At which location would you expect to see relatively peaceful eruptions, when they occur either now or in the future?

(a) Mt. Vesuvius, Italy

(b) Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines

(c) Iceland,

(d) Mount St. Helens, Washington

The colcano that is most likely to produce a catastrophic explosion in the United States is:

(a) Mauna Loa, on the island of Hawaii

(b) the San Francisco Peaks, outside Flagstaff

(c) Mount Rainier, in Washigton state

(d) Mount Shasta, in northern California

Volcanic activity during the past 4,000 years in Oregon and Washington state is due to:

(a) subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate underneath the North American plate

(b) former activity associated with Yellowstone National Park

(c) a hot spot located to the east

(d) transform faulting that brings magma to the surface

Which of the following best describes a rock fall?

(a) a nearly vertical movement of debris from a slope or steep cliff

(b) a slow and gradual movement of material downslope

(c) a viscous, turbulent flow of material over the landscape

(d) a slide that occurs along a basal slip surface

Material will move down a hillside quick when:

(a) the mount of moisture is decreased

(b) the angle of hillside is increased

(c) the angle of the hillside is decreased

(d) the amount of sunlight hitting the hillside changes

Flood basalts are formed by:

(a) large amounts of basalt being shot out the top of a volcano

(b) flood waters reworking solid basalt flows on land

(c) the collision of two plates

(d) lava flowing out of many fissure eruptions

The main gas emitted during volcanic eruptions is:

(a) sulfur dioxide

(b) water vapor

(c) nitrogen

(d) carbon dioxide

Clay soils can expand by:

(a) absorbing water

(b) being compacted

(c) being cooled

(d) being crushed

Dessication cracks are common features:

(a) near coastlines

(b) in arid regions where the groundwater table drops

(c) in high elevations

(d) in areas where igneous rocks are common

TRUE-FALSE. Basaltic lavas flow slowly because they have relative simple chemistry.

(a) True

(b) False

(a) occur in the Andes Mountains of South America

(b) are related to volcanic eruptions in Alaska

(c) take place roughly every 100 years

(d) occur in submarine settings in the ocean

Material that accumulates at the base of a steep hill or cliff is termed:

(a) outwash

(b) talus

(c) slump debris

(d) slide debris

An area underlain by limestone layers could, with the presence of enough water, could produce a ______ topography.

(a) karst

(b) level

(c) sloped

(d) mountains

Lava domes form due to _______ viscosity lavas that produce relatively _______ volumes.

(a) high...large

(b) low...large

(c) low...small

(d) high...small

Most of the world's explosive volcanoes are located in the Ring of Fire, an area that encircles the Pacific Ocean. The type of volcanoes that commonly form in this zone are _____ that form by the melting of rocks in the subsurface during ______.

(a) cinders and scoria cones...subduction

(b) shield volcanoes...rifting

(c) stratovolcanoes...subduction

(d) shield volcanoes... the formation of hot spots

The volcano in the Pacific Northwest that has been the most active over the past 4,000 years is:

(a) Mount Rainier

(b) Mount Baker

(c) Mount St. Helens

(d) Mount Hood

The energy that moves an earthflow or a debris avalanche comes from:

(a) gravity

(b) the angle of the slope over which the material moves

(c) water, which is the lubricant

(d) solar heat

Large-scale, regional, subsidence can occur as the result of:

(a) eroading mountains

(b) mass wasting

(c) colliding plates that produce earthquakes and back-snap

(d) debris flow and earthflows

How likely is Mount St. Helens to produce a tsunami, when it erupts again?

(a) not at all

(b) somewhat likely

(c) a slight possibility

(d) very likely

A

The type of volcano form that is characterized by a broad, low-angle slope is:

(a) a cinder cone

(b) a dome

(c) a stratovolcano

(d) a shield volcano

Hot spots are the main cause of volcanic activity in:

(a) Hawaii

(b) central Alaska

(c) Indonesia

(d) Oregon and Washington

The volcanic activity associated with Yellowstone National Park is evidence for the presence of what feature below the surface?

(a) diamonds

(b) carbon dioxide

(c) a continental hot spot

(d) large deposits of metallic deposits

TRUE-FALSE. Volcanic ash and dust are the smallest particle thrown out by a volcano.

