Question 1

Which is NOT a method for recognizing the presence of swelling soils?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are extremely slippery when wet. 
B)  They form a popcorn-like surface when dried out. 
C)  They stick like gum to the bottom of your shoes when wet. 
D)  Since they deform elastically, the ground feels spongy or bouncy underfoot. 
E)  They deform concrete foundations and walls. 
A)  They are extremely slippery when wet. 
B)  They form a popcorn-like surface when dried out. 
C)  They stick like gum to the bottom of your shoes when wet. 
D)  Since they deform elastically, the ground feels spongy or bouncy underfoot. 
E)  They deform concrete foundations and walls. D

Question 2

What aspects of construction can lead to the formation of sinkholes? Why?

Accepted Answer

Drilling of water wells or foundation test holes.A well-drilling truck can load the top of a cavity to cause collapse.Drilling a hole in the top of a cavern can weaken the roof and cause collapse.

Question 3

Caves and caverns most commonly develop in:

Accepted Answer

A)  granite. 
B)  sandstone. 
C)  shale. 
D)  limestone. 
E)  schist. 
A)  granite. 
B)  sandstone. 
C)  shale. 
D)  limestone. 
E)  schist. D

Question 4

What is bad about swelling soils?

Accepted Answer

Swelling deforms and cracks fo

Question 5

What type of ground settling process is common in high latitudes?

Accepted Answer

Thawing of

Question 6

Other than limestone,what other types of rocks are soluble and can form cavities that collapse?

Accepted Answer

A)  salt and shale 
B)  shale and bauxite 
C)  salt and gypsum 
D)  kaolinite and smectite 
E)  smectite and gypsum 
A)  salt and shale 
B)  shale and bauxite 
C)  salt and gypsum 
D)  kaolinite and smectite 
E)  smectite and gypsum

Question 7

How can you recognize the presence of swelling soils?

Accepted Answer

They are extremely s

Question 8

A roof made of what kind of material collapses to form a cover subsidence sinkhole?

Accepted Answer

A)  sandy and permeable sediment 
B)  evaporate deposits of salt and gypsum 
C)  solid limestone with a few fractures 
D)  porous limestone with lots of fractures 
E)  swelling soil 
A)  sandy and permeable sediment 
B)  evaporate deposits of salt and gypsum 
C)  solid limestone with a few fractures 
D)  porous limestone with lots of fractures 
E)  swelling soil

Question 9

Discuss the four causes of land subsidence described in the text and one case study of each cause.

Accepted Answer

Mining groundwater and petroleum (San Jo

Question 10

How would you recognize a karst landscape?

Accepted Answer

A)  Karst forms very rough deposits of calcium carbonate on various kinds of rock outcrops. 
B)  Karst forms a rather smooth, flat surface on limestone because of extensive solution by acid rain. 
C)  Karst has an extremely ragged surface dissolved on the surface of limestone bedrock. 
D)  Karst forms dune-like rounded hills of windblown dust. 
E)  Karst is the smooth surface formed on soft shales when salty sea spray reacts with them. 
A)  Karst forms very rough deposits of calcium carbonate on various kinds of rock outcrops. 
B)  Karst forms a rather smooth, flat surface on limestone because of extensive solution by acid rain. 
C)  Karst has an extremely ragged surface dissolved on the surface of limestone bedrock. 
D)  Karst forms dune-like rounded hills of windblown dust. 
E)  Karst is the smooth surface formed on soft shales when salty sea spray reacts with them.

Question 11

What are two main mechanisms of ground subsidence?

Accepted Answer

Sinkholes,extraction of water

Question 12

What causes swelling soils to swell?

Accepted Answer

A)  When they get wet, water enters the clay mineral structure to cause swelling. 
B)  The presence of abundant kaolinite clay takes water in between its layers. 
C)  When water in clay-rich soil freezes, the soil swells. 
D)  When an earthquake shakes wet soil, more water can get between the grains to cause swelling. 
E)  Landsliding of a mass relieves pressure on soil, permitting it to expand. 
A)  When they get wet, water enters the clay mineral structure to cause swelling. 
B)  The presence of abundant kaolinite clay takes water in between its layers. 
C)  When water in clay-rich soil freezes, the soil swells. 
D)  When an earthquake shakes wet soil, more water can get between the grains to cause swelling. 
E)  Landsliding of a mass relieves pressure on soil, permitting it to expand.

