Name: ___________________________________
Mass Movement Internet Activity
Go to: http://tinyurl.com/89tf69x
1. Under HOME, read the text in the right column.
a. Define mass movement- _________________________________________________________________
b. What are the three most widely recognized mass movements? _________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Click the START button at the bottom of this page.
a. Describe what happened- ________________________________________________________________
3. Click OVERVIEW. Driving and Resisting Forces.
a. What is the driving force of mass movement? _______________________
b. What happens when driving forces exceed resisting forces? ____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
c. What are 4 factors that influence the balance between driving and resisting forces? _________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Roll your mouse over the yellow circles in the diagram.
a. House adds __________ to the slope ______________ driving forces.
b. Water ____________ the resisting forces and the ___________ of water ______________driving forces.
c. Vegetation binds the soil which ________________ resisting forces.
d. Steep slope angles _______________ the driving force.
e. Does soil have more of less strength that rock? ______ Why? __________________________________
f.
Earthquakes cause a temporary ___________________ in resisting forces.
5. Click the arrow in the upper right corner. You should be on a page that says CONTROLS-SLOPE.
a. What does G stand for? ____________________________
b. What does W stand for? ___________________________
c. What does Gp stand for? ________________________________________________________________
d. What does Gd stand for? ________________________________________________________________
e. When Gp=G and Gd=0 is the boulder in the diagram likely to move? ___________
i. Raise the slope 3 times.
1. Is Gd less than Gp? _____________
ii. Raise the slope one more time and then click on MORE on the right side of the screen.
1. What kinds of things cause the slope to steepen?_______________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
6. Click the next arrow in the upper right corner. You should be on CONTOLS-Slope Material. Press START
a. What is one of the main depending factors in the type of mass movement that will occur? (hint: slump v.
landslide v. mudflows) __________________________________________________________________
b. Why is clay prone to mass movements? ____________________________________________________
c. What types of crystalline rock are the most resistant to mass movement? ___________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
d. What is one of the most common reasons for rock slides on highways? _____________________________
7. Click the arrow in the right corner to go to CONTROLS-WATER. Select the type of sand and press start.
a. Does dry sand or damp sand have a steeper angle? _______________ Why? _________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
b. When water was added, making the sand saturated—what is going on with the resisting and driving forces?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
c. Select rainstorm—what happens?___________________________________________________________
8. Click next and go to CONTROLS-VEGETATION.
a. What are 3 advantages to having plants/trees/vegetation on a slope? ______________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
b. What kinds of things do humans do to affect the vegetation on slopes? _____________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
9. Click next and go to CONTROLS-TRIGGERS.
a. What are two triggers of mass movements? __________________________________________________
10. Click next. Go to FALLS. Click start.
a. What is the name given to a pile of loose material at the bottom of a cliff? __________________________
11. Click next. Go to Slides. Click start.
a. Where are slides common? _________________________________________________________________
b. How are slumps different from other slides? ___________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
c. What is typically left on a mountain after a landslide? ____________________________________________
12. Click next. Go to FLOWS. Click on the arrows to see the creep move over time.
a. How does the material behave in a mass movement flow? ___________________________________________
b. What are 2 examples of flows? _________________________________________________________________
c. Describe creep. ______________________________________________________________________________
d. How long does it take to creep to become visible? __________________________________________________
13. Click MODEL. Read the story to the right and complete the assignment.
a. Try at least 8 different combinations and write down what happened in each situation?
Top
Middle
Bottom
Result
b. Which combination created the most damage? _____________________________________________________
c. Which combination created the least damage? _____________________________________________________
14. _______Which type of mass movement is likely to result in considerable property damage, but rarely causes loss of
life?
a. debris avalanche
b. rock fall
c. mudflow
d. creep
15. _____You are driving along a curvy mountain road, with a rocky vertical cliff on one side and a steep, rocky drop off
on the other side. A yellow sign warns of the possibility of a mass movement that could affect your driving. Under
the circumstances, what type of mass movement is most likely? a. creep b. rock fall c. mudflow d. avalanche
Label the following diagrams with the correct terms: Mudflow, Creep, Rockslide, and Landslide