Forces, Friction, and Soil Dynamics

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on forces, friction, soil dynamics, and mass movements.

Shear stress

A driving force influenced by weight and slope.

Cohesion

The attraction between particles; can be strong (chemical bonding) or weak (such as water films).

Shear stress

A driving force influenced by weight and slope.

Cohesion

The attraction between particles; can be strong (chemical bonding) or weak (such as water films).

Angle of Repose

The steepest angle at which material remains stable.

Mass movements

Mass movements include phenomena like rock slides and earthflows influenced by gravity.

Rock slides

Occur on dip slopes where layered rock slides down along bedding planes.

Rotational slump

Common in unconsolidated soil, where material rotates downward along a curved failure plane.

Earthflows

Occur when saturated soil flows downhill.

Eluviation

The removal of materials from an upper soil layer.

Illuviation

The accumulation of materials in a lower soil layer.

Cation exchange

The ability of soil to hold and exchange nutrients.

Anthropogenic factors

Human-induced factors impacting soil and slope stability, such as deforestation.

Floodplain

A flat area built by river alluvium through flooding.

Mollisols

Fertile soils rich in organic material found in prairies.

Entisols

Soils with minimal development found in disturbed areas like floodplains.

Andosols

Soils formed from volcanic materials, particularly fertile and dark.

Gelisols

Cold climate soils characterized by permafrost.

Histosols

Organic soils found in wet, boggy areas prone to erosion.

Salinization

Development of high salt content soils, typically in arid regions.

Hydraulic radius

A measure related to stream depth influencing flow velocity.