Geology 12 Surface Processes I, II & III TEST
EXTRA PRACTICE
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. D 2. D 3. B 4. A 5. A 6. A 7. B 8. D 9. A 10. D 11. C 12. D
13. C 14. A 15. C 16. C 17. B 18. C 19. B 20. A 21. C 22. B
Written Response Answers: included with question
PART A: MULTIPLE CHOICE
1.
In which of the following environments are sediments that form a conglomerate
most likely deposited?
A.
B.
C.
D.
a coral reef
a tropical swamp
a deep ocean basin
a wave-swept beach
Use the following cross-sectional diagram to answer question 2.
10 cm
2.
What name is given to the sedimentary structure shown in the diagram above?
A.
B.
C.
D.
mud cracks
ripple marks
cross bedding
graded bedding
3.
Which of the following is an important type of weathering in British Columbia?
A.
B.
C.
D.
4.
Which of the following examples of weathering increases surface area, accelerating
weathering caused by the other three?
A.
B.
C.
D.
5.
plant roots widening cracks in rock
carbonic acid in rainwater dissolving rock
oxygen in the atmosphere oxidizing some minerals in rock
organic acids around plant roots attacking minerals in rock
Which of the following is most likely to occur when a fast-moving, sediment-loaded river
enters a lake?
A.
B.
C.
D.
6.
rock slides
ice wedging
river saltation
glacial runoff
a delta will form
a meander will form
the water velocity will increase
the dissolved load will be deposited immediately
The following statements relate to the effects of water on steeply sloping sediment.
Which of them is false?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Water can stop the clay minerals from becoming slippery.
Water pressure can cause the sand grains to slide past each other.
Too much water can overload the sediment and cause a mudflow.
A small amount of water can help to hold the sand grains together.
Use the following diagram of sediment layers in a hillside to answer question 7.
Sand and
gravel
W
Sand
X
Clay
Y
Z
7.
At which location is water most likely to flow out of the ground after a heavy rainstorm?
A.
B.
C.
D.
W
X
Y
Z
________________________________________________
8.
9.
Gravel
Which of the following lists contains only river deposits?
A.
B.
C.
D.
glacial outwash
ground moraine
kame terrace
delta
floodplain muds
delta
drumlin
alluvial fan
delta
alluvial fan
esker
kame terrace
end moraine
glacial outwash
floodplain muds
esker
Which of the following moraines is a direct result of mass wasting?
A.
B.
C.
D.
lateral
ground
terminal
recessional
10. Which of the following is a bowl-shaped depression eroded in bedrock by a glacier?
A.
B.
C.
D.
horn
arête
kettle
cirque
Reference
Data Pages
For questions 11 and 12, refer to the following reference.
Basic Data on the Solar System
11. Which of the following is the best reason for grouping the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune together?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They all lie on the same orbital plane.
They have rocky crusts and iron cores.
They have similar densities and compositions.
They all rotate on their axes in the same direction.
12. Which of the following is good evidence for the nebular theory of our solar system’s origin?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Earth and the Moon have different origins.
The outer planets are denser than the inner planets.
The surface temperatures vary between the planets.
The planets revolve around the Sun in the same direction.
________________________________________________
13. Which of the following features is common to heavily cratered bodies in the solar system?
A.
B.
C.
D.
deep oceans
thick atmospheres
little tectonic activity
high internal temperatures
14. Which of the following sediments shows the best sorting?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Use the following electron micrograph of sand grains to answer question 15.
Y
W
X
Z
¥ 150
© NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratories
15. Which sand grain has most likely travelled the greatest distance?
A.
B.
C.
D.
W
X
Y
Z
16. Which of the following sedimentary structures can give information about current
direction at the time the sediment was deposited?
A.
B.
C.
D.
varves
mud cracks
cross bedding
graded bedding
17. Which of the following cross-sectional shapes is most common for mountain streams?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Use the following diagram to answer question 18.
l
Hal
icet
n
re
©P
18. Which process is indicated by the diagram above?
A.
B.
C.
D.
debris flow
reverse faulting
rotational slump
isostatic adjustment
Use the following photograph to answer questions 19 and 20.
X
Y
© Natural Resources Canada – Alpine glaciers, St. Elias Mountains, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory.
19. What name should be given to glacial feature X in the photograph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
tarn
arête
cirque
drumlin
20. Glacier Y is retreating. In which direction is the ice flowing?
A.
B.
C.
D.
21. Which of the following best shows the range of sediment particle sizes that can be carried
by a glacier?
W
X
Y
Boulders
Cobbles
Pebbles
Sand
Silt
Clay
Z
Particle Size
A.
B.
C.
D.
W
X
Y
Z
Use the following cross section of a dry stream valley
and the sediments that underlie it to answer question 66.
dry stream channel
water table
highly permeable
sand and gravel
highly permeable
sand and gravel
impermeable
clay
22. If gentle, continuous rain were to fall for a long period over the area shown, which of the
following would be necessary in order for the stream to start flowing?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The zone of aeration must increase.
The water table must rise to the stream channel level.
The water table must fall below the impermeable layers.
The impermeable clay layers must divert water to the stream channel.
