GEOL 1110 EXAM 4 QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS
What caused Antarctica to become colder during the Cenozoic era? - Answer- Cold
currents isolate Antarctica from warming influences
Define the term "albedo." How does albedo affect global climate? - Answer- -Reflected
sunlight
-Ice reflects more sunlight (high albedo), cooling the climate
Adding ice will: increase albedo, cool climate, create more ice
Removing ice will: decrease albedo, warm climate, melt more ice
What caused grasslands to become more common in the late Cenozoic? How did
animals such as horses change to fit this new environment? - Answer- Cool climate =
less rainfall, more grasslands
-Longer legs for running
-Larger teeth for eating tough grasses
In what period did the Ice Age (or Ice Ages) occur? - Answer- Quaternary
What do we call the warmer and colder times during the Ice Age? How are Milankovitch
cycles related to these repeated cycles of climate change? - Answer- -Interglacial-
warmer times; Glacial-colder times
Milankovitch cycles- Changes in Earth's orbit and tilt affect global temperature and
amount of ice
How much of North America was under ice during the Ice Age? What clues show how
much land was under ice? - Answer- Around half the continent- a little but on top of the
U.S. and most of Canada. We know this because of moraines, which are hills of
sediment that outline the glacier. Moving ice can push pieces of rock around- the longer
the glacier sits there, the bigger the pile of sediment.
What happened to the sea level during the Ice Age? - Answer- -More ice on land = less
water in the ocean
-Sea level falls when glaciers grow, rises when they melt
-400 feet (120 meters) lower than today
WITH CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS
What caused Antarctica to become colder during the Cenozoic era? - Answer- Cold
currents isolate Antarctica from warming influences
Define the term "albedo." How does albedo affect global climate? - Answer- -Reflected
sunlight
-Ice reflects more sunlight (high albedo), cooling the climate
Adding ice will: increase albedo, cool climate, create more ice
Removing ice will: decrease albedo, warm climate, melt more ice
What caused grasslands to become more common in the late Cenozoic? How did
animals such as horses change to fit this new environment? - Answer- Cool climate =
less rainfall, more grasslands
-Longer legs for running
-Larger teeth for eating tough grasses
In what period did the Ice Age (or Ice Ages) occur? - Answer- Quaternary
What do we call the warmer and colder times during the Ice Age? How are Milankovitch
cycles related to these repeated cycles of climate change? - Answer- -Interglacial-
warmer times; Glacial-colder times
Milankovitch cycles- Changes in Earth's orbit and tilt affect global temperature and
amount of ice
How much of North America was under ice during the Ice Age? What clues show how
much land was under ice? - Answer- Around half the continent- a little but on top of the
U.S. and most of Canada. We know this because of moraines, which are hills of
sediment that outline the glacier. Moving ice can push pieces of rock around- the longer
the glacier sits there, the bigger the pile of sediment.
What happened to the sea level during the Ice Age? - Answer- -More ice on land = less
water in the ocean
-Sea level falls when glaciers grow, rises when they melt
-400 feet (120 meters) lower than today
