Exercise6_Mass Wasting Activity_Spring2024
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Apr 3, 2024
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Dynamic Earth GEOL-1500
Spring 2024
Mass Wasting Events: Mechanisms and Processes
Learning Exercise
Name:__________________
Date: _________________
Learning Goals:
What is the driving force behind mass wasting?
What are the types of mass wasting events?
How is each type of mass wasting event characterized?
What influences slope stability?
What measures can be implemented to protect against mass wasting events?
Questions:
1.
What is the driving force behind mass wasting? What types of material can be transported by mass wasting events?
2.
Name two
immediate causes of mass wasting.
3.
How is North Carolina classified for “landslide severity” as a whole state? Which region of NC has a higher risk of landslides (e.g. North? South? East? West?) and WHY
?
4.
Using the image below, name this type of mass wasting event: Label the key parts of the image that you used to identify the event. Keep in mind that some mass wasted material may have been transported by the river at the base of the slope!
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5.
How are mass wasting movements classified? Give one example of a SLOW event, and one example of a FAST event. 6.
Volcanoes have many potential geologic hazards, some of which we have already studied. Name a potential mass
wasting hazard related specifically to volcanoes. Describe this geologic hazard.
7.
Two fatal disasters resulting from mass wasting events are described in the slide pack. For EACH, provide the following: Location and date, underlying CAUSE
of the event, type
of event, and number killed.
8.
Mass wasting can occur on land or below sea level. How many
types of submarine mass wasting events are there? Describe
each. Why
do you think submarine events are “well-preserved” in the geologic record?
9.
Define what is an “Angle of Repose”. What features determine the angle of repose for a given material? (List three). Finally, what is the angle of for fine sand vs. angular pebbles?
10.
Slope stability determines whether material will move downslope. It is affected by two forces: downslope and resisting. What is the main driver of these two forces?
11.
One of the causes of mass wasting is excessive rainfall. In terms of the slope stability forces, explain
how rainfall
affects BOTH the downslope and resisting forces, resulting in increased likelihood of slope failure.
12.
Imagine a sea-side slope with τ
ff
of 20 kPa. Wave action over-time has removed some material from the base of the slope. Local government is encouraging tourism to the beautiful location and decides to build a hotel at the top of this slope. The combination of natural and anthropogenic actions described here will qualitatively Increase/ Decrease (circle one) τ (the actual shear stress on the slope), and Increase/ Decrease (circle one) F (Factor of Safety). At what value of τ will this slope become unstable? 2
F= factor of safety, τ
ff = the maximum stress a slope can sustain, τ = the actual shear stress on the slope
13.
Name this type of mass wasting event. Hint: This is a simulation of a sub-sea event!
14.
Slope failure triggers can be both natural and anthropogenic (human-induced). Give two examples of natural failure triggers and two examples of anthropogenic failure triggers.
15.
Bed rock geology can greatly influence how and where mass wasting events occur. Give an example of how different type of geologic configurations can influence the risk of slope failure.
3
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16.
Both houses A and B are exposed to slope stability hazards. Explain why using specific failure triggers and/or slope stability forces. Give an example of what could be done to mitigate the risk.
17.
What are these and what is their purpose?
18.
What are some surface features that indicate the development of a slump below the ground? List two
.
4
Use the below Landslide Hazard maps from Buncombe county NC to answer questions 19 and 20.
5
19.
Using the provided maps for Buncombe County, NC, what is common to the areas mapped as “Stable”? What is the minimum Factor of Safety to be considered “Stable”?
20.
Have there been previous slope failures in Buncombe County? How do we know? What is the most common type of mass wasting event to occur in the SW portion of the county?
Detail from Buncombe County landslide Hazard map
6
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