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Anna Lewis: Extra Credit #3 Questions
1. True or False: Waves move more sand in during the winter and more sand out in the
summers
a. During the winter, storms carry more sand out off the beaches. During the
summer, waves tend to go further up the beach and carries more sand. Thus, more
sand is deposited during the summer.
2. True or False: The amount of sand that get’s taken to the ocean is equal to the amount of
sand deposited by the ocean. Thus, no assistance from humans is needed in the process of
maintaining a sandy beach.
a. While sand does get taken away and replenished, some sand is lost to the depths
of the ocean away from the waves that would restore the sand to the beach. Over
time, the sand taken away is greater than the sand deposited so humans tend to
deposit sediment to make up for the imbalance.
3. True or False: The sea level is rising.
a. One reason the sea level is rising is due to the glacier’s melting. Another reason is
due to the warmth causing the water of the ocean to expand (increased heat =
increased energy in molecules = expansion). The sea level has risen by about an
inch per decade.
4. True or False: A coast’s type is ONLY determined by the type of rocks it has.
a. The type of coast actually is determined by many factors including the supply of
sediment it receives, the energy of the waves, the tidal range, the type of rocks,
and more.
5. True or False: The first part of a wave goes faster as it nears the coast.
a. The first part of the wave will slow down in order for the rest of the wave to catch
up. This results in the wave piling up to break, and arrives relatively straight, but
still at a bit of an angle.
6. True or False: Glaciers do not move.
a. A glacier is a pile of ice and snow that flows, thus they do move.
7. True or False: A glacier takes water and sediment from the ablation zone to the
accumulation zone.
a. The zones are reversed in the above statement. A glacier actually takes the water
(as ice) and sediment from the accumulation zone to the ablation zone. The
accumulation zone is where the snow accumulates faster than it melts. The
ablation zone differs because it is where the melting, which is another word for
melting, exceeds the snow accumulation).
8. True or False: The top of a glacier moves faster than the bottom.
a. The top of the glacier is able to move fastest because it rides along on top of the
deeper levels. The bed of the glacier gets slowed by the friction of the rock it is
moving against. The top of the glacier has limited friction and is able to flow
faster.
9. True or False: Striae under ice makes abrasion resulting in polished rocks.
a. Striae means scratches and abrasion means the process scraping or wearing away
(like sandpapering). The two terms were switched in the above statement. The
action of sandpapering under the ice causes scratches and from this process, rocks
get polished.
10. True or False: When searching for a glacier, you can look for ridges because they often
outline the glaciers.
a. Melting glaciers have sediment and other deposits that appear in it’s outwash.
This outwash is normally deposited around the glacier and the pieces in the
outwash are often sorted by size. This outwash can form ridges which are the
outlines around the glacier.
11. What happens to the majority of the rain that falls?
a. The rain evaporates – While the REMAINDER of water is mostly soaks into the
ground, the MAJORITY of the rain that falls will evaporate.
b. It is soaked into the ground
c. Humans collect it to drink and bathe
d. All of the above
12. What object does the ground act most like?
a. Ball
b. Remote controller
c. Sponge – The ground acts like a sponge because when it rains, it will soak the
water up, much like a sponge does when placed underneath the stream of a
running faucet.
d. Soap
13. True or False: During the wet times, the water table will fall because it gets too heavy.
a. The water table will rise during the wet times, just like a sponge would, and sink
during the dry times.
14. True or False: Areas in the river where rocks pile up results in the river ceasing to exist
from that point on.
a. When rocks pile up, the river will react by becoming steeper. The increased
steepness of the river is able to push and move the rocks, creating an opening
from the blockage.
15. What is a delta?
a. An airline
b. A big pile of sediment, which compacts under its own weight- For example,
there is a Mississippi delta that is extremely thick (miles thick) and gets extremely
compacted.
c. Another term for river
d. When ecosystems thrive from the alterations that humans inflict upon them.
16. True or False: The equator receives the majority of the Sun’s energy.
a. The sun hits the equator almost straight-on, thus it receives the bulk of the Sun’s
energy. Compare areas near the equator to the areas near the poles. The equator is
much hotter than the poles are. Areas with more heat are the areas with more of
the Sun’s energy.
17. True or False: Rising air is warmed and causes it to leave the atmosphere.
a. There is a cycle regarding the expansion and compression of air. Air that is rising
expands. As this air is expanding, the molecules inside of it are getting further
apart, allowing for it to cool down. As the air cools down, the air will sink and be
compressed. This compression (molecules are getting closer to each other) results
in the air to warm. This cycle continues.
18. What are two types of weathering?
a. Physical and Microwavable
b. Chemical and Microwavable
c. Mechanical and Chemical: Mechanical weathering is when large pieces of an
object break down and make smaller pieces. Chemical weathering is when new
types of materials, that were not present originally, are formed.
d. There is only one type of weathering
19. True or False: Mass movement is the uphill transportation of soil and rocks without
rivers or glaciers or wind.
a. Mass movement is the downhill transportation of soil and rocks without rivers or
glaciers or wind. Landslides are an example of mass movement.
20. True or False: In the present day, there is a natural balance between soil production and
mass movement.
a. Humans are taking soil faster than new soil can form, thus causing the soil to thin.
21. True or False: During subduction, it’s unpredictable which side will sink.
a. The denser side will sink under the less-dense side.
22. True or False: Underwater activities such as earthquakes, volcanoes, or landslides do not
exist.
a. The mentioned activities do exist and can cause a large amount of water to move,
resulting in a tsunami.
23. True or False: Most tsunamis are small.
a. While the news reports the more devastatingly large and destructive big tsunamis,
the majority of tsunamis aren’t typically that big.
24. True or False: Tsunamis can be predicted.
a. Although tsunamis can’t be predicted days in advance, there are ways to detect a
tsunami approaching within seconds to hours before it strikes.
25. What does isostasy mean?
a. Equal standing – Used when referencing the idea that things on the Earth float in
the soft, denser material below.
b. Unequal standing
c. Tsunami
d. Hurricane