True - False (1 point each): Indicate true or false by circling "T" or "F" on the answer sheet.

1. Coal typically occurs in layers of strata surrounded by layers of detrital sedimentary rocks
2. Passive solar energy heats areas by natural radiation, conduction, and convection; active solar energy heats areas by circulation of solar-heated water.
3. During nuclear fusion, atoms are joined to produce new atoms; in nuclear fission atoms are split to produce new atoms
4. The term "groundwater recharge" refers to the rate at which groundwater is emitted by an artesian spring.
5. The "water table" is the upper surface of the zone of saturation
6. Groundwater sometimes flows upward against gravity.
7. To be a good aquifer, a rock unit must have high porosity, but in need not have high permeability.
8. An artesian aquifer is an unconfined aquifer in which the area of recharge lies at a lower elevation than the area of discharge
9. When water is withdrawn from a well, a cone of depression is created in which the water table in the vicinity of the well is temporarily lowered.
10. Saltwater intrusion occurs in coastal areas when salty groundwater mixes with fresh water from an ocean.
11. Every stream carries water from a watershed that is separated from other watersheds by a drainage basin.
12. In a meandering section of a stream, the fastest water is near the inside of the curves.
13. A stream's base level is the lowest level to which a stream can erode its channel.
14. Stream piracy occurs when one stream captures the headwaters of another stream on the opposite side of a drainage divide.
15. Very young (juvenile) streams are more likely to meander than older streams.
16. Natural levees result when streams overflow their banks and deposit coarse sediment in normally dry areas adjacent to the stream.
17. The primary difference between a delta and an alluvial fan is that alluvial fans are erosional features, whereas deltas are depositional features.
18. A 10-year flood is a flood that has a 1 in 10 chance of occurring every year.
19. The term "karst" refers only to caves or cave systems found in limestone bedrock.
20. The primary difference between stalactites and stalagmites is that stalactites hang suspended from a cave roof, whereas stalagmites protrude upward from the cave floor.
21. Placer deposits are a type of ore deposit created by hydrothermal solutions.
22. "Vein" and "disseminated" deposits are two types of hydrothermal mineral deposits.
23. Most of present day coal usage is for home heating or powering industrial plants.
24. Oil shale could potentially be a source of petroleum but the U.S. is screwed again because we don't have much of it.
25. When we mine rock from the ground, we process the ore to separate the gangue from the reserves.
26. In general, the greater a stream's discharge, the greater the suspended sediment load.
27. Petroleum originates from the accumulation and decomposition of marine organisms.
28. Rocks are just large minerals.
29. Coal originates from the accumulation and decomposition of swamp vegetation.
30. The concentration factor is the amount that an element needs to be concentrated over natural abundances in order to make mining economical.


Multiple Choice (2 pts. each): Mark answers on the answer sheet.

31. Which process is NOT part of the hydrologic cycle?
a. water evaporating from lakes or streams
b. water infiltrating into the soil or bedrock
c. calcium carbonate dissolving in soil water and groundwater
d. water moving into creeks and streams following a rainstorm
e. precipitation over an ocean

32. Which creates a lower base level for rivers and streams?
a. sea level drops or land subsides
b. sea level rises or land subsides
c. sea level falls or land rises
d. sea level rises or land rises
e. rain increases

33. Which constituents make up the suspended load of most streams and rivers?
a. dissolved ions and sand b. dissolved salts c. silt and clay d. sand and gravel e. gold

34. A the head of a delta, the major channel splits into many ____________.
a. estuaries b. distributaries c. tributaries d. dendrites e. all of the above

35. The Green River, and some others of the Colorado Plateau, are characterized by incised meanders. How did this happen?
a. original, youthful streams continued to downcut as the land rose
b. lava flows reached the river at the same rate that water was flowing
c. original, old-age streams downcut as the land gradually rose
d. as sea level dropped, the original youthful streams matured into old-age streams
e. as sea level rose, the original old-age streams were rejuvenated

36. Which river has the greatest discharge in the world?
a. Nile b. Amazon c. Congo d. Red e. Mississippi

37. The largest particle a stream can move is the stream's _____________.
a. capacity b. limit c. competence d. velocity e. load

38. Where is erosion concentrated along a meandering stream?
a. on the straight parts of the channel
b. on the outer parts of the meander loops
c. on the inner parts of the meander loops
d. on the river's bottom
e. in floodplain

39. Settling velocity refers to
a. the rate at which groundwater approaches the water table
b. the rate of gold production in the Transvaal
c. the rate at which lawyers finish up lawsuits
d. the speed of water flow that allows particles to be deposited
e. none of the above are correct

