Question 1

You buy land in the tropics on steep mountain slopes covered by large trees and deep soil.You want to build a house on the land.Which of the following building plans is a very bad idea because of the danger of triggering mass wasting?

Accepted Answer

A)  Excavate a flat bench on the slope for the house,pushing the debris to the slope below and leave a cut bank above the flat bench with grass planted on the steep slope.
B)  Excavate the soil from the building site,install drainage systems,and backfill with gravel to prevent water accumulation.
C)  Terrace the slope,building on the terraces,and constructing a rock retaining well with voids to allow drainage of water.
D)  Sell the land because it will always be prone to mass wasting.E) A) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 2

Which one of the following is an important,mechanical weathering process for enlarging fractures and extending them deeper into large boulders and bedrock?

Accepted Answer

A)  oxidation
B)  eluviation
C)  hydrologic cycling
D)  frost wedgingE) A) and C)
F) All of the above

Question 3

frost wedging mass wasting sheeting oxidation

Accepted Answer

The answer of frost wedging mass wasting sheeting oxidation...

Question 4

A scarp is the exposed portion of the rupture surface beneath a slump block.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
-wind water mass wasting ice

Accepted Answer

The answer of Examine the words and/or phrases for each...

Question 6

Consider a weathered rock or soil particle lying on a slope.How will the gravitational force pulling the particle downward along the land surface vary with the inclination of the slope?

Accepted Answer

A)  It will increase as the slope angle is lessened.
B)  It will decrease as the slope angle is lessened.
C)  It is not affected by the slope angle.
D)  It will possibly increase or decrease as slope angle is lessened,depending upon other factors.E) C) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 7

Organisms contribute to soils formation by ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  contributing organic matter to the soil
B)  degrading organic matter to form humus
C)  stirring the soil to allow air infiltration
D)  all of the aboveE) B) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 8

Engineers refer to any loose material on the surface of the Earth as soil.How does this differ from the definition used in Earth sciences?

Accepted Answer

A)  There is no difference,the definition is the same.
B)  Earth scientists use the term soil only for the organic part of the surface materials.
C)  Earth scientists only use the word soil to refer to the inorganic part of weathered,surface materials.
D)  An engineer's "soil" is equivalent to what Earth scientists call regolith; soil has a more specific meaning.E) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 9

Which of the following is not a significant factor triggering mass wasting events?

Accepted Answer

A)  heavy rainfall
B)  earthquake
C)  forest fire
D)  mine tailings filling a valleyE) None of the above
F) B) and D)

Question 10

________ is the basic force that moves or accelerates soil and regolith down a slope.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ is the basic force that moves...

Question 11

Deep soils are characteristic of tropical regions whereas thin rocky soils are characteristic of high latitudes.This is a natural demonstration that ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  chemical wreathing rates are much higher in the tropics than high latitudes
B)  physical weathering and erosion rates are higher at high latitude,removing soil faster than it can form
C)  all of the high latitude regions lost their soil in recent times
D)  humans living at high latitudes have destroyed the soils by bad farming practicesE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 12

In North America "no till farming" has become a widespread practice made possible by genetically modified (GM) crops that can be sprayed with herbicide that kills everything but the GM plant.Evaluate the following statements on the role of GM crops on soil conservation issues?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are a disaster.By killing all plants except the GM organism they expose the soil to increased erosion.
B)  They have no effect one way or the other on soil erosion.
C)  The no till practice dramatically improves soil conservation by providing loose organic matter cover to the soil surface,breaking up wind and runoff,lowering erosion rates.
D)  The herbicides kill beneficial plants and animals and eventually will make the soil sterile.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 13

Rounding of angular edges of rock outcropping and formation of insitu,spherical boulders are both indications of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  chemical weather and associated spheroidal weathering
B)  rock fall onto sharp edges breaking of angular corners of rock outcrops
C)  dissolution of the rock surface by acid rain
D)  humans and animals walking across the Earth's surface,wearing away the surfaceE) B) and C)
F) B) and D)

Question 14

Features like rock ledges in badlands or rock fins standing above adjacent valleys are all examples of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  glacial erosion
B)  river erosion
C)  differential weathering
D)  chemical weatheringE) B) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 15

Which of the following best describes sets of fractures in relatively fresh bedrock,such as granite,that are roughly parallel to the land surface?

