Unit 6: Aeolian, coastal and karst processes - Practice Quiz

1 What is the main agent responsible for aeolian processes?

2 What is wind erosion that removes loose particles from the ground called?

3 What type of sand dune commonly has a crescent shape?

4 Which process occurs when wind-blown sand wears away exposed rock surfaces?

5 What is a deposit of wind-blown silt called?

6 Which process involves wind carrying sand particles close to the ground in short jumps?

7 Where are sand dunes most likely to form?

8 What is the wearing away of a coastline by waves called?

9 Which wave process occurs when waves compress air in cracks in a cliff?

10 What is the movement of sediment along a coast by waves approaching at an angle called?

11 Which landform is a narrow ridge of sand extending from the coast into the sea?

12 What coastal landform may remain after a sea arch collapses?

13 What is a beach mainly made of?

14 Which feature is a flat rock surface formed at the base of a retreating sea cliff?

15 Karst landscapes most commonly develop in which type of rock?

16 What process dissolves limestone in a karst landscape?

17 What is a cave opening at the surface often called?

18 What feature hangs from the roof of a limestone cave?

19 What feature grows upward from the floor of a limestone cave?

20 What is a natural underground passage formed by the dissolution of limestone?

21 A region has strong, persistent winds, abundant dry sand, and sparse vegetation. Which landform is most likely to develop?

22 Why are sand grains commonly rounded and polished in wind-dominated environments?

23 A field of parallel dunes has crests oriented at right angles to the prevailing wind. Which dune type best fits this pattern?

24 A coastal dune system becomes densely vegetated after grasses colonize its surface. What is the most likely immediate effect?

25 Which combination most strongly favors deflation and the formation of a desert pavement?

26 Wind transports a dry sand grain across a desert surface in short hops. Which mode of transport is occurring?

27 A wave approaches a beach at an oblique angle and swash moves sediment up the beach at that angle. How does backwash usually move?

28 A headland experiences concentrated wave energy while the adjacent bay is relatively sheltered. Which process best explains this contrast?

29 Which sequence correctly describes the development of a typical erosional cave, arch, stack, and stump along a jointed headland?

30 A beach receives more sediment from a river than waves remove. Which landform is most likely to develop at the river mouth?

31 A sea cliff retreats landward while a flat rocky surface is exposed at its base. Which landform has formed?

32 A sand ridge connects an offshore island to the mainland because sediment accumulates in the island's wave-shadow zone. What is this feature called?

33 If a groyne interrupts longshore drift, which change is most likely immediately updrift of the structure?

34 Why does limestone commonly develop extensive underground drainage systems in humid climates?

35 A stream disappears into a limestone opening and continues underground. What is the opening called?

36 Groundwater emerges from a limestone cave at the base of a slope and forms a surface stream. Which feature is present?

37 Which surface feature is characterized by a closed depression formed through limestone dissolution or collapse?

38 A cave contains a deposit hanging from its ceiling and another growing upward from its floor. Which pairing is correct?

39 An area of exposed limestone has deep grooves separated by sharp ridges because acidic water follows joints. What landform is this?

40 A broad, flat karst depression temporarily floods during wet seasons and contains thick alluvial sediment. Which feature is most likely?

41 A sand surface experiences a steady increase in wind speed. Which sequence best describes the usual order of sediment responses as the threshold for each mode is exceeded?

42 A barchan dune field receives a sudden and sustained increase in sand supply while wind direction remains constant. Which morphological change is most likely?

43 A dune migrates downwind even though its windward slope is gentle and its lee slope is near the angle of repose. Which explanation best accounts for the migration?

44 Two nearby surfaces receive identical winds. Surface A is gravel-covered, whereas Surface B is composed of fine, loose sand. Which contrast is most likely?

45 A ventifact has one highly polished, faceted face and a rough, unmodified opposite face. What is the strongest inference?

46 A loess blanket is thickest immediately downwind of a former braided outwash plain and becomes thinner with distance. Which interpretation is most defensible?

47 A longitudinal dune lies between two nearly persistent wind directions that are oblique and approximately opposite. Which process most plausibly controls its alignment?

48 A beach has a strong oblique wave approach and a groyne is built across the shore. Which pattern is most likely shortly after construction?

49 A wave approaches a gently sloping shore and begins to refract. Which consequence is most likely near a protruding headland?

50 A sea cliff retreats along a coast where resistant rock alternates with weaker rock, and a wave-cut platform develops. Which outcome is most likely over time?

51 A barrier island migrates landward while maintaining its approximate form despite a rising relative sea level. Which mechanism best explains this behavior?

52 A ria coast contains drowned river valleys, whereas a fjord coast contains drowned glacial troughs. Which additional distinction is most reliable?

53 A wave-dominated delta receives abundant sediment, but a nearby storm-dominated coast has a relatively small delta despite similar river discharge. Which explanation is most plausible?

54 A beach profile changes from a wide, gently sloping summer form to a narrower, steeper form after repeated storms. Which sediment redistribution best explains the change?

55 Why does limestone dissolution commonly accelerate where soil is thick and biologically active?

56 A karst region contains a dry valley, a disappearing stream, and a resurgence several kilometers away. Which interpretation best integrates these features?

57 A cave passage contains scalloped walls whose asymmetry indicates the direction of former groundwater flow. Which process most directly produced the scallops?

58 A limestone cave contains stalactites, stalagmites, and a dry passage above the modern water table. What environmental change most likely allowed these deposits to form?

59 A closed depression in a humid limestone terrain repeatedly floods after intense rainfall but drains through a narrow opening. Which landform and process are most likely involved?

60 Two wells in the same karst aquifer are separated by a short distance, yet a contaminant appears in one well within hours and in the other only after weeks. Which explanation is most plausible?