Question 1

How are talus slopes built?

Accepted Answer

A)  by rock falls 
B)  by debris flows 
C)  between major earthquakes by intense low temperature chemical weathering 
D)  by glacial transport 
A)  by rock falls 
B)  by debris flows 
C)  between major earthquakes by intense low temperature chemical weathering 
D)  by glacial transport

Question 2

Which natural factors routinely weaken slope materials and make them more prone to mass wasting and failure?

Accepted Answer

A)  ablation, chemical weathering, and terracing of slopes 
B)  temperature changes and tidal variations in gravitational acceleration 
C)  devegetation, oversteepening, saturation, and vibrations 
D)  erosion, sedimentation, and lithification 
A)  ablation, chemical weathering, and terracing of slopes 
B)  temperature changes and tidal variations in gravitational acceleration 
C)  devegetation, oversteepening, saturation, and vibrations 
D)  erosion, sedimentation, and lithification

Question 3

Which of the following contains ice wedges?

Accepted Answer

A)  felsenmeer 
B)  thermokarst 
C)  patterned ground 
D)  pingo 
A)  felsenmeer 
B)  thermokarst 
C)  patterned ground 
D)  pingo

Question 4

Which one of the following operates primarily in areas of permafrost?

Accepted Answer

A)  solifluction 
B)  slump 
C)  debris flow 
D)  rockslide 
A)  solifluction 
B)  slump 
C)  debris flow 
D)  rockslide

Question 5

What will the long term effect of mass wasting be on oversteepened slopes?

Accepted Answer

A)  It will fill in the lowland up to the level of the surrounding highland region. 
B)  It will perpetuate catastrophic mass failures until the entire highland region is removed 
C)  It will eventually restore an equilibrium profile by reducing the slope angle. 
D)  It will cause the steep slopes to retreat uniformly, widening the valley but keeping the steep slopes at the margins. 
A)  It will fill in the lowland up to the level of the surrounding highland region. 
B)  It will perpetuate catastrophic mass failures until the entire highland region is removed 
C)  It will eventually restore an equilibrium profile by reducing the slope angle. 
D)  It will cause the steep slopes to retreat uniformly, widening the valley but keeping the steep slopes at the margins.

Question 6

Slumps are a common form of mass wasting particularly in __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  cohesive water saturated unconsolidated soils and clayey sediments 
B)  fluidized debris in steep canyons 
C)  granular sands and gravels 
D)  angular rocky rubble on steep bedrock slopes 
A)  cohesive water saturated unconsolidated soils and clayey sediments 
B)  fluidized debris in steep canyons 
C)  granular sands and gravels 
D)  angular rocky rubble on steep bedrock slopes

Question 7

Which of the following travels on compressed air and are usually triggered by earthquakes?

Accepted Answer

A)  rockslide 
B)  slump 
C)  rockfall 
D)  solifluction lobe 
A)  rockslide 
B)  slump 
C)  rockfall 
D)  solifluction lobe

Question 8

Consider a steep highway cut made by removing slightly weathered to fresh, fractured, granite bedrock. Which of the following situations is most stable against rockslides?

Accepted Answer

A)  three sets of closely spaced angular fractures 
B)  one set of widely spaced, sub- horizontal fractures 
C)  two sets of fractures, one widely spaced and sub- horizontal, the other inclined towards the highway 
D)  two sets of fractures, one inclined toward the road and the other into the slope 
A)  three sets of closely spaced angular fractures 
B)  one set of widely spaced, sub- horizontal fractures 
C)  two sets of fractures, one widely spaced and sub- horizontal, the other inclined towards the highway 
D)  two sets of fractures, one inclined toward the road and the other into the slope

Question 9

Frost wedging and thawing on vertical cliffs produces ___________.

Accepted Answer

A)  alluvial fans 
B)  fast moving rock glaciers 
C)  debris flows and torrents 
D)  talus cones 
A)  alluvial fans 
B)  fast moving rock glaciers 
C)  debris flows and torrents 
D)  talus cones

Question 10

Which of the following statements concerning debris flows is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Debris flows deposit talus slopes. 
B)  In hilly areas, debris flows move down the canyons and stream valleys. 
C)  Debris flows may be caused by heavy rains or melting snow. 
D)  Debris flows can move and carry very large boulders and other coarse debris. 
A)  Debris flows deposit talus slopes. 
B)  In hilly areas, debris flows move down the canyons and stream valleys. 
C)  Debris flows may be caused by heavy rains or melting snow. 
D)  Debris flows can move and carry very large boulders and other coarse debris.