Accepted Answer

A)  thermal expansion cracks
B)  sheeting fractures
C)  hydrolytic failures
D)  columnar jointsE) B) and C)
F) None of the above

Question 16

As an erosional process,how is mass wasting unique compared to wind,water,and ice?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mass wasting affects particles of all sizes whereas the others affect only smaller particles.
B)  Mass wasting does not require a transporting medium.
C)  Mass wasting affects much larger geographic areas than does wind,water,and ice.
D)  All of the above make mass wasting unique compared to wind,water,and ice.E) C) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 17

Which one of the following statements best describes erosion?

Accepted Answer

A)  disintegration and decomposition of rocks and minerals at the surface
B)  movement of weathered rock and regolith toward the base of a slope
C)  the process by which weathered rock and mineral particles are removed from one area and transported elsewhere
D)  the combined processes of leaching,eluviation,and mass wastingE) A) and D)
F) None of the above

Question 18

How do freezing,thawing,wetting,and drying contribute to soil creep?

Accepted Answer

A)  The soil becomes much weaker when dry and frozen.
B)  Gravity exerts a much stronger force when the soil is wet and thawed.
C)  The soil expands and contracts,lifting particles and dropping them a slight distance downslope.
D)  Eventually,these cause the soil and regolith to suddenly slide down the slope.E) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 19

A mass wasting process that involves rotational motion of material sliding above a distinct slip surface is called ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a slump
B)  a rock avalanche
C)  a rock fall
D)  a rock slideE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 20

How does deforestation by fire or human activity contribute to mass wasting?

Accepted Answer

A)  It allows excess rainfall runoff to erode the landscape,triggering mass wasting.
B)  It kills tree roots that help hold the slopes in place,allowing mass movement.
C)  It allows the wind to blow across the slopes,imparting a stress that triggers landslides.
D)  It allows farming activity that exposes soil to erosion and mass wasting.E) C) and D)
F) None of the above

Exam 4: Weathering, soil, and Mass Wasting

Rounding of angular edges of rock outcropping and formation of insitu,spherical boulders are both indications of ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern. -wind water mass wasting ice

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

As an erosional process,how is mass wasting unique compared to wind,water,and ice?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Organisms contribute to soils formation by ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which one of the following is an important,mechanical weathering process for enlarging fractures and extending them deeper into large boulders and bedrock?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A mass wasting process that involves rotational motion of material sliding above a distinct slip surface is called ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

________ is the basic force that moves or accelerates soil and regolith down a slope.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

frost wedging mass wasting sheeting oxidation

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Deep soils are characteristic of tropical regions whereas thin rocky soils are characteristic of high latitudes.This is a natural demonstration that ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In North America "no till farming" has become a widespread practice made possible by genetically modified (GM) crops that can be sprayed with herbicide that kills everything but the GM plant.Evaluate the following statements on the role of GM crops on soil conservation issues?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is not a significant factor triggering mass wasting events?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

You buy land in the tropics on steep mountain slopes covered by large trees and deep soil.You want to build a house on the land.Which of the following building plans is a very bad idea because of the danger of triggering mass wasting?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which one of the following statements best describes erosion?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Engineers refer to any loose material on the surface of the Earth as soil.How does this differ from the definition used in Earth sciences?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How does deforestation by fire or human activity contribute to mass wasting?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How do freezing,thawing,wetting,and drying contribute to soil creep?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Features like rock ledges in badlands or rock fins standing above adjacent valleys are all examples of ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Consider a weathered rock or soil particle lying on a slope.How will the gravitational force pulling the particle downward along the land surface vary with the inclination of the slope?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A scarp is the exposed portion of the rupture surface beneath a slump block.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following best describes sets of fractures in relatively fresh bedrock,such as granite,that are roughly parallel to the land surface?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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