Geology 100 Self-Test 20

Answer the questions below and then click "submit" to send your answers.

  1. What would happen to the beaches of most coasts if all the rivers flowing to the sea were dammed? Why?

    2. Your answer:

  2. The easiest method for escaping a rip current is to

    3. Your answer:
    swim toward shore
    swim parallel to the shore
    swim away from the shore

  3. Why is beach sediment typically quartz-rich sand?

    4. Your answer:
    other minerals are not deposited on beaches
    quartz is the only mineral that can be sand-sized
    quartz is resistant to chemical weathering
    none of the above

  4. Longshore drift is

    5. Your answer:
    the movement of sediment parallel to the shore when waves strike the shoreline at an angle
    a type of rip current
    a type of tide
    the movement of waves

  5. What is the most common source of sand on beaches?

    6. Your answer:
    sand from river sediments brought down to the ocean
    land next to the beach
    offshore sediments

  6. Which would characterize an erosional coast?

    7. Your answer:
    headlands
    sea cliffs
    arches
    all of the above

  7. Which would characterize a depositional coast?

    8. Your answer:
    headlands
    stacks
    arches
    barrier islands

  8. A glacial valley drowned by rising sea level is

    9. Your answer:
    fiord
    an estuary
    a tombolo
    a headland

  9. The surf zone is

    10. Your answer:
    the region in which waves break
    water less than one-half wavelength in depth
    where the longshore current flows
    all of the above

  10. The storm surge of a hurricane is

    11. Your answer:
    the highest winds
    the tallest waves
    the dome of water in the center of the hurricane
    the area of high pressure within the storm