Question 11

What two properties of rain water and snow melt have the greatest effect on soil strength and slope stability?

Accepted Answer

A)  solvation properties and surface tension 
B)  electric conductivity and viscosity 
C)  acidity and strong dipole forces 
D)  increased lubrication and added weight 
A)  solvation properties and surface tension 
B)  electric conductivity and viscosity 
C)  acidity and strong dipole forces 
D)  increased lubrication and added weight

Question 12

What are the most serious mass wasting hazards in mountain valleys?

Accepted Answer

A)  rock bursts 
B)  airborne rockslides 
C)  glacier bursts 
D)  debris flows 
A)  rock bursts 
B)  airborne rockslides 
C)  glacier bursts 
D)  debris flows

Question 13

How do forest or wild fires contribute to mass wasting?

Accepted Answer

A)  via wind transport of fines during the fire 
B)  by unloading the slope and reducing the rate of mass wasting 
C)  Human disturbance caused by fire fighting activities is the most destructive and leads to further slope failures. 
D)  by removing stabilizing vegetation 
A)  via wind transport of fines during the fire 
B)  by unloading the slope and reducing the rate of mass wasting 
C)  Human disturbance caused by fire fighting activities is the most destructive and leads to further slope failures. 
D)  by removing stabilizing vegetation

Question 14

Rockslides tend to be more common_______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  as soon as hot weather comes and rock surfaces dry out so they can slip freely 
B)  in the winter because ice is so slippery and prone to pressure induced melting 
C)  where rock layers are horizontal or gently inclined and more easily made to slip 
D)  during the spring thaw when heavy rains and melting snow are prevalent 
A)  as soon as hot weather comes and rock surfaces dry out so they can slip freely 
B)  in the winter because ice is so slippery and prone to pressure induced melting 
C)  where rock layers are horizontal or gently inclined and more easily made to slip 
D)  during the spring thaw when heavy rains and melting snow are prevalent

Question 15

Why was the Alaskan pipeline built above ground and insulated?

Accepted Answer

A)  to protect the pipeline from damage by caribou migration 
B)  to protect the pipeline from damage by volcanism 
C)  to protect the pipeline from damage due to thawing ground and to keep the oil fluid 
D)  to protect against damage from roots of large trees uprooted in windstorms 
A)  to protect the pipeline from damage by caribou migration 
B)  to protect the pipeline from damage by volcanism 
C)  to protect the pipeline from damage due to thawing ground and to keep the oil fluid 
D)  to protect against damage from roots of large trees uprooted in windstorms

Question 16

Excavated road cuts or quarry faces, and eroding natural river bluffs and sea cliffs, are all examples of ________which can lead to mass wasting.

Accepted Answer

A)  oversteepening 
B)  lithospheric hydration 
C)  landscape stabilization 
D)  vivisection 
A)  oversteepening 
B)  lithospheric hydration 
C)  landscape stabilization 
D)  vivisection

Question 17

Solifluction occurs wherever________ sit upon________ that will not allow excess water to drain away to deeper levels.

Accepted Answer

A)  glaciers, frozen soils 
B)  water- saturated soils, dense clay hardpan or impermeable bedrock or permafrost 
C)  loose soil, volcanic ash 
D)  talus cones, well jointed bedrock 
A)  glaciers, frozen soils 
B)  water- saturated soils, dense clay hardpan or impermeable bedrock or permafrost 
C)  loose soil, volcanic ash 
D)  talus cones, well jointed bedrock

Question 18

Slumps characteristically have_______ and move downslope_________ in a series of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  flat planar sheets, in discreet slip events, earthquake induced movements 
B)  headwall scarp, coherent mass, rotational blocks 
C)  steep talus cones, in sudden jumps, inclined planes 
D)  overlapping lobes, by very slow creep, annual to decadal events 
A)  flat planar sheets, in discreet slip events, earthquake induced movements 
B)  headwall scarp, coherent mass, rotational blocks 
C)  steep talus cones, in sudden jumps, inclined planes 
D)  overlapping lobes, by very slow creep, annual to decadal events

Question 19

What do slumps, rockslides, debris flows and earthflows all have in common?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are all forms of mass wasting. 
B)  They all transport on a cushion of compressed air. 
C)  They all happen in frozen soils on steep slopes. 
D)  They all require water for lubrication. 
A)  They are all forms of mass wasting. 
B)  They all transport on a cushion of compressed air. 
C)  They all happen in frozen soils on steep slopes. 
D)  They all require water for lubrication.

