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APES - Earth Systems Comprehensive
APES - Earth Systems Comprehensive
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AP Environmental Science review covering Earth Systems.
Flashcards
78 cards
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1
What is sedimentary rock?
Examples include sandstone, shale, slate, and marble.
Made of dead plant and animal remains and weathered rocks.
Forms below or on earth's surface when lava cools.
Forms when rock undergoes high temperatures or pressures.
2
All of the following are benefits of volcanic eruptions except:
The weathering of lava contributes to fertile soil.
They reduce the loss of human life.
They form lakes (e.g. Crater Lake)
They form majestic mountains
3
Which of the following describe the characteristics of a cinder cone volcano?
Steep conical hill with straight sides.
Gentle lower slopes, but steep upper slopes; concave upward
Very large, approx. 1-10km in diameter.
Very gentle slopes; convex upward.
4
All of the following are characteristics of the formation of oceanic gyres except:
They bring cool air to coastline, warm air to continents
They form when water moves direction of prevailing winds
They move clockwise in the N. Hemisphere
They move cold water from the poles to the equator.
5
What are estuaries?
Coastal land areas covered with water all/part of the year.
When rivers meet the sea, mixing water as well as nutrients
Harsh coastal ecosystems with only occasional water changes
Unproductive ecosystems with low nutrient levels.
6
All of the following describe internal geologic processes except:
Processes driven directly or indirectly by solar energy.
Processes that build up the earth's surface
Processes generated by heat from the earth's interior
Processes that may form mountains and volcanoes.
7
All of the following are characteristic of floodplain zones except:
Streams join into wider, deeper rivers
Water has higher temperatures and less dissolved oxygen
Fairly large populations are usually supported.
Water is never muddy, and contains low amounts of silt.
8
Which of the following does NOT describe the process of upwelling?
Usually takes place along certain steep coastal areas.
Occurs when cold water is pushed away & warm water rises.
During El Nino, it is reduced along the Peruvian coast.
Movement of nutrient-rich bottom water to ocean's surface.
9
The roots of most plants and the majority of a soil's organic matter are concentrated in:
The A horizon and E horizon
The O horizon and A horizon
The O horizon only.
The A horizon and B horizon
10
What is the lithosphere?
It is the outermost and thinnest zone of the earth.
The combination of both the crust and the outer mantle.
It consists only of the layer above the asthenosphere.
It includes only the continental and oceanic crusts.
11
What is climate? (Click all that apply).
Weather patterns of the last week averaged together.
General patterns that occur over at least 3 decades
Short-term atmospheric conditions that change often
An area's general pattern of atmospheric conditions
12
A crown fire recently broke out in Fremont, destroying many trees. What is a valid projection?
Soil erosion will decrease due to new plants after the fire.
Soil erosion will increase b/c of the lack of trees.
It will start raining more in the area for compensation
Another fire will break out soon.
13
A soil with 30% clay, 50% sand, and 20% silt is called:
Sandy Loam
Sandy Clay
Loamy Sand
Sandy Clay Loam
14
What type of irrigation usually comes from an aqueduct system or a nearby river? (<80% effic.)
Drip Irrigation
Rotary System
Center Pivot
Gravity Flow
15
All of the following are ways in which metamorphic rock forms except:
When rock is subjected to high temperatures
When preexisting rock is subjected to high pressures
When chemically active fluids reform preexisting rocks.
When animal and plant remains are deposited in layers.
16
Which of the following statements regarding freshwater is NOT true?
1/6 people do not have sufficient access to clean water
Water is a well-managed & appreciated resource.
Only about 0.024% of all water is readily available to us.
It is one of the most important forms of natural capital.
17
Volcanoes spew ash into the air, causing a volcanic winter. This is an example of what?
Negative feedback (more ash, less cold penetrating surface)
A positive feedback loop (more ash, weaker albedo effect)
Negative feedback (more ash, greater albedo effect)
Positive feedback (more ash, greater heating of surface).
18
Which of the following events are capable of causing mudslides? (Choose all that apply).
Volcanic eruptions
Heavy rains
Droughts
Earthquakes
19
Which soil horizon(s) contain(s) most of a soil's inorganic matter? (Choose all that may apply)
R Horizon
A Horizon
B Horizon
C Horizon
20
Which of the following describe La Niña?
