Earth Science Chapter 4 Questions

5 September 2022
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question
Which of the following statements describes weathering? -Weathering agents include wind, water, and ice. -Weathering is the removal of materials. -Weathering is the transfer of rock and soil. -Weathering is the breakdown of materials. -Weathering depends upon gravity.
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Weathering is the breakdown of materials.
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Which of the following statements is associated with chemical weathering? -Chemical weathering does not change the chemical composition of the rock. -Chemical weathering physically breaks down the rock into smaller pieces. -Chemical weathering changes the chemical composition of the rock.
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Chemical weathering changes the chemical composition of the rock.
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How have humans increased the rate of soil erosion? (3) -by removing vegetation -by disrupting vegetation -by building windbreaks -by building terraces -by logging
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-by removing vegetation -by disrupting vegetation - by logging
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How is the economically valuable mineral bauxite formed? -through a mass wasting process called secondary enrichment -through chemical weathering of granite -through a weathering process called secondary enrichment -through mechanical weathering of granite
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-through a weathering process called secondary enrichment
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What is mass wasting? -transfer of material downstream due to water flow -transfer of material downslope due to gravity -chemical breakdown of materials -physical breakdown of materials
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transfer of material downslope due to gravity
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Which of the following does not control whether or not a mass wasting event will occur? -amount of precipitation -increased snowmelt -vegetation removal -presence of soil -oversteepened slopes
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presence of soil
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What criteria are used to divide the various types of mass wasting? Check all that apply. (3) -type of motion -occurrence of heavy precipitation -occurrence of earthquakes -rate of movement -type of material
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type of motion rate of movement -type of material
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How would you recognize a debris flow? -slow movement of material composed mostly of rock -slow movement of material composed mostly of clay -rapid movement of material containing a large amount of water -rapid movement of material containing small amounts of water
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rapid movement of material containing a large amount of water
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Which of the following statements relates to creep? -Creep is synonymous with the term slump. -Creep is synonymous with the term earthflow. -Creep involves rapid movement of soil and rock. -Creep is the gradual movement of soil and rock
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-Creep is the gradual movement of soil and rock
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All of the following are factors that affect rates of weathering except for ________. geologic age of earth materials climate surface area rock characteristics
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geological age of earth materials
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Abundant moisture and warm temperatures result in high rates of chemical weathering. ANSWER: True or False
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true
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How do freezing, thawing, wetting, and drying contribute to soil creep? ANSWER: -The soil expands and contracts, lifting particles and dropping them a slight distance downslope. -Gravity exerts a much stronger force when the soil is wet and thawed. -The soil becomes much weaker when dry and frozen. -Eventually, these cause the soil and regolith to suddenly slide down the slope.
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The soil expands and contracts, lifting particles and dropping them a slight distance downslope.
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Which one of the following operates primarily in areas of permafrost? ANSWER: solifluction soil creep rock avalanche mudflow
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solifluction
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Lahars are essentially mudflows associated with volcanoes and volcanism. ANSWER: True or False
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true
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When considering mass wasting, which of the following factors is most influential in the downslope movement of weathered particles?
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gravity
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Which of the following responses are examples of how water can promote mass wasting? (3) -Water can saturate sediment, reducing the integrity of the slope and allowing it to move. -When water is added to weathered particles, the mass of the sediment is increased, which can cause slope instability. -Waves and streams can undercut banks and cliffs, causing them to fail. -Water enhances the ability of vegetation to grow on weathered particles, promoting mass wasting. -Water can infiltrate sediment, partially filling the pore spaces between grains and reducing slope cohesion.
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Water can saturate sediment, reducing the integrity of the slope and allowing it to move. -When water is added to weathered particles, the mass of the sediment is increased, which can cause slope instability. -Waves and streams can undercut banks and cliffs, causing them to fail.
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When dry sediment accumulates, the angle of repose represents what property of the deposit? -The steepest angle at which those sediments can accumulate and remain stable. -The angle of repose is the angle at which sediment accumulates when slopes move very slowly. -The angle of repose represents cross-bedding in the sediment. -The angle of repose is the angle at which sediment accumulates when slopes move very quickly. -The angle of repose represents the angle the sediment maintains when undercut by waves and streams.
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The steepest angle at which those sediments can accumulate and remain stable.
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When sediment accumulates, the angle of repose can be increased by changing which of the following conditions? -undercutting by waves and streams -removal of vegetation -removing all the moisture from the sediment (drying) -slight addition of water to the sediment -earthquake activity
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slight addition of water to the sediment
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What two factors speed up rates of chemical reaction and weathering in rocks and soils?
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warm temperature and moist
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Which one of the following is an important, mechanical weathering process for enlarging fractures and extending them deeper into large boulders and bedrock?
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frost wedgeing
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what factors does not affect the rate of chemical weathering?
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erosion
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All of the following are factors affecting mass wasting except for ________. slope angle geologic age water gravity
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geologic age
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The most rapid type of mass movement is a ________. ANSWER: lahar slump debris flow rock avalanche
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rock avalanche
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Which statement best describes slumping, a mass wasting process? ANSWER: -a mass of soil or regolith becomes saturated with water and suddenly flows downhill to the base of the slope -the soil and regolith move downhill very slowly -a block or blocks of unconsolidated regolith slide downhill along a curved slip surface -blocks of hard bedrock rapidly slide downhill along fracture surfaces
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a block or blocks of unconsolidated regolith slide downhill along a curved slip surface
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Which mass wasting process has the slowest rate of movement?
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creep?
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Assume that water filling a crack in a rock undergoes cycles of freezing and melting. Which of the following statement is true? ANSWER: -Water shrinks as it melts, causing the crack walls to be pulled closer together. -Water shrinks as it freezes, causing the crack walls to be drawn closer together. -Water expands as it freezes, causing the crack walls to be pushed apart. -Water expands as it melts, causing the crack walls to be pushed apart.
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Water expands as it freezes, causing the crack walls to be pushed apart.
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Clay minerals formed from gabbro or diorite bedrock illustrate which kind of weathering?
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chemical
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Solifluction occurs during the warmer summer months. ANSWER: True False
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true
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Solifluction is an important mass wasting process in areas of permafrost. ANSWER: True False
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true
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In the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, north-facing slopes (downhill direction is toward the north) are typically more moist and heavily forested than south-facing slopes. Why? ANSWER: -South-facing slopes receive more moisture and sunlight; rock weathering is slower. -South-facing slopes receive less moisture, yet rock weathering is faster. -North-facing slopes receive about the same amount of precipitation as south-facing slopes; less moisture evaporates from north-facing slopes. -North-facing slopes receive more sunlight in the summer; snow melts faster and more soil moisture is available for the trees.
answer
North-facing slopes receive about the same amount of precipitation as south-facing slopes; less moisture evaporates from north-facing slopes.