Mass Movement

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Assignments

Chernicoff, Chapter 12, "Mass Movement."

Reminders

Mineral templates and weather observation templates are available from paper trays at my office entrance.

Mineral collections are due the Monday after spring break.

See the McPhee discussion questions for "Los Angeles against the Mountains."

Reading Focus Questions

Read the entire chapter. Study the illustrations. Focus your attention on the following questions. Be prepared to answer any of these questions should they occur on a quiz or on the final exam. For multiple choice questions select the single best answer. (Parenthetical notes are my remarks of related facts not found in the textbook.)

 

  1. Describe the mass movement event at Madison Canyon in 1959.

     

  2. True or False? Mass movement accounts for more damage than all other natural catastrophes combined.

     

  3. The principal factor driving mass movement is:
    1. water
    2. soil
    3. friction
    4. gravity

     

  4. True or False? Talus slopes have the lowest angle of repose.

     

  5. True or False? The best types of vegetation to reduce mass movement are those with intertwining root structures.

     

  6. Water affects mass movement by:
    1. increasing the cohesiveness of soil, thus preventing mass movement
    2. reducing friction, thus promoting mass movement
    3. increasing the weight of slope materials, thus contributing to mass movement
    4. all of the above

     

  7. Possible triggers of mass movement events include all of the following EXCEPT:
    1. drought
    2. earthquakes
    3. volcanic eruptions
    4. mining
    5. lawn sprinklers

     

  8. Geologists classify mass movement by the:
    1. distance over which the material moves
    2. speed and manner in which the material moves
    3. shape and size of the particles involved
    4. amount of water involved

     

  9. True or False? The major difference between a slide and a flow is that a slide consists of a single intact mass and a flow is any mixture of solid, unconsolidated particles.

     

  10. Large boulder piles called __________ often form at the base of cliffs weathered by frost wedging.
    1. talus slopes
    2. slides
    3. scarps
    4. lahars

     

  11. In the largest slides, a mass of material detaches along an identifiable plane of weakness called a:
    1. scarp
    2. slip plane
    3. lahar
    4. talus slope

     

  12. Volcanic eruptions can produce catastrophic mudflows known as:
    1. quick clays
    2. lahars
    3. debris avalanches
    4. debris flows

     

  13. True or False? Mass movements are the most difficult geological hazards to predict.

     

  14. Which of the following is NOT used in predicting mass movements?
    1. evidence of past mass movement
    2. revegetation of hilly terrain
    3. terrain analysis
    4. changes in animal behavior

     

  15. Structural approaches to preventing mass movement down a slope include all of the following EXCEPT:
    1. grading
    2. unloading
    3. reducing the slope's water content
    4. reducing the slope's plant cover

     

  16. Mass movement on the Moon:
    1. is nonexistent because there is no water
    2. is greater than that on Earth due to meteorites
    3. is less than that on Earth because it is limited to dry processes
    4. has a wider range of features than that on Mars

Class Agenda