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Questions:
1. Over the course of the term, we calculated the shear stress on the failure plane of alandslide, at the bed of a river, under wind, and beneath a glacier. List each of theseequations, and explain what assumptions the equations have in common as well aswhat assumptions are different among the 4 equations.
2. The picture on the next page shows a granite boulder about 0.5 m in diameter at thebottom of a canyon in eastern Washington that was carved by the Missoula floods.
The canyon is about 600 m wide at this location. Assuming that the granite boulderwas transported as bedload during the floods, estimate what each of the followingwas when the boulder was being transported: water velocity, Reynolds and Froudenumbers of the flow, water depth, water surface slope, and discharge
3. In the two figures below (not necessarily to scale), a 6 km wide rectangular plateau made entirely of sandstone is initially in isostatic equilibrium with the underlyingmantle and has a mean elevation of 2 km above sea level. Then, a glacier erodes asemicircular valley with a radius of 2 km in the center of the plateau. How muchrock uplift occurs as a result, and what is the new average elevation of the plateau?
4. Determine the maximum height of a vertical cliff made of solid granite. Explain why your answer is much larger than typical granite cliff heights.
5. Explain how transport of sediment by wind on Mars is different than on Earth.
Would you expect smaller or larger grains to be moved by wind on Mars?
6. Many soil-mantled landscapes have steeper north facing slopes and gentler south facing slopes, as illustrated by the perspective view of the Gabilan Mesa, Californiashown below (north is to the left). The dark patches on the north facing slopes are trees and shrubs, while the lighter colored south facing slopes are covered bygrasses. Assuming the landscape is currently in dynamic equilibrium underconstant climate and tectonics, what differences and what similarities would youexpect to see in erosion rate, soil production rate, sediment flux, hillslope hydrology,and soil depth between the north and south facing slopes?