Question 13

Venice,Italy,is noted for numerous water canals instead of paved streets for cars.Why doesn't it have many typical streets? Explain briefly.

Accepted Answer

Extraction of ground

Question 14

Name three of the eight states with the largest areas of ground subsidence,including sinkholes.

Accepted Answer

Florida,Georgia,Texa

Question 15

In the case of Mexico City,Mexico,land subsidence due to unsustainable groundwater pumping caused many problems because the area is highly populated.Discuss two of these problems.

Accepted Answer

Buildings tilt; water lines crack or bre

Question 16

Your friend just got back from vacation and wants to know if you can help him understand why the place he visited looked so weird.He describes the landscape as being uneven,with lots of depressions,and some ragged parts.What type of landscape is this? How does this type of landscape form? If your friend was on vacation in the United States,where are some of the places he could have been?

Accepted Answer

Karst; Mammoth Cave National P

Question 17

Which of the following statements about sinkhole formation is incorrect?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cover collapse is a way that a sinkhole can form. 
B)  Permafrost thaw is a way that a sinkhole can form. 
C)  Large caverns generally form in limestone just below the water table. 
D)  Cover subsidence is a way that a sinkhole can form. 
E)  Sinkhole formation depends on the presence of soluble sedimentary rocks like limestone. 
A)  Cover collapse is a way that a sinkhole can form. 
B)  Permafrost thaw is a way that a sinkhole can form. 
C)  Large caverns generally form in limestone just below the water table. 
D)  Cover subsidence is a way that a sinkhole can form. 
E)  Sinkhole formation depends on the presence of soluble sedimentary rocks like limestone.

Question 18

What causes sinkhole collapse? Where is the cavity that it collapses into,and how does that cavity form?

Accepted Answer

A)  A limestone cavern dissolves out with acid rain; a sinkhole forms when its roof collapses. 
B)  Soil above a limestone cavern percolates down into the cavern, leaving a soil cavity above. That cavity may collapse to form a sinkhole. 
C)  An underground river erodes a wide area; a sinkhole forms if its roof collapses. 
D)  The roof of a gold or copper mine collapses to form a sinkhole. 
E)  Families of moles or gophers dig large underground chambers that can collapse to form sinkholes. 
A)  A limestone cavern dissolves out with acid rain; a sinkhole forms when its roof collapses. 
B)  Soil above a limestone cavern percolates down into the cavern, leaving a soil cavity above. That cavity may collapse to form a sinkhole. 
C)  An underground river erodes a wide area; a sinkhole forms if its roof collapses. 
D)  The roof of a gold or copper mine collapses to form a sinkhole. 
E)  Families of moles or gophers dig large underground chambers that can collapse to form sinkholes.

Question 19

What specific area of the western United States is noted for almost 9 meters of subsidence due to agriculture? Specifically what caused the subsidence?

Accepted Answer

The San Joaquin Valley (Great

Question 20

Why does Venice,Italy,have canals for gondolas and boats instead of normal streets for cars?

Accepted Answer

A)  It was built on soft muds of a lagoon, and the heavy buildings settled into the mud. 
B)  The smectite soils in muds under it lead to lateral spreading and subsidence under the load of buildings. 
C)  The low ground next to the lagoon was a difficult place to provide a good road foundation. 
D)  Since the city was built about 1,600 years ago, the sea level has risen. 
E)  Extraction of groundwater below the city caused subsidence of the city below sea level. 
A)  It was built on soft muds of a lagoon, and the heavy buildings settled into the mud. 
B)  The smectite soils in muds under it lead to lateral spreading and subsidence under the load of buildings. 
C)  The low ground next to the lagoon was a difficult place to provide a good road foundation. 
D)  Since the city was built about 1,600 years ago, the sea level has risen. 
E)  Extraction of groundwater below the city caused subsidence of the city below sea level.

