Question 1

The ________ in the sequence of sedimentary rocks shown below may 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 A

Question 2

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 C

Question 3

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 B

Question 4

Imagine you have just bought some property and notice that the trees on the slope have curved trunks.What would be the most effective method to prevent additional movement of the hillside?

Accepted Answer

A) Regrade the slope. 
B) Plant more vegetation. 
C) Install riprap. 
D) Construct a retaining wall. 
A) Regrade the slope. 
B) Plant more vegetation. 
C) Install riprap. 
D) Construct a retaining wall.

Question 5

Slope failures are most likely to occur in ________ conditions.

Accepted Answer

A) dry,mountainous 
B) dry,flat 
C) wet,mountainous 
D) wet,flat 
A) dry,mountainous 
B) dry,flat 
C) wet,mountainous 
D) wet,flat

Question 6

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 7

Which of the following increases the risk of mass movement?

Accepted Answer

A) adding a small amount of moisture to loose,dry sediment 
B) waves breaking before they reach sea cliffs 
C) flooding the sediment with water to the point of saturation 
D) reducing the grade of the slope 
A) adding a small amount of moisture to loose,dry sediment 
B) waves breaking before they reach sea cliffs 
C) flooding the sediment with water to the point of saturation 
D) reducing the grade of the slope

Question 8

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 grain 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 grain 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.

Question 9

Which of the following types of mass movement often travels down a curved surface?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

In the figure below,what would be the most effective way to stabilize the slope,assuming that the slope is in a dry,desert environment?

Accepted Answer

A) Regrade the slope. 
B) Move the road. 
C) Add more vegetation. 
D) Install riprap. 
A) Regrade the slope. 
B) Move the road. 
C) Add more vegetation. 
D) Install riprap.

Question 11

________ 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 12

Moisture among sediment grains ________.

Accepted Answer

A) always increases the likelihood of mass wasting 
B) always decreases the likelihood of mass wasting 
C) can promote stability if present in small amounts 
D) can promote stability if the grains are saturated 
A) always increases the likelihood of mass wasting 
B) always decreases the likelihood of mass wasting 
C) can promote stability if present in small amounts 
D) can promote stability if the grains are saturated

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

A) a large mansion built on top of a gentle sloping hill covered with vegetation 
B) a hotel built on a flat surface with a large river flowing next to the hotel 
C) a large resort built on top of a cliff directly above the ocean 
D) a small house built on top of a steep slope in a desert region 
A) a large mansion built on top of a gentle sloping hill covered with vegetation 
B) a hotel built on a flat surface with a large river flowing next to the hotel 
C) a large resort built on top of a cliff directly above the ocean 
D) a small house built on top of a steep slope in a desert region

Question 14

Which of the following figures shows an area that would be most susceptible to slope failure?

Accepted Answer

A) a 
B) b 
C) c 
D) d 
A) a 
B) b 
C) c 
D) d

Question 15

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 16

A rock slide into a reservoir triggered catastrophic flooding of the landscape below which dam?

Accepted Answer

A) Vaiont (Italy) 
B) Aswan (Egypt) 
C) Hoover (Nevada) 
D) Glen Canyon (Arizona) 
A) Vaiont (Italy) 
B) Aswan (Egypt) 
C) Hoover (Nevada) 
D) Glen Canyon (Arizona)

Question 17

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 18

Which of the following situations may lead to slope failure?

Accepted Answer

A) the addition of a small amount of water to a slope 
B) installing a chain-link fence over a slope 
C) undercutting a slope by a bulldozer 
D) regrading a steep slope to create a gentler slope 
A) the addition of a small amount of water to a slope 
B) installing a chain-link fence over a slope 
C) undercutting a slope by a bulldozer 
D) regrading a steep slope to create a gentler slope

Question 19

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 20

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

Exam 16: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

The ________ in the sequence of sedimentary rocks shown below may 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?

Imagine you have just bought some property and notice that the trees on the slope have curved trunks.What would be the most effective method to prevent additional movement of the hillside?

Slope failures are most likely to occur in ________ conditions.

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

Which of the following increases the risk of mass movement?

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

Which of the following types of mass movement often travels down a curved surface?

In the figure below,what would be the most effective way to stabilize the slope,assuming that the slope is in a dry,desert environment?

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

Moisture among sediment grains ________.

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

Which of the following figures shows an area that would be most susceptible to slope failure?

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

A rock slide into a reservoir triggered catastrophic flooding of the landscape below which dam?

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

Which of the following situations may lead to slope failure?

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

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

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

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