Page 487 - Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography 4th Canadian Edition

Chapter 14 Weathering, Karst Landscapes, and Mass Movement 451
17. What is meant by the term spheroidal weathering? How does spheroidal weathering occur?
18. What is hydration? What is hydrolysis? Differentiate between these processes. How do they affect rocks?
19. Iron minerals in rock are susceptible to which form of chemical weathering? What characteristic colour
is associated with this type of weathering?
20. With what kind of minerals does carbonic acid react,
and what circumstances bring this type of reaction about? What is this weathering process called?
■ Review the processes and features associated with karst topography.
Karst topography refers to distinctively pitted and weath- ered limestone landscapes. Sinkholes are circular sur- face depressions that may be solution sinkholes formed by slow subsidence or collapse sinkholes formed in a sudden collapse through the roof of an underground cav- ern below. In tropical climates, karst landforms include cockpit karst and tower karst. The creation of caverns is a result of karst processes and groundwater erosion. Lime- stone caves feature many unique erosional and deposi- tional features.
karst topography (p. 435) sinkhole (p. 436)
21. Describe the development of limestone topography. What is the name applied to such landscapes? From what area was this name derived?
22. Explain and differentiate among the formation of sinkholes, karst valleys, cockpit karst, and tower karst. Which forms are found in the tropics?
23. In general, how would you characterise the region southwest of Orleans, Indiana?
24. What are some of the characteristic erosional and depositional features you find in a limestone cavern?
■ Categorize the various types of mass movements, and identify examples of each by moisture content and speed of movement.
Any movement of a body of material, propelled and con- trolled by gravity, is mass movement, or mass wasting.
The angle of repose of loose sediment grains represents a balance of driving and resisting forces on a slope. Mass movement of Earth’s surface produces some dramatic in- cidents, including rockfalls (volumes of falling rocks), which can form a talus slope of loose rock along the base of the cliff; debris avalanches (masses of tumbling, falling rock, debris, and soil moving at high speed); landslides (large amounts of material failing simultane- ously); mudflows (material in motion with a high mois- ture content); and soil creep (persistent movement of individual soil particles that are lifted by the expansion of soil moisture as it freezes, by cycles of wetness and dryness, by temperature variations, or by the impact of grazing animals). In addition, human mining and con- struction activities have created massive scarification of landscapes.
mass movement (p. 441) mass wasting (p. 441) angle of repose (p. 441) rockfall (p. 442)
talus slope (p. 442) debris avalanche (p. 442) landslide (p. 442) mudflow (p. 443)
soil creep (p. 444) scarification (p. 446)
25. Define the role of slopes in mass movements, using the terms angle of repose, driving force, resisting force, and geomorphic threshold.
26. What events occurred at Turtle Mountain near Frank, Alberta, in 1903?
27. What are the classes of mass movement? Describe each briefly and differentiate among these classes.
28. Name and describe the type of mudflow associated with a volcanic eruption.
29. Describe the difference between a landslide and what happened on the slopes of Nevado Huascarán.
30. What is scarification, and how does it relate to mass movement? Give several examples of scarification. Why are humans a significant geomorphic agent?
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