Question 20

Which mass wasting process has the slowest rate of movement?

Accepted Answer

A)  rockslide 
B)  earthflow 
C)  creep 
D)  slump 
A)  rockslide 
B)  earthflow 
C)  creep 
D)  slump

How are talus slopes built?

Which natural factors routinely weaken slope materials and make them more prone to mass wasting and failure?

Which of the following contains ice wedges?

Which one of the following operates primarily in areas of permafrost?

What will the long term effect of mass wasting be on oversteepened slopes?

Slumps are a common form of mass wasting particularly in __________.

Which of the following travels on compressed air and are usually triggered by earthquakes?

Consider a steep highway cut made by removing slightly weathered to fresh, fractured, granite bedrock. Which of the following situations is most stable against rockslides?

Frost wedging and thawing on vertical cliffs produces ___________.

Which of the following statements concerning debris flows is not true?

What two properties of rain water and snow melt have the greatest effect on soil strength and slope stability?

What are the most serious mass wasting hazards in mountain valleys?

How do forest or wild fires contribute to mass wasting?

Rockslides tend to be more common_______ .

Why was the Alaskan pipeline built above ground and insulated?

Excavated road cuts or quarry faces, and eroding natural river bluffs and sea cliffs, are all examples of ________which can lead to mass wasting.

Solifluction occurs wherever sit upon that will not allow excess water to drain away to deeper levels.

Slumps characteristically have___ and move downslope_ in a series of ____.

What do slumps, rockslides, debris flows and earthflows all have in common?

Which mass wasting process has the slowest rate of movement?

An Introduction to Geology and Plate Tectonics

Minerals: the Building Blocks of Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Volcanoes and Volcanic Processes

Weathering and Soil

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Geologic Time

Crustal Deformation

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

The Ocean Floor

Plate Tectonics: the Framework for Modern Geology

Mountain Building and Continental Frameworks

Mass Wasting: the Work of Gravity

Running Water

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

Deserts and Winds

Shorelines

Mineral and Energy Resources

Filters

Exam 6: Sedimentary Rocks

How are talus slopes built?

Which natural factors routinely weaken slope materials and make them more prone to mass wasting and failure?

Which of the following contains ice wedges?

Which one of the following operates primarily in areas of permafrost?

What will the long term effect of mass wasting be on oversteepened slopes?

Slumps are a common form of mass wasting particularly in __________.

Which of the following travels on compressed air and are usually triggered by earthquakes?

Consider a steep highway cut made by removing slightly weathered to fresh, fractured, granite bedrock. Which of the following situations is most stable against rockslides?

Frost wedging and thawing on vertical cliffs produces ___________.

Which of the following statements concerning debris flows is not true?

What two properties of rain water and snow melt have the greatest effect on soil strength and slope stability?

What are the most serious mass wasting hazards in mountain valleys?

How do forest or wild fires contribute to mass wasting?

Rockslides tend to be more common_______ .

Why was the Alaskan pipeline built above ground and insulated?

Excavated road cuts or quarry faces, and eroding natural river bluffs and sea cliffs, are all examples of ________which can lead to mass wasting.

Solifluction occurs wherever________ sit upon________ that will not allow excess water to drain away to deeper levels.

Slumps characteristically have_______ and move downslope_________ in a series of ________.

What do slumps, rockslides, debris flows and earthflows all have in common?

Which mass wasting process has the slowest rate of movement?

An Introduction to Geology and Plate Tectonics

Minerals: the Building Blocks of Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Volcanoes and Volcanic Processes

Weathering and Soil

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Geologic Time

Crustal Deformation

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

The Ocean Floor

Plate Tectonics: the Framework for Modern Geology

Mountain Building and Continental Frameworks

Mass Wasting: the Work of Gravity

Running Water

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

Deserts and Winds

Shorelines

Mineral and Energy Resources

Filters

Solifluction occurs wherever sit upon that will not allow excess water to drain away to deeper levels.

Slumps characteristically have___ and move downslope_ in a series of ____.