Mass Wasting

Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
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1. Mass wasting refers to material moved primarily by:
   1. wind
   2. running water
   3. ice
   4. gravity
2. Which is not a sign of soil creep?
   1. trees bent near the base
   2. tilted posts and poles
   3. water seeping from the ground
   4. deformed rock layers near the surface
3. In which type of mass wasting might a house move with the least damage?
   1. slump
   2. debris flow
   3. rockfall
   4. avalanche
4. Which of the following are the most fluid of mass movement?
   1. earthflows
   2. solifluction
   3. debris flows
   4. slumps
   5. mudflows
5. The most widespread and costly type of mass wasting in terms of total material moved and monetary damage is:
   1. creep
   2. debris flow
   3. solifluction
   4. slumping
   5. mudflow
6. Which of the following features indicate former landslides or areas susceptible to slope failure?
   1. displaced objects
   2. open fissures
   3. scarps
   4. hummocky surfaces
   5. all of these
7. Talus is an accumulation of:
   1. calcium carbonate in horizon B of pedocals
   2. angular rock fragments at the base of a slope
   3. valuable minerals formed by selective removal of soluble substances
   4. debris produced mostly by the activities of organisms
   5. soil produced by intense weathering in the tropics
8. Downslope movement of a largely intact block along an essentially planar surface is a:
   1. slump
   2. landslide
   3. rockfall
   4. rock glide
   5. earthflow
9. Which of the following is not a factor influencing mass wasting?
   1. gravity
   2. water content
   3. weathering
   4. slope gradient
   5. all influence mass wasting
10. Which of the following factors can actually enhance slope stability?
    1. water content
    2. vegetation
    3. overloading
    4. rocks dipping in the same direction as the slope
    5. none of these
11. Mass wasting can occur:
    1. on gentle slopes
    2. in flat-lying areas
    3. on steep slopes
    4. none of these
    5. all of these
12. A type of mass wasting common in mountainous regions in which talus accumulates is:
    1. creep
    2. slides
    3. solifluction
    4. mudflows
    5. rockfalls
13. The source of the energy that propels a landslide
    1. steep slopes
    2. strain in the rock
    3. water lubricating the slide
    4. gravity
14. Which of the following conditions would favor a landslide?
    1. regrading a cliff to a more gentle slope
    2. unusually heavy and prolonged rainfall
    3. areas of horizontal rock layers
    4. a stable natural drainage system
15. Avalanches:
    1. stop when they hit level ground
    2. cannot move uphill
    3. travel only in straight lines
    4. none of the above are true

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Created 15 May 1997, Last Update 16 November 2004

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