Engineering Geology Final Exam
Latest Update 2026 GRADED A+
Mass wasting/movement - correct answeris downhill movement of masses of bedrock,
rock debris or soil, driven by the pull of gravity
How mass movements are classified - correct answerbased on the type of movement
and the type of slope material
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: creep - correct answerslowing
moving flows of moving material
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: falls - correct answermass of
rock, debris, or soi seperates from a steeply sloping surface and rapidly moves down
slope by free fall, bounding, or rolling
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: topple - correct answer-
material pivots about a fixed point
- Develop in fractured or jointed rock or cohesive-soil slopes
-Freeze-thaw causes rotation about a fixed pivot point
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: slides - correct
answershearing displacement between two masses along a surface or within a thin
zone of failure
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: slumps - correct
answerrotational component, common in soils or rocks of low shear strength
Translational slide - correct answerfailure surface planar( most dangerous condition is
when planes of wet soil dip in the same direction as the slope)
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: lateral spread - correct
answerslow to rapid lateral extensional movement of rock or soil masses. Most result
from liquefaction
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: flows - correct
answercontinuous internal deformation of the moving materal. may be viscous or plastic
Safety Factor - correct answerresisting forces/driving forces
Lithology - correct answermost important compnent of slope stability
, geologic materials of low strength - correct answerclays
shales
certain volcanic tuff
rock containing micas
infuluence of water on slope movement - correct answerincreases weight potential of
sliding block
decreases shear strength
decrease in safety factor
steps in slope stability analysis - correct answerrequires detailed analysis of
discontinuities
failure is controlled by spacing and geometry of planes of weakness
stability analysis of rock slopes less accurate than soil slope analyses
Groundwater - correct answerthe liquid water that resides in sediment or rock under the
surface of the earth
Porosity - correct answerthe volume of the empty space in a material
Permeability - correct answerthe ability of rock or sediment to transmit water through its
pores
Where the majority of unfrozen fresh water resides on Earth - correct answer
Aquifer - correct answerhigh porosity, high permeability rock that transmits water easily
Aquitard - correct answerlower permeability rock that hinders water flow
unsaturated(vadose)zone - correct answerpart of earth between the land surface and
the top of the phreatic zone. the position at which the groundwater is at atmospheric
pressure
phreatic(saturated)zones - correct answerthe part of an aquifier, below the water table,
in which relatively all pores and fractures are saturated with water
aquicludes - correct answera geologic formation or stratum that confines water in an
adjacent aquifer
Groundwater recharge area - correct answerwhere water moves downward from
surface water to groundwater. recharge is primary method through which water enters
an aquifier.
Groundwater discharge area - correct answerthe movement of groundwater from the
subsurface to surface. there is natural discharge which occurs into lakes, streans and
springs as well as human discharge, which is generally referred to as pumping.
Latest Update 2026 GRADED A+
Mass wasting/movement - correct answeris downhill movement of masses of bedrock,
rock debris or soil, driven by the pull of gravity
How mass movements are classified - correct answerbased on the type of movement
and the type of slope material
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: creep - correct answerslowing
moving flows of moving material
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: falls - correct answermass of
rock, debris, or soi seperates from a steeply sloping surface and rapidly moves down
slope by free fall, bounding, or rolling
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: topple - correct answer-
material pivots about a fixed point
- Develop in fractured or jointed rock or cohesive-soil slopes
-Freeze-thaw causes rotation about a fixed pivot point
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: slides - correct
answershearing displacement between two masses along a surface or within a thin
zone of failure
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: slumps - correct
answerrotational component, common in soils or rocks of low shear strength
Translational slide - correct answerfailure surface planar( most dangerous condition is
when planes of wet soil dip in the same direction as the slope)
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: lateral spread - correct
answerslow to rapid lateral extensional movement of rock or soil masses. Most result
from liquefaction
Common types of mass movements and how they differ: flows - correct
answercontinuous internal deformation of the moving materal. may be viscous or plastic
Safety Factor - correct answerresisting forces/driving forces
Lithology - correct answermost important compnent of slope stability
, geologic materials of low strength - correct answerclays
shales
certain volcanic tuff
rock containing micas
infuluence of water on slope movement - correct answerincreases weight potential of
sliding block
decreases shear strength
decrease in safety factor
steps in slope stability analysis - correct answerrequires detailed analysis of
discontinuities
failure is controlled by spacing and geometry of planes of weakness
stability analysis of rock slopes less accurate than soil slope analyses
Groundwater - correct answerthe liquid water that resides in sediment or rock under the
surface of the earth
Porosity - correct answerthe volume of the empty space in a material
Permeability - correct answerthe ability of rock or sediment to transmit water through its
pores
Where the majority of unfrozen fresh water resides on Earth - correct answer
Aquifer - correct answerhigh porosity, high permeability rock that transmits water easily
Aquitard - correct answerlower permeability rock that hinders water flow
unsaturated(vadose)zone - correct answerpart of earth between the land surface and
the top of the phreatic zone. the position at which the groundwater is at atmospheric
pressure
phreatic(saturated)zones - correct answerthe part of an aquifier, below the water table,
in which relatively all pores and fractures are saturated with water
aquicludes - correct answera geologic formation or stratum that confines water in an
adjacent aquifer
Groundwater recharge area - correct answerwhere water moves downward from
surface water to groundwater. recharge is primary method through which water enters
an aquifier.
Groundwater discharge area - correct answerthe movement of groundwater from the
subsurface to surface. there is natural discharge which occurs into lakes, streans and
springs as well as human discharge, which is generally referred to as pumping.
