Physical Geomorphology Test 3

The Mohorovicic discontinuity, commonly called the Moho, is the boundary layer that separates the Earth's crust from the underlying mantle. It is identified by a sharp increase in the velocity of seismic waves.

Statement 1 is incorrect because the point of origin within the Earth is the focus (hypocenter), while the epicenter is the point on the surface directly above it. Statements 2 and 3 are correct as earthquakes can originate in the crust or upper mantle and are most frequent at tectonic plate boundaries.

In folded mountain regions, differential erosion can lead to 'inversion of relief' where synclines form ridges and anticlines form valleys. This results in a characteristic ridge and valley landscape, often seen in the Appalachians.

A Tarn is a single mountain lake or pool formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. Paternoster lakes are a series of glacial lakes connected by a single stream or a braided stream system, occurring in a glacial valley and resembling beads on a string (glacial stairways).

Chemical weathering is most effective in humid tropical regions because high temperatures and abundant moisture accelerate chemical reactions like hydrolysis, oxidation, and carbonation. In contrast, arid regions favor physical weathering.

Alluvial cones (or fans) are formed when a stream leaves a narrow mountain canyon and enters a broad valley or plain, depositing its load due to the sudden decrease in velocity. This transition zone at the foot of a mountain is called the piedmont zone.

Earthquake intensity varies by plate boundary: constructive (divergent) boundaries typically have low-to-moderate magnitude shallow earthquakes, while destructive (convergent) boundaries produce the most disastrous, high-magnitude events. Conservative (transform) boundaries also produce severe earthquakes due to lateral shearing.

In the fluvial cycle, landforms progress from the upper course to the lower course: Gorges form in the steep upper reaches, Piedmont plains (fans) form at the mountain base, Flood plains develop in the mature stage, and Deltas form at the river mouth.

A braided river consists of a network of small channels separated by temporary islands called braid bars. This occurs when a river has a high sediment load and low gradient, causing it to constantly choke its own channel and split into multiple paths.

Ocean currents are primarily driven and modified by the Earth's rotation (Coriolis effect), atmospheric pressure and wind patterns, and differences in water density (temperature and salinity). The Earth's revolution affects seasonal cycles but does not directly modify the mechanics of current flow.

Kober's Geosynclinal Theory explains mountain building. Lowthian Green's Tetrahedral hypothesis explains the distribution of continents and oceans. Harris's Stationary Wave Theory explains tides. Darwin's Subsidence Theory explains the origin of coral reefs.

The question is slightly garbled but refers to aeolian (wind) processes. Deflation is the removal of loose particles by wind, and abrasion is the 'sandblasting' effect of wind-blown particles against rock surfaces.

The four major glacial stages of the Pleistocene in the Alps, from oldest to youngest, are Gunz, Mindel, Riss, and Wurm. They are often remembered by their alphabetical order.

Rivers form natural levees during floods. Wind erosion creates Zeugens (mushroom rocks/ridges). Glaciers carve Roche Moutonnees out of bedrock. Underground water (karst) creates blind valleys where streams disappear into sinkholes.

Playas (misspelled as 'Players' in the question) are dry lake beds found in arid basins. They are formed by the accumulation of water in depressions, which then evaporates, but the depressions themselves are often deepened or maintained by wind deflation.

W.M. Davis is famous for the 'Geographical Cycle' and the concept of the 'Peneplain' (a near-featureless plain representing the end stage of erosion). L.C. King is associated with Pediplains, and Crickmay with Panplains.

The Kalahari Desert's aridity is primarily due to its location in the subtropical high-pressure belt on the western side of the continent, where offshore trade winds and the cold Benguela current inhibit precipitation.

Outwash plains and Eskers are depositional landforms formed by glacial meltwater and sediment. Roches Moutonnees and U-shaped valleys are erosional landforms carved directly by the movement of glacial ice.

Blind valleys are classic Karst features. Ventifacts are rocks shaped by wind (Aeolian). Pingos are ice-cored mounds found in Periglacial environments. Stone lattices are also Aeolian features, not Humid topography, making statement 2 incorrect.

A.H. Robinson is known for the use of dots in cartography. C.K. Wentworth developed a method for calculating the tangent of average slope, while E. Raisz and J. Henry worked on slope analysis and G.H. Smith on relative relief.

Stalactites are iconic limestone (karst) formations. Solonchak refers to saline soil types, Shotts are salt lakes found in North Africa, and Sills are intrusive volcanic rock formations.

The Devonian period belongs to the Palaeozoic era, the Triassic to the Mesozoic, and the Archean is a division of the Pre-Cambrian. The Neogene (Neocene) is a period within the Cenozoic era.