Question 1

Frost wedging is the major weathering process contributing to the formation of which regolith material?

Accepted Answer

A) tropical soils 
B) talus slopes 
C) soil horizons 
D) clay minerals 
A) tropical soils 
B) talus slopes 
C) soil horizons 
D) clay minerals

Question 2

Under similar warm,moist climatic conditions,why would basalt and gabbro generally have higher chemical weathering rates than rhyolite and granite?

Accepted Answer

A) The quartz in the gabbro and basalt decomposes very quickly. 
B) The ferromagnesian minerals in the gabbro and basalt are subject to oxidation and chemical breakdown. 
C) The plagioclase feldspars in the granite and rhyolite decompose readily to clay minerals and iron oxides. 
D) The potassium feldspars and quartz in the rhyolite and granite are more susceptible to cracking by frost wedging. 
A) The quartz in the gabbro and basalt decomposes very quickly. 
B) The ferromagnesian minerals in the gabbro and basalt are subject to oxidation and chemical breakdown. 
C) The plagioclase feldspars in the granite and rhyolite decompose readily to clay minerals and iron oxides. 
D) The potassium feldspars and quartz in the rhyolite and granite are more susceptible to cracking by frost wedging.

Question 3

earthquake lahar liquefaction landslide

Accepted Answer

The answer of earthquake lahar liquefaction landslide...

Question 4

What is the greatest danger from earthflow?

Accepted Answer

A) loss of life by rapid downslope movement of the earthflow 
B) loss of property along the path of the earthflow 
C) loss of water quality by mud flowing into river drainages,polluting the water 
D) deforestation along the earthflow path 
A) loss of life by rapid downslope movement of the earthflow 
B) loss of property along the path of the earthflow 
C) loss of water quality by mud flowing into river drainages,polluting the water 
D) deforestation along the earthflow path

Question 5

In much of what is now Canada,glaciers covered the land as little as 12,000 years ago and glacial erosion scoured the land surface leaving very thin soil or bare rock over large areas.The Midwestern United States was also covered in ice at this time,yet this area contains some of the richest farm land in the world with thick soils.These soils are formed on glacial sediments and windblown dust deposits from the ice age.Why are the soil conditions between these areas so different when the soils are virtually identical in age?

Accepted Answer

A) It is much colder in Canada so chemical weather is much slower; thus and soils have not had time to form. 
B) The Midwestern soils are transported soils with soil development on materials that were already loose,unconsolidated materials. 
C) Sea level rose following the ice age and covered the Midwest with an inland sea,rapidly forming soil. 
D) The Midwestern U.S.is much flatter than Canada,allowing soils to develop more quickly. 
A) It is much colder in Canada so chemical weather is much slower; thus and soils have not had time to form. 
B) The Midwestern soils are transported soils with soil development on materials that were already loose,unconsolidated materials. 
C) Sea level rose following the ice age and covered the Midwest with an inland sea,rapidly forming soil. 
D) The Midwestern U.S.is much flatter than Canada,allowing soils to develop more quickly.

Question 6

Assume that water filling a crack in a rock undergoes cycles of freezing and melting.Which of the following statement is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Water expands as it melts,causing the crack walls to be pushed apart. 
B) Water shrinks as it freezes,causing the crack walls to be drawn closer together. 
C) Water expands as it freezes,causing the crack walls to be pushed apart. 
D) Water shrinks as it melts,causing the crack walls to be pulled closer together. 
A) Water expands as it melts,causing the crack walls to be pushed apart. 
B) Water shrinks as it freezes,causing the crack walls to be drawn closer together. 
C) Water expands as it freezes,causing the crack walls to be pushed apart. 
D) Water shrinks as it melts,causing the crack walls to be pulled closer together.

Question 7

Limestone and marble weather faster than granite because ________.

Accepted Answer

A) granite is more resistant to physical weathering because of its large crystals 
B) limestone has many cracks and holes that allow water to infiltrate and weather the rock 
C) limestone and marble can be dissolved by weak acids in rain 
D) granite does not react with rainwater and only weathers by physical erosion 
A) granite is more resistant to physical weathering because of its large crystals 
B) limestone has many cracks and holes that allow water to infiltrate and weather the rock 
C) limestone and marble can be dissolved by weak acids in rain 
D) granite does not react with rainwater and only weathers by physical erosion

Question 8

oxidation dissolution hydrolysis sheeting

Accepted Answer

The answer of oxidation dissolution hydrolysis sheeting...

Question 9

Slump describes the very slow,downhill movement of soil and regolith.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which process of mass wasting occurs primarily in permafrost regions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which process of mass wasting occurs primarily...

Question 11

Clay minerals formed from gabbro or diorite bedrock illustrate which kind of weathering?

Accepted Answer

A) chemical 
B) proactive 
C) syntropical 
D) mechanical 
A) chemical 
B) proactive 
C) syntropical 
D) mechanical

Question 12

Solifluction occurs during the warmer summer months.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

What kind of weathering involves only a reduction in the sizes of bedrock,regolith,and mineral particles?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What kind of weathering involves only a...

Question 14

In deserts of southwestern North America developers often build houses in dry stream beds and build only minimal subsurface drainage systems to handle a flow of water comparable to the size of the dry stream channel.Is this a reasonable development model in the interest of public safety?

