FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE – GEOGRAPHY 1
FOLDING – FAULTING - MOUNTAIN BUILDING - EARTHQUAKES
What is the difference between Isotasy and warping? Can you describe the three forces that shape the earth:
compression, extension, and shearing?
Can you describe and identify the various types of Folded structures including: Anticlines; Synclines; Recumbent folds;
Overturned folds? How are each formed?
What is a “Fault”? What is the “fault zone”? What is the “Fault Plane”?
Can you describe, identify and explain the various Fault structures and features including fault scarps, offsets, misplaced
streams? What is “dip” and what is “strike”? What do they tell us about a fault line?
Can you distinguish between the different Dip Slip Faults: Normal Fault; Reverse Fault; and Reverse Thrust? What does
“dip/slip” mean?
What is aTransform or Strike-Slip Fault? Give an example!
What are Horst and Graben? How are they formed? Name an example
What are Fault Block Mountains? How are they formed? Name an example
What are Folded Mountains? How are they formed? Name an example
What is an Earthquake? What are Body waves? Can you describe P-waves, S-waves? What and where is the Epicenter of
an earthquake? What and where is the Focus/Hypocenter of an earthquake?
What are the two systems used to measure earthquakes? What is the difference between the Richter Scale and the
Mercalli Scale?
What are the most Significant earthquakes in recent North American history
Can you describe and identify the consequences of earthquake: Tsunami, displacement, seiches, groundwater movement,
WEATHERING AND EROSION
Physical Weathering (Mechanical) – What is physical weathering? Where and how does it take place?
For each of the following weathering processes – can you describe and identify each one? Can you identify the most
susceptible rock types and locations for each of these processes?
Frost/Ice Action: Ice Shattering – Ice Heaving - Stone Rings - Pingos
Salt Crystal Growth: salt-wedging - cave-dwellers
Unloading: Exfoliation – spalling – susceptible rocks
Bioturbation: Animal burrowing - tree roots
Chemical Weathering – What is chemical weathering? Where and how does it take place?
For each of the following weathering processes – can you describe and identify each one? Can you identify the most
susceptible rock types and locations for each of these processes?
Hydrolysis: adding water molecularly
Oxidation: adding oxygen molecularly
Carbonic Acid dissolution: limestone susceptibility
Factors: Climate - Organisms in soil - Time - Mineral composition
MASS WASTING - MASS MOVEMENT How do each of these Causes/Factors play a role in accelerating or preventing
mass wasting? Gravity - friction - angle of slope - slope composition - vegetation - water in/on slope
What are the Triggers: Natural: - rains - earthquakes - volcanoes - gravity
Human: Mismanagement of soil/water - oversteepening/overburdening slopes – mining consequences
What are the Slow forms of mass wasting? How does Soil Creep differ from solifluction? Where is solifluction most
likely to occur?
What are the Fast forms of mass wasting? What is a Rockfall? What is a landslide? How does earthflow differ from a
slump?
How do Mudflows. Lahars, and Debris flows differ? What is the typical location for lahars? What is a typical
location for debris flows? How do Catchment Basins and Debris basins work to control debris flows?
GROUNDWATER – WHAT IS GROUNDWATER? WHERE IS IT FOUND?
Can you describe the various divisions within groundwater? What is the Phreatic Zone (Saturation Zone)?
Vadose Zone (Aeration Zone)
? In which zone (Phreatic or Vadose) is true groundwater found?
What is the Water Table; where is it located?
What is the
What are the physical characteristics of a good Aquifer? What is the difference between porosity and permeability?
What is the difference between a confined aquifer and an unconfined aquifer?
How are artesian wells formed? What is an aquiclude? How does an aquitard differ from an aquiclude?
How does a perched water table form?
What is a good rock material for aquifers? What kind of rock material makes an aquitard or aquiclude?
Can you describe and explain the following Groundwater Management Problems?
Land Subsidence?
Sources of Contamination? Salt Water Intrusion?
