Term
| In low-pressure atmospheric areas, the overall vertical movement of air tends to be |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| As a hurricane forms, the air |
|
Definition
| rises, cools, and releases the latent heat of vaporization, thus heating up the core. |
|
|
Term
| Which of the following provides the most favorable conditions for tornado formation |
|
Definition
| cold, dry air overriding warm, damp air |
|
|
Term
| Heat moves from one latitude to another |
|
Definition
| by means of the oceans and the atmosphere. |
|
|
Term
In the U.S. weather map shown, the
atmospheric pressure at B |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Inside the eye of a hurricane, |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The number of F6 tornadoes documented in recorded history is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| A Himalaya-sized mountain range extending from Wyoming to Ohio would |
|
Definition
| be likely to decrease the number of tornadoes in the Great Plains |
|
|
Term
| The highest wind speed recorded in a hurricane is |
|
Definition
| not as high as the maximum speed ever recorded in a tornado |
|
|
Term
Cloudiness or snow- and ice-cover may cause solar radiation to be reflected back to space,
which is known as |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The peak season for tornadoes to strike the U.S. is |
|
Definition
| earlier in the year than for hurricanes in the U.S. |
|
|
Term
| If a hurricane moves east and strikes the west coast of Florida, the most damage will be |
|
Definition
| on the south side of the strike zone. |
|
|
Term
The Great Plains region of the central United States plays host to about ______ percent of the
tornadoes that occur on Earth. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The atmospheric pressure above the mound of water in a hurricane storm-surge is |
|
Definition
| lower than the air pressure in the surrounding area. |
|
|
Term
| In terms of physics, the formation of tornadoes depends on ___________ in a spinning vortex |
|
Definition
| the conservation of angular momentum |
|
|
Term
| The human drama of the 1930s "Dust Bowl" was captured in many articles and books, including |
|
Definition
| The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck |
|
|
Term
Freshwater that passes through uplifted sediments containing quick-clay changes the sea-salt
content, leaving quick-clay with _________. |
|
Definition
weak structure
(b) grains mostly less than 0.002 mm in diameter
(c) water contents commonly in excess of 50 percent
(d) a low salt content |
|
|
Term
| The calmest location in a hurricane is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Thunderstorms occur where warm, moist air has absorbed enough heat and moisture to be
significantly ____________ than the surrounding air. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Thunderstorms occur where warm, moist air has absorbed enough heat and moisture to be
significantly ____________ than the surrounding air. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The most recent research concerning global climate change indicates that worldwide climatic
fluctuations of several degrees Celsius can occur on scales as small as |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| In a tornado, are you likely to be in less danger in a car or in a mobile home? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| With respect to the greenhouse effect, the Earth’s atmosphere is |
|
Definition
| transparent to short- and opaque to long-wavelength radiation |
|
|
Term
| When an ice shelf melts in the ocean, it |
|
Definition
| has no effect on sea level. |
|
|
Term
| Over the last 7000 years there has been a |
|
Definition
| lowering of global average temperature totaling 2°C. |
|
|
Term
| Internal causes of slope failure include all but which of the following? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The size of a lump of clay |
|
Definition
| can swell substantially with adsorption of water |
|
|
Term
| Quick clays are more likely to |
|
Definition
| move when saturated with fresh water. |
|
|
Term
| A potential benefit from the growing hole in the ozone layer is that |
|
Definition
| greenhouse effects will be decreased. |
|
|
Term
| Surface temperatures on Venus are ___________ those on the surface of Earth. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Large flood basalt eruptions would change global climate by |
|
Definition
| increasing global temperature from increasing CO2 |
|
|
Term
| A mass movement at Nevados Huascaran was triggered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The Older Dryas and Younger Dryas stages represented |
|
Definition
| two cooling stages during the warm-up from the last major glacial advance |
|
|
Term
| Of the following types of mass movements, which moves slowest |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Water tends to move _____ in quick sand and ______ in quick clay |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Which of the following cities has not experienced significant coastal subsidence |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The Earth is _________ during the Northern Hemisphere winter |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Subsurface erosion by groundwater can cause |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| A mass movement at Turnagin Heights, Alaska, was triggered by |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Volcano flank collapse in Hawaii has produced slumps and debris avalanches on the ocean floor
that are |
|
Definition
| larger in area than the islands themselves |
|
|
Term
| In a video shown in class, houses at _______, California, were sliding toward the ocean |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Slope failures in soil often occur because _______ swell when they get wet |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| In a video shown in class, houses were seen to move as fast as 18 miles per hour on top of |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
A few years ago, a student in this class reported that her great-great-great grandfather died as a
result of a mass movement listed in our textbook. This occurred at |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| External processes that increase the odds of a slope failure include |
|
Definition
steepening the slope, as by fault movements.
