Earth Science – GEOL-008
Spring, 2004
Exam 2A
Choose the BEST answer.
1. Chemical weathering would be least effective ______. a) in a warm, dry climate, b)
in a cold, dry climate, c) in a warm, wet climate, d) in a cold, wet climate, e) equally
in any kind of climate.
2. The hydrologic cycle is powered by: a) heat energy within the Earth, b)
evaporation, c) solar energy, d) transpiration.
3. Which of the following changes may occur during metamorphism? a) certain
minerals may recrystallize, b) the rock becomes more compact, c) crystals may
grow larger, d) all of these.
4. The figure to the right illustrates the mass wasting process of:
a) flow, b) slide, c) creep, d) fall.
5. Detrital sedimentary rocks are classified (named) primarily on the
basis of: a) color, b) particle size, c) mineral composition, d)
type of bedding.
6. The primary components of the driving force in mass wasting events is: a) gravity,
b) shear strength of the materials, c) amount of vegetation on the slope, d) none of
these.
7. When sediment becomes “lithified” it becomes: a) altered to a metamorphic rock, b)
altered to an igneous rock, c) eroded and washed away, d) cemented into a rock.
8. The B horizon is also known as the: a) zone of organic activity, b) zone of
accumulation, c) zone of leaching, d) zone of clay development.
9. A 500-year flood is one that: a) has a 1/500 percent probability of occurrence in any
one year, b) recurs at intervals exactly 500 years apart, c) has a 1/500 percent
probability of ever occurring, d) none of the above
10. The main driving force for moving water down slope is: a) amount of free water from
a precipitation event, b) velocity, c) gravity, d) solar energy.
11. Classifying igneous rocks is a function of identifying: a) streak and color, b)
minerals and relative hardness, c) color and texture, d) none of these
characteristics.
12. An effective method used to reduce the incidence of failure on slopes is to: a) build
concrete surface on the top to the slope to prevent infiltration of water, b) add water
to slopes to add tensional forces to sediment particles, c) drain slopes to remove
excessive water and reduce pore pressures, d) all of these.
13. Channelization of streams: a) produces high quality ecological environments, b)
causes flowing water to move slower allowing for more groundwater recharge, c)
drains metropolitan areas faster, d) encourages salmon spawning.
14. The O horizon in a soil profile is also known as the: a) zone of organic activity, b)
zone of accumulation, c) zone of leaching, d) zone of sand enrichment.
15. The breakdown of rocks into smaller and smaller pieces is primarily a function of: a)
chemical weathering, b) differential weathering, c) mechanical weathering, d)
hydrolysis.
16. A _____ moves entirely by shearing within the transported mass, and no clear plane
can be defined at the base of the moving debris. a) slide, b) flow, c) fall, d) creep.
17. A downstream flood results from: a) slow moving storms (weeks) over large areas,
b) fast moving storms (hours) over large areas, c) fast moving storms over small
areas, d) slow moving storms over small areas.
18. Which rock type is associated with a quiet, low energy environment (such as a
lake)? a) conglomerate, b) shale, c) sanstone, d) both conglomerate and shale.
19. In the picture to the right, what type of river
is shown? a) braided, b) meandering, c)
graded, d) curvy.
20. What is the name of the feature located
here? a) curvy lake, b) oxbow lake, c)
remnant lake, d) cut-off lake?
21. At a bend in a river, the main deposition is
_____. a) on the outside of the bend, b) on
the inside of the bend, c) both outside and
inside the bend, d) at a braided portion of
the river.
22. If a rock has lots of pores but they are not connected together very well, the rock will
have low _____. a) specific retention, b) porosity, c) permability, d) shear strength.
23. The aquifer system shown at the right is
a(n) a) unconfined aquifer, b) confined
aquifer, c) an aquitard, d) an
underground river.
24. The properties of the materials at A will
likely be: a) low permeability, b) high
permeability, c) high porosity and high
permeability, d) low porosity, high
permeability.
A
25. The primary rock type found in the Sierra Nevada mountains in eastern California is:
a) gneiss, b) sandstone, c) conglomerate, d) granite.
26. The largest reservoir of fresh water in the global water cycle is: a) the oceans, b)
ice, c) lakes and streams, d) ground water.
27. Most of the heat for contact metamorphism is supplied by ____. a) frictional heating
along a fault, b) radioactive elements, c) deep burial within the Earth, d) a nearby
mass of magma.
28. If a gneiss is completely melted and recrystallized, what general category of a rock
will it become? a) igneous, b) sedimentary, c) mineral, d) metamorphic.
29. The percentage of the total volume of rock or sediment that consists of pore spaces
is called ______. a) permeability, b) hydraulic gradient, c) porosity, d) specific
yield.
30. Which of the following groups of sedimentary rocks lists them from finest-grained to
coarsest? a) conglomerate, mudstone, sandstone, b) sandstone, mudstone,
conglomerate, c) shale, sandstone, conglomerate, d) none of these.
31. Metamorphism may result from: a) chemical action, b) pressure, c) heat, d) all of
these.
32. As the rate of cooling decreases (slows down), the size of the crystals that form in
an igneous rock : a) increase, b) decrease, c) are not affected.
33. Extrusive rocks: a) are generally fine-grained, b) form deep within the Earth, c)
contain lots of iron, d) are generally coarse-grained.
34. The texture of an igneous rock: a) is controlled by the composition of the magma,
b) is the shape of the rock body, c) determines the color of the rock, d) records the
rock’s cooling history.
35. A stream system whose erosional and depositional rates are balanced is called a(n)
____ stream. a) braided, b) meandering, c) graded, d) equilibrium.
36. Water can: a) increase the risk of sliding by adding weight to a slope, b) decrease
the risk of sliding by adding cohesion to sand or soil, c) increase the risk of sliding
by increasing pore pressure in rocks, d) all of the above
37. The coarse-grained nature of the Sierra Nevada granite suggest the granite: a)
cooled very slowly deep underground, b) cooled very slowly at the earth’s surface,
cooled quickly at the earth’s surface, d) cooled quickly deep underground.
38. Deposited sediments would be found in large amounts in all of the following
environments except a(n): a) river, b) mountain top, c) valley floor, d) alluvial fan
39. A soil type that develops a rock hard layer below the surface and primarily forms in
warm and dry climates is a: a) pedalfer, b) pedocal, c) laterite, d) mollisol.
40. For a well to be classified as “artesian”, a) it must be drilled to great depths, b) it
must be of high quality, c) it must produce copious (lots) of water, d) it must flow
under pressure.
41. When too much groundwater has been pumped out of an area without comparable
recharge, the area can slowly sink. This is called: a) sinkality, b) subsidence, c)
creep, d) karst topography.
42. The following earth materials would likely make for a good aquifer: a) coarse
grained, non-fractured igneous rocks like granite, b) sands and gravels, c) foliated,
non-fractured metamorphic rocks, d) non-foliated, non-fractured metamorphic rocks.
43. Which of the following aquifer properties would you look for if you wanted to pump
large amounts of groundwater? a) lo permeability, b) high specific retention, c)
high specific yield, d) low specific yield.
44. A hydrograph shows: a) water quality over time, b) water velocity over time, c)
discharge over time, d) stream area over time.
45. In which of the following rocks would you be more likely to find a fossil in? a)
granite, b) shale, c) gneiss, d) basalt.