Read the following USGS statement and answer this question.USGS Statement on Bluebird Canyon Landslide in Laguna Beach, California.In the early morning of June 1, 2005, a landslide began moving in the Bluebird Canyon area of Laguna Beach, California. No rainfall or earthquake activity occurred during or immediately before the landslide movement. This movement is almost certainly related to the extremely heavy winter rains that occurred from December through February. Rainfall from the winter season has been slowly percolating downward through the soil and is gradually raising ground-water levels. As ground water rises, slopes can become unstable and begin to move, even if no rain is presently occurring. The current landslide might enlarge to include areas upslope or other adjacent areas

within the next few days and weeks. The continuing infiltration of water from the winter rainy season could trigger other deep landslides in the southern California region over the next few weeks and months. (from www.usgs.gov/homepage/landslide_laguna.asp)What empirical data are mentioned here as a cause for the mass wasting?

A. Rising groundwater levels
B. Earthquake levels
C. Rainfall


Answer: A

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

You might also like to view...

Autotrophs that dwell in dark caves, wells, or on the ocean floor often depend on which of the following biogeochemical processes?

A) Chemosynthesis B) Photosynthesis C) Nitrogen fixing D) Nutrient leaching

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Which type of mass movement is most common in embankments or earth dams?

a. earth flow b. lateral spread c. translational slide d. rotational slide

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Alluvial fans are composed of sediment that is ____________________-sorted and

____________________ stratified. Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Nutrients in coral reefs are ____.?

A) ?extremely limited, which is why productivity is lower than the deep ocean B) ?so plentiful that there is no limit to phytoplankton growth C) ?largely trapped below the pycnocline D) ?recycled efficiently because the water is shallow

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences