75 Questions
What geological feature is formed when a loop of a meandering stream is cutoff, leaving behind the remnant of the channel?
Oxbow lakes
What type of channel consists of more than two streams of water that interconnect to form a network?
Anastomosing channels
What land feature represents step-like formations occurring when sediment is eroded and deposited along the banks of a river?
Terraces
What is the term used for underground water reservoirs that store groundwater like giant rock sponges?
Aquifers
What land feature can be created due to groundwater removal, leaving behind an empty space that causes the ground to sink down?
Sinkholes
What determines how fast water can move underground?
Permeability and gravity
What type of aquifer allows water to exit through topographical depressions like valleys?
Unconfined aquifer
What is the highest classification for spring water discharge amount?
Four
Which type of well is made by driving a tube into the soil until it reaches an aquifer?
Driven well
What environmental problem arises when aquifers are overdrawn along coastal regions?
Sea water intrusion
What are drainage basins also known as?
Watersheds or catchments
What is the term used for the high ground that surrounds drainage basins?
Drainage divides
Which of the following statements about streamflow is true?
Laminar flow is important in engineering and fluid mechanics because mass and heat transfer can be accurately measured.
What is the process of transportation of broken rock fragments from one place to another called?
Erosion
What is the main idea behind the geological principle of uniformitarianism?
The present is the key to the past, or we can deduce what happened in the past by observing how things work today.
Which of the following is NOT one of the key ideas that help determine the order of events in a landform diagram?
The theory of continental drift
What is the characteristic of the youth stage of a stream valley?
Steep gradient, fast flowing water, and V-shaped valley
What is the ultimate base level of a stream?
Sea level
Which of the following processes is NOT involved in the formation of bedrock channels?
Deposition
What is the rate of energy loss on a channel bed that can lead to erosion called?
Stream power
What causes sinkholes to form?
Groundwater dissolving sediments underground
What is the difference between a cave and a cavern?
Caverns have stalactites and stalagmites, caves do not
What is the difference between the accumulation zone and the ablation zone of a glacier?
The accumulation zone is where the glacier grows, the ablation zone is where it melts
What process allows glaciers to move over obstacles and rough ground?
Internal plastic deformation
What are kettle lakes?
Lakes formed by glacial meltwater filling depressions left by retreating glaciers
What is the process called when snow and ice are added to a glacier?
Accumulation
What term describes the removal of snow or ice from a glacier?
Ablation
What are the floating masses of ice called that break off from a glacier and fall into water?
Icebergs
What term describes the direct change from a solid to a gas?
Sublimation
What is the leading edge of a glacier called?
Terminus
What term is used when the leading edge of a glacier does not travel as far as it previously did due to ablation exceeding accumulation?
Retreating
What happens when there is equal balance between accumulation and ablation in a glacier?
The glacier is in equilibrium and does not change in size
What term describes the balance between accumulation and ablation in a glacier?
Glacier mass balance
What happens if there is more growth than melting in a glacier?
The glacier advances
What is the result of a negative mass balance in a glacier?
The glacier retreats
What is another term used to refer to drainage basins?
Catchments
Which geological process involves the transportation of broken rock fragments from one location to another?
Erosion
What type of flow in a stream involves water particles flowing in a straight line in parallel layers with slow velocity?
Laminar flow
Which of the following best describes the concept of uniformitarianism in geology?
Present influences past events
What geological processes are constantly shaping and modifying landscapes over time?
Weathering, erosion, deposition
What is the main difference between runoff and infiltration in the water cycle?
Runoff moves water across the surface, while infiltration moves water into the soil.
What is a major factor that determines the rate of infiltration?
The type of rock or soil
What is the potential negative impact of runoff on the environment?
It can cause land erosion by stripping away soil, rocks, and nutrients.
What is the definition of a drainage basin?
An area where water collects and flows into a common outlet or waterway.
Which of the following rock types is most permeable, allowing water to flow through easily?
Sand
What is the main characteristic of the maturity stage of a stream valley?
A less steep gradient, slower flowing water, and outward erosion
What is the process by which particles scrape against each other, leading to the formation of bedrock channels?