Usually causes cooler than normal temperatures.
Climate pattern that describes cooling of surface waters
Occurs along the tropical west coast of South America.
Usually causes with warm ocean temperatures in Pacific Ocean
21
How is the thermohaline conveyor belt driven by changes in both temperature and salinity?
It is driven by temperature only.
It is driven by changes in air pressure.
It is driven by the amount of species capable surviving.
It is driven by the resulting changes in density of water
22
What is a watershed?
Upper surface of the zone of saturation.
The saturation of soil with water, flooding the water table.
Land area that delivers water & sediment to a major stream.
Rough measure of volume of water we use to support ourselves
23
About 75-80% of the earth's air mass is found in the
Troposphere
Exosphere
Thermosphere
Stratosphere
24
Which of the following are characteristics of the rock cycle?
It plays a major role in forming concentrated deposits
It involves, in order: erosion, weathering, transportation.
It is the slowest of the earth's cyclic processes.
Rocks are broken down, melted, fused together and heated.
25
Characterize the following by plate boundary: Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Himalayas, San Andreas fault
Divergent; convergent; transform
Convergent; divergent; transform
Transform; convergent; divergent
Divergent; transform; convergent
26
What are Hadley cells? (Choose all that apply).
Where air rises at equator and sinks at medium latitudes.
Convection currents that cycle N & S of the poles.
Large scale atmospheric convection cells
They involve the prevailing westerlies.
27
Which of the following describe the characteristics of a shield volcano?
Steep conical hill with straight sides; explosive
Very small; less than 300m high
Gentle lower slopes, but steep upper slopes; explosive
Very gentle slopes; convex upward; quiet; fluid lava flows
28
All of the following are characteristics of P waves except:
It shears rock sideways at right angles
It moves like sound waves (spreads out, compresses, dilutes)
They are fastest type of wave
They can travel through both solid rock and liquid material.
29
What is a rock?
A concentration of naturally occurring material from crust.
It is made only of sediments.
A solid combination of one or more minerals found in crust.
Contains large enough concentrations of a profitable mineral
30
What type of irrigation is b/w 90-95% efficient and delivers water to individual plant roots?
LEPA Center pivot
Drip Irrigation
Rotary systems
Gravity Flow
31
Which of the following is NOT a true statement regarding earth's water composition?
Ground ice & permafrost hold only 30% of surface freshwater
Groundwater makes up 30.1% of earth's freshwater.
Glaciers and ice caps make up 68.7% of the freshwater.
The atmosphere contains 3% of the surface freshwater.
32
What are trade winds? (Choose all that apply).
They form the Ferrel cells
Surface winds that blow East to West
Pattern of easterly surface winds in the tropics
In N. Hemisphere: N to E; in S. Hemisphere: S. to E
33
Briefly describe the process of subduction.
Continental crust rides over and pushes down oceanic plate.
When oceanic plates move apart, creating ocean ridges.
When oceanic and continental plates collide and rise up.
Oceanic plate rides over and pushes continental into mantle.
34
Why does climate vary in different parts of the earth?
Ocean currents distribute heat and precipitation unevenly.
Uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun.
Global air circulation patterns distribution
All of the options are correct reasons.
35
What is salinity?
The measure of turbidity and salt averaged together.
The measure of salinity and its impact on turbidity.
The measure of dissolved salt in oceanic water.
The measure of dissolved salt in water in general.
36
What are tectonic plates?
The flows of energy and heated material in convection cells.
The outermost and thinnest zone of the earth.
Areas of the lithosphere that move slowly around the mantle.
A zone of hot, melted rock that flows like plastic.
37
What is the focus of an earthquake?
Place where an earthquake begins, below surface.
Located directly above epicenter
Located where an earthquake ends.
Located above the surface.
38
List examples of the following, in order: sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock, igneous rock.
Dolomite; granite; marble
Bituminous coal; marble; granite
Lava rock; marble; lignite
Granite; slate; dolomite
39
Which of the following describe an El Niño effect (see image below)?
I, II, IV only
I, II, III only.
I and II only.
I, II, III, and IV.
40
Please list the layers of the atmosphere in order (starting from layer nearest to surface).
Thermosphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Troposphere
Troposp., Stratosp., Mesosphere, Thermosp., Exosphere
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
Stratosphere, Troposphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
41
Which of the following is not an effect of El Nino?
Droughts in southern Africa, India, Sri Lanka, and Australia
Flooding in Bolivia, Ecuador, Northern Peru, and Cuba.
Hurricanes in Hawaii, Brazil, and Ecuador.
Hurricanes in Tahiti and Hawaii.
42
All of the following can cause tsunamis except:
When the ocean floor suddenly rises or drops
When certain types of faults in ocean floor move up or down
All of these can cause tsunamis.
A landslide caused by an earthquake
43
What is weather? (Click all that may apply).
Includes several factors in a given area over a short period
The general pattern of atmospheric conditions over time.
A set of physical conditions of the lower atmosphere
The averaged conditions of a given area over much time.
44
All of the following are characteristics of a mineral except:
May have a regularly repeating internal atomic arrangement
Contains large enough concentration of particular mineral
It is an element or inorganic ompound
Occurs naturally in the earth's crust as crystalline solid
45
Which of the following is NOT a benefit of floods?
Kill thousands of people and cause much property damage.
Create and deposit nutrient-rich silt in floodplains.
Recharge groundwater & help refill wetlands.
Support biodiversity & aquatic ecological services.
46
What is a tributary?
Areas nearest the river's course that are often flooded.
A smaller river flowing into a smaller one.
A smaller stream flowing into a
A smaller river/stream flowing into a larger river or lake.
47
Which indirect effect directly impacts seasons?
Differences in solar intensity and day length.
The earth's rotation and its tilt of 23.5 degrees.
The angle of the moon.
The rotation of the earth around the sun.
48
Which of the following are characteristics of atmospheric pressure? (Check all that apply)
Would be weakest at sea level.
It is the force, or mass, per unit area of a column of air.
It is the force caused by the bombardment of molecules
Decreases with altitude.
49
What is foliation?
The texture of metamorphic rocks due to alignment & pressure
Ability of a mineral to break, when struck, along directions
The ratio of mass of substance to mass of volume of water
Scratchability, or hardness, of
50
Where do active volcanoes occur?
Where lava reaches the earth's surface through a vent/crack.
Only in hotspots, such as Hawaii.
Never along plate boundaries.
Where magma reaches the earth's surface through a vent/crack
51
What is seafloor spreading?
When lava pushes & spreads seafloor u from subsurface.
Movement & spreading of ocean crust above continental crust.
Spreading of ocean crust solely due to earthquakes.
Formation of new ocean crust as result of magma pushing up.
52
Which of the following correctly lists, by (%), the present-day composition of the atmosphere?
Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, CO2, Water vapor, trace gases
CO2, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, water vapor, trace gases.
Oxygen, nitrogen, argon, CO2, water vapor, trace gases
Nitrogen, oxygen, CO2, argon, water vapor, trace gases
53
What is an earthquake?
Shaking caused by fracturing of divergent plate boundary
Shaking caused by formation of convergent plates
Shaking of ground caused by fracturing/displacement of rock
When energy suddenly forms and causes underground vibrations
54
All of the following are characteristics of an S wave except:
It cannot propagate in the liquid parts of the earth
it shears rock sideways at right angles
They are a slower type of secondary wave
Not very damaging to structures.
55
Two examples of igneous rock include:
Limestone and lignite
Sandstone and shale
Lava rock and granite
Marble and slate
56
Which of the following is NOT a correct statement regarding water on the earth?
Salty oceans cover 71% of the earth's surface.
Salty oceans contain 97% of the earth's water.
Interconnected oceans cover 90% of earth's ocean hemisphere
Freshwater systems cover over 2.2% of the earth's surface.
57
What is the Coriolis effect? (Choose all that may apply).
Occurs due to the rotation of the Earth on its axis.
It is the weakest at the poles, strongest at equator.
The apparent curvature of global winds and ocean currents.
The effect is strongest at the poles, nonexistent at equator
58
What type of boundary forms when oceanic plates slide & grind past one another along fractures?
A trench boundary
A transform fault
A subduction zone
Oceanic ridges
59
The largest circulation of water on earth is a direct result of changes in:
Temperature and wind patterns.
Temperature and salinity.
