Exam Review for EXAM 3 (Monday, 3rd November, 2003)

 

Important:

For any question regarding the review, please email me at delwar.ahmed@wmich.edu before midnight Friday October 31, 2003, because I will be out of town from Sunday 11/02/2003) to Wednesday (11/05/2003) for GSA Conference.

 

 

Lecture text, handouts, and presentations are the source of information for the review questions. It is suggested to go through presentations as well, because they sometimes contain supplemental information that are not in the referred text but were mentioned in the lecture!

 

Before the exam please have your Course ID handy. Don’t write the Soc. Sec. No. in the scantron. Write down the Course ID given to you.

 

Chapter 11

Groundwater

 

1.                  Compare and contrast the zones of aeration and saturation? Which of these zone contains groundwater?

2.                  Distinguish between porosity and permeability? Which property is related to the flow of water?

3.                  What is the difference between the aquifer and aquitard? Which can store a substantial amount of water?

4.                  Under what circumstances can a material have a high porosity but not be a good aquifer?

5.                  What is the factor that makes the groundwater flow? How does Darcy’s law explain flow through a porous permeable aquifer in terms of gradient?

6.                  What do you understand by the term ‘artesian’?

7.                  What is the source of heat for most hot springs and geysers? How is this reflected in the distribution of these features?

8.                  In order for artesian wells to exist, two conditions must be fulfilled. List these conditions.

9.                  Which aquifer would be most effective in purifying polluted groundwater: sand or cavernous limestone?

10.              What is the process responsible for formation of caves and sinkholes? What is the source of the material?

11.              Name some problems that could result from groundwater extraction.

 

 

Chapter 12

Glaciers and Glaciation

 

1.                  Where are glaciers found today? What percentage of Earth’s land area do they cover? How does this compare to the area covered by glaciers during the Pleistocene?

2.                  Each statement below referes to a particular type of glacier. Name the type of glacier:

a.       The term ‘continental glacier’ is often used to describe this type of glacier.

b.      This type of glacier is also called ‘alpine glacier’.

c.       This is a stream of ice leading from the margin of an ice sheet through the mountains to the sea.

d.      This is a glacier formed when one or more valley glaciers spread out at the base of a steep mountain front.

 

3.                  Describe glacial flow? What type of flow takes place below 50 meters depth of the ice accumulation?

4.                  How deep a crevasse could go into the ice mass? Where does crevasse forms and why?

5.                  Under what circumstances will the front of the glacier advance? Retreat? Remain stationary?

6.                  How do glaciers erode? How does freeze and thaw helps in glacial erosional processes?

7.                  How does a glaciated mountain valley differ in appearance from a mountain valley that was not glaciated?

8.                  List and describe the erosional features you might expect to see in an area where valley glaciers exist or have recently existed.

9.                  What is glacial till? List four basic moraine types. What do all of the moraines have in common? What is the significance of terminal and recessional moraine?

10.              Why are medial moraines proof that the valley glaciers must move?

 

 

Chapter 13

Deserts and Winds

 

  1. What is the primary cause of the subtropical deserts? Of middle-latitude deserts?
  2. In which hemisphere (Northern or Southern) are middle-latitude deserts most common?
  3. What type of weathering is common in deserts? Why is rock weathering reduced in deserts?
  4. As a permanent stream such as Nile River crosses a desert, does tdischarge increase or decrease? How does this compare to a river in a humid region?
  5. What is the most important erosional agent in the deserts?
  6. Why is ‘sea level’ (ultimate base level) not a significant factor influencing erosion in desert regions?
  7. Describe the features and characteristics associated with each of the stages in the evolution a mountainous desert. Where in the United States can these stages be observed?
  8. Describe the way in which wind transports sand. During very strong winds, how high above the ground can sand be carried?
  9. Why is wind erosion relatively more important in arid regions than in humid areas?
  10. What is a blowout? What factor limits the depth of blowouts?
  11. List three factors that influence the form and size of a sand dune (Think about the source material, carrying media, and the state of the area where dune is forming!).
  12. Six major dune types are recognized. Indicate which type of dune is associated with each of the following statements:
    1. dunes whose tips point into the wind (upwind direction).
    2. long sand ridges oriented at right angles to the wind.
    3. dunes that often form along coasts where strong winds create a blowout.
    4. solitary dunes whose tips point downwind.
    5. long sand ridges that are oriented more or less parallel to the prevailing wind.
    6. an isolated dune consisting of three or four sharp-crested ridges diverging from a central high point.
    7. scalloped rows of sand oriented at right angles to the wind.

 

  1. Is Aral Sea shrinking or expanding? What caused it? What are the consequences experienced by the people living along the coastline? (see Box 13.2).

 

 

Chapter 14

Shorelines

 

  1. List three factors that determine the height, length, and period of a wave.
  2. Describe the motion of a water particle as a wave passes (see Figure 14.3).
  3. Describe two ways in which waves cause erosion.
  4. What is wave refraction? What is the effect of this process along the irregular coastlines (see Figure 14.8)?
  5. Why are beaches often called ‘rivers of sand’?
  6. How ahs the construction of artificial levees and dams on the Mississippis River and its tributaries contributed to a shrinking of the Mississippi’s delta and its extensive wetlands (see Box 14.1)
  7. How does the following features form: wave-cut cliff, wave-cut platform, sea stack, spit, baymouth bar, and tombolo.
  8. What observable features would lead you to classify a coastal area as emergent?
  9. How might a seawall lead to increased beach erosion?
  10. What are the drawbacks of beach nourishment?
  11. Are estuaries associated with with submergent or emergent? Why?

 

 

 

Updated Sunday, November 02, 2003