40. What is the source of heat for most hot springs and geysers?
a. continental drift b. metamorphism c. coal or petroleum d. cooling igneous rock e. global warming

41. Oil traps:
a. can stop upward migration of oil
b. can stop upward migration of gas
c. must include a good reservoir rock
d. must include a good cap rock
e. all of the above are correct

42. As you move downstream, a river's:
a. velocity tends to increase and discharge tends to decrease
b. velocity tends to decrease and capacity tends to decrease
c. capacity tends to increase and gradient tends to increase
d. capacity tends to decrease but gradient tends to increase
e. width tends to increase and velocity tends to increase

43. Most of the world's fresh water is
a. in the oceans
b. in lakes and streams
c. in ice and snow
d. groundwater
e. in artificial reservoirs created by dams

44. Which of the following is a primary ore of aluminum that forms as a result of leaching?
a. mercury b. pyrite c. bauxite d. lignite e. hydrothermal

45. Which of the following processes may account for the formation of an ore deposit?
a. circulation of hydrothermal fluids
b. gravity settling associated with a magma
c. gravity settling associated with a river
d. weathering and leaching
e. all of the above

46. Material transported by flowing water may be
a. capacity load, competence load, or velocity load
b. bars, meanders or oxbows
c. suspended load, coagulated load or dissolved load
d. suspended load, eroded load, or dissolved load
e. suspended load, dissolved load or bed load

47. When it rains on land, the result may be
a. runoff b. infiltration c. evaporation d. erosion e. all of the above

48. Generally, large caves form at levels in the Earth
a. that are above the water table
b. that are below the water table
c. that can be either above or below the water table
d. Heidi is Governor of North Dakota
e. Dexter is Governor of North Dakota

49. Most of the world's major economic mineral deposits are in
a. shield areas
b. subduction zones
c. the deepest parts of the ocean
d. the shallowest parts of the ocean
e. depositional basins

50. Which of the following is NOT true about a delta?
a. the sediment in a delta is, in general, finer than material deposited upstream
b. water velocity is less than in upstream parts of the river
c. the river spreads out
d. distributaries may form
e. terraces often form

51. Most of the water that people use goes for
a. driving cars
b. washing and other things related to sanitation
c. agriculture, especially irrigation
d. drinking
e. industrial uses

52. Which of the following "mineral" resources is a liquid.
a. gold b. copper c. mercury d. bauxite e. coal

53. Once a stream has eroded for a long time, it deepens its valley and eventually:
a. it approaches a graded conditions
b. it tends to erode outward rather than downward
c. the gradient decreases
d. a flat valley floor or floodplain is produced
e. all of the above

54. If you collect a jar of water from a stream, set it on a table, and come back later, you may find some stuff collected in the bottom of the jar. That stuff once was:
a. suspended load
b. dissolved load
c. saltated load
d. bed load
e. any of the above

55. Which important greenhouse gas is released by burning fossil fuels?
a. water, H20
b. methane, CH4
c. carbon dioxide, CO2
d. quartz, SiO2
3. NOx and SOx

56. Which of the following terms refers to a type of stream/river drainage pattern?
a. dendritic b. erratic c. artesian d. karst e. all of the above

57. Which of the following are reasons that the nuclear energy industry is not doing too well?
a. nuclear energy is expensive compared to other energy sources
b. people are concerned about a serious accident
c. we know of no good way to get rid of nuclear waste
d. no one wants a nuclear plant in their backyard
e. all of the above

58. Which of the following is true about lignite?
a. it burns well compared with other coals
b. it is a type of petroleum
c. we don't have much in North Dakota
d. it often produces sulfur, carbon dioxide and particulates when burned
e. all of the above

59. Prior Appropriations and Riparian Rights are two methods for
a. dividing up groundwater
b. dividing up surface water
c. establishing ownership of mine lands
d. making mining companies responsible for cleanup
e. developing energy policies

60. The thing that makes Greenhouse gases warm the earth is that
a. they emit heat
b. they emit radiation
c. they conduct heat
d. they let sunlight in but don't let heat out
e. the blanket the earth and stop atmospheric circulation from moving heat to the stratosphere

61. Every introductory geology book talks about the Ogallala Aquifer. Why? Where is the Ogalla Agquifer, and what's going on with it? What's the problem and what is the solution?

62. What factors promote frequent flooding of the broad areas along the Red River of the North?


63. Most of the United States is drained by the Mississippi River. Why? What I am asking is: why only one or two large rivers in most continents? Why not lots of smaller ones?


64. Dexy says that real caves only form in limestone, not in other types of rock. Is he out to lunch, or is he correct? Why does he say this?