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Geo Short Questions

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  • What is the term for the breaking and shifting of rock layers during an earthquake?
    Faulting
  • List 4 factors that can influence mass movement.
    Slope angle, water, vegetation, human activity
  • What instrument records earthquake waves?
    A seismograph
  • What is the movement of rock and soil down a slope called?
    Mass movement
  • What is a groyne?
    A wooden barrier trapping sand
  • What is a steep sided, narrow valley formed by a river called?
    A V-shaped valley
  • Round, dome shaped calcite structure found on a cave floor.
    Stalagmite
  • What is differential erosion?
    Erosion of softer rock faster than harder rock
  • What is the underground point where an earthquake begins called?
    The focus
  • What does the word aspect mean in terms of climate?
    Direction a slope faces
  • List the 4 factors that influence climate.
    Latitude, altitude, winds, ocean currents
  • What are pore spaces in soil?
    Spaces holding air and water
  • What is the glue in limestone called?
    Calcite
  • What is the term for soil saturated with water flowing down a slope?
    Earthflow
  • List the 4 types of moraine.
    Lateral, medial, terminal, ground
  • What is a beach?
    An area of deposited sand or shingle
  • What is Ireland’s prevailing wind?
    South-westerly
  • What type of rock is limestone?
    Sedimentary
  • What does latitude mean?
    Distance from the equator
  • What is coastal management?
    Protecting the coast from erosion or flooding
  • What is a soil profile?
    A vertical section through soil layers
  • Name 2 types of waves.
    Constructive and destructive
  • Define climate.
    Average weather over a long period
  • What type of plate boundary involves plates moving towards each other?
    Destructive boundary
  • What is molten rock called once it reaches the Earth’s surface?
    Lava
  • What is a hardpan?
    A hard impermeable soil layer
  • What are minerals in soil made from?
    Broken rock
  • What is the flat area around a river that floods called?
    A floodplain
  • What is a flooded U-shaped valley called?
    A fjord
  • Raised banks found along the side of a river are called…
    Levees
  • List the processes of coastal erosion.
    Hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, solution
  • What is the term for the breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces?
    Weathering
  • What is a bay?
    A curved inlet formed by erosion of softer rock
  • What are erratics?
    Large rocks transported by glaciers
  • What type of weathering occurs due to freeze-thaw cycles?
    Mechanical weathering
  • What is a sand spit?
    A narrow ridge of sand attached to the coast
  • What type of rock is granite?
    Igneous
  • What is the term for the area of land where all rain drains into a single river?
    Drainage basin
  • What is the name given to a person who studies earthquakes…
    A seismologist
  • What is an upward fold called?
    An anticline
  • Where are Armorican fold mountains in Ireland found?
    Munster
  • What is an esker?
    A long, winding ridge of sand and gravel
  • What is a tombolo?
    A sand bar linking an island to the mainland
  • What is a wave-cut platform?
    A flat rocky area at the base of a cliff
  • What does permeable mean?
    Allows water to pass through
  • 3 stages a river has…
    Upper course, middle course, lower course
  • What is a Stevenson Screen?
    A shelter for weather instruments
  • What is a glacier?
    A slow-moving river of ice
  • What measures atmospheric pressure?
    A barometer
  • What is the scale used to measure earthquake magnitude?
    The Richter scale
  • What is the term for the material carried by a river?
    Load
  • What does sandstone turn into?
    Quartzite
  • What is the endpoint of a river called?
    The mouth
  • Layers of rocks found in sedimentary rock.
    Strata
  • What is the topsoil also known as?
    Horizon A
  • What is a forecast?
    A prediction of future weather
  • What is the Earth’s outer shell called?
    The crust
  • What is the layer beneath the Earth’s crust called?
    The mantle
  • What is the term used to describe the block of resistant limestone called?
    A clint
  • A person who studies volcanoes is called a…
    Volcanologist
  • What is a headland?
    A resistant area of land sticking out into the sea
  • When both above structures meet and join.
    A pillar
  • What is the process of rock formation and transformation called?
    The rock cycle
  • What is the name given to the area where magma in a volcano is stored?
    Magma chamber
  • List 2 things the atmosphere does for the Earth.