Accepted Answer

A) Yes,although flash floods can occur,using the channel size is a reasonable estimate of the maximum flood size. 
B) No,flash floods can produce high viscosity mudflows that would not be captured by the drainage system and could flow out over the valley,destroying everything in its path. 
C) No,giant rock avalanches could come down the valley covering houses. 
D) Yes,any potential flooding catastrophe would be a 100 year flood event and would have adequate warning to evacuate people for safety,so the drainage system is adequate. 
A) Yes,although flash floods can occur,using the channel size is a reasonable estimate of the maximum flood size. 
B) No,flash floods can produce high viscosity mudflows that would not be captured by the drainage system and could flow out over the valley,destroying everything in its path. 
C) No,giant rock avalanches could come down the valley covering houses. 
D) Yes,any potential flooding catastrophe would be a 100 year flood event and would have adequate warning to evacuate people for safety,so the drainage system is adequate.

Question 15

Centuries ago quarrymen learned that when quarrying granite it was usually easiest to break the rock along a nearly horizontal surface.We now know this arises because ________.

Accepted Answer

A) uplift and exhumation of granites produces an unloading,which produces sheeting joints like the quarrymen used 
B) frost wedging for hundreds of thousands to millions of years have produced cracks parallel to the ground surface 
C) chemical weathering of granite makes the material expand,pulling it away from the underlying rock 
D) it was a false observation; the quarrymen in those days couldn't measure resistance,and it just seemed easier to wedge blocks of this type 
A) uplift and exhumation of granites produces an unloading,which produces sheeting joints like the quarrymen used 
B) frost wedging for hundreds of thousands to millions of years have produced cracks parallel to the ground surface 
C) chemical weathering of granite makes the material expand,pulling it away from the underlying rock 
D) it was a false observation; the quarrymen in those days couldn't measure resistance,and it just seemed easier to wedge blocks of this type

Question 16

Which one of the following operates primarily in areas of permafrost?

Accepted Answer

A) rock avalanche 
B) solifluction 
C) soil creep 
D) mudflow 
A) rock avalanche 
B) solifluction 
C) soil creep 
D) mudflow

Question 17

Most insurance companies will not insure property with a known landslide hazard.Why?

Accepted Answer

A) The risk is negligible on human time spans,but they are unwilling to take the risk because of liability. 
B) The risk is high on human life time scales,and the hazard is difficult to assess. 
C) They are known to always occur during major disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes,and they don't want the exposure to a large disaster. 
D) They are just being cheap. 
A) The risk is negligible on human time spans,but they are unwilling to take the risk because of liability. 
B) The risk is high on human life time scales,and the hazard is difficult to assess. 
C) They are known to always occur during major disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes,and they don't want the exposure to a large disaster. 
D) They are just being cheap.

Question 18

________ is the fan-shaped pile of broken rock fragments at the base of a steep,bedrock slope or cliff.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ is the fan-shaped pile of broken...

Question 19

Ferromagnesian minerals (like olivine and pyroxene)that crystallize at high temperatures in Bowen's reaction series are generally much less susceptible to chemical weathering than quartz.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Quartz weathers readily to aluminum-rich clay minerals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 4: Weathering, soil, and Mass Wasting

Frost wedging is the major weathering process contributing to the formation of which regolith material?

Under similar warm,moist climatic conditions,why would basalt and gabbro generally have higher chemical weathering rates than rhyolite and granite?

earthquake lahar liquefaction landslide

What is the greatest danger from earthflow?

Assume that water filling a crack in a rock undergoes cycles of freezing and melting.Which of the following statement is true?

Limestone and marble weather faster than granite because ________.

oxidation dissolution hydrolysis sheeting

Slump describes the very slow,downhill movement of soil and regolith.

Which process of mass wasting occurs primarily in permafrost regions?

Clay minerals formed from gabbro or diorite bedrock illustrate which kind of weathering?

Solifluction occurs during the warmer summer months.

What kind of weathering involves only a reduction in the sizes of bedrock,regolith,and mineral particles?

In deserts of southwestern North America developers often build houses in dry stream beds and build only minimal subsurface drainage systems to handle a flow of water comparable to the size of the dry stream channel.Is this a reasonable development model in the interest of public safety?

Centuries ago quarrymen learned that when quarrying granite it was usually easiest to break the rock along a nearly horizontal surface.We now know this arises because ________.

Which one of the following operates primarily in areas of permafrost?

Most insurance companies will not insure property with a known landslide hazard.Why?

________ is the fan-shaped pile of broken rock fragments at the base of a steep,bedrock slope or cliff.

Ferromagnesian minerals (like olivine and pyroxene)that crystallize at high temperatures in Bowen's reaction series are generally much less susceptible to chemical weathering than quartz.

Quartz weathers readily to aluminum-rich clay minerals.

Introduction to Earth Science

Matter and Minerals

Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth

Running Water and Groundwater

Glaciers, deserts, and Wind

Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity

Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Geologic Time

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

The Ocean Floor

Ocean Water and Ocean Life

The Dynamic Ocean

The Atmosphere: Composition,structure,and Temperature

Moisture, clouds, and Precipitation

Air Pressure and Wind

Weather Patterns and Severe Weather

World Climates and Global Climate Change

Origin of Modern Astronomy

Touring Our Solar System

Light,astronomical Observations,and the Sun

Beyond Our Solar System

Filters