1 / 15

Mass Wasting and Slope Stability

This advanced course focuses on the physics of Earth's surface, exploring physical and chemical processes shaping landscapes, with an emphasis on mass wasting and slope stability. The curriculum integrates lectures with lab work to reinforce concepts in stratigraphy and in situ strength estimation. Students will engage in group labs that involve creating stratigraphic columns, measuring slide morphometry, and analyzing sediment sizes. The course fosters scientific habits, effective communication, and hands-on skills, culminating in a written report showcasing their findings.

ttemple
Télécharger la présentation

Mass Wasting and Slope Stability

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Mass Wasting and Slope Stability Jeff Clark Lawrence University

  2. Course Details • Physics of the Earth: Surficial Environments • Physical and chemical processes that shape Earth’s surface • Focus on a few in depth • Lecture and lab coupled • Moving to integrate “field technology” • Required 300 level course (prereqs) • ~ 9 2/3 weeks (8-9 3-hr* labs) • 6-10 students

  3. Lab Context • Third and fourth labs of term • depth • Follows basic mapping and soils labs • Lectures on mechanical weathering, slope stability, and mass wasting concurrent. • All labs are group labs • First “formal” lab write up

  4. Goals of Lab • Reinforce and build upon concepts/skills • Soils from previous labs and lectures • Mass wasting and slope stability • Strat columns • New field and lab techniques • In situ strength estimates • Morphometric indices • Aerial rephotography • Sediment size analysis – fine fraction

  5. Goals of Lab • Scientific Habits of Mind • Sound observations to support inferences • Synthesis of multiple observations/data sets • Effective communication • Written report with tables, figures, methods, results, discussion, etc. • Other labs have oral or poster style communication forms

  6. Lab Activities • Create stratigraphic column • Measurements, sampling, and observations • Measure slide morphometry • Use survey skills and identify slide features • Map present shoreline and cliff • Relate to historic shoreline position

  7. Top 5m of strat column • Describe color, texture • Measure strength • Sample From GeoTest

  8. In-situ measures of strength

  9. Mophometric Index D/L Crozier, 1973; reprinted in Ritter, Kotchel and Miller, 2002

  10. Mophometric Index D/L Crozier, 1973; reprinted in Ritter, Kotchel and Miller, 2002

  11. Mapping and Rephotography

  12. Second Week • Determine rates of retreat – GIS • Hydrometer analysis • Correlate with strength • Moisture content? • Revisit site? • Compile report

  13. Why does this lab “work” • Multiple clear “textbook” possibilities for failure mechanism • Wave-cut toe, profoundly weak layer, pore water, historic changes in lake level • Several Possible interpretations • Requires synthesis of different types of observations/measurements

  14. Problems • Reports – students need guidance on structure and content • Use background reading article as model? • Data sharing is problematic • Try electronic field forms/notebooks • Students tend to wait until the second week to work on project • Build in credit bearing check points • Too ambitious even for groups • May remove GPS mapping in future

More Related