The Ice Ages and Climate Change
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Questions and Answers

Approximately how long ago was the last glacial maximum?

  • 200 million years ago
  • 18,000 years ago (correct)
  • 2 million years ago
  • 20,000 years ago

    • Why did the coastline of North America look different 18,000 years ago compared to now?

  • There was a transverse motion
  • There was a continental shelf
  • There was a huge trench (correct)
  • Subduction was taking place

    • What is the continental shelf?

  • The subduction zone
  • The transverse motion of the fault
  • The flooded part of the continent (correct)
  • The outer extent of the ice sheet

    • What is the significance of the continental shelf in relation to the supercontinent Pangea?

    <p>It is a better fit when Pangea is reconstructed</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How did glaciers modify the landscape?

    <p>By creating terminal moraines</p> Signup and view all the answers

    During which epoch did the last glacial maximum occur?

    <p>Pleistocene epoch</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the age of the ice ages?

    <p>Pleistocene epoch</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Approximately when did the Pleistocene epoch occur?

    <p>3 million years ago</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of Earth's land area was covered in ice during the Pleistocene epoch?

    <p>30%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which hemisphere had more ice coverage during the Pleistocene epoch?

    <p>Northern hemisphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the reason for the extensive ice coverage in the northern hemisphere during the Pleistocene epoch?

    <p>Presence of more land in the northern hemisphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does sea ice form?

    <p>Seawater freezes, leaving behind salt</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why was Alaska partially unglaciated during the Pleistocene epoch?

    <p>Alaska had warm water currents</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the average global temperature decrease during ice ages?

    <p>3 to 5 degrees Celsius</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are positive feedback effects during ice ages?

    <p>Increased reflectivity of ice</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which mathematical model proposed the idea of ice ages based on variations in the Earth's orbit?

    <p>Milenkovic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the principal control of climate?

    <p>Latitude</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes the change in seasons?

    <p>Tilt of the Earth's axis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT one of the orbital effects that contribute to ice ages?

    <p>Axial tilt</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the approximate duration of the cycle for eccentricity?

    <p>100,000 years</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which latitude is thought to be critical for the formation of ice sheets during ice ages?

    <p>5 degrees</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which region in California experiences some of the highest average annual precipitation?

    <p>Coast Range</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the principal agent of erosion in deserts?

    <p>Water</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is a desert defined?

    <p>By the amount of precipitation it receives</p> Signup and view all the answers

    During which time frame do we go through one cycle of the Milankovitch cycles?

    <p>100,000 years</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the modern definition of a desert?

    <p>Any area with more water leaving than coming in</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of Earth's land surfaces are deserts?

    <p>30%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main cause of the distribution of deserts on Earth?

    <p>Global wind pattern</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of the Himalayas on the global wind pattern?

    <p>It changes the global wind pattern</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is the Great Basin desert located at a higher latitude than expected?

    <p>The effect of mountain ranges</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following features is an erosional feature in the basin and range region?

    <p>Insulbergs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes wind erosion in deserts?

    <p>Deflation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for a large hole in the desert caused by wind blowing away loose material?

    <p>Blowout</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which direction does the wind blow in the Sahara Desert?

    <p>South</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the sand that is carried by a stream in the bed load?

    <p>Saltation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the principal agent of erosion in deserts?

    <p>Wind</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the process of sand grains being blasted against rocks by the wind?

    <p>Abrasion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which term describes the hard covering of sand in a desert environment that prevents deflation?

    <p>Desert pavement</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main cause of the dust bowl in the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s?

    <p>Over farming</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which depositional feature is associated with sand dunes?

    <p>Cross beds</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do cross beds indicate in a sand dune environment?

    <p>Direction of sand movement</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of determining wind direction and sand concentration in sand dunes?

    <p>To understand the formation of sand dunes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for wind-blown silts that caused the dust bowl in the United States?

    <p>Loess</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the areas where sand is sliding down in a sand dune?

    <p>Slip faces</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the patterns formed by sand dunes?

    <p>Sand dune patterns</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Understanding Ice Ages and Climate Change

    • The Pleistocene epoch occurred approximately 3 million years ago.
    • The Pleistocene epoch is part of geologic time, specifically the division after which we are currently in, the Holocene.
    • During the Pleistocene epoch, 30% of Earth's land area was covered in ice, with the northern hemisphere having twice as much ice as the southern hemisphere.
    • The extensive ice coverage in the northern hemisphere is due to the presence of more land in that region, which is necessary for the formation of continental ice sheets.
    • Sea ice forms when seawater freezes, leaving behind the salt, resulting in relatively fresh water on the surface.
    • Alaska was partially unglaciated during the Pleistocene epoch due to the circulation of warm water currents that moderated the climate in that region.
    • Ice ages occur due to a cycle of global cooling, which can bring average global temperatures down by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius.
    • Ice ages are characterized by positive feedback effects, where the presence of ice leads to further cooling and expansion of ice coverage.
    • Positive feedback effects during ice ages include increased reflectivity of ice, which reflects more sunlight and lowers temperatures further, and the depression of continents, which also contributes to cooling.
    • The presence of ice sheets during ice ages significantly alters the Earth's albedo, or reflectivity, which affects the amount of solar radiation absorbed or reflected back into space.
    • Ice ages are part of large-scale climatic cycles that have occurred throughout Earth's history, with periods of both colder and warmer climates.
    • Plate tectonics, such as the separation of continents like South America and Antarctica, can influence ocean currents and contribute to climate patterns, further affecting ice ages.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge of ice ages and climate change with this quiz! Learn about the Pleistocene epoch, the formation of ice sheets, the feedback effects of ice ages, and the role of plate tectonics in influencing climate patterns. Discover how these large-scale climatic cycles have shaped Earth's history.

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