(a) True

(b) False

Three settings where volcanic rocks generally form are:

(a) subduction zones, mid-oceanic ridge systems, continental- continental collision zones

(b) subductions zones, hot spots, continental-continental collision zones

(c) subductions zones, continental-continental collision zones, continental strike-slip fault zones

(d) subduction zones, hot spots, mid-oceanic ridge system

Pyroclastic debris is:

(a) a key part of major volcanic eruptions

(b) usually very small in terms of its volume and remains close to the volcano

(c) material produced in the subsurface that remains there during the eruption but is later exposed when overlying material is weathered away

(d) confined to stream beds once it is formed

Sunset Crater east of Flagstaff is an example of:

(a) a volcanic dome

(b) a small shield volcano

(c) a cinder cone

(d) a composite or stratovolcano

The violent flank eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 was set off by:

(a) a fault that ripped the mountain apart

(b) caldera collapse that reduced teh weight of the dome

(c) interaction of hot magma with cold, surface waters

(d) an earthquake that caused collapse of part of the mountain, thus relasing overlying pressure holding magma below the surface

D

The dissolving of limestone produces collapse of the ground surface resulting in:

(a) a decrease in debris flow

(b) a general smoothing of the ground surface

(c) subsidence and sinkholes

(d) increased stream flow

Subsidence and ground collapse would be more likely to occur in regions unerlain by what rock type?

(a) sandstone

(b) shale

(c) limestone

(d) granite

Creep is typically caused by:

(a) rapid movements of rock downslope

(b) rapid movements of soil downslpe

(c) slow movements of solid rock downslope

(d) slow movements of soil downslope by expansion and contraction of clay-rich soils

What is required for disasters such as hurricanes, volcanoes, and earthquakes to take place?

(a) rocks and minerals

(b) an energy source

(c) warm climates

(d) a lot of space for the event to occur

Hot spots are the main cause of earthquakes and volcanic activity in:

(a) Oregon and Washington

(b) Central Alaska

(c) Indonesia

(d) Hawaii

A proposed explanation of a set of measurements or observations that are untested is:

(a) a hypothesis

(b) a theory

(c) a principle or law

(d) a rule

Great earthquakes, those with a magnitude or 8 or higher, usually occur how often, on average?

(a) once every 10 years

(b) once a month

(c) once every three to five years

(d) only when there is a full moon

In the most deadly natural hazards that occurred between 2001 and 2005, the majority of the events involved:

(a) fires

(b) volcanoes

(c) heat waves

(d) water, often related to storms

The majority of earthquakes that occur in the continental United States take place in which state?

(a) California

(b) Washington

(c) Kansas

(d) South Carolina

The majority of the most costly insurance disasters over the last 20 years occured:

(a) in areas along the circum-Pacific belt

(b) in countries with strong economies, such as the United States and Japan

(c) in central Asia

(d) near the equator

The types of events that seem to be the most destructive in terms of loss of life and property damage over the past 50 years are:

(a) volcanic eruptions that take place on islands

(b) events that occur during the full moon

(c) localized storms that form close to shorelines

(d) cyclonic storms and earthquakes

The reduction of the effects of a disaster is termed:

(a) mitigation

(b) a hazard

(c) a catastrophe

(d) the frequencey of the event

The Modified Mercalli intensity scale is:

(a) another name for the magnitude scale

(b) based on the amplitude of seismic waves

(c) based on building damage and personal observations

(d) based on the magnitude of the earthquake

A seismogram is:

(a) the slowest of the seismic waves

(b) a unit of enery released by an earthquake

(c) the written record made by a seismograph

(d) an instrument that records earthquake waves

An earthquake epicenter is:

(a) the surface location of the focus

(b) located at least 10 kilometers below the surface

(c) classified as shallow, intermediate, or deep

(d) always located before the earthquake actually occurs

Of the choices given here, where would you expect to find the largest number of earthquakes occurring?

(a) along the mid-oceanic ridges in the North Atlantic

(b) in central Asia

(c) in the center of the Pacific Plate

(d) in the area around Japan and the Philippine Islands

Deep-focus earthquakes are the most likely to occur in:

(a) subduction plates associated with convergent plate boundaries

(b) the vicinity of mid-oceanic ridgres

(c) strike-slip plate boundaries

(d) the middle of the plate such as in the central United States

The fastest of the four seismic waves are ____ waves.

