Question 1

Slumps typically arrive ____________ at the bottom of a slope.

Accepted Answer

A) vertically stacked 
B) intact 
C) flattened 
D) jumbled 
A) vertically stacked 
B) intact 
C) flattened 
D) jumbled

Question 2

The image below is an artist's rendition of John Wesley Powell exploring the Grand Canyon. Is this landform depositional or erosional? Explain your answer.

Accepted Answer

The Grand Canyon is the result of erosio

Question 3

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 4

Which of the following situations is the most likely candidate for the occurrence of mass movements?

Accepted Answer

A) a flat, desert area with little vegetation 
B) a gentle slope along the coastline that is across a highway from the surf zone 
C) gently sloping hills in the tropics 
D) a mountain terrain in a humid environment 
A) a flat, desert area with little vegetation 
B) a gentle slope along the coastline that is across a highway from the surf zone 
C) gently sloping hills in the tropics 
D) a mountain terrain in a humid environment

Question 5

Construction workers often cut benches or terraces, such as those seen in the image below, along the sides of roads to help mitigate landslides. This is because terraces

Accepted Answer

A) provide flat areas where large trees and shrubs can be planted. 
B) mitigate slope failure by removing weight from the hillside. 
C) force cars to be farther from steep slopes that might fail. 
D) allow flat areas where houses can be built and not add weight. 
A) provide flat areas where large trees and shrubs can be planted. 
B) mitigate slope failure by removing weight from the hillside. 
C) force cars to be farther from steep slopes that might fail. 
D) allow flat areas where houses can be built and not add weight.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT an example of a landform?

Accepted Answer

A) mountain 
B) valley 
C) water 
D) swamp 
A) mountain 
B) valley 
C) water 
D) swamp

Question 7

Well-rounded sand has a smaller ___________ than irregularly shaped gravel.

Accepted Answer

A) cohesion 
B) angle of repose 
C) mineral stability 
D) cross-sectional area 
A) cohesion 
B) angle of repose 
C) mineral stability 
D) cross-sectional area

Question 8

How can water play a role in slope stability and slope failure?

Accepted Answer

The attractive forces between water mole

Question 9

What process created the terrace that forms the cliff in the picture below?

Accepted Answer

A) subsidence 
B) deposition 
C) uplift 
D) relief 
A) subsidence 
B) deposition 
C) uplift 
D) relief

Question 10

What is the most effective means of mitigating the risk of a slope failure for the slope shown in the image below?

Accepted Answer

A) apply shotcrete 
B) revegetate with new plants 
C) install riprap 
D) dewater the slope 
A) apply shotcrete 
B) revegetate with new plants 
C) install riprap 
D) dewater the slope

Question 11

Pick two ways of mitigating landslide hazards and describe how they work and what issues they may have.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary; the important thing i

Question 12

The principal difference between a debris flow and a debris slide is

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

What type(s) of energy control(s) erosion? Explain your answer.

Accepted Answer

Erosion is controlled by external and gr

Question 14

Unstable slopes start to move when the ____________ force exceeds the ____________ force that holds the material in place.

Accepted Answer

A) downslope; gravity 
B) resistance; downslope 
C) downslope; resistance 
D) gravity; resistance 
A) downslope; gravity 
B) resistance; downslope 
C) downslope; resistance 
D) gravity; resistance

Question 15

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

Question 16

Why do some life activities strengthen the substrate and others weaken it?

Accepted Answer

A) Burrowing creatures distribute stronger soil around, whereas plants digest and weaken soil. 
B) Burrowing creatures distribute stronger soil around, whereas plant roots wedge soil apart. 
C) Plant roots help anchor soil, whereas burrowing animals can weaken it. 
D) Some organisms secrete a binding agent in the soil, whereas plants digest and weaken soil. 
A) Burrowing creatures distribute stronger soil around, whereas plants digest and weaken soil. 
B) Burrowing creatures distribute stronger soil around, whereas plant roots wedge soil apart. 
C) Plant roots help anchor soil, whereas burrowing animals can weaken it. 
D) Some organisms secrete a binding agent in the soil, whereas plants digest and weaken soil.

Question 17

Which of the following would decrease the resistance force?

Accepted Answer

A) lowering the slope angle 
B) adding a small amount of water 
C) chemical weathering of the slope 
D) adding material to the base of the hill 
A) lowering the slope angle 
B) adding a small amount of water 
C) chemical weathering of the slope 
D) adding material to the base of the hill

Question 18

What type of mass movement is an area that shows bowed out tree trunks and misaligned fences?

Accepted Answer

A) rock fall 
B) mudflow 
C) creep 
D) debris slide 
A) rock fall 
B) mudflow 
C) creep 
D) debris slide

Question 19

Landforms built by an accumulation of sediment are called ______________ landforms.

Accepted Answer

A) erosional 
B) depositional 
C) mechanical 
D) eradication 
A) erosional 
B) depositional 
C) mechanical 
D) eradication

Question 20

Why does adding a small amount of water to a substance increase its cohesion but adding a lot of water decrease its cohesion?

Accepted Answer

A) A small amount of water decreases surface tension, allowing the grains to bond together, whereas too much water will increase surface tension and force the grains away from each other. 
B) A small amount of water increases surface tension and holds the grains together. Too much water between the grains will eliminate surface tension. 
C) Water has a small electrostatic force that disrupts the gravitational attraction of the grains and forces them to move away from each other. 
D) A small amount of water will precipitate cement into the pores of the material, whereas too much water will not allow that cement to form. 
A) A small amount of water decreases surface tension, allowing the grains to bond together, whereas too much water will increase surface tension and force the grains away from each other. 
B) A small amount of water increases surface tension and holds the grains together. Too much water between the grains will eliminate surface tension. 
C) Water has a small electrostatic force that disrupts the gravitational attraction of the grains and forces them to move away from each other. 
D) A small amount of water will precipitate cement into the pores of the material, whereas too much water will not allow that cement to form.

Exam 12: Shaping the Earths Surface: Landscapes, the Hydrologic Cycle, and Mass Wasting

Slumps typically arrive ____________ at the bottom of a slope.

The image below is an artist's rendition of John Wesley Powell exploring the Grand Canyon. Is this landform depositional or erosional? Explain your answer.

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

Which of the following situations is the most likely candidate for the occurrence of mass movements?

Construction workers often cut benches or terraces, such as those seen in the image below, along the sides of roads to help mitigate landslides. This is because terraces

Which of the following is NOT an example of a landform?

Well-rounded sand has a smaller ___________ than irregularly shaped gravel.

How can water play a role in slope stability and slope failure?

What process created the terrace that forms the cliff in the picture below?

What is the most effective means of mitigating the risk of a slope failure for the slope shown in the image below?

Pick two ways of mitigating landslide hazards and describe how they work and what issues they may have.

The principal difference between a debris flow and a debris slide is

What type(s) of energy control(s) erosion? Explain your answer.

Unstable slopes start to move when the ____________ force exceeds the ____________ force that holds the material in place.

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

Why do some life activities strengthen the substrate and others weaken it?

Which of the following would decrease the resistance force?

What type of mass movement is an area that shows bowed out tree trunks and misaligned fences?

Landforms built by an accumulation of sediment are called ______________ landforms.

Why does adding a small amount of water to a substance increase its cohesion but adding a lot of water decrease its cohesion?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle

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

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts

The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths Atmosphere

Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems

Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems

Climate and Climate Change

Our Solar System and Beyond

Our Neighborhood in Space

The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space

Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science

Filters

Unstable slopes start to move when the force exceeds the force that holds the material in place.