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GEOG315:
PRINCIPLES OF GEOMORPHOLOGY
MAKE-UP
MID-TERM EXAMINATION
NOTE: Answer One Question Only. The answer MUST NOT
exceed FIVE typed pages, double-spaced. You MUST consult additional
materials outside the class note and recommended textbook to answer the
question. Evidence of library research will be appropriately rewarded. Use
APA format.
1.
Write short geomorphic notes on:
a.
The concept of equilibrium in geomorphology
b.
Methodological Uniformitarianism
c.
John Wesley Powell
2.
a. Describe the role of climate in weathering (Diagrams
required)
b.
With reference to the humid tropics, describe and account for
landforms
produced by weathering (Diagrams required)
3.
On the basis of the works of Linton, Ollier, and Thomas, describe
tors and inselbergs in terms
of their
morphological characteristics and origin (Diagrams required).
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REVIEW QUESTIONS
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR
MIDTERM
1.
Geomorphology is the scientific study of the:
A. earth surface landforms
B. past and present processes creating earth surface landforms
C. cultural landscape and processes creating them
D. surface features and controlling processes of other terrestrial
planets
E. A, B and D
2. Which of the following statements is NOT correct about the school
of
catastrophism?
A. Catastrophists believe in divine intervention in the
interpretation of landscape
B. Catastrophists believe in a very short earth history which is
often less than
6000yrs
C. Catastrophists believe that geologic processes of today are
different in kind an
intensity from past geologic events
D. Catastrophists believe that landforms are produced by high
magnitude geologic
processes like the biblical Noah's flood
E. Catastrophists believe that landforms are produced by low
magnitude and high
frequency geologic processes
3. The Neptunist school of thought led by Abraham Werner (1749-1817)
believed
in:
A. a universal ocean that once covered the entire earth surface
B. landforms produced by low magnitude and high frequency geologic
processes
C. the fact that igneous rocks are chemical precipitates from the
universal ocean
D. landforms produced by the erosion and deposition of the rushing
waters of the
receding universal ocean
E. A, C and D
4. Four distinct meanings of uniformity can be identified in Charles Lyell's
Principles of Geology
(1830-1833) and the one stating that
changes in natural
laws are invariant with time and space is called:
A. Uniformity of process B. Uniformity of rate C.
Uniformity of state
D. Uniformity of law E. None of these answer
5. Which of the following statements is not a possible effect of the
defeat of the
school of catastrophism by the uniformitarian school on today's
geomorphology?
A. Reluctance in acceptance of the true importance of high magnitude
and low
frequency or catastrophic events in geologic explanations
B. Anything catastrophic is often seen as illogical and possibly
tainted with the old
supernatural catastrophism
C. General acceptance of low magnitude, high frequency geologic
events in the
geomorphic interpretation of landforms
D. The ressurgence of interest in the general idea that geologic
mechanisms
` operate with periods of quiet, interspersed with periods of
rare, high geologic
events in a step-function behavior
6. Some of the geologists who explored the semi-arid terrains of
American West
during the second half of the 19th century include
the following, except:
A. W. M. Davis
B. J. W. Powell C. G. K. Gilbert D. C.E.
Dutton
7. The concept of grade, which is an equilibrium condition between
load and
transporting power, was first developed by:
A. W. M. Davis B. John Wesley Powell
C.
Grove Karl Gilbert
D. C. E. Dutton E. James Hutton
8. Lichty (1965) has suggested major time intervals that are
critical in understanding
the true relationship between process and form and that time
interval measured
in millions of year, he called:
A. Static time
B. Cyclic time C. Graded time
D. Steady time
9. Geomorphic systems are described as
open systems because:
A. energy of operation comes from outside the system and moves
across the
system boundary
B. energy of operation comes from within the system and re-cycled
C. it is open to frequent changes
D. a geomorphic system consists of a set of objects or
characteristics which are
related to one another and operates as complex entity
E. it is a system of inputs and throughputs
10. A type of geomorphic system involving the analysis of the
movement of mass
and flows of energy (e.g. slope erosion) across the system is
called:
A. A morphological system
B.
