Question 1

Which areas are most susceptible to slope failure?

Accepted Answer

A) saturated vertical road cuts 
B) slopes at 30° next to rivers 
C) saturated and vegetated slopes 
D) unsaturated vertical road cuts 
A) saturated vertical road cuts 
B) slopes at 30° next to rivers 
C) saturated and vegetated slopes 
D) unsaturated vertical road cuts

Question 2

________ can occur where undercutting by waves removes support from beneath cliff overhangs.

Accepted Answer

A) Landslides 
B) Lahars 
C) Rock falls 
D) Mudslides 
A) Landslides 
B) Lahars 
C) Rock falls 
D) Mudslides

Question 3

Which of the following types of mass movement is least coherent (most like a fluid)?

Accepted Answer

A) slump 
B) creep 
C) rock slide 
D) mudflow 
A) slump 
B) creep 
C) rock slide 
D) mudflow

Question 4

After finishing a new construction project,why is the first task often to install new landscaping around the area?

Accepted Answer

A) The plants will provide nutrients for animals that will carry away the soil. 
B) The roots will grow into the slope and work to keep the slope intact. 
C) The plants will add additional weight to the slope and keep it stable. 
D) The roots take in oxygen and release it into the soil to increase surface tension. 
A) The plants will provide nutrients for animals that will carry away the soil. 
B) The roots will grow into the slope and work to keep the slope intact. 
C) The plants will add additional weight to the slope and keep it stable. 
D) The roots take in oxygen and release it into the soil to increase surface tension.

Question 5

The most important factor in determining if an area will be subject to mass movement is ________.

Accepted Answer

A) relief 
B) gravity 
C) weather 
D) water content 
A) relief 
B) gravity 
C) weather 
D) water content

Question 6

Geologists distinguish among different types of mass wasting based on factors such as the ________ of the moving material and the rate of movement.

Accepted Answer

A) weight 
B) color 
C) composition 
D) name 
A) weight 
B) color 
C) composition 
D) name

Question 7

In the figure below,what about these two mass-wasting events is similar and what is different?

Accepted Answer

A) Both involve water,but mass-wasting event b could not have occurred in the mountains. 
B) Both occur in the mountains,but mass-wasting event a moved much faster. 
C) Both involve water,but the water is in two different phases. 
D) Both occur in the mountains but at two very different elevations. 
A) Both involve water,but mass-wasting event b could not have occurred in the mountains. 
B) Both occur in the mountains,but mass-wasting event a moved much faster. 
C) Both involve water,but the water is in two different phases. 
D) Both occur in the mountains but at two very different elevations.

Question 8

Which area would be most likely to host a slope failure?

Accepted Answer

A) the coast of Florida 
B) a desert in California 
C) mesas in Arizona 
D) the coast of California 
A) the coast of Florida 
B) a desert in California 
C) mesas in Arizona 
D) the coast of California

Question 9

The immediate cause of incidents of mass movement is ________.

Accepted Answer

A) electromagnetic attraction 
B) gravity 
C) magnetism 
D) friction 
A) electromagnetic attraction 
B) gravity 
C) magnetism 
D) friction

Question 10

The principal difference between a lahar and a mudflow is the ________.

Accepted Answer

A) shape of the path taken by the moving mass 
B) grain size of the moving mass 
C) lahar contains abundant water,whereas the mudflow is dry 
D) lahar contains pyroclastic debris from a volcanic eruption 
A) shape of the path taken by the moving mass 
B) grain size of the moving mass 
C) lahar contains abundant water,whereas the mudflow is dry 
D) lahar contains pyroclastic debris from a volcanic eruption

Question 11

You are a geologist trying to determine if the slope your client's house sits on is stable.You determine that the angle of repose of the hillside is 35°.Which of the following situations would be considered stable?

Accepted Answer

A) The slope is composed of saturated sand. 
B) The slope is composed of dry sand. 
C) The slope is composed of damp sand. 
D) The slope is composed of dry gravel. 
A) The slope is composed of saturated sand. 
B) The slope is composed of dry sand. 
C) The slope is composed of damp sand. 
D) The slope is composed of dry gravel.

Question 12

What is the quickest way to remove the hazard from an avalanche?

Accepted Answer

A) Shoot at the area with a cannon. 
B) Spray the slope with shotcrete. 
C) Install riprap at the base. 
D) Plant cold-weather-loving plants. 
A) Shoot at the area with a cannon. 
B) Spray the slope with shotcrete. 
C) Install riprap at the base. 
D) Plant cold-weather-loving plants.

