MASS WASTING Flashcards
Part of the regolith that supports the growth of plants
Soil
Is the layer of rock and mineral fragments that covers most of Earth’s land surface
Regolith
5 Major Components of Soil
Mineral Matter
Broken-Down Rock
Humus
Water
Air
Is the downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity
Mass Wasting
Act as the main immediate agent in mass movement
Gravity
Is a common term used by many people to describe sudden event in which large quantities of rock and soil plunge down steep slopes
Landslide
This term encompasses all downslope movement whether it be bedrock, regolith, or a mixture of these
Landslide
Controlling Factors of Mass Wasting
Slope Angle
Role of Water
Presence of Clay
Weak Material and Structures
All forces resisting movement
downslope can be grouped under
the term _____
shear strength
When does downslope movement occur
when shear stress > shear strength
contain a high proportion of smectite or montmorillonite which expand and settle when wet and shrink when they dry out.
Expansive and hydrocompacting soils
clays in some soils rearrange themselves
after dissolution of salts in the pore spaces. Clay minerals line up
with one another and the pore space is reduced.
Sensitive soil
water-saturated clays that spontaneously liquefy when disturbed
Quick Clay
Examples of Weak Material And Structures
bedding planes,
weak layers,
joints and fractures,
foliation planes
Mass Wasting Process
Slope Failures
Sediment Flow