Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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

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. B

Question 4

Why would Florida,which receives plentiful rainfall and remains humid for a large portion of the year,be less susceptible to landslides than the California desert?

Accepted Answer

Student answers should be similar to the

Question 5

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 6

Which areas are most susceptible to slope failure?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

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 8

What type of mass wasting event is beginning to form on the hillside shown in the image below?

Accepted Answer

A)  an avalanche 
B)  a debris flow 
C)  solifluction 
D)  a slump 
A)  an avalanche 
B)  a debris flow 
C)  solifluction 
D)  a slump

Question 9

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 without adding 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 without adding weight.

Question 10

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 11

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 12

How can you use a landslide hazard map to help buy a piece of property?

Accepted Answer

A)  to determine if there are large rivers running by the property 
B)  to determine if the property is in a high-risk zone for landslides 
C)  to determine if the property is near a high-risk flood zone 
D)  to determine if the property has been exposed to fires recently 
A)  to determine if there are large rivers running by the property 
B)  to determine if the property is in a high-risk zone for landslides 
C)  to determine if the property is near a high-risk flood zone 
D)  to determine if the property has been exposed to fires recently

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

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 15

Tree trunks that have a pronounced curvature at their base are indicative of ___________.

Accepted Answer

A)  creep 
B)  an avalanche 
C)  solifluction 
D)  a slump 
A)  creep 
B)  an avalanche 
C)  solifluction 
D)  a slump

Question 16

Well-rounded sand has an angle of repose __________ that of irregularly shaped gravel.

Accepted Answer

A)  greater than 
B)  less than 
C)  equal to 
D)  incomparable to 
A)  greater than 
B)  less than 
C)  equal to 
D)  incomparable to

Question 17

________ occurs when debris or snow mixes with air to form a chaotic cloud.

Accepted Answer

A)  An avalanche 
B)  A slump 
C)  Creep 
D)  Solifluction 
A)  An avalanche 
B)  A slump 
C)  Creep 
D)  Solifluction

Question 18

The principal difference between a debris flow and a mudflow 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 mudflow 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 mudflow is dry 
D)  that a debris flow contains pyroclastic debris from a volcanic eruption

Question 19

Identify the failure surface in the image below.

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D

Question 20

Slope failures are more likely to occur in ________ than in ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  forests; deserts 
B)  mountains; deserts 
C)  deserts; mountains 
D)  deserts; forests 
A)  forests; deserts 
B)  mountains; deserts 
C)  deserts; mountains 
D)  deserts; forests

Exam 16: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

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

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

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

Why would Florida,which receives plentiful rainfall and remains humid for a large portion of the year,be less susceptible to landslides than the California desert?

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

Which areas are most susceptible to slope failure?

The immediate cause of incidents of mass movement is ________.

What type of mass wasting event is beginning to form on the hillside shown in the image below?

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

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

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

How can you use a landslide hazard map to help buy a piece of property?

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

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

Tree trunks that have a pronounced curvature at their base are indicative of ___________.

Well-rounded sand has an angle of repose __________ that of irregularly shaped gravel.

________ occurs when debris or snow mixes with air to form a chaotic cloud.

The principal difference between a debris flow and a mudflow is ________.

Identify the failure surface in the image below.

Slope failures are more likely to occur in ________ than in ________.

Cosmology and the Birth of the 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 the 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: the 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

Prelude: and Just What Is Geology

Filters

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

Slope failures are more likely to occur in than in .