Which is NOT a method for recognizing the presence of swelling soils?

What aspects of construction can lead to the formation of sinkholes? Why?

Caves and caverns most commonly develop in:

What is bad about swelling soils?

What type of ground settling process is common in high latitudes?

Other than limestone,what other types of rocks are soluble and can form cavities that collapse?

How can you recognize the presence of swelling soils?

A roof made of what kind of material collapses to form a cover subsidence sinkhole?

Discuss the four causes of land subsidence described in the text and one case study of each cause.

How would you recognize a karst landscape?

What are two main mechanisms of ground subsidence?

What causes swelling soils to swell?

Venice,Italy,is noted for numerous water canals instead of paved streets for cars.Why doesn't it have many typical streets? Explain briefly.

Name three of the eight states with the largest areas of ground subsidence,including sinkholes.

In the case of Mexico City,Mexico,land subsidence due to unsustainable groundwater pumping caused many problems because the area is highly populated.Discuss two of these problems.

Which of the following statements about sinkhole formation is incorrect?

What causes sinkhole collapse? Where is the cavity that it collapses into,and how does that cavity form?

What specific area of the western United States is noted for almost 9 meters of subsidence due to agriculture? Specifically what caused the subsidence?

Why does Venice,Italy,have canals for gondolas and boats instead of normal streets for cars?

Natural Hazards and Disasters

Plate Tectonics and Physical Hazards

Earthquakes and Their Causes

Earthquake Prediction and Mitigation

Tsunami

Volcanoes: Tectonic Environments and Eruptions

Volcanoes: Hazards and Mitigation

Landslides and Other Downslope Movements

Weather, Thunderstorms, And Tornadoes

Climate Change

Streams And Flood Processes

Floods And Human Interactions

Waves,Beaches,And Coastal Erosion

Hurricanes and Nor’easters

Wildfires

Impact of Asteroids and Comets

The Future: Where Do We Go From Here?

Filters

Exam 9: Sinkholes, Land Subsidence, and Swelling Soils

Which is NOT a method for recognizing the presence of swelling soils?

What aspects of construction can lead to the formation of sinkholes? Why?

Caves and caverns most commonly develop in:

What is bad about swelling soils?

What type of ground settling process is common in high latitudes?

Other than limestone,what other types of rocks are soluble and can form cavities that collapse?

How can you recognize the presence of swelling soils?

A roof made of what kind of material collapses to form a cover subsidence sinkhole?

Discuss the four causes of land subsidence described in the text and one case study of each cause.

How would you recognize a karst landscape?

What are two main mechanisms of ground subsidence?

What causes swelling soils to swell?

Venice,Italy,is noted for numerous water canals instead of paved streets for cars.Why doesn't it have many typical streets? Explain briefly.

Name three of the eight states with the largest areas of ground subsidence,including sinkholes.

In the case of Mexico City,Mexico,land subsidence due to unsustainable groundwater pumping caused many problems because the area is highly populated.Discuss two of these problems.

Which of the following statements about sinkhole formation is incorrect?

What causes sinkhole collapse? Where is the cavity that it collapses into,and how does that cavity form?

What specific area of the western United States is noted for almost 9 meters of subsidence due to agriculture? Specifically what caused the subsidence?

Why does Venice,Italy,have canals for gondolas and boats instead of normal streets for cars?

Natural Hazards and Disasters

Plate Tectonics and Physical Hazards

Earthquakes and Their Causes

Earthquake Prediction and Mitigation

Tsunami

Volcanoes: Tectonic Environments and Eruptions

Volcanoes: Hazards and Mitigation

Landslides and Other Downslope Movements

Weather, Thunderstorms, And Tornadoes

Climate Change

Streams And Flood Processes

Floods And Human Interactions

Waves,Beaches,And Coastal Erosion

Hurricanes and Nor’easters

Wildfires

Impact of Asteroids and Comets

The Future: Where Do We Go From Here?

Filters