(b) removing support from low on a slope, as by stream or ocean-wave erosion.
(c) adding mass high on a slope, as in sediment deposition. |
|
|
Term
| The bulk chemical compositions of feldspars and clays are |
|
Definition
| similar, but their internal structures are radically different |
|
|
Term
| Clay minerals may have their strength lessened by water |
|
Definition
adsorbed to the exterior of clays, thus spreading the grains apart.
(b) absorbed between the interlayer sheets, with resultant expansion |
|
|
Term
| Water weakens earth materials in which of the following ways |
|
Definition
interplay with clay minerals
(b) decreasing the cohesion of rocks
(c) subsurface erosion
(d) pressure in pores of rocks and sediments |
|
|
Term
In California on 12 March 1928, a dam failed and unleashed a 185-ft-high wall of water moving
18 mph that killed about 420 people. This was caused by |
|
Definition
| dissolution of gypsum cement holding the dam's foundation rock together |
|
|
Term
| Many hill-slope masses are weak due to preexisting geologic conditions such as |
|
Definition
ancient slide surfaces.
(b) rock layering dipping less than topographic slopes.
(c) structures within the rocks, such as fractures, ancient faults, and thin clay seams. |
|
|
Term
| Many hill-slope masses are weak due to preexisting geologic conditions such as |
|
Definition
ancient slide surfaces.
(b) rock layering dipping less than topographic slopes.
(c) structures within the rocks, such as fractures, ancient faults, and thin clay seams. |
|
|
Term
| Rocks have weaknesses that set-up slope failure where |
|
Definition
rocks are not cemented together.
(b) a clay layer may provide a basal slip surface.
(c) soft rock layers may slide off strong materials.
(d) joints split and separate rock |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
The sum of all the underlying causes can push a slope to the brink of failure, and then an
immediate cause may trigger the movement. Triggers for mass movements include |
|
Definition
heavy rains.
(b) earthquakes.
(c) thawing of frozen ground.
(d) the construction projects of humans |
|
|
Term
| The Dust Bowl was caused primarily by |
|
Definition
| the jet stream position that caused dry air to sink over the plains. |
|
|
Term
| Catastrophic subsidence into sinkholes tends to occur more often in areas underlain by |
|
Definition
| acidic freshwater flowing through limestone |
|
|
Term
| During an El Nino condition, the trade winds in the Pacific |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The underlying cause of the Rissa, Norway, landslide was |
|
Definition
| too little salt in the soil. |
|
|
Term
In July 1996, a 162,000 ton mass of granite pulled away from a canyon wall and slid down 540
ft, then launched into the air for a 1,640-ft drop in an arcing trajectory, reaching a speed of 270
mph before hitting the valley floor at |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Glass is opaque to _________ radiation. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Large Plinian eruptions change climate by |
|
Definition
| ash and sulfuric acid blocking out incoming solar light. |
|
|
Term
| When a meteorite produces an impact crater on Earth, the crater typically is |
|
Definition
| about 10 times the diameter of the meteorite |
|
|
Term
| Evidence for the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact includes which of the following |
|
Definition
| shock lamellae in quartz grains from samples worldwide form a layer at that time boundary |
|
|
Term
The worst disaster (i.e., the most people killed) in Kansas since settlement by people of European descent was
probably |
|
Definition
the blizzard of 1886
the Udall tornado in 1955. |
|
|
Term
| Arrange the geologic eras in order from youngest to oldest |
|
Definition
| Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic |
|
|
Term
| A state in the U.S. with the fewest lightning deaths in a typical year is: |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| In high-pressure atmospheric areas, the overall vertical movement of air tends to be |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The trend of annual fire-related deaths in the United States over the last 20 years has |
|
Definition
| decreased, despite population increase. |
|
|
Term
| The elevation change of a stream per unit of horizontal distance is its ____________. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Which of the following was partially destroyed by a large fire in 1871 |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Which of the following is most likely to occur in Kansas in the next 100 years |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The worst flood since 1850 at St. Louis occurred in |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Which of the following provides the most favorable conditions for tornado formation |
|
Definition
| cold, dry air overriding warm, damp air |
|
|
Term
