earth science Test Worksheet: Landforms

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Earth Science worksheet
Topic: Landforms

Landforms

The block diagram below represents two parallel mountain ranges.

dynamic-earth, earth-surface-features, landscapes, dynamic-earth, landforms, landscapes, standard-6-interconnectedness, models fig: esci12017-examw_g11.png

Which two geologic processes most likely created this landscape region?

(1) volcanism, followed by metamorphism

(2) faulting, followed by deposition

(3) folding, followed by erosion

(4) glaciation, followed by rifting

Which two cities are located in the Interior Lowlands?

(1) Elmira and Binghamton

(2) Riverhead and New York City

(3) Massena and Old Forge

(4) Buffalo and Watertown

Base your answers to questions 3 on the passage and data table below, which describe the exploration and characteristics of one of Saturn’s moons, Titan.

Huygens Probe Lands on Titan

The Huygens probe was carried to Saturn by the Cassini spacecraft and parachuted to the surface of Saturn’s giant moon, Titan. The Huygens probe’s landing site was littered with smooth, rounded, rocklike objects. Photographs taken of Titan’s surface show drainage channels leading to an apparent shoreline. The question is, what are they draining? One of the photographs seems to show ground fog consisting not of water, but perhaps of ethane or methane.

landscapes, erosion-and-natural-agents-of-erosion, dynamic-earth, landforms, landscapes fig: esci12013-exam_g46.png

What natural process occurring on Earth produces smooth, rounded rocks similar to those found at the probe’s landing site on Titan? [1]

Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:

• — weathering and/or erosion

• — rock abrasion

• — transport by running water

• — wave action

Base your answers to questions 4 on the maps below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The snowfall map shows isolines of average annual snowfall, measured in inches, across part of Michigan between two of the Great Lakes. Letters A through C represent locations on Earth’s surface. The snowfall map is an enlargement of the map area outlined on the following Great Lakes regional map.

meteorology, weather-variables, standard-6-interconnectedness, models fig: esci12015-examw_g53.png

meteorology, weather-variables, standard-6-interconnectedness, models fig: esci12015-examw_g52.png

The surface elevation of Lake Huron is 176 meters above sea level. Identify one New York State river that receives water that flows from Lake Huron. [1]

River

Allow 1 credit for Niagara River or St. Lawrence River.

Base your answers to questions 5 on the passage and the map below and on your knowledge of Science Earth science. The map indicates the epicenter (*) of a major earthquake that occurred at 38° N 142° E. This map also shows some smaller plates believed to be part of the major tectonic plates shown in the Earth Reference Tables. Letter A represents a location on a plate boundary.

Devastating Tsunami

On March 11, 2011, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded (magnitude 9.0) produced a 7-meter-high tsunami that devastated Japan’s eastern coast. Thousands of people died and billions of dollars in damage occurred. Several hours after the earthquake, the tsunami reached the Hawaiian Islands and parts of North America’s west coast.

dynamic-earth, landforms, landscapes, standard-1-math-and-science-inquery, changing-length-of-a-shadow-based-on-the-motion-of-the-sun, standard-6-interconnectedness, models fig: esci12016-examw_g43.png

Identify by name the two tectonic plates labeled on the map above that are located directly on each side of the earthquake epicenter. [1]

__________________________________ Plate and __________________________________ Plate

Allow 1 credit for Pacific Plate and Okhotsk Plate.

Base your answers to questions 6 on the passage and geologic cross section below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The geologic cross section represents rock layers of a portion of the Niagara Escarpment, and landscape features that are found in the Niagara region. The rock layers have not been overturned.

The Niagara Escarpment

A prominent feature found along the shore of Lake Ontario in western New York State is the Niagara Escarpment. This escarpment is the remains of an ancient seabed that was formed when the area was covered by a warm, shallow sea from approximately450 to 430 million years ago. Erosion of the Taconic Mountains to the east provided

the sediments deposited in this basin area. From these sediments, rock layers such as shale, sandstone, and limestone formed. Later, magnesium replaced some of the calcium in the top layer of limestone, turning it into a dolostone layer. When the high ocean levels of the Ordovician Period dropped, the draining of this inland sea caused unequal erosion of the exposed layers. The South Moraine was deposited on the top of the Niagara Escarpment in this region.

reference-tables, generalized-landscape-regions-of-new-york-state, landscapes, development-of-landscape-features, standard-1-math-and-science-inquery, changing-length-of-a-shadow-based-on-the-motion-of-the-sun fig: esci12017-examw_g35.png

Describe the inferred position of North America when this area was covered by the warm, shallow sea. [1]

Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:

• — North America was located on/near the equator.

• — North America was located at a lower latitude.

• — It was farther south.

• — mostly in the Southern Hemisphere

• — farther east

• — southeast