Question 1

Why do deserts form at high elevations?

Accepted Answer

A) The Sun's rays strike at a high angle. 
B) The air is too dense to hold moisture. 
C) The air is too thin to hold much heat. 
D) Moist air is forced upward and dries out. 
A) The Sun's rays strike at a high angle. 
B) The air is too dense to hold moisture. 
C) The air is too thin to hold much heat. 
D) Moist air is forced upward and dries out.

Question 2

The measured rainfall shown in the figure below is characteristic of a ________ desert.

Accepted Answer

A) coastal 
B) subtropical 
C) rain-shadow 
D) continental-interior 
A) coastal 
B) subtropical 
C) rain-shadow 
D) continental-interior

Question 3

Physical weathering is more prevalent in the desert due to the ________.

Accepted Answer

A) high amounts of heat that bake the rocks 
B) absence of ice,which can seal fractures 
C) lack of water for chemical reactions 
D) low levels of iron that produce oxidation 
A) high amounts of heat that bake the rocks 
B) absence of ice,which can seal fractures 
C) lack of water for chemical reactions 
D) low levels of iron that produce oxidation

Question 4

As shown in the figure below,wind erosion can create a faceted rock known as a ________.

Accepted Answer

A) ventifact 
B) lag deposit 
C) yardang 
D) wadi 
A) ventifact 
B) lag deposit 
C) yardang 
D) wadi

Question 5

Why is chemical weathering relatively rare in deserts?

Accepted Answer

A) Chemical weathering requires much colder temperatures than are seen in deserts. 
B) Physical weathering occurs only in hot regions,thus is more prevalent in deserts. 
C) Chemical weathering only occurs in the presence of salt water from the ocean. 
D) Chemical weathering most often involves reaction with water,which is rare in deserts. 
A) Chemical weathering requires much colder temperatures than are seen in deserts. 
B) Physical weathering occurs only in hot regions,thus is more prevalent in deserts. 
C) Chemical weathering only occurs in the presence of salt water from the ocean. 
D) Chemical weathering most often involves reaction with water,which is rare in deserts.

Question 6

To qualify as a desert,a region must ________.

Accepted Answer

A) be hot,with a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C (77°F) 
B) be arid,with less than 15% of the ground surface vegetated 
C) have a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C and less than 5 cm annual rainfall 
D) have no rainfall three out of four seasons 
A) be hot,with a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C (77°F) 
B) be arid,with less than 15% of the ground surface vegetated 
C) have a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C and less than 5 cm annual rainfall 
D) have no rainfall three out of four seasons

Question 7

Which of the following hazards could lead to desertification?

Accepted Answer

A) climate change 
B) earthquakes 
C) landslides 
D) flooding 
A) climate change 
B) earthquakes 
C) landslides 
D) flooding

Question 8

Iron-rich,well-oxidized strata will be ________.

Accepted Answer

A) tan 
B) gray 
C) green 
D) dark red 
A) tan 
B) gray 
C) green 
D) dark red

Question 9

Most of the erosion in desert environments is caused by ________.

Accepted Answer

A) wind 
B) surface water 
C) groundwater 
D) salt wedging 
A) wind 
B) surface water 
C) groundwater 
D) salt wedging

Question 10

Areas with relatively scarce sand and constantly shifting winds will develop ________ dunes.

Accepted Answer

A) star 
B) barchans 
C) parabolic 
D) longitudinal 
A) star 
B) barchans 
C) parabolic 
D) longitudinal

Question 11

Desert varnish consists of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) pesticides and other pollutant residues 
B) dusts of iron and magnesium oxides 
C) dust deposits affected by microorganisms 
D) carbonate cements with iron impurities (e.g. ,siderite) 
A) pesticides and other pollutant residues 
B) dusts of iron and magnesium oxides 
C) dust deposits affected by microorganisms 
D) carbonate cements with iron impurities (e.g. ,siderite)

Question 12

The deserts found in the western United States are primarily the result of being located ________.

Accepted Answer

A) in the subtropics 
B) within rain-shadows of mountains 
C) near the center of a large continent 
D) next to a cold ocean current 
A) in the subtropics 
B) within rain-shadows of mountains 
C) near the center of a large continent 
D) next to a cold ocean current

Question 13

An apron-shaped pile of alluvium that forms at the mouth of a canyon is known as a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

A) playa 
B) sabkha 
C) alluvial fan 
D) inselberg 
A) playa 
B) sabkha 
C) alluvial fan 
D) inselberg

Question 14

The saltation of sand involves ________.

Accepted Answer

A) spherical grains rolling along the surface of dunes 
B) grains traveling short distances (approximately 1 m)in the air 
C) grains traveling long distances (approximately 1-100 km)in the air by strong winds 
D) the mixing of mineral sand and salt to form a weakly cemented soil 
A) spherical grains rolling along the surface of dunes 
B) grains traveling short distances (approximately 1 m)in the air 
C) grains traveling long distances (approximately 1-100 km)in the air by strong winds 
D) the mixing of mineral sand and salt to form a weakly cemented soil

Question 15

Which of the following human activities can cause desertification?

Accepted Answer

A) addition of fertilizer to soil 
B) diversion of water from an area 
C) overirrigating an area 
D) building a city in an area 
A) addition of fertilizer to soil 
B) diversion of water from an area 
C) overirrigating an area 
D) building a city in an area

Why do deserts form at high elevations?

The measured rainfall shown in the figure below is characteristic of a ________ desert.

Physical weathering is more prevalent in the desert due to the ________.

As shown in the figure below,wind erosion can create a faceted rock known as a ________.

Why is chemical weathering relatively rare in deserts?

To qualify as a desert,a region must ________.

Which of the following hazards could lead to desertification?

Iron-rich,well-oxidized strata will be ________.

Most of the erosion in desert environments is caused by ________.

Areas with relatively scarce sand and constantly shifting winds will develop ________ dunes.

Desert varnish consists of ________.

The deserts found in the western United States are primarily the result of being located ________.

An apron-shaped pile of alluvium that forms at the mouth of a canyon is known as a(n)________.

The saltation of sand involves ________.

Which of the following human activities can cause desertification?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earth S Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: A Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Interlude A: Rock Groups

Interlude B: A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

Interlude C: The Rock Cycle

Interlude D: The Earth S Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Interlude E: Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Interlude F: An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters

Exam 17: Dry Regions: The Geology of Deserts

Why do deserts form at high elevations?

The measured rainfall shown in the figure below is characteristic of a ________ desert.

Physical weathering is more prevalent in the desert due to the ________.

As shown in the figure below,wind erosion can create a faceted rock known as a ________.

Why is chemical weathering relatively rare in deserts?

To qualify as a desert,a region must ________.

Which of the following hazards could lead to desertification?

Iron-rich,well-oxidized strata will be ________.

Most of the erosion in desert environments is caused by ________.

Areas with relatively scarce sand and constantly shifting winds will develop ________ dunes.

Desert varnish consists of ________.

The deserts found in the western United States are primarily the result of being located ________.

An apron-shaped pile of alluvium that forms at the mouth of a canyon is known as a(n)________.

The saltation of sand involves ________.

Which of the following human activities can cause desertification?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earth S Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: A Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Interlude A: Rock Groups

Interlude B: A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

Interlude C: The Rock Cycle

Interlude D: The Earth S Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Interlude E: Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Interlude F: An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters