Review Questions for Midterm 1

Some of these questions are very broad (you could write a dissertation about them) but I am really only looking for a one paragraph answer for the purposes of this exam.

Other questions are specific and I may change the wording/rock type/location etc. for the actual exam – these more narrow questions are simply meant to get you thinking about the processes. If I give you a slightly different example on the exam, you should be able to reason your way to the answer.

• Topography is a result of a competition between _____ and ______? (answer: uplift and erosion). Think of some examples of different environments where each of these processes is evident.
• If a landscape is in steady state what is the relative magnitude of the above two items?
• In the systems approach to geomorphology, what are some components of a watershed? What energy fluxes go into and out of the watershed? Mass fluxes?
• Name two disciplines outside of geography that are related to geomorphology. How are they related?
• Compare and contrast chemical and physical weathering.
• Weathered rock does not consist of ______.
  1. new minerals
  2. resistant minerals grains that are now loose
  3. organic debris
  4. freshly cooled magma
• In a granite rock, how does chemical weathering of feldspars influence physical weathering?
• Imagine that an archeologist gave you two rock samples with a basaltic composition and wanted to know which was older. One sample broke easily when hit with a hammer. The other sample required a hard hit before it broke. Which would you say was older? Why?
• Why might the type of clay in a region be interesting to an engineer planning to build a road?
• Would you expect physical or chemical weathering to be stronger on a mountain peak in Alaska? Why? How about in the Amazon rainforest?
• How does soil form? We talked about 5 soil forming factors in class. Know at least 3.
• What characteristics of soils are important for biology?
• How can biology influence soil development?
• Name two soil horizons and give their identifying characteristics.
• Describe two of the four causes of rocks and mineral expansion.
• Landslides occur when stresses on a block of material exceed the strength of that material. What are some things that determine the strength of the soil? What influences the stresses on the material?
• Consider a boulder resting on a sloping hill. What stresses are acting to keep the boulder in place? What stresses are acting to make the boulder move down the slope? How would the magnitude of those forces be different if the slope was steeper?
• Why do landslides often happen after it rains? Talk about what happens to the shear strength and the shear stress on a block of material. Feel free to talk about the terms in the shear strength equation.
  S = c + σ` tan φ
  Shear Strength = cohesion + effective normal stress * tan (angle of internal friction).
• What landform is the Sonoma State campus built on?
• What is the dominant soil type on campus?
• What is a glacier?
• What mass balance criterion has to be satisfied in order for a glacier to grow?
• How can mass be added to or lost from a glacier? Name two processes for each.
• Where on Earth would you expect to find cirque glaciers in today's climate? Valley glaciers? Ice sheets? Give two examples for each (e.g. Alaska, Greenland).
• Why is the basal temperature of a glacier important for geomorphology?
• Draw graphs of the ice velocities you would expect to see in a well-behaved glacier from three different perspectives: longitudinal, vertical, and cross-sectional.