Question 1

____________occur(s)where thawed sediments move downslope over permafrost.

Accepted Answer

A)  Avalanches 
B)  Slumps 
C)  Creep 
D)  Solifluction 
A)  Avalanches 
B)  Slumps 
C)  Creep 
D)  Solifluction

Question 2

To the geologist,____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  landslides and mass movements are the same thing 
B)  all mass movements are landslides, but not all landslides are mass movements 
C)  all landslides are mass movements, but not all mass movements are landslides 
D)  mass movements differ from landslides in that a greater mass of material moves during a mass movement than during a landslide 
A)  landslides and mass movements are the same thing 
B)  all mass movements are landslides, but not all landslides are mass movements 
C)  all landslides are mass movements, but not all mass movements are landslides 
D)  mass movements differ from landslides in that a greater mass of material moves during a mass movement than during a landslide

Question 3

The principal difference between a debris flow and a debris slide is the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  shape of the path taken by the moving mass 
B)  grain size of the moving mass 
C)  debris flow's abundant water, compared to the dry debris slide 
D)  debris flow's pyroclastic debris content from a volcanic eruption 
A)  shape of the path taken by the moving mass 
B)  grain size of the moving mass 
C)  debris flow's abundant water, compared to the dry debris slide 
D)  debris flow's pyroclastic debris content from a volcanic eruption

Question 4

____________occur(s)when debris or snow mixes with air to form a chaotic cloud.

Accepted Answer

A)  Avalanches 
B)  Slumps 
C)  Creep 
D)  Solifluction 
A)  Avalanches 
B)  Slumps 
C)  Creep 
D)  Solifluction

Question 5

Slumps typically arrive intact at the bottom of a slope.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Conditions such as ____________ may exacerbate a developing slump.

Accepted Answer

A)  persistent rain 
B)  rising floodwaters 
C)  earthquake aftershocks 
D)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  persistent rain 
B)  rising floodwaters 
C)  earthquake aftershocks 
D)  All of the above are correct.

Question 7

You use a drill rig to explore the subsurface of a large slope for ancient slumps and may encounter any of the following features downhole or in core samples you recover from the drill hole.Which feature is least likely to indicate a failure surface of the slump?

Accepted Answer

A)  decayed leaves and grasses 
B)  a layer of conglomerate 
C)  a high flow of water at a specific depth 
D)  a layer of highly weathered, clay-rich regolith 
A)  decayed leaves and grasses 
B)  a layer of conglomerate 
C)  a high flow of water at a specific depth 
D)  a layer of highly weathered, clay-rich regolith

Question 8

Mixing gypsum,cement,or other materials into soils or regolith is a treatment sometimes used to increase the strength of the soil or regolith.What is one reason you might NOT want to apply this treatment to soil or regolith near the top of a roadside embankment?

Accepted Answer

A)  The material you mix into the soil or regolith will harm plant root systems, and any plants that contributed to the stability of the slope will die. 
B)  If the soil or regolith has decreased permeability after you mix the material into it, water will drain out of it less easily and it will become more saturated over time. 
C)  Operating construction equipment near the top of a slope cannot be done safely. 
D)  If any of the gypsum, cement, or other material leaks out of the hillside, it will be dangerous to traffic on the road. 
A)  The material you mix into the soil or regolith will harm plant root systems, and any plants that contributed to the stability of the slope will die. 
B)  If the soil or regolith has decreased permeability after you mix the material into it, water will drain out of it less easily and it will become more saturated over time. 
C)  Operating construction equipment near the top of a slope cannot be done safely. 
D)  If any of the gypsum, cement, or other material leaks out of the hillside, it will be dangerous to traffic on the road.

Question 9

Which of these factors would probably NOT help you distinguish between an ancient subaerial and a submarine mass movement preserved in lithified rock?

Accepted Answer

A)  clam-like fossils in the deposit 
B)  clasts of sediment or sedimentary rock within the deposit 
C)  peat or coal within the deposit 
D)  a thick bed of evaporate deposits directly above the deposit 
A)  clam-like fossils in the deposit 
B)  clasts of sediment or sedimentary rock within the deposit 
C)  peat or coal within the deposit 
D)  a thick bed of evaporate deposits directly above the deposit

Question 10

Why might a several-week rise in the Mississippi or Missouri River cause earthen levees (built of soil and sediment)along the riverbanks to fail?

Accepted Answer

A)  The water tables in the levees would rise with the rising river levels 
B)  Floodwaters would drown plants on the levee banks, kill the plants and roots, and thereby decrease the soil-binding effects of the plant roots on the levees. 
C)  Rains would wash away the levees. 
D)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  The water tables in the levees would rise with the rising river levels 
B)  Floodwaters would drown plants on the levee banks, kill the plants and roots, and thereby decrease the soil-binding effects of the plant roots on the levees. 
C)  Rains would wash away the levees. 
D)  All of the above are correct.

Question 11

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 12

For dry sediments,the angle of repose is usually between ________ and _______ degrees.

