Question 1

Most of the erosion in desert environments is caused by ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   wind
B)   surface water
C)   ground water
D)   salt wedging

Question 2

The Sahara is a desert primarily because it is located ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   in the subtropics
B)   within the rain shadow of a mountain range
C)   near the center of a large continent
D)   next to a cold ocean current

Question 3

Which statement about desert life is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mammals,unlike reptiles and birds,very rarely inhabit deserts.
B)   Animal life in the desert is limited to herbivores only.
C)   Animals that live in the desert must be able to retain water and survive extreme temperatures.
D)   Animals that live in the desert are only active at night when it is cooler.

Question 4

What is an ephemeral stream?

Accepted Answer

A)   A stream that flows perennially through the desert supporting lush vegetation.
B)   A stream that flows perennially through the desert but supports little to no vegetation because of its high mineral content.
C)   A desert stream that contains water only immediately following a rain event.
D)   A steep-walled canyon that was formed by wind erosion. C

Question 5

Calcrete (caliche) forms in a desert climate through the dissolution and the re-precipitation of ________ during and after rainstorms.

Accepted Answer

A)   manganese oxide
B)   quartz
C)   calcite
D)   iron oxide

Question 6

The Gobi in Mongolia is a desert primarily because it is located ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   in the subtropics
B)   in a polar region
C)   near the center of a large continent
D)   next to a cold ocean current

Question 7

The process of lowering the land surface by wind erosion is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   saltation
B)   deflation
C)   desertification
D)   escarpment

Question 8

To qualify as a desert,a region must ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   be hot,with a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C (77°F) 
B)   be arid,with less than 15% of the ground surface vegetated
C)   have a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C and less than 5 cm annual rainfall
D)   have no rainfall three out of four seasons

Question 9

Conversion of productive land to desert is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   deflation
B)   saltation
C)   degradation
D)   desertification

Question 10

Fine-grained sediment,such as dust and silt,can stay in the air and be transported by wind in ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   suspension
B)   saltation
C)   deflation
D)   surface creep

Question 11

Imagine you are a farmer moving into the Great Plains area after the Dust Bowl of 1933.What can you do to make the land fertile enough for farming again? What can be done to prevent a similar disaster from happening again?

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary,but students might men...

Question 12

Very hot air just above the ground creates a wavering pool of light on the ground known as a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   sabkha
B)   wadi
C)   arroyo
D)   mirage D

Question 13

A(n) ________ consists of sand and gravel deposited by ephemeral distributary channels that occur where a gully or a canyon discharges from its mouth.

Accepted Answer

A)   alluvial fan
B)   ventifact
C)   wadi
D)   yardang

Question 14

Why is the Great Salt Lake in Utah so salty?

Accepted Answer

The Great Salt Lake is located in an int...

Question 15

During heavy rainstorms,rates of physical weathering and erosion are ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   greater in humid climates than in deserts because dry desert soils soak up all the available moisture
B)   greater in deserts than in humid climates because soil tends to be more easily eroded in deserts than in humid regions
C)   greater in humid climates than in deserts because vegetation tends to break up the soil
D)   about equally fast in both deserts and humid climates

Question 16

The geometry of sand dunes is NOT strongly influenced by the ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   strength of the wind
B)   consistency of wind direction
C)   abundance of sand
D)   timing of the monsoon season

Question 17

At 30° north latitude,at the northern edge of tropical (Hadley) cell convection in the northern hemisphere,________.

Accepted Answer

A)   cool,dry air sinks,becoming drier as it heats up
B)   warm,moist air rises,increasing in relative humidity as it rises
C)   warm,dry air rises,becoming cooler
D)   cool moist air sinks,providing abundant rainfall

Question 18

The measured rainfall shown in the figure below is characteristic of a ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   coastal desert
B)   subtropical desert
C)   rain-shadow desert
D)   continental-interior desert

Question 19

The figure below illustrates the formation of a ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   coastal desert
B)   subtropical desert
C)   rain-shadow desert
D)   continental-interior desert

Question 20

Fine-grained,wind-blown sediments are eventually deposited as ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   loess
B)   ventifacts
C)   dunes
D)   desert pavement A

Exam 21: Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Most of the erosion in desert environments is caused by ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Sahara is a desert primarily because it is located ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which statement about desert life is correct?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is an ephemeral stream?

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Calcrete (caliche) forms in a desert climate through the dissolution and the re-precipitation of ________ during and after rainstorms.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Gobi in Mongolia is a desert primarily because it is located ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The process of lowering the land surface by wind erosion is known as ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

To qualify as a desert,a region must ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Conversion of productive land to desert is known as ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Fine-grained sediment,such as dust and silt,can stay in the air and be transported by wind in ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Imagine you are a farmer moving into the Great Plains area after the Dust Bowl of 1933.What can you do to make the land fertile enough for farming again? What can be done to prevent a similar disaster from happening again?

Correct AnswerverifiedAnswers will vary,but students might men...View AnswerShow Answer

Very hot air just above the ground creates a wavering pool of light on the ground known as a(n) ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedD

A(n) ________ consists of sand and gravel deposited by ephemeral distributary channels that occur where a gully or a canyon discharges from its mouth.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why is the Great Salt Lake in Utah so salty?

Correct AnswerverifiedThe Great Salt Lake is located in an int...View AnswerShow Answer

During heavy rainstorms,rates of physical weathering and erosion are ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The geometry of sand dunes is NOT strongly influenced by the ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

At 30° north latitude,at the northern edge of tropical (Hadley) cell convection in the northern hemisphere,________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The measured rainfall shown in the figure below is characteristic of a ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The figure below illustrates the formation of a ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Fine-grained,wind-blown sediments are eventually deposited as ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedA

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Answers will vary,but students might men...
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The Great Salt Lake is located in an int...
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