G202 EXAM 4: ADVANCED
GEOSCIENCE AND CLIMATE SYSTEMS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100%
VERIFIED. JUST RELEASED
1. What occurs at the ‘equilibrium line’ of a glacier?
A. The point where the glacier meets the ocean
B. The location where the glacier stops moving due to friction
C. The boundary where accumulation exactly equals ablation
D. The line where plastic flow transitions to brittle fracture
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: The equilibrium line, or snow line, marks the elevation where
the mass gained from snowfall matches the mass lost through melting and sublimation
over a year.
2. Which mechanism is primarily responsible for the ‘milky’ appearance of glacial meltwater?
A. Chemical weathering of limestone
B. Dissolved oxygen bubbles from melting ice
C. Suspension of rock flour produced by abrasion
D. Biological activity of psychrophilic bacteria
,Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Glacial abrasion pulverizes rock into fine-grained particles
known as rock flour, which remains suspended in water and gives it a characteristic cloudy
or milky appearance.
3. A ‘roche moutonnée’ is a glacial landform characterized by:
A. A streamlined hill of till aligned with ice flow
B. An asymmetrical bedrock hill with a smooth stoss side and plucked lee side
C. A sinuous ridge of stratified sand and gravel
D. A pyramid-shaped peak formed by headward erosion of cirques
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Roche moutonnées are bedrock features where the upstream
(stoss) side is smoothed by abrasion and the downstream (lee) side is steepened by glacial
plucking.
4. At what approximate depth does glacial ice begin to exhibit plastic flow rather than brittle
fracture?
A. 10 meters
B. 50 meters
C. 150 meters
D. 500 meters
, Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Below a depth of approximately 50 meters, the pressure of the
overlying ice is sufficient to cause the ice to behave as a plastic material, while the surface
remains brittle (the zone of fracture).
5. Milankovitch cycles explain long-term climate change through orbital variations. Which
cycle involves a ~41,000-year shift in the tilt of Earth’s axis?
A. Eccentricity
B. Precession
C. Obliquity
D. Perihelion
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Obliquity refers to the change in the tilt of Earth’s axis, varying
between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees over a 41,000-year cycle, affecting the intensity of the
seasons.
6. The ‘Rain Shadow’ effect is responsible for the formation of many deserts. Which
statement best describes this process?
A. Moist air rises over mountains, cools, and drops rain, leaving the leeward side dry
B. Global high-pressure belts cause air to sink and warm adiabatically
C. Cold ocean currents cool the air, preventing it from holding moisture
GEOSCIENCE AND CLIMATE SYSTEMS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100%
VERIFIED. JUST RELEASED
1. What occurs at the ‘equilibrium line’ of a glacier?
A. The point where the glacier meets the ocean
B. The location where the glacier stops moving due to friction
C. The boundary where accumulation exactly equals ablation
D. The line where plastic flow transitions to brittle fracture
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: The equilibrium line, or snow line, marks the elevation where
the mass gained from snowfall matches the mass lost through melting and sublimation
over a year.
2. Which mechanism is primarily responsible for the ‘milky’ appearance of glacial meltwater?
A. Chemical weathering of limestone
B. Dissolved oxygen bubbles from melting ice
C. Suspension of rock flour produced by abrasion
D. Biological activity of psychrophilic bacteria
,Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Glacial abrasion pulverizes rock into fine-grained particles
known as rock flour, which remains suspended in water and gives it a characteristic cloudy
or milky appearance.
3. A ‘roche moutonnée’ is a glacial landform characterized by:
A. A streamlined hill of till aligned with ice flow
B. An asymmetrical bedrock hill with a smooth stoss side and plucked lee side
C. A sinuous ridge of stratified sand and gravel
D. A pyramid-shaped peak formed by headward erosion of cirques
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Roche moutonnées are bedrock features where the upstream
(stoss) side is smoothed by abrasion and the downstream (lee) side is steepened by glacial
plucking.
4. At what approximate depth does glacial ice begin to exhibit plastic flow rather than brittle
fracture?
A. 10 meters
B. 50 meters
C. 150 meters
D. 500 meters
, Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Below a depth of approximately 50 meters, the pressure of the
overlying ice is sufficient to cause the ice to behave as a plastic material, while the surface
remains brittle (the zone of fracture).
5. Milankovitch cycles explain long-term climate change through orbital variations. Which
cycle involves a ~41,000-year shift in the tilt of Earth’s axis?
A. Eccentricity
B. Precession
C. Obliquity
D. Perihelion
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Obliquity refers to the change in the tilt of Earth’s axis, varying
between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees over a 41,000-year cycle, affecting the intensity of the
seasons.
6. The ‘Rain Shadow’ effect is responsible for the formation of many deserts. Which
statement best describes this process?
A. Moist air rises over mountains, cools, and drops rain, leaving the leeward side dry
B. Global high-pressure belts cause air to sink and warm adiabatically
C. Cold ocean currents cool the air, preventing it from holding moisture