(a) Love

(b) P

(c) S

(d) Surface

(e) Rayleigh

A measure of how often a disaster could occur is defined by its:

(a) size

(b) frequency

(c) magnitude

(d) area of destruction

The two types of body waves produced by earthquakes are:

(a) vertical and horizontal waves

(b) P and S waves

(c) Rayleigh and Love waves

(d) surface and sound waves

The weakest foundation to build any structure on that is to withstand earthquakes would be:

(a) solid granite

(b) well-consolidated sediments

(c) mud and bay fill

(d) sand brought into an area that is later compacted

The Richter scale is used to describe the ____ of an earthquake.

(a) location

(b) focus

(c) magnitude

(d) intensity

(e) epicenter

In order to determine the location of an earthquake, what is the minimum number of recording stations needed?

(a) 1

(b) 2

(c) 3

(d) 5

(e) 10

A fault that has the hanging wall moving up relative to the foot wall is termed what type of fault?

(a) reverse

(b) normal

(c) strike-slip

(d) abnormal

TRUE-FALSE. A tsunami can be recognized in deep water by the presence of a very large wave.

(a) True

(b) False

The number of years that separate two events of the same size is termed the ____ of the events.

(a) magnitude

(b) intensity

(c) frequency

(d) return period or recurrence interval

D

Zones of concentrated earthquake activity:

(a) are randomly distributed around Earth

(b) are only associated with faults on land

(c) mark plate boundaries

(d) are found away from plate boundaries

After an earthquake, which of the following would be the first o reach a nearby seismograph on land?

(a) S-wave

(b) P-wave

(c) seismic sea wave

(d) surface wave

An example of a divergent plate boundary is found:

(a) along the west coast of South America

(b) along the mid-Atlantic Ridge

(c) within 100 miles of New Madrid, Missouri

(d) in the area surrounding the Hawaiian Islands

TRUE-FALSE. Strain is the result of stress.

(a) True

(b) False

A tsunami is a:

(a) measure of the energy related by an earthquake in the ocean

(b) precursor to an earthquake

(c) locked portion of a fault, such as along the San Andreas

(d) seismic sea wave

The instrument that actually measures the ground motion or movement of the Earth during an earthquake is a(n):

(a) seismometer

(b) seismogram

(c) isometer

(d) inertiometer

The collapse of the Nimitz Freeway (I-880) near Oakland in 1989 was caused by:

(a) spontaneous structural failure of the roadway

(b) response of the underlything bay fill and mud upon which the roadway was built to seismic energy

(c) building the roadway on rubble created by the 1906 earthquake

(d) strong winds associated with the earthquake

Compressional forces produce:

(a) reverse faults

(b) right-lateral normal faults

(c) left-lateral dip slip faults

(d) normal faults

A

A building will sustain the least amount of damage if it is built on:

(a) water-saturated sediments

(b) artificial landfill

(c) bedrock

(d) alluvium

TRUE-FALSE. Earthquakes that occur in Hawaii are related to subduction that ocurs near the middle of the Pacific Plate.

(a) True

(b) False

A normal fault is one in which:

(a) two blocks slide past one another in a horizontal manner

(b) the hanging wall moves up with respect to the footwall

(c) the hanging wall moves down with respect to the foot wall

(d) the footwall moves down relative to the hanging wall

Perhaps the most likely area in the middle of the continental United States to experience an earthquake is:

(a) in and around New Madrid, Missouri

(b) Des Moines, Iowa

(c) Miami, Florida

(d) Bismarck, North Dakota

What event kills the most people each year in the United States?

(a) floods

(b) landslides

(c) tornadoes

(d) earthquakes

As a tsunami approaches more shallow water, what happens?

(a) it tends to speed up

(b) its frequency becomes slower

(c) it abruptly stops because it encounters the sea floor

(d) it slows down

D

Which of the following is charcteristic of P-waves?

(a) they can only travel through liquids

(b) they move particles in a direction perpendicular to the direction of propagation

(c) they are the fastest of all wave types

(d) they move in an elliptical manner

An example of a convergent plate boundary is:

(a) along the west coast of South America

(b) along the mid-Alantic Ridge

(c) within 100 miles of New Madrid, Missouri

(d) in the area surrounding the hawaiian Islands

If you were on a ship in the middle of the ocean when a tsunami passed under you, which of the following statements would be true?

