A level Slope Processes and Mass Wasting Quiz 1

16 Questions

Quiz Description

A level Slope Processes and Mass Wasting Quiz. Mass wasting, also known as slope movement or mass movement, is the geomorphic process by which soil, sand, regolith, and rock move downslope typically as a solid, continuous or discontinuous mass, largely under the force of gravity, frequently with characteristics of a flow as in debris flows and mudflows. Types of mass wasting include creep, slides, flows, topples, and falls, each with its own characteristic features, and taking place over timescales from seconds to hundreds of years. Mass wasting occurs on both terrestrial and submarine slopes, and has been observed on Earth, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter's moon Io.

When the gravitational force acting on a slope exceeds its resisting force, slope failure (mass wasting) occurs. The slope material's strength and cohesion and the amount of internal friction within the material help maintain the slope's stability and are known collectively as the slope's shear strength. The steepest angle that a cohesionless slope can maintain without losing its stability is known as its angle of repose. When a slope made of loose material possesses this angle, its shear strength counterbalances the force of gravity acting upon it.

Mass wasting may occur at a very slow rate, particularly in areas that are very dry or those areas that receive sufficient rainfall such that vegetation has stabilized the surface. It may also occur at very high speed, such as in rockslides or landslides, with disastrous consequences, both immediate and delayed, e.g., resulting from the formation of landslide dams. Factors that change the potential of mass wasting include: change in slope angle, weakening of material by weathering, increased water content; changes in vegetation cover, and overloading.

1:

The most important stress opposing a slope's shear stress is imparted by:


Correct
  • 1:
    running water
  • 2:
    earthquakes
  • 3:
    frost wedging
  • 4:
    gravity
2:

Water can encourage mass flow by:


Correct
  • 1:
    reducing friction between grains
  • 2:
    undercutting a steep slope
  • 3:
    weathering bedrock to clay minerals
  • 4:
    all of the above
3:

A talus cone is produced by a:


Correct
  • 1:
    rock fall
  • 2:
    rock glides
  • 3:
    mud flows
  • 4:
    all of the above
4:

Loose, uncemented geologic material is said to be ______.


Correct
  • 1:
    crystallized
  • 2:
    unconsolidated
  • 3:
    liquified
  • 4:
    consolidated
5:

Which of the following is the most important factor in causing mass movements?


Correct
  • 1:
    temperature
  • 2:
    pressure
  • 3:
    water content
  • 4:
    bulk composition
6:

Which of the following does not promote mass movement?


Correct
  • 1:
    steep slopes
  • 2:
    forest fires
  • 3:
    heavy rainfall
  • 4:
    all of the above promote mass movement
7:

The process by which masses of rock and soil move downhill under the influence of gravity is called ______ .


Correct
  • 1:
    landsliding
  • 2:
    mass wasting
  • 3:
    hydraulic action
  • 4:
    solifluction
8:

A hill consisting of loose, dry sand that slopes at the angle of repose and has no vegetation _______ .


Correct
  • 1:
    is stable unless over steepened by excavation
  • 2:
    may flow if it becomes saturated with water
  • 3:
    will be more stable if vegetation takes root on the hill
  • 4:
    all of the above
9:

One of the most effective ways to stabilize a slope is to:


Correct
  • 1:
    remove all excess vegetation
  • 2:
    increase the rate of compaction - add water
  • 3:
    control and remove water
  • 4:
    none of the above
10:

The characteristic slope of a pile of dry sand is called the ______ .


Correct
  • 1:
    angle of repose
  • 2:
    strike
  • 3:
    consolidation factor
  • 4:
    dip
11:

Which of the following factors affects the maximum angle at which a slope of loose material is stable?


Correct
  • 1:
    the amount of moisture
  • 2:
    the shape of the particles
  • 3:
    the size of the particles
  • 4:
    all of the above
12:

Damp sand has a higher angle of repose than dry sand because of _____ .


Correct
  • 1:
    cementation
  • 2:
    surface tension
  • 3:
    partial melting
  • 4:
    dissolution
13:

Surface tension is greatest when ________ .


Correct
  • 1:
    sand is dry
  • 2:
    sand is moist, but not saturated with water
  • 3:
    sand is saturated with water
  • 4:
    sand is over saturated with water
14:

Which of the following can trigger a landslide?


Correct
  • 1:
    an earthquake
  • 2:
    a heavy rainstorm
  • 3:
    removal of material from the base of a slope
  • 4:
    all of these
15:

During an earthquake, water-saturated sand can behave like a liquid, a process called ____ 


Correct
  • 1:
    liquefaction
  • 2:
    unconsolidation
  • 3:
    solifluction
  • 4:
    slurrification
16:

Which of the following statements about mudflows is false?


Correct
  • 1:
    mudflows tend to move slower than debris flows
  • 2:
    mudflows are most common in semi-arid regions
  • 3:
    mudflows contain large amounts of water
  • 4:
    mudflows can carry large boulders

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A level Slope Processes and Mass Wasting Quiz 1
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