Geology and Soil Science Quiz: Erosion, Weathering, and Landforms

Questions and Answers 1. Subsoil, more clay is washed down. A."A (horizon)" B."B (horizon)" C."C (horizon)" 2. What may occur in dry regions guring a sudden, heavy rainfall or as a result of volcanic eruptions, with mud churning and tumbling down slopes and through valleys? A.A rockfall B.A mudflow C.A landslide D.A slump 3. The breakdown of rock due to exposure to the atmosphere, weather, plants and animals. A.Mechanical weathering B.Chemical weathering C.Expansion/contraction D.Oxidation E.Weathering 4. Examples of chemical weathering. (mark all that apply) A.Abrasion B.Plants/animals (lichens) C.Ice wedging D.Acid rain E.Exfoliation F.Oxidation G.Hydrolysis H.Wetting and drying I.Carbonic acid/carbonation J.Espansion/contraction 5. Found in eastern half of U.S. where amout of rainfall exceeds 25 inches a year, a lot of vegetation and acidic soil. A.Pedocal B.Desert areas C.Pedalfers D.Weathered soil 6. High elevation and latitude, very few layers, shallow..permafrost. A.Tropical soil B.Temperate soil C.Arctic soil 7. An accelerated soil erosion caused by the plowing of furrows up and down slopes that allows water to run swiftly over soil, carrying away the topsoil, is called A.Mudflow B.Erosion C.Gullying 8. The entire arrangement of horizons are called A.Dunes B.Young soil C.Profiles 9. What occrs along very steep slopes when saturation by water and loss of friction with underlying rock cause loose soil to slip downhill in one huge piece? A.A rockfall B.A mudflow C.A landslide D.A slump 10. Rates of weathering. (mark all that apply) A.Time B.The rocks themselves C.Surface area D.Climate E.Mechanical weathering F.Topography 11. The slow, downslope flow of soil saturated with water over hard or frozen layers in areas surrounding glaciers at high elevations is called A.Creep B.Solifuction C.Talus D.Landslide 12. How do some farming and ranching practices increase soil erosion? A.By clearing plants. B.By allowing water to go on the land. C.By letting the land die and buring the crops. D.By clearing plants or allowing animals to overgraze destroys this groundcover. E.By removing all the horizons in the soil and letting bedrocks form. 13. Found in western half of U.S. where rainfall is less than 25 inches a year, basic soil. A.Pedocal B.Pedalfers C.Mature soil 14. A smaller plateau that are tablelike areas. A.Mesas B.Buttes C.Plains 15. What are the factors that determin soil makeup? A.Climate, parent rock, topography, time and vegetation. B.Parent rock, climate, topography, time and humus. C.Vegetation, parent rock, time, age of soil, pedocals. 16. Zone of soil are called A.Horizons B.Profiles C.Young soil 17. Topsoil, gray or black, has humus. A."A (horizon)" B."B (horizon)" C."C (horizon)" 18. Definition of creep. A.Very, very slow down slope movement of rocks. (no water needed) B.Very, very slow down slope movement of soil. (water in soil adds to it) C.Very, very slow down hill movement of rocks. (no water needed) D.Very, very slow dow hill movement of soil. (water in soil adds to it) 19. Occuring as a result of heavy rainfall, spring thaws, volcanic eruptions, or earthquakes, the sudden fall down a steep slope of masses of loose rock combined with soil is called a A.Rockfall B.Mudflow C.Landslide D.Slump 20. Rock fragments and slighty weathered bedrock..you keep diging here, you'll eventually hit soil rock. A."A (horizon)" B."B (horizon)" C."C (horizon)" 21. Rock is split or broken into smaller material without changing its composition. A.Oxidation B.Surface area C.Weathering D.Mechanical weathering E.Chemical weathering 22. What are five examples of mass movements? A.Creeps, talus's, avalanche, streams, mudflow. B.Avalanche, mudflow, landslide, dune. C.Gullying, creep, talus, landslide, earthquake. D.Avalanche, mudflow, creep, landslide, slump. 23. Warm and wet, speed up chemical weathering. A.Arctic soil B.Tropical soil C.Temperate soil 24. Examples of mechanical weathering. (mark all that apply) A.Ice wedging B.Oxidation C.Plants(lichens) D.Wetting and drying E.Acid rain F.Carbonic acid/carbonation G.Hydrolysis H.Abrasion I.Expansion/contraction J.Exfoliation 25. This horizon is formed from the leaching of horizon A. A.No horizon is made B."B (horizon)" C."C (horizon)" 26. Plowing soil in curved bands that follow the shape of the land, thus preventing soil from flowing directly down slopes. A.Contour plowing B.Strip-cropping C.Terracing D.Crop rotation 27. Wearing down of particles. A.Abrasion B.Delfation C.Dunes 28. The movement of a large mass of sediment or a section of land down a slope is called A.Gullying B.Mass movement C.Erosion D.A rockslide 29. What are the four agents of erosion? A.Gravity, soil, landslides, water B.Wind, water, landslides, air C.Gravity, glaciers, wind, water D.Glaciers, gravity, air, soil 30. Three examples of wind erosion. A.Sand storms, deflaton, abrasion B.Abrasion, erosion, dunes C.Dunes, deflation, abrasion 31. Constant erosion reduces the __________ of the soil by removing the A horizon, which contains humus. A.Topsoil B.Fertility C.Erosion 32. Planting crops in alternating bands, one of which is a cover crop that slows rain runoff. A.Contour plowing B.Strip-cropping C.Terracing D.Crop rotation 33. What is the rapid fall of rocks, ranging in size from tiny fragments to large boulders, from a steep cliff? A.A rockfall B.A mudflow C.A landslide D.A slump 34. Soil that was moved by wind or glacier. A.Residual soil B.Tropical soil C.Transport soil 35. Most important result of weathering is A.New rock B.Soil C.Sediment rock 36. Removal of loose particles by wind--most important effect by wind. A.Abrasion B.Deflation C.Dunes 37. Process by which rocks break down as a result of chemical reactions. A.Mechanical weathering B.Chemical weathering C.Weathering 38. Most important factor affecting soil is A.Climate B.Topography C.Time 39. Building steplike ridges that follow the contours of a sloped field, thus slowing the down slope movement of water. A.Contour plowing B.Strip-cropping C.Terracing D.Crop rotation 40. Planting a field with one type of crop one year and a different type of crop the next year. A.Contour plowing B.Strip-cropping C.Terracing D.Crop rotation 41. Thin sheets of soil removed prevent by--grass, continued plowing, crop rotation, strip crop, terraces. A.Gullying B.Sheet wash C.Contour plowing 42. A broad, flat landform that has a high elevation. Subject to much more erosion than a plain. A.Butte B.Mesa C.Plateau 43. Running what is the most effective agent of erosion. A.True B.False 44. Once the plants die that are on top of the horizon, the nutrients make A."A (horizon)" B."B (horizon)" C."C (horizon) 45. Small, narrow-topped formations. A.Mesa B.Plain C.Butte 46. A relatively flat landform near seal level. A.Plateau B.Plain C.Mesa 47. Soil made from local bedrock. A.Tropical soil. B.Arctic soil. C.Residual soil.