Please fill out and return this sheet after viewing Program #16.   If you are unsure of an answer, give your best intelligent guess.

1.  What is mass wasting?

Mass downhill movement of rock and soil; also, erosion by gravity

2.  What are forces (2) that generate mass wasting?

tectonic uplift, and gravity (which pulls rock and soil down)

3.  What are factors that contribute to mass wasting?

water, earthquakes, lack of vegetation, abundant loose rock and debris, steep slopes, and high relief (vertical distance between mountaintop and valley floor

4.  What is the slowest form of mass wasting?

creep or solifluction

5.  What is a practical reason why one should be aware of mass wasting processes? (consider the example of Nevado del Ruiz and Portuguese Bend)

If not carefully considered beforehand, mass wasting can be a devastating experience for life and property

6.What are a couple of ways that mass wasting has been mitigated at Portuguese Bend?

improved drainage of water from the slump area, construction of gabions (artificial barriers) to slow advancing movement.

7.  Describe debris and mud flows.

Debris flows involve the rapid downhill movement of rock, soil, vegetation, and other objects, aided by water; mudflows involve intense water saturation

8.  What are the fastest moving of mass wasting processes?

Rockfalls and avalanches

9.  Make a list of mass wasting processes, ranking them from slowest- to fastest-moving.

creep, solifluction, slump, earthflow, mudflow, debris avalanche, rockfall

10.  What is an example of mass wasting in the ocean bottoms?

turbidity currents