    Protects from harmful rays, keeps Earth warm
  • What is the point on Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake called?
    The epicentre
  • What is molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface called?
    Magma
  • Describe a U-shaped valley.
    Wide, flat valley with steep sides
  • What is an extinct volcano?
    A volcano that will not erupt again
  • Define weather.
    The day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere
  • List 3 advantages of a volcanic eruption…
    Fertile soil, geothermal energy, tourism
  • What does limestone turn into?
    Marble
  • Name a type of soil in Ireland.
    Brown Earth
  • Feature created when a river bends around hard rocks in the river’s young stage.
    Interlocking spurs
  • What are isobars?
    Lines showing equal air pressure
  • What is the term for the wearing away of river banks and beds?
    Erosion
  • Hole through which a river disappears underground and the associated area downstream.
    A swallow hole
  • List the 3 soil horizons.
    A, B, C
  • What type of plate boundary involves plates sliding past each other?
    Conservative boundary
  • What is the North Atlantic Drift?
    A warm ocean current
  • What type of plate boundary involves plates moving apart?
    Constructive boundary
  • What is a downward fold called?
    A syncline
  • What is the chemical breakdown of rocks called?
    Chemical weathering
  • What is the term for the movement of molten rock within the Earth’s mantle?
    Convection currents
  • What is the process of breaking down rocks at Earth’s surface called?
    Weathering
  • What is a series of ocean waves caused by underwater earthquakes called?
    A tsunami
  • What are the waves produced by earthquakes called?
    Seismic waves
  • Name 3 periods of folding.
    Caledonian, Armorican, Alpine
  • Deep pool at the base of a waterfall…
    Plunge pool
  • What does a hygrometer measure?
    Humidity
  • What is the lapse rate?
    Temperature decreases with height
  • What is a sudden and fast movement of a large amount of earth material called?
    An avalanche
  • Name a global agreement to reduce greenhouse gases.
    The Paris Agreement
  • What is the term for water falling over a vertical drop in a river?
    A waterfall
  • What measures precipitation?
    A rain gauge
  • What type of rock is formed by the accumulation of sediment?
    Sedimentary
  • List the 3 types of clouds.
    Cirrus, cumulus, stratus
  • What is an inter-glacial period?
    A warm period between ice ages
  • What is a smaller stream or river that flows into a larger one called?
    A tributary
  • List 3 human activities that create greenhouse gases.
    Burning fossil fuels, farming, deforestation
  • Where is the world’s most active area of plate movement?
    The Pacific Ring of Fire
  • What unit is atmospheric pressure measured in?
    Millibars
  • What is a narrow chain of glacial lakes in a U-shaped valley called?
    A ribbon lake
  • What is a drumlin?
    A smooth, oval hill of till
  • What are the main ingredients of soil?
    Minerals, air, water, organic matter
  • Shape of an ox-bow lake is…
    Horseshoe-shaped
  • Name two processes of glacial erosion.
    Plucking and abrasion
  • What is a fan-shaped deposit of sediment at a river’s mouth called?
    A delta
  • What is the term for a bend in a river?
    A meander
  • What are isohels?
    Lines showing equal sunshine
  • List 1 type from each category.
    Polar, maritime, equatorial
  • What is the opening through which volcanic material erupts called?
    A vent
  • What unit is sunshine measured in?
    Hours
  • What is the supercontinent called that existed millions of years ago?
    Pangaea
  • What is the term used to describe an igneous rock beneath the Earth’s surface called?
    Intrusive
  • What name is given to the shape of the volcanic mountain?
    A cone
  • What is the term used to describe an igneous rock formed on the Earth’s surface called?
    Extrusive
  • What is cloud cover measured in?
    Oktas
  • Long, thin calcite structure found on cave roof?
    Stalactite
  • What is the name given to a person who studies weather?
    A meteorologist
  • Part of the river that is tidal…
    The estuary
  • What type of weather does low pressure bring to Ireland?
    Wet and windy weather
  • Name a volcanic island…
    Iceland
  • What is the term for the land area drained by a river?
    The drainage basin
  • What is a dormant volcano?
    A volcano that is inactive but may erupt again
  • What is a lagoon?
