Natural Disasters Final Exam Study Guide Fall 2025,
semester guide to Natural Disasters Questions With
Complete Solutions
Shells constructed from seawater incorporate the 18O/16O ratio
of seawater during their lifetime within their CaCO3 shell walls,
providing a paleothermometer that is used to estimate the
temperatures of ancient seas.
True or False
True
The United States Climate Science Special Report in 2017
forecast that sea levels will rise __________
several inches in the next 15 years
4 feet by 2100
as much as 8 feet by 2100 cannot be ruled out
all of the choices are correct
all of the choices are correct
External processes that increase the odds of a slope failure
include _____
adding mass high on a slope, as in sediment deposition
steepening the slope, as by fault movements
removing support from low on a slope, as by stream or ocean-
,wave erosion
all of these choices are correct
all of these choices are correct
The natural materials mostly commonly associated with earth
failures are ______
clay minerals
quartz
granite
basalt
pahoehoe
clay minerals
The sum of all the underlying causes can push a slope to the
brink of failure, and then an immediate cause may trigger the
movement. The immediate causes for mass movements include
heavy rains
earthquakes
thawing of frozen ground
the construction projects of humans
all of these choices are correct
all of these choices are correct
In ________ masses move down and out by sliding on places of
weakness, such as faults, bedding, or clay-rich layers.
rock falls
,translational slides
rotational slides
debris flows
struzstroms
translational slides
Of the following types of mass movements, which can move
fastest?
creep
roots
rock fall
mudflow
earth flow
rock fall
The sum of the characteristics that hold a mass in place is
referred to as ______
shear resistance
cohesion
the normal force
the normal component
tan phi
shear resistance
Which of the following is a poor choice when trying to reduce
the likelihood of a slope failure?
, reshaping the topography by reducing the slop
using rock bolts to strengthen rock masses
adding water tot he slop during a cold snap to freeze it in place
adding a gabion and/or a resisting mass at the toe of a slope
holding soil in place by using plants or netting
adding water to the slope during a cold snap to freeze it in place
Creep is an ultra-slow, almost imperceptible upslope movement
of the soil and lower bedrock zones.
True or False
True
The volume of soil does not stay constant but instead swells and
shrinks
True or False
True
There are certain times when a hill containing clay minerals is
weaker than at other times, and then gravity has a better chance
of provoking a slope failure
True or False
True
The orientation of rock layering within a hill can either enhance
or hinder the chances of slope failure.
True or False
semester guide to Natural Disasters Questions With
Complete Solutions
Shells constructed from seawater incorporate the 18O/16O ratio
of seawater during their lifetime within their CaCO3 shell walls,
providing a paleothermometer that is used to estimate the
temperatures of ancient seas.
True or False
True
The United States Climate Science Special Report in 2017
forecast that sea levels will rise __________
several inches in the next 15 years
4 feet by 2100
as much as 8 feet by 2100 cannot be ruled out
all of the choices are correct
all of the choices are correct
External processes that increase the odds of a slope failure
include _____
adding mass high on a slope, as in sediment deposition
steepening the slope, as by fault movements
removing support from low on a slope, as by stream or ocean-
,wave erosion
all of these choices are correct
all of these choices are correct
The natural materials mostly commonly associated with earth
failures are ______
clay minerals
quartz
granite
basalt
pahoehoe
clay minerals
The sum of all the underlying causes can push a slope to the
brink of failure, and then an immediate cause may trigger the
movement. The immediate causes for mass movements include
heavy rains
earthquakes
thawing of frozen ground
the construction projects of humans
all of these choices are correct
all of these choices are correct
In ________ masses move down and out by sliding on places of
weakness, such as faults, bedding, or clay-rich layers.
rock falls
,translational slides
rotational slides
debris flows
struzstroms
translational slides
Of the following types of mass movements, which can move
fastest?
creep
roots
rock fall
mudflow
earth flow
rock fall
The sum of the characteristics that hold a mass in place is
referred to as ______
shear resistance
cohesion
the normal force
the normal component
tan phi
shear resistance
Which of the following is a poor choice when trying to reduce
the likelihood of a slope failure?
, reshaping the topography by reducing the slop
using rock bolts to strengthen rock masses
adding water tot he slop during a cold snap to freeze it in place
adding a gabion and/or a resisting mass at the toe of a slope
holding soil in place by using plants or netting
adding water to the slope during a cold snap to freeze it in place
Creep is an ultra-slow, almost imperceptible upslope movement
of the soil and lower bedrock zones.
True or False
True
The volume of soil does not stay constant but instead swells and
shrinks
True or False
True
There are certain times when a hill containing clay minerals is
weaker than at other times, and then gravity has a better chance
of provoking a slope failure
True or False
True
The orientation of rock layering within a hill can either enhance
or hinder the chances of slope failure.
True or False