Legal issues?
Water Table lowering? Cone of Depression and Drawdown Effect?
Overdrawing/overpumping?
What is Karst Topography? How is karst topography formed? What are the typical bedrock types in a karst
topography area? Are there locations in United States? If so, where?
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY FINAL EXAM ‘PRACTICE TEST’
1. Weathering occurs when rock and sediment are exposed to:
a) air
b) humidity
c) organic matter
d) all of the above
2. What is a rock or soil unit that lacks permeability called?
a) aquifer
b) aquiclude
c) aquanaut
d) aquicide
3. An earthquake epicenter is the
a. point where the seismograph is located.
b. point within the Earth where movement along the fault occurs.
c. approximate center of a group of related earthquakes.
d. point on the surface directly above a subterranean fault’s rupture point.
4. The troughs in a series of simple folds are called synclines.
a. True
b. False
5. The boundary between the zones of aeration and saturation:
a) boundary zone
b) saturation surface
c) water table
d) water surface
6. When water freezes and expands in joints and cavities of rock, _________ occurs.
a) sheeting
b) thermal expansion
c) frost or ice wedging
d) unloading
7. The origin of most earthquakes can be traced to:
a. igneous activity
b. tectonic activity
c. magmatic activity
d. climatic activity
8. Exfoliation refers to the breaking off or sheeting of large rock ‘shells’ in which of the following rock types?
a. Gneiss
b. Slate
c. Granites
d. Basalts
9. After gravity, _________ is the most important additional factor encouraging mass movement.
a. wind
b. water
c. sunlight
d. animal activity
10. Tilted telephone poles would most likely result from:
a. soil creep
b. slumps
c. rockfalls
d. mudflows
ANSWERS: 1. d 2. b 3. d 4. a 5. c 6. c 7. b
8. c
9. b
10. a
F07POSSIBLE SHORT-ANSWER ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. EXPLAIN THE MECHANICS OF PHYSICAL WEATHERING.
WHAT TYPE OF MATERIAL IS MOST
SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS TYPE OF WEATHERING? WHERE DOES THIS TYPE OF WEATHERING TAKE PLACE?
2. DESCRIBE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES. INCLUDE IN YOUR DESCRIPTION THE TYPES
AND SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION, OVERDRAWING AND ITS EFFECT ON THE WATER TABLE. YOUR
ESSAY SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE A DISCUSSION ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PHREATIC AND
VADOSE ZONES.
3. DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS TYPES OF MASS MOVEMENT. INCLUDE IN YOUR ESSAY A DISCUSSION
REGARDING MATERIALS INVOLVED, SPEED, SLOPE ANGLES, CLIMATIC FACTORS, ROCK STABILITY AND
OTHER FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE DOWNSLOPE MOVEMENT OF ROCK BODIES AND SEDIMENT.
4. DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN THE THREE MAIN TYPES OF FAULTS. INCLUDE IN YOUR DISCUSSION THE
FORCES WORKING TO CREATE EACH TYPE, EXAMPLES AND LOCATIONS FOR THE FAULTS, AS WELL AS
THE DEVELOPMENT OF FAULT-BLOCK MOUNTAINS, INCLUDING BASIN AND RANGE IN WESTERN NORTH
AMERICA, AND THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT IN CALIFORNIA.
5. DESCRIBE, BRIEFLY, HOW FOLDED MOUNTAINS ARE CREATED. INCLUDE IN YOUR DISCUSSION THE
TERMS “ANTICLINE” AND “SYNCLINE”. (YOU MAY USE ANY FOLDED MOUNTAIN FOR YOUR
DESCRIPTION) YOUR ESSAY SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE A DISCUSSION ABOUT OTHER PROCESSES
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FORMATION OF THESE MAJOR MOUNTAIN SYSTEMS, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF
TECTONICS, FAULTING, FOLDING, AND FORCES OF COMPRESSION, EXTENSION AND SHEAR.