Abrasion
Which of the following is NOT a type of base level for a stream?
Intermediate base level
What is the term used for the wide and level bottom of a stream valley that develops during the maturity stage?
Floodplain
What is the term used for the erosion and transport of large chunks of rock, which is a process involved in the formation of bedrock channels?
Plucking
What determines the direction and rate of flow of water underground?
Gravity
Which type of aquifer allows water to exit through topographical depressions such as valleys?
Unconfined aquifer
What is the most essential factor affecting the quality of spring water for drinking purposes?
Mineral composition of reservoir rocks
Which type of well is made by driving a tube into the soil until it reaches an aquifer?
Driven well
What environmental problem arises when aquifers are overdrawn along coastal regions?
Sea water intrusion causing salinization of water
What is the main difference between cave and cavern?
Caves have stalactites and stalagmites while caverns do not.
What is the difference between an alpine glacier and a tidewater glacier?
Tidewater glaciers deposit ice into the sea, while alpine glaciers do not.
What is the term used to describe the deposition of loose sediments contributing to the formation of alluvial channels?
Alluvium
What happens to the terminus of a glacier when more ice melts than freezes?
The terminus retreats
What landform is created when an area carved out by a glacier fills with water?
Kettle lake
Which of the following is NOT a type of alluvial channel mentioned in the text?
Radial stream
What geological feature is formed when excess water erodes the surrounding riverbank, creating a wide, flat plain?
Flood plain
Which process allows a glacier to move over obstacles and rough ground?
Basal sliding
What are the step-like land features called that occur when sediment is eroded and deposited along the banks of a river?
Terraces
What type of channel consists of more than two streams of water that interconnect to form a network?
Anastomosing channels
What is the process by which large chunks of ice break off a glacier and fall into water?
Calving
If a glacier's accumulation exceeds its ablation, what will happen to the glacier?
It will advance
What is the term used to describe the leading edge of a glacier?
Terminus
What happens when a glacier is in equilibrium?
The glacier does not change in size
What is the process called when snow and ice are added to a glacier?
Accumulation
If a glacier's ablation exceeds its accumulation, what will happen to the glacier?
It will retreat
What is the direct change from a solid to a gas called?
Sublimation
What term describes the balance between accumulation and ablation in a glacier?
Mass balance
Which of the following processes is NOT involved in the ablation (wastage) of a glacier?
Snowfall
What is the term used when the leading edge of a glacier does not travel as far as it previously did due to ablation exceeding accumulation?
Retreating
Study Notes
Geological Features and Processes
- Oxbow lake is formed when a loop of a meandering stream is cutoff, leaving behind the remnant of the channel.
- Braided channel consists of more than two streams of water that interconnect to form a network.
- Terraces are step-like formations occurring when sediment is eroded and deposited along the banks of a river.
Aquifers and Groundwater
- Aquifers are underground water reservoirs that store groundwater like giant rock sponges.
- An artesian well is made by driving a tube into the soil until it reaches an aquifer.
- Permeability of an aquifer and the pressure of the water determine how fast water can move underground.
- Unconfined aquifers allow water to exit through topographical depressions like valleys.
- The highest classification for spring water discharge amount is an artesian well.
Glaciers and Landforms
- A calving glacier is formed when ice breaks off from a glacier and falls into water.
- A kettle lake is a landform created when an area carved out by a glacier fills with water.
- Glaciers move over obstacles and rough ground through a process called basal sliding.
- The accumulation zone of a glacier is where snow and ice are added, and the ablation zone is where they are removed.
Uniformitarianism and Geological Processes
- Uniformitarianism is the concept that geological processes occurring today have shaped the Earth's landscape over time.
- Runoff occurs when precipitation flows over the ground surface, and infiltration occurs when it seeps into the soil.
- Permeability of rocks affects the rate of infiltration.
- Geological processes involved in the formation of bedrock channels include erosion, transportation, and deposition of rock fragments.
Learn about the difference between runoff and infiltration in the water cycle. Understand how water moves across surfaces and seeps into the soil, impacting the environment. Explore how runoff eventually ends up in lakes and oceans.
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