

Mass Movement

Streams and Floods

Groundwater

Glaciers and Ice Ages

Deserts and the Work of Winds

Shores and Coastal Processes

Human Use of the Earths Resources Appendices Glossary

Filters

Exam 5: Weathering - the Breakdown of Rocks

Frost wedging would be most prominent in:

All of the following deposits represent paleosols EXCEPT:

In a temperate region, the most distinctive feature of the O horizon of a soil is:

In which type of climate would mechanical weathering occur most quickly, and in which type would it occur most slowly? Explain.

Which of the following statements about the B horizon is NOT true?

Which of the following formulas presents an example of hydrolysis?

The reason that rocks or even footprints on the Moon do not weather is that:

The dissolution of limestone to form caves results from water combining with:

Which of the following chemical effects is not a consequence of acid rain?

Stability of silicate minerals follows the inverse of their order of crystallization (Bowen's Series). The correct sequence of stability for the minerals below would be (most stable- first, least stable- last):

Hydrolysis refers to:

A First Look at Planet Earth - Its Origins, Systems, and Tectonic Plates

Minerals

Igneous Rocks and Processes

Volcanoes and Volcanism

Sedimentary Processes, Environments, and Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Telling Time Geologically

Earth Structures - Folds, Faults, and Fabrics

Earthquakes

The Earths Interior - Whats Going on Down There

Plate Tectonics and the Formation of the Earths Oceans

Continental Tectonics and the Formation of the Earths Continents

Mass Movement

Streams and Floods

Groundwater

Glaciers and Ice Ages

Deserts and the Work of Winds

Shores and Coastal Processes

Human Use of the Earths Resources Appendices Glossary

Filters