(a) your ship would move up and down rapidly and probably be overturned

(b) your ship would begin spinning in circles

(c) your ship's engin would most likely stop running

(d) you would hardly notice the tsunami, if at all

D

Which region of the United States receives the most thunderstorms?

(a) the Southeast and Gulf coast

(b) the upper Midwest

(c) the Southwest

(d) the Pacific Northwest

Summer storms that produce the largest hail and found in the _________.

(a) New England states

(b) coastal regions of California

(c) central portion of the United States

(d) southeast near Florida

Which scale is used to measure the intensity of tornadoes?

(a) Saffir-Simpson

(b) Mercalli

(c) Enhanced Fujita

(d) Richter

The organizational stage of a tornado contains:

(a) the funnel cloud and some rotating debris

(b) the early stage of the wall cloud

(c) a funnel that is about 1 mile in diameter

The formation of low pressure troughs along a polar jet stream in the Northern Hemisphere tend to occur on the _____ side of a jet stream.

(a) north

(b) south

(c) east

(d) west

In the Northern Hemisphere a rotating low pressure area spins in which direction?

(a) clockwise

(b) counterclockwise

(c) to the north

(d) to the east

The most costly storm in the history of the United States was:

(a) Hurricane Andrew, in Florida in 1992

(b) Hurricane Dennis, in North Carolina in 1999

(c) Tropical Storm Allison, that flooded Houston in 2001

(d) Hurricane Katrina, that hit the Gulf Coast in 2005

The best way to think of potential energy is that it:

(a) is the energy involved with the actual movement of an object

(b) is related to heat energy

(c) is energy in motion

(d) is stored in an object that is waiting to undergo a change is position. (Recall your classmate who cut a back flip for us!)

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that:

(a) energy is always in motion

(b) heat travels from a colder body to a warmer one

(c) heat travels from a hotter object to a colder one

(d) heat is always stored in smaller objets rather than larger ones

TRUE-FALSE. The southeastern states in the United States experience the fewst number of days with thunderstorms.

(a) True

(b) False

If you see anvil-shaped clouds at a high altitude, these are signifying what?

(a) an impending snow storm

(b) the early stage of a thunderstorm

(c) the mature stage of a thunderstorm

(d) the dying stage of a thunderstorm

The way that tropical storms in the northern hemisphere are named is:

(a) men's names are assigned on year and women's are used the next year

(b) only men's names are used

(c) only women's names are used

(d) names alternate, using a man's name and then a woman's name

If a cyclonic storm is moving to the north at 15 mph and its winds are 100 mph, on which side of the storm will the highest winds be recorded?

(a) north

(b) south

(c) east

(d) west

For the conditions in question 13, what will the highest recorded winds be?

(a) 100 mph

(b) 85 mph

(c) 115 mph

(d) between 50 and 100 mph

A cyclonic storm that forms in the western Pacific Ocean is termed a:

(a) hurricane

(b) nor'easter

(c) cyclone

(d) typhoon

Rising, warm air produces:

(a) high pressure conditions

(b) low pressure conditions

(c) thunderstorms

(d) tornadoes

Air pressure is:

(a) denser at the top of the vertical column

(b) denser at the bottom of the vertical column

(c) variable throughout the column in a random fashion

(d) measured in a horizontal direction

The movement of cold air into a warm air mass will produce:

(a) a vertical set of clouds that can produce thunderstorms

(b) a long string of thin clouds

(c) a cyclonic, rotating system of winds

(d) no change in atmospheric conditions

The mass movement of heat, such as what occurs when warm, moist air rises to form clouds, is termed:

(a) radiation

(b) convection

(c) conduction

(d) impossible

The movement of heat through a hot skillet is an example of:

(a) conduction

(b) convection

(c) raditation

(d) radial transfer

The Bermuda High is caused by:

(a) descending cold air from the westerlies and northeast trade winds

(b) warm water over the North Atlantic Ocean

(c) cold water currents off the North Carolina coast

(d) too many people parting in the beach in Bermuda

The majority of people who die in tropical storms are killed by:

(a) flying debris

(b) high tide

(c) flooding

(d) disease

The portion of a stream having the steepest gradient of slope is located:

(a) in the headwaters or source region of the stream

(b) in the region of the mouth of the stream

(c) along the entire length of the stream

(d) where teh largest numer of tributaries join the main stream.

