Question 1

Which of the following factors does NOT control the stability of a slope?

Accepted Answer

A) the angle of repose for intact bedrock 
B) whether the slope is rock or soil 
C) the amount of water in the soil 
D) the orientation of fractures,cleavage,and bedding

Question 2

What should have warned the people of coastal Venezuela that they were in a hazardous zone?

Accepted Answer

A) the cities were built upon alluvial fans 
B) the houses had been built on debris flow deposits 
C) the areas above the city had steep unstable slopes 
D) all of these

Question 3

What is the main type of weathering illustrated by this weathered limestone?

Accepted Answer

A) physical weathering 
B) dissolution 
C) oxidation 
D) exfoliation

Question 4

What is the main reason why the oceans are salty?

Accepted Answer

A) the early oceans were salty because comets are dirty snowballs 
B) salt deposits that formed early in Earth's history become dissolved by modern oceans 
C) weathering of rocks releases chemical elements that make the oceans salty 
D) blowing salt crystals become incorporated into clouds and falls with the rainfall

Question 5

Which of the following factors favors movement of a rock slide?

Accepted Answer

A) layers that are inclined opposite to the slope of the hill 
B) solid rock with few preexisting joints or faults 
C) a massive rock with no bedding or other through-going discontinuities 
D) a valley or other open space downslope from the rock slide

Question 6

Which area would most likely cause the least problems with keeping roads in good shape?

Accepted Answer

A) Bent Fence Hills 
B) Wild Ride Valley 
C) the flat area above the river terraces 
D) a road built directly below the cliffs of Flattop Mountain

Question 7

Which numbered feature on this figure is critical to enable a rock slide to start?

Accepted Answer

A) 1,a linear or curved scar marking where the slide pulled away from the hill 
B) 2,small fractures within the sliding block 
C) 3,layers,fractures,or some other discontinuity inclined downslope 
D) 4,the front of the slide,where it overruns the land surface 
E) 5,a valley or other open space in front of the slide

Question 8

What happens when rocks oxidize near Earth's surface?

Accepted Answer

A) minerals in the rock release oxygen that can break down adjacent rocks 
B) oxygen combines with water to create weak acids that weather rocks 
C) minerals,especially those with iron,combine with oxygen 
D) oxygen combines with silica to make quartz

Question 9

What type of slope failure is shown in this figure?

Accepted Answer

A) rotational slide 
B) creep 
C) earth flow 
D) debris flow 
E) rock slide

Question 10

What type of slope failure has occurred in the Slumgullion area of Colorado?

Accepted Answer

A) a huge rock fall that formed Colorado's second largest lake 
B) a debris flow that came down Big Thompson Canyon 
C) a debris avalanche that raced downhill at breathtaking speeds 
D) a slow-moving earth flow

Question 11

Which of the following are problems related to soil?

Accepted Answer

A) individual grains lose contact with one another as water squeezes between them 
B) certain clay minerals increase in volume when they become wet 
C) soils that do not compact uniformly because of varying amounts of clay 
D) erosion due to loss of plant cover,such as from overgrazing 
E) all of these

Question 12

Some rocks and minerals are not stable at the surface because they:

Accepted Answer

A) are exposed to water 
B) formed in high-temperature environments 
C) formed in high-pressure environments 
D) are exposed to oxygen 
E) all of these

Question 13

Which of the following are true about factors that influence weathering?

Accepted Answer

A) Chemical weathering occurs fastest in cold or dry climates. 
B) Whether a slope faces toward or away from the sun is not an important factor influencing weathering. 
C) Soil and other weathering products tend to accumulate more on gentle slopes than on steep slopes. 
D) Time is not a critical factor in weathering because physical and chemical processes have not changed much through time.

Question 14

People reshape steep slopes,a practice called terracing,in order to:

Accepted Answer

A) help capture and retain rainfall 
B) provide a level place on which to farm 
C) promote soil formation 
D) protect soil from erosion 
E) all of these

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a source of material for soil?

Accepted Answer

A) weathered rock and sediment 
B) leaves and other plant debris 
C) CO2 gas from roots 
D) water from precipitation and snowmelt 
E) all of these are a source of material in soil

Question 16

How can weathering form a mineral deposit?

Accepted Answer

A) extreme leaching can leave behind elements,such as aluminum,that are valuable 
B) weathering can dissolve copper from the top of a mineral deposit and reprecipitate it at depth 
C) heavier materials,such as gold and diamond,accumulate near the base of river gravels 
D) all of these

Question 17

What did the USGS discover when they studied the Slumgullion feature?

Accepted Answer

A) there were different parts with different ages 
B) movement formed folds,faults,fissures,and zones of shearing 
C) some parts of the material moved faster than other parts 
D) all of these 
E) a and b only

Question 18

The USGS evaluated the age of different parts of the Slumgullion feature by:

Accepted Answer

A) measuring the size of trees incorporated into the material 
B) measuring the temperature of rocks soon after the feature had moved 
C) examining the development of soil 
D) measuring the content of moisture during different seasons 
E) none of these

Question 19

What concepts can be explained using this diagram?

Accepted Answer

A) the movement of water between the oceans and the land 
B) how precipitation ends up in rivers or groundwater 
C) how weathering causes the seas to become saltier 
D) all of these

Question 20

What type of slope failure is shown in this figure?

Accepted Answer

A) rotational slide 
B) creep 
C) earth flow 
D) debris flow 
E) rock fall

Exam 15: Weathering, soil, and Unstable Slopes

Which of the following factors does NOT control the stability of a slope?

What should have warned the people of coastal Venezuela that they were in a hazardous zone?

What is the main type of weathering illustrated by this weathered limestone?

What is the main reason why the oceans are salty?

Which of the following factors favors movement of a rock slide?

Which area would most likely cause the least problems with keeping roads in good shape?

Which numbered feature on this figure is critical to enable a rock slide to start?

What happens when rocks oxidize near Earth's surface?

What type of slope failure is shown in this figure?

What type of slope failure has occurred in the Slumgullion area of Colorado?

Which of the following are problems related to soil?

Some rocks and minerals are not stable at the surface because they:

Which of the following are true about factors that influence weathering?

People reshape steep slopes,a practice called terracing,in order to:

Which of the following is NOT a source of material for soil?

How can weathering form a mineral deposit?

What did the USGS discover when they studied the Slumgullion feature?

The USGS evaluated the age of different parts of the Slumgullion feature by:

What concepts can be explained using this diagram?

What type of slope failure is shown in this figure?