GEOLOGY/GEOGRAPHY 321/525
SOME POSSIBLE ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR TEST II
J. Steven Kite, Updated 10 March 2009

One of these questions will appear as written in an essay question on the second test.  You answer to this question will count 25 % of the test grade.  Do not count on having more than 20 to 25 minutes for your answer during the test period.  Your answers must be legible and limited to 1 page (1 side of a sheet of paper). The basis for grading will include completeness, accuracy, clarity, writing style, and use of correct grammar.

1. Compare and contrast depositional, erosional, and slip-off terraces.  Include stratigraphy, geomorphology, and origin in your discussion.  Which of these types is more likely to occur as paired terraces?  Where would you expect to find each of these terrace types in West Virginia?

2. Draw Hjulstrom's diagram.  Discuss the significance of this diagram to real-world fluvial erosion, transportation, and deposition.

3. Discuss the basic tenets of the three major theories of landscape development and where each theory is most likely to explain landscape history.

4. How do meanders evolve with time in a true unconfined alluvial valley?  Include the specific processes at work in various parts of the channel.

# 5. (Will not ask in 2009) Compare and contrast water gaps and wind gaps, making sure that both terms are defined in your topic paragraph.  Discuss the mechanisms that may act to form these important Appalachian landforms.

# 6. (Will not ask in 2009) Describe the types of observations and equations that a geomorphologist might use to determine the stage and discharge of "paleofloods" on the modern landscape.  Which of these "tools" can also be used for paleofloods in the bedrock record?

7. Describe (in words) the chemical reactions involved in the solution of limestone to form cave passages.  Describe the reactions involved in the development of cave speleothems.   Use chemical equations in your answer, but you must also fully address the reactions represented by the equations in concise text.

ADD for 2010

8. Use the Rosgen classification chart to classify a stream with the following attributes:  single-thread channel, entrenchment ratio = 2.26, width/depth ratio = 18.0, sinuosity = 1.25, channel slope = 0.03 (3%), bedload = cobble.

Explain how you came up with a classification. Are alternative classifications possible?  Explain.

NEW for 2009
SOME POSSIBLE MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS FOR TEST II

What frequency of stream flow is most important at creating the hydraulic geometry (dimension, pattern, & profile) of most alluvial streams? (A) 1-2 day recurrence flows, (B) 1-2 week recurrence flows, (C) 1-2 month recurrence flows, (D) 1-2 year recurrence flows, (E) or 50-100 year recurrence flows.

What frequency of stream flow is most important at creating the hydraulic geometry (dimension, pattern, & profile) of most bedrock-bed or very large boulder-bed streams? (A) 1-2 day recurrence flows, (B) 1-2 week recurrence flows, (C) 1-2 month recurrence flows, (D) 1-2 year recurrence flows, (E) or 50-100 year recurrence flows.

Use the Rosgen (1994) classification scheme to classify a single-channel reach with a wide floodplain, very low width-depth ratio, high sinuosity, and low gradient:  (A) A, (B) B, (C) C, (D) D, or (E) E.

Which channel type is characteristic of a reach that has more sediment bedload than the stream can readily transport?  (A) Anastamosing, (B) braided, (C) meandering, (D) incised, or (E) rejuvenated.

What is the natural progression of undisturbed alluvial channels? (A) Alluvial channels are stable and do not move without human disturbance, (B) streams tend to straighten with time, (C) meanders tend to migrate upstream, (D), meanders tend to migrate downstream, or (E) meandering channels tend to evolve toward braided streams.

Calculate the discharge of a stream with mean channel depth of 3.0 m, mean channel width of 10 m, sinuosity of 1.5, gradient of 0.001, and flow velocity of 1 m/s. (A) 45 m3/s, (B) 0.045 m3/s, (C) 45.0 m2/s, (D) 4.5 m2/s, or (E) 30 m3/s.

In the 1960s, Dr. John T. Hack presented a theory of landscape development that champions (A) peneplains and rejuvenation, (B) parallel slope retreat, (C) dynamic equilibrium between resisting forces and erosional forces, (D), large cataclysmic floods, or (E) movement of continents driven by moving plates.

(Will not ask in 2009) Which of the following would serve as evidence of past Gully Gravure topographic inversion? (A) resistant boulders and blocks armoring a hillslope hollow,  (B) rejuvenated peneplains, (C) U-shaped valleys, (D) W-shaped valleys, or (E) V-Shaped Valleys.

Where do caves form?  (A) above the water table, (B) below the watrer table, (C) at the water table,  (D) at or below the water table, or (E)  above, below or at the watertable.

Calculate groundwater flow rate through a 1000 ft² cross-sectional area of fine sandy silt, if the sediment's hydraulic conductivity is 0.1 gal/day-ft² and the hydraulic gradient is 1 ft vertical / 100 ft horizontal. (A) 1.0 gal /day, (B) 1000 gal /day, (C) 10,000 gal /day, (D) 3,280 gal /day, or (E) 128 ounces /hour.