WRITTEN RESPONSE
Use the following diagram of ripple marks and cross-bedding to answer question 2.
west
east
2. Describe how this structure might have formed. Include direction of flow in your answer.
(2 marks)
KEY
Fluid transporting sand-sized sediment travelled from east to west.
Sediment was transported up the gentle slope of the first ripple, then
deposited over and down the slip face in a tilted layer.
¸Ô
˝ ¨ 2 marks
Ô˛
1. Sediment is being deposited in the centre of a lake in BC at the current rate of 1 mm/year.
A drill hole in the centre of the lake reveals that the thickness of sediment is 11 m.
(Note: 1 m = 1000 mm).
a) How long has the sediment been accumulating in the lake? Show all calculations. (2 marks)
______ years
b) Describe a geological assumption you made in order to perform this calculation. (1 mark)
KEY
Time = depth rate = 11 000 mm 1 mm /year
= 11 000 years
Any one for 1 mark:
• that sediment is building up at the same rate every year
• that sediment was deposited every year
• that sediment was not removed
Use the following diagrams to answer question 9.
August 2004
glacier
10 m
August 2006
glacier
10 m
9. Helm Glacier on Mt. Garibaldi has been retreating since the summer of 2004, and leaving
a recessional moraine every winter. On the August 2006 diagram above, draw and label
(with date) recessional moraines that would likely have formed during the winters
of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.
(2 marks)
KEY
glacier
10 m
For 2 marks:
Appropriate shape for recessional (end) moraines
Moraines separated from toe of glacier
2004-2005 moraine further downslope than 2005-2006 moraines
Use the following geologic cross section to answer question 11.
Mine site
Normal level
of tailings pond
Highest level
of tailings pond
Thick, unstable slope
deposit of sand, clay
and rock debris
Small town
50 m
Water
Sandstone
Shale
Siltstone
Limestone
11. A tailings pond has been excavated to store toxic liquid wastes produced by the mining
process. A geologist has been asked to determine the geology around the area of the tailings
pond and to assess the risk to the town to the east of the facility. The geologist drilled holes
in the area and tested core samples of the rocks for porosity and flow rate (permeability).
The results are shown in the table below.
Rock Type
Porosity %
Flow Rate
(Permeability)
litres /hour
Sandstone
20
50
Shale
20
0.0005
Limestone
30
56
Siltstone
15
0.001
a) Why was the shale chosen for the site of the toxic waste pond?
(1 mark)
b) Referring to the cross section and the data in the table, describe, in detail, two reasons why
the town could be at risk.
(2 marks)
i)
ii)
KEY
a) Shale has a very low permeability and therefore very little toxic waste will
flow into the groundwater.
¸ ¨ 1 mark
˝
˛
b) Any two reasons for 1 mark each:
• When the pond is filled to the maximum level, the waste could leak into the highly permeable
limestone and flow down unstable slope, causing a landslide to flow towards the town.
• When the pond is filled to the maximum level, the waste could leak into the highly permeable
limestone and then flow towards the town and poison the inhabitants.
• Liquid waste may cause the shale and limestone layers to slide down over each other towards
the town.
NOTE: Groundwater pollution is unlikely due to shale layers.
Use the diagram of a rotational slump to answer question 13.
X
edia
omp M
© Geoc
13. The slope shown above has become very unstable and is threatening a highway just below X.
Describe two methods that would be used to stabilize the slope and safeguard the highway.
(2 marks)
Method 1:
Method 2:
KEY
Any two methods for 1 mark each:
•
•
•
•
•
Remove water – drain the slope using perforated pipes.
Divert water away – build drainage channels to divert water away from this part of the slope.
Plant trees and vegetation that will help to hold the slope sediments and remove water.
Build a retaining wall at the base of the slump.
Remove a portion of the upper part of the slump in order to reduce weight.
Use the following cross section showing groundwater flow,
three water wells and a pollution plume to answer question 10.
well
A
water
table
Plume of agricultural pollution
(herbicides, pesticides, fertilizer and animal waste)
well
B
well
C
water
table
shale
sandstone
500 m
Direction of groundwater flow
10. a) Name the zone immediately above the water table and describe how it is different from the
zone immediately below the water table.
(1 mark)
Name:
Description:
b) Choose one of the wells, A, B or C, and give two reasons why it is likely to produce an
abundant, long-term supply of pure drinking water.
(2 marks)
Well chosen:
Reason 1:
Reason 2:
KEY
Either one for 1 mark:
Name: Zone of aeration (or vadose zone)
Description: This zone contains groundwater, which is flowing down to the water table,
but the zone is not completely saturated.
Name: Capillary fringe (zone of intermittent saturation)
Description: Holds water only during the wet season
b) Choose one of the wells, A, B or C, and give two reasons why it is likely to produce an
abundant, long-term supply of pure drinking water.
(2 marks)
Well chosen: A
Reason 1: Well A is deep and has access to large volumes of water
Reason 2: Well A is isolated somewhat from the pollution plume by the impermeable
clay layer.
Would not choose well C because it is too shallow.
Would not choose well B because the pollution plume will eventually reach it.