The largest river drainage system in the United States is:

(a) located along the east coast of the U.S.

(b) the Mississippi River system

(c) the St. Lawrence River in New England

(d) the Colorado River

TRUE-FLASE. Only about half of the incoming solar radiation reaches the surface of the Earth.

(a) True

(b) False

The state with the highest likelihood of experiencing a hurrican is:

(a) Texas

(b) Alabama

(c) Florida

(d) North Carolina

The most extensive damage produced by hurricanes that make landfall is done by:

(a) wind

(b) ocean spray

(c) high tides

(d) storm surge

The majority of flooding takes place in what par of a stream's longitudinal profile?

(a) in the steep portion near the source

(b) in the middle of the profile where the steepness of the river begins to become less

(c) along the stream path where water flow is actually reverse

(d) near the mouth where the steepness is essentially horizontal

TRUE-FALSE. The slope of a stream as measured along its entire course tends to remain constant, thus it is flat from the source region to the mouth.

(a) True

(b) False

A stream that is trying to carry too much bed load will usually develop into what type of channel pattern?

(a) straight

(b) dendritic, like a leaf

(c) meandering

(d) braided

The Channel Scablands in eastern Washington state formed by:

(a) glacial erosion

(b) erosion when dammed glacial melt waters rapidly flowed across the landscape after ice dams failed

(c) volcanic deposition related to the eruption of Mount St. Helens

(d) volcanic erosion

The change in elevation of a stream per unit length is called its:

(a) velocity

(b) discharge

(c) base level

(d) gradient

The majority of cyclonic storms occur:

(a) in the northern hemisphere

(b) the southern hemisphere

(c) in the south Atlantic Ocean

(d) east of Australia

If a cyclonic storm has winds of 150 miles per hour, it would be designated as a:

(a) tropical depression

(b) tropcial disturbance

(c) tropical storm

(d) major hurricane

As the amount of water present in a mass movement decreases, the velocity of the movement:

(a) increases

(b) decreases

(c) suddenly comes to an abrupt halt

(d) is not affected at all

Regional floods are usually the result of:

(a) localized thunderstorms

(b) heavy snow falls on a few isolated mountains

(c) prolonged rains over a large area

(d) large earthflows

TRUE-FALSE. Natural levees form along the edges of a floodplain farthest removed from the stream channel.

(a) True

(b) False

The largest amount of material (load) carried by a stream is its:

(a) suspended load

(b) dissolved load

(c) bed load

As the sinuosity of a stream increases, how does this affect its gradient?

(a) the gradient become more steep

(b) the gradient becomes less steep

(c) the gradient is reversed

(d) no change in the gradient is noted

The largest particles carried along by a stream are found in the:

(a) dissolved load

(b) suspended load

(c) bed load

The sinuosity of a stream is:

(a) another way to measure the length of the stream

(b) related to the area around the source or headwaters of the stream

(c) the curvedness of the stream

(d) another term for the slope of the stream

TRUE-FALSE. An example of a deositional feature associated with streams in a desert is an alluvial fan.

(a) True

(b) False

Where is the eye of a hurricane located?

(a) always on the left side in the northern hemisphere

(b) it moves across the storm as it proceeds to the north

(c) basically in the center of the storm

(d) always on the right side in the northern hemisphere.

A storm surge will be the most destructive when:

(a) the storm and its surge hit the mainland at high tide

(b) the storm and its surge hit the mainland at  low tide

(c) the storm and its surge hit the mainland at night

(d) the storm and its surge hit the mainland during the day

The highest velocity winds of any cyclonic storm are located where?

(a) in the outermost portions of the storm

(b) in the southeastern portion of the storm

(c) in the eye wall or center of the storm

(d) in the northwestern portion of the storm

Convection is when heat is moved in mass movements, such as if you have a hot cup of coffee the coffee moves up hits a wall and goes back down, it is convecting. Convection ovens use convection because they circulate the heat.

Conduction is heat transfered through touch. Such as when you touch a hot pan the heat is conducted on to your hand. Or the heat transfered from a burner on the stove to the air is also conduction.

So the difference, convection is what your hot coffee is doing in your cup, and conduction is what happends when you touch the hot cup and it burns, the heat is conducted on to your hand.

Erosion- outside

Deposition- inside