| Sinkholes in Kansas are usually related to dissolution of |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Heat moves from one latitude to another |
|
Definition
| by means of the oceans and the atmosphere |
|
|
Term
| The highest wind speed recorded in a tornado is |
|
Definition
| higher than the highest wind speed recorded in a hurricane |
|
|
Term
The Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary layer worldwide has a high percentage of the element _______ in its clay,
an enrichment about 300 times greater than the normal abundance |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
When space debris blazes through the Earth's atmosphere as a streak of light or shooting star and lands on Earth as
a solid rock, it is referred to as |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| If a hurricane moves west and strikes the southern coast of Texas, the most damage will be |
|
Definition
| on the north side of the strike zone. |
|
|
Term
| The part of Kansas that was glaciated about 700,000 years ago (i.e., Quaternary time) was |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The peak season for tornadoes to strike the U.S. is |
|
Definition
| earlier in the year than for hurricanes |
|
|
Term
| Typhoons rotate in a ____ fashion around a central core in the Northern Hemisphere |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| A Himalaya-sized mountain range extending from Colorado to Tennessee would |
|
Definition
| be likely to decrease the number of tornadoes in the Great Plains |
|
|
Term
| A Himalaya-sized mountain range extending from Colorado to Tennessee would |
|
Definition
| be likely to decrease the number of tornadoes in the Great Plains |
|
|
Term
| When flooding occurs along a river, as you go further downstream |
|
Definition
| the flooding gets less severe as water spreads out in time and space |
|
|
Term
Assume that we have a 100-year flood here this year. What is the probability that a 100-year flood will occur here
next year |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The presence of a strong La Nina condition |
|
Definition
| correlates to an increase in the number of Atlantic hurricanes |
|
|
Term
Which of the following U.S. National Parks was devastated by forest fires in 1988, only to undergo renewal of its
ecosystem in the years since |
|
Definition
| Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana |
|
|
Term
| Worldwide sea level is affected by the rate of sea-floor spreading. A low rate of spreading |
|
Definition
| produces deeper seas and lower sea levels |
|
|
Term
| In terms of physics, the formation of tornadoes depends on ___________ in a spinning vortex |
|
Definition
| the conservation of angular momentum |
|
|
Term
| In comparison to the outer planets, the inner planets have |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| In effect, the solar energy stored by plants during their growth is |
|
Definition
| returned to the atmosphere when the plants burn during a fire |
|
|
Term
| A stream with too much bed load will result in what type of channel pattern |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The most costly disaster in Kansas may have been from a |
|
Definition
| late frost that damaged the wheat crop in May of 1981 |
|
|
Term
About 7500 years ago a major flood apparently occurred through the ____________into the Black Sea because of
rising sea level related to melting of glaciers |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Lightning generated _______ of all wildfires in the United States in 2000 |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Warm winds that blow eastward across the Great Plains from the Rockies are known as the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The last 50,000 years have seen the extinction of many large-bodied mammals. One of the probable causes is |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Thunderstorms occur where warm, moist air has absorbed enough heat and moisture to be significantly
____________ than the surrounding air |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The process whereby wood degrades thermally and produces flammable hydrocarbons is referred to as |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| In terms of human casualties from fire, the single-most dangerous structure in the U.S. is the |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Prescribed fires are designed to control |
|
Definition
| build-up of underbrush that frequently fuels wildfires |
|
|
Term
| Foehn winds are best described as |
|
Definition
| hot, dry winds that move downslope |
|
|
Term
| The extinction of most dinosaur species about 65 million years ago opened up ecological niches for |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The law of superposition holds that |
|
Definition
| in undeformed strata, younger layers of rocks overlie older layers of rocks |
|
|
Term
| Fossils are most likely to be preserved in |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| From the standpoint of increasing the rate of evolution |
|
Definition
|
|