Wind patterns and salinity.
Temperature and precipitation
60
What are inland wetlands?
Lands near coastal areas covered in salty water.
Lands located away from coastal areas covered in freshwater.
Lands away from the coast covered in water for a short time
They are always seasonal wetlands.
61
When does desertification occur? (Choose all that apply).
When forest fires prevent erosion from occurring.
When overgrazing and deforestation reduce/degrade topsoil.
When productive potential of topsoil falls by >10%
When deforestation allows for more annual plants to grow.
62
What is natural recharge?
Natural restoration of valuable resources such as trees.
Natural process of restoring nitrates into soil.
Natural replenishment of a watershed in a sensitive area.
Natural replenishment of an aquifer by precipitation.
63
All of the following are characteristics of the stratosphere except:
Extends about 17 to 48 km above earth's surface.
Its concentration of ozone is extremely low.
It contains less matter than the troposphere
It volume of water vapor is 1/1000 that of the troposphere.
64
Describe the process that forms oceanic ridges.
When plates slide and grind past one another.
When two oceanic plates collide.
When oceanic plates move apart, magma flows through cracks.
When continental plates move apart, causing magma to rise.
65
What is weathering?
The climactic changes in weather.
When acid deposition quickly breaks down monuments.
Internal processes that build up the earth's surface.
The different processes that break down rocks into soil.
66
What is the atmosphere?
A thin blanket of gases surround earth, divided into layers.
Blanket of gases that increases in pressure with altitude.
A blanket of gases with a homogeneous density of molecules.
A thick blanket of gases consisting of spherical layers.
67
Please list the different concentric zones of the earth, starting from the inner-most layer.
Asthenosphere, crust, mantle, core
Core, asthenosphere, mantle, crust
Core, mantle, asthenosphere, crust
Crust, asthenosphere, mantle, core
68
All of the following describe air circulation cells except:
They are caused by the Coriolis effect.
They include, from equator to poles: Hadley, Ferrel, Polar.
They are also known as ENSO.
Global air circulation patterns caused by uneven heating.
69
Which of the following regarding tectonic plates is true?
Much geologic activity at the surface occurs at boundaries
Tectonic plates' boundaries are not active at the surface.
They do not cause/form mountains, volcanoes, or earthquakes.
Continental plates usually ride below oceanic plates.
70
What is high-grade ore?
It contains a large concentration of the desired mineral.
Identified resources from which we can extract minerals
It is not as profitable as low-grade ore.
It contains a small concentration of the desired mineral.
71
Which of the following describe the Ring of Fire?
Located at edges of Pacific Ocean, at plate boundaries.
String of volcanoes and seismic activity sites
It is where about 90% of all earthquakes occur.
All of preceding options are correct.
72
What are the most widely used nonmetallic minerals?
Phosphate salts and gravel.
Sand and phosphate salts.
Sand and limestone.
Sand and gravel.
73
Which of the following would conserve soil?
Monocultures
Aquifer depletion
Soil salinization
High-yield polyculture
74
What is the major benefit of having a healthy ozone layer?
It blocks all harmful waves of radiation.
It prevents most UV-B from reaching earth's surface.
It prevents UV-C from reaching earth's surface.
It prevents both UV-B and UV-C from reaching earth.
75
Which one of the following does NOT describe characteristics of the earth's core?
It is extremely hot and has a solid inner part.
It is surrounded by a liquid core of molten/semisolid matter
It is the earth's innermost zone.
It is the zone of hot, partly-melted rock that flows.
76
What is the Tectonic Cycle?
Climate change, geographic barriers, extinction, & volcanoes
Sum of methods that build up & break down the asthenosphere
Sum of processes that build up & break down the lithosphere
Theory that lithosphere made up of plates that always move.
77
All of the following are characteristics of a stratovolcano except:
Very quiet; volcanic materials consist of cinders.
Gentle lower slopes, but steep upper slopes; concave upward
Explosive; numerous layers of lava
large, approx. 1-10 km in diameter
78
Which of the following describe volcanic hotspots? (Click all that apply).
They are located along the Pacific Plate boundaries
An example is the Hawaiian volcanoes within the Pac. Plate
They are places within the mantle where magma is generated.
They are created by anomalous volcanism