    A shallow body of water separated from the sea
  • List 4 processes of river transport.
    Traction, saltation, suspension, solution
  • What does prevailing wind mean?
    The main wind direction
  • Describe in one sentence what a cirque is.
    A bowl-shaped hollow formed by glacial erosion
  • What are the large pieces of Earth’s crust called?
    Tectonic plates
  • List the 3 P’s
    Prediction, planning, protection
  • What is the famous karst landscape in Ireland called?
    The Burren
  • What is the term for a naturally occurring underground cavity in a karst region?
    A cave
  • List 3 impacts climate change will have on the world.
    Sea level rise, extreme weather, habitat loss
  • What is the main chemical responsible for the breakdown of limestone?
    Carbonic acid
  • What is a loop-like bend in a river called?
    A meander
  • What is a weather front?
    Where two air masses meet
  • What is the theory of moving Earth’s plates called?
    Plate tectonics
  • List the 3 ways a glacier transports material.
    On top, within, beneath
  • What is a rapid downhill movement of rock and debris called?
    A landslide
  • What is a landslide involving wet soil called?
    A mudslide
  • What does altitude mean?
    Height above sea level
  • What measures wind speed?
    An anemometer
  • What instrument measures temperature?
    A thermometer
  • What is a wave’s fetch?
    The distance a wave travels across open water
  • What is the term for a large, flat area of exposed limestone?
    Limestone pavement
  • What is the physical breakdown of rocks called?
    Mechanical weathering
  • What is the ridge separating 2 glacial valleys called?
    An arête
  • What are isohyets?
    Lines showing equal rainfall
  • What is the point where lava leaves a volcano called?
    The crater
  • What is a smaller earthquake following a main shock called?
    An aftershock
  • List 1 term of the Paris agreement.
    Reduce emissions
  • What is global warming?
    Rising global temperatures
  • What type of rock is formed under heat and pressure?
    Metamorphic
  • Name the 2 types of weather front.
    Warm front and cold front
  • What does a Campbell Stokes recorder measure?
    Sunshine
  • What process creates humus?
    Decomposition
  • What is the process of one plate sliding under another called?
    Subduction
  • List the processes by which a river erodes the landscape.
    Hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, solution
  • What type of plate boundary causes rocks to bend and form folds?
    Destructive boundary
  • What is humus?
    Decayed organic matter
  • What is the starting point of a river called?
    The source
  • What is a seawall?
    A concrete wall protecting the coast
  • What is the greenhouse effect?
    Trapping heat in the atmosphere
  • List 3 ways buildings can be made earthquake proof.
    Shock absorbers, cross-bracing, deep foundations
  • What type of rock forms from cooling magma or lava?
    Igneous
  • What is a sea arch?
    An arch formed when a cave erodes through a headland
  • Name a greenhouse gas.
    Carbon dioxide
  • What is the atmosphere?
    The layer of gases around Earth
  • Which period of folding did NOT impact Ireland?
    Alpine
  • What type of rock is marble?
    Metamorphic
  • What is a smaller glacial valley that joins a larger one called?
    A hanging valley
  • Define longshore drift.
    The movement of sediment along a coast by waves
  • What is a deep, narrow crack formed in a karst landscape called?
    A grike
  • What is the term where the river enters the sea?
    The mouth
  • What is the term for the movement of sediments by wind, water, or ice?
    Erosion
  • What is the tunnel connecting the magma chamber to the crater called?
    The vent
  • What are the 3 categories of climate?
    Cold, temperate, hot
  • What is the slow downhill movement of soil called?
    Soil creep
  • What is the term for the point where two tectonic plates meet?
    A plate boundary
  • What measures wind direction?
    A wind vane
  • What is a sea stack?
    An isolated pillar of rock left after erosion
  • What is the term for the landscape formed by the dissolving of limestone?
    Karst landscape
  • Name a feature of coastal deposition.
    Beach
  • What is subsoil?
    Soil beneath topsoil
  • Define outwash plain.
    A flat area of deposited meltwater sediment
  • What is leaching?
    The washing of minerals through soil
  • What unit is temperature measured in?
    Degrees Celsius
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