Accepted Answer

A)  10; 17 
B)  17; 27 
C)  30; 37 
D)  30; 45 
A)  10; 17 
B)  17; 27 
C)  30; 37 
D)  30; 45

Question 13

You are mapping a new roadcut made through a wide,sloped plain.The roadcut exposes uniformly dipping sedimentary rocks.Which geologic feature listed below would indicate that creep had been occurring in the area before the roadcut was made?

Accepted Answer

A)  a layer of rounded clasts in the bedrock 
B)  greater chemical weathering near the top of the newly exposed beds 
C)  a uniform tilting of the sedimentary beds toward the downslope direction of the sloped plain. 
D)  small ravines and ephemeral channels in the plain 
A)  a layer of rounded clasts in the bedrock 
B)  greater chemical weathering near the top of the newly exposed beds 
C)  a uniform tilting of the sedimentary beds toward the downslope direction of the sloped plain. 
D)  small ravines and ephemeral channels in the plain

Question 14

Submarine mass movements have been found along hot-spot volcanoes and active plate boundaries.These massive slumps have been attributed to ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  subduction 
B)  earthquakes 
C)  mantle upwelling 
D)  liquefaction 
A)  subduction 
B)  earthquakes 
C)  mantle upwelling 
D)  liquefaction

Question 15

The immediate cause of mass movement is ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  magnetic attraction 
B)  gravitational attraction 
C)  water content 
D)  frictional resistance 
A)  magnetic attraction 
B)  gravitational attraction 
C)  water content 
D)  frictional resistance

Question 16

____________ may form parallel to slope surfaces in granite and become a failure surface.

Accepted Answer

A)  Bedding planes 
B)  Exfoliation joints 
C)  Foliation planes 
A)  Bedding planes 
B)  Exfoliation joints 
C)  Foliation planes

Question 17

The United States Geological Survey (USGS)sometimes issues debris flow advisories for parts of coastal California-much like the severe weather forecasts or flood forecasts that are issued for other regions of the country.Which one of these factors is the USGS unlikely to consider important in forecasting the likelihood of debris flows?

Accepted Answer

A)  forecasted rainfall 
B)  the steepness of slopes in the area 
C)  the seasonal and diurnal variation in water uptake by plant root systems 
D)  the expected air temperatures 
A)  forecasted rainfall 
B)  the steepness of slopes in the area 
C)  the seasonal and diurnal variation in water uptake by plant root systems 
D)  the expected air temperatures

Question 18

Which of the following factors decreases the risk of mass movement?

Accepted Answer

A)  nearby earthquakes 
B)  excavation into the base of a hill 
C)  adding weight to the top of a hill 
D)  adding vegetation to the side of a hill 
A)  nearby earthquakes 
B)  excavation into the base of a hill 
C)  adding weight to the top of a hill 
D)  adding vegetation to the side of a hill

Question 19

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 20

The flow of water from a spring on a hillside increases.Why does this make the hillside less stable?

Accepted Answer

A)  The increased spring flow will precipitate-out more minerals and make the slope heavier. 
B)  The increased spring flow will cool the hillside and discourage plant growth that normally stabilizes a hillside. 
C)  The increased spring flow will saturate more of the hillside and thereby increase its instability. 
D)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  The increased spring flow will precipitate-out more minerals and make the slope heavier. 
B)  The increased spring flow will cool the hillside and discourage plant growth that normally stabilizes a hillside. 
C)  The increased spring flow will saturate more of the hillside and thereby increase its instability. 
D)  All of the above are correct.

Exam 13: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

____________occur(s)where thawed sediments move downslope over permafrost.

To the geologist,____________.

The principal difference between a debris flow and a debris slide is the ____________.

____________occur(s)when debris or snow mixes with air to form a chaotic cloud.

Slumps typically arrive intact at the bottom of a slope.

Conditions such as ____________ may exacerbate a developing slump.

You use a drill rig to explore the subsurface of a large slope for ancient slumps and may encounter any of the following features downhole or in core samples you recover from the drill hole.Which feature is least likely to indicate a failure surface of the slump?

Mixing gypsum,cement,or other materials into soils or regolith is a treatment sometimes used to increase the strength of the soil or regolith.What is one reason you might NOT want to apply this treatment to soil or regolith near the top of a roadside embankment?

Which of these factors would probably NOT help you distinguish between an ancient subaerial and a submarine mass movement preserved in lithified rock?

Why might a several-week rise in the Mississippi or Missouri River cause earthen levees (built of soil and sediment)along the riverbanks to fail?

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

For dry sediments,the angle of repose is usually between ________ and _______ degrees.

You are mapping a new roadcut made through a wide,sloped plain.The roadcut exposes uniformly dipping sedimentary rocks.Which geologic feature listed below would indicate that creep had been occurring in the area before the roadcut was made?

Submarine mass movements have been found along hot-spot volcanoes and active plate boundaries.These massive slumps have been attributed to ____________.

The immediate cause of mass movement is ____________.

____________ may form parallel to slope surfaces in granite and become a failure surface.

Which of the following factors decreases the risk of mass movement?

A ____________ may form at the head of a slump.

The flow of water from a spring on a hillside increases.Why does this make the hillside less stable?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Rock Groups

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earths Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters

For dry sediments,the angle of repose is usually between __ and _ degrees.