When is Mud Dangerous?

1. What conditions might cause mud to flow?

When the amount of water is increased in the mud. The steepness of the hill or cliff that the mud is on can cause mud to flow.

2. What conclusion can you draw from the two images?

The more of an angle the cliff/hill is tilted the easier it is for the mud to flow downward.

3. List at least two ways you could make the mud slide off the 30° slide plane without changing the plane's angle.

You can add water to the mud. You could try to shake the mud down the plane.

4. What conditions in nature would be represented by the answers you gave for question 3?

The rain and earthquakes.

5. List at least two factors that contribute to the formation of mudflows on volcanoes.

When a volcano is erupting the lava melts the snow on the volcano causing the water to mix with the ash causing lahars. And the ash left around could mix with water if there were heavy rains.

6. How might forest fires affect an area's potential for experiencing mudflows?

The fires burn the objects in their way which include trees, shurbs, and grass. Leaving behind ash and burned materials. The extra amount of mass on the soil and the unevenness could cause the hill to become unstable and start a mudflow. Also if it rains a lot it could mix with the burned stuff.

7. Hypothesize about how mudflows could change the topography of an area after a fire.

Mudflows could change the topography of an area after a fire because after a mudflow the hill or cliff is slumped or smaller since the mudflow took away some soil. Also at the bottom of a hill or cliff there would be taluses.

8. What human activities strip soil of its protective vegetation and increase its vulnerability to mudflows?

Some activities include farming because of the plowing and such, lumbering, and construction, when buildings are built on the soil adding an extra amount of weight.

9. Write a paragraph describing the conditions that cause dangerous mudflows. Include the types of locations where mudslides are most likely to occur.

There are three main conditions that can cause dangerous mudflows. First one is heavy rainfalls. The water saturates the soil, making the mudflow. Second one are volcanoes. The heat emitted from them melts the surrounding snow causing the snow to go down the volcano mixing with any ash deposits and debris. Also the same thing when a volcano erupts. The heat melts the snow and the ash blown out mixes with the snow causing lahars. Afterwards any rains that decide to come mixes with the leftover ash from the eruption. Last one are earthquakes. When there is loosely packed soil and an earthquake comes and shakes it up, the soil will rolled downhill. Also the shaking can liquefy the soil making a mudflow.
All the pictures in the investigation were shown in areas in the Western part of the United States. That's where the Cascades, Rockies, and earthquakes usually happen. Anywhere there are volcanoes, earthquake prone areas, and frequent rains with mountains are prone to mudflows.

Mass Movement

Creep: A slow, unnoticeable movement of soil down a slope. Causes objects in the soil to face downward.