Cascading system
C. Process-response system D. Drainage
system
11. The Colorado Plateau with flat-lying sedimentary rock layers is
described as
having:
A. homoclinal structure B. folded
structure
C. horizontal structure D. domed
structure E. faulted structure
11. The break in slope separating the old terrain of the Piedmont
province from the
innermost valley in the parallel valley and ridge topography of
inner part of the
coastal plain is called:
A. Cuesta B. Escarpment
C. Fall
line D. Anticline
E. Plunging syncline
12. The downfolds in folded structures are called:
A. Fall lines B. Anticlines
C.
Synclines D. Upthrusts
E. Recumbent folds
13. In geomorphology, relief is defined as:
A. the highest or maximum elevation in a given region
B. the average elevation in a given area
C. the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points
in a given area
D. the absolute elevation of a given point above sea level
E. elevation of a given point in standardized units
14. The twin process of weathering and exhumation are responsible for
the formation
of which of the following landforms in the humid tropics?
A. Tors B. Regoliths C. Sesquioxides
D. Inselbergs
E. A & D
15. Chemical weathering process involving the reaction of ionized
water with
elements in rock minerals is called:
A. Oxidation B. Carbonation C.
Chelation D. Solution
E. Hydrolysis
16. Physical weathering produced by ice wedging or root wedging or
crystal growth
or colloidal plucking are accomplished through:
A. internal stress of thermal expansion and contraction of rock
minerals
B. external stress of unloading
C. external stress involving volumetric changes within rock voids,
joints, fractures
and fissures
D. chemical stress
E. All of these answers
17. Joints are important in weathering because they:
A. break down the rock into fragments
B. increase the surface area available for chemical reaction
C. act as channel ways for atmospheric elements like water and air
to penetrate
deep into the rock
D. act a channels for subsurface water
E. all of the above
18. Climate determines:
A. types of weathering B. end products of weathering
C. weathering rates D. lithology E.
A, B and C
19. Some of the end products of chemical weathering of silicate
minerals include:
A. clay minerals
B. silica in solution
C. carbonates of Mg, Ca, Na and K in solution
D. sesquioxides
E. all of the above
20. The boundary between the weathered mantle and the unweathered
bedrock is
called:
A. Base level of erosion B. Weathering
front C. Peneplain
D. Basal surface of weathering
E. B and D
21. According to the Goldich weathering series, the most resistant
silicate mineral to
weathering is:
A. Olivine B. Quartz C. Calcium rich
feldspar
D. Pyroxene E. Orthoclase feldspar
22. Which of the following weathering processes is out of place?
A. Hydrolysis
B. Colloidal plucking C.
Oxidation
D. Chelation E. Hydration
23. The East African Rift Valley is a good example of:
A. Faulted structure B. Horizontal
structure
C. Domed structure D. Homoclinal
structure
E. Folded structure
24. Which of the following types of adjustments enables geomorphic
systems to
maintain a state of balance or equilibrium or self-regulation?
A. Positive feedback mechanism
B. Negative feedback
mechanism
C. Adiabatic cooling mechanism D. Progressive change
mechanism
E. All of the above
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR FINAL
1. Cliff
profiles contain the following distinctive segments:
A. a fall face segment
B. a talus straight slope segment
C. a concave slope
D. A and B
2. According to Carson and Kirkby (1972), slopes controlled by
seepage, rain wash, sheet
wash and rill wash processes are generally:
A. Convex in profile
B. Concave in
profile
C. Rectilinear in profile D.
Of mixed character
E. Of the fall face type
3. The inherent frictional properties of slope materials are related
to:
A. Particle size of slope materials
B. Particle shape
C. Crushing resistance
D. Particle arrangement
E. All of the above answers
4. A slope in which the shear strength of slope materials is greater
than shear stress or with
a safety factor greater than 1.3 is said to be:
A. A stable slope
B. Actively unstable slope
C. Conditionally stable slope
D. A fall face slope
E. None
5. Which of the following statements is not correct about mass
wasting?
A. It is a downslope movement of slope materials in response to
gravitational stress
B. It does not require any physical medium such as water, glacier or
wind to accomplish
downslope movement of materials
C. Occurs when shear strength of slope materials is less than the
shear stress
D. Soil creep, solifluction and rockfalls are good examples of mass
wasting processes
E. Actions of running water, wind, and glacier are required to
accomplish mass wasting
processes
6. High-altitude planation of mountain ranges into flattened summits
by solifluction
processes is called:
A. Peneplanation B. Etcplanation C.
Pediplanation D. Altiplanation
7. The rate of movement of soil creep is a function of:
A. Slope angle B. Susceptibility of slope
materials C. Water content
D. All of the above answers
8. The concept of slope replacement as the principal mechanism for
change in slope profile
involves:
A. the flattening of the hillslope from the base upward
B. the replacement of each segment of the slope profile by a slope
of a lower gradient as it
retreats
C. rectilinear slope segments retreating parallel to itself
D. A and C only
E. A, B and C
9. A landform resulting from the free fall of rock materials is the:
A. rock glacier B. peneplain
C. talus slope
D. alluvial fan
E. Mudflow
10. Soil creep
results from:
A. the slow movement of soil organisms
B. chemical reactions between the regolith and bedrock materials
C. changes in the soil volume
D. Disturbance of soil on a slope
E. the drying out of fine particles on a slope
11. Slumping is different from other forms of earthflow or mass
wasting in that:
A. only gentle slopes are required
B. it involves some backward rotation
C. more water is needed than in other forms of flow
D. lubricating water is unnecessary
E. it occurs only on very steep slopes
12. Which of the following is the most fluid type of mass movement?
A. earthflow B. debris flow
C.
mudflow D. Solifluction
E. slump
13. According to W. M. Davis' cycle of erosion model, the landscape
attains its maximum
relief during the:
A. Youthful stage
B. Mature stage C. Old age
stage D. A and C
14. Which of the following is NOT a cyclic model of landscape
development
A. peneplanation model B. Pediplanation
model
C. Etchplanation model D. Dynamic
equilibrium model
E. All of the above
15. Which of the following assumptions of the geographical cycle was
Walther Penck most
critical of?
A. Landscape passes through evolutionary stages of development
B. The geographical cycle is initiated by a rapid tectonic uplift
followed by stillstand of the
land
C. The normal climate for the cycle is the temperate humid climate
D. Average slope angle declines with time
E. All of the above
16. W. M. Davis contradicted himself when he combined the concept of
progressive change
with the concept of grade (an equilibrium concept) in his
geographical cycle of erosion
A. True B. False
17. Slopes controlled by seepage, rainwash, sheet wash and rill wash
are generally concave.
A. True B. False
18. The normal force (Fn) is an indication of frictional
resistance
A. True B. False
19. The following equation Fn = FgCosŲ shows
that Fn is at a zero on a horizontal surface and
at a maximum on a vertical surface or slope
A. True
B False
20. In dry slopes, pore-water pressure is zero or negative causing
adhesion of slope
materials
A. True B. False
21. A major argument of L. C. King is that free face slopes retreat
parallel to itself as
materials are weathered while low angle slopes or pediments grow
at the base of the free
face slope.
A. True B. False
22. What is the vertical exaggeration (VE) of a topographic profile
drawn with a vertical scale
of 1 inch representing 100 ft and a map scale (horizontal scale)
of 1 inch representing 1
mile? [VE = horizontal (map) scale factor divided by vertical
scale factor].
A. 90 times B. 78 times C. 60 times
D. 53
times E. 20 times
23. A time distribution of streamflow in response to precipitation
events is the definition of:
A. Return period
B. Streamflow hydrograph C. Stream
discharge
D. Lag time
24. Betson's (19640 argument that only a small portion of a basin
contributes Horton
overland flow became known as the:
A. Variable source area concept
B. Partial area concept
C. Through flow or subsurface flow D. Return flow
E. Baseflow
25. The model of streamflow generation in humid forested areas is
best described as:
A. Hortonian overland flow B. Subsurface stormflow
C. Saturation overland flow
D. Baseflow
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