Question 13

As shown in the figure below,________ may form parallel to slope surfaces in granite and become a failure surface.

Accepted Answer

A) bedding planes 
B) exfoliation joints 
C) foliation planes 
D) uplift planes 
A) bedding planes 
B) exfoliation joints 
C) foliation planes 
D) uplift planes

Question 14

For dry,fine-grained sediments,the angle of repose is typically between ________ and ________ degrees.

Accepted Answer

A) 10;17 
B) 15;22 
C) 20;27 
D) 30;37 
A) 10;17 
B) 15;22 
C) 20;27 
D) 30;37

Question 15

Which situation would most likely host a slope failure?

Accepted Answer

A) a dry slope composed of gravel with an angle of repose of 30° 
B) a saturated slope composed of gravel with an angle of repose of 27° 
C) a saturated slope composed of sand with an angle of repose of 35° 
D) a saturated slope composed of sand with an angle of repose of 37° 
A) a dry slope composed of gravel with an angle of repose of 30° 
B) a saturated slope composed of gravel with an angle of repose of 27° 
C) a saturated slope composed of sand with an angle of repose of 35° 
D) a saturated slope composed of sand with an angle of repose of 37°

Question 16

A ________ may form at the head of a slump.

Accepted Answer

A) toe 
B) failure surface 
C) scarp 
D) mass 
A) toe 
B) failure surface 
C) scarp 
D) mass

Question 17

Why does the removal of material at the base of a slope decrease its stability?

Accepted Answer

A) Removing material decreases the surface tension between grains. 
B) The force of gravity decreases,and the slope will fail. 
C) The slope now has a much lower angle of repose. 
D) The slope now exceeds the angle of repose. 
A) Removing material decreases the surface tension between grains. 
B) The force of gravity decreases,and the slope will fail. 
C) The slope now has a much lower angle of repose. 
D) The slope now exceeds the angle of repose.

Question 18

Ground shaking can transform wet sediments into liquid-like slurries in a process known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A) liquefaction 
B) slumping 
C) undercutting 
D) sloping 
A) liquefaction 
B) slumping 
C) undercutting 
D) sloping

Question 19

Which of the following situations would be the least susceptible to slope failure?

Accepted Answer

A) a gently sloping hill in a dry desert region 
B) a gently sloping hill with a river at the bottom of the hill 
C) a steeply sloping hill overlooking the ocean 
D) a steeply sloping hill in a dry desert region 
A) a gently sloping hill in a dry desert region 
B) a gently sloping hill with a river at the bottom of the hill 
C) a steeply sloping hill overlooking the ocean 
D) a steeply sloping hill in a dry desert region

Question 20

Which of the following types of mass movement takes place most gradually?

Accepted Answer

A) slump 
B) creep 
C) rock slide 
D) mudflow 
A) slump 
B) creep 
C) rock slide 
D) mudflow

Exam 16: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Which areas are most susceptible to slope failure?

________ can occur where undercutting by waves removes support from beneath cliff overhangs.

Which of the following types of mass movement is least coherent (most like a fluid)?

After finishing a new construction project,why is the first task often to install new landscaping around the area?

The most important factor in determining if an area will be subject to mass movement is ________.

Geologists distinguish among different types of mass wasting based on factors such as the ________ of the moving material and the rate of movement.

In the figure below,what about these two mass-wasting events is similar and what is different?

Which area would be most likely to host a slope failure?

The immediate cause of incidents of mass movement is ________.

The principal difference between a lahar and a mudflow is the ________.

You are a geologist trying to determine if the slope your client's house sits on is stable.You determine that the angle of repose of the hillside is 35°.Which of the following situations would be considered stable?

What is the quickest way to remove the hazard from an avalanche?

As shown in the figure below,________ may form parallel to slope surfaces in granite and become a failure surface.

For dry,fine-grained sediments,the angle of repose is typically between ________ and ________ degrees.

Which situation would most likely host a slope failure?

A ________ may form at the head of a slump.

Why does the removal of material at the base of a slope decrease its stability?

Ground shaking can transform wet sediments into liquid-like slurries in a process known as ________.

Which of the following situations would be the least susceptible to slope failure?

Which of the following types of mass movement takes place most gradually?

Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags,cracks,and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

a Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

the Rock Cycle in the Earth System

the Earths Interior, revisited: Seismic Layering, gravity, and the Magnetic Field

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters

For dry,fine-grained sediments,the angle of repose is typically between and degrees.