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Engineering Geology Flashcards

7 cards from real ASBOG practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Which index property is most directly used to assess the liquefaction potential of a sandy soil?

    Answer: Relative density

    Relative density (Dr) controls how loosely or densely sand is packed, which directly governs its susceptibility to liquefaction under cyclic loading.

  2. A rock mass with three mutually perpendicular joint sets has a maximum block volume defined by spacing S1, S2, and S3. What is the block volume?

    Answer: S1 × S2 × S3

    For three orthogonal joint sets, the intact block is a rectangular parallelepiped with volume equal to the product of the three spacings.

  3. Which geophysical method is best suited for detecting a buried paleochannel filled with saturated sand beneath a clay layer?

    Answer: Electrical resistivity tomography

    Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) can differentiate between the conductive clay and the more resistive or differently resistive saturated sand in the paleochannel.

  4. During a slope stability analysis, a tension crack filled with water increases the driving force primarily by:

    Answer: Adding hydrostatic pressure on the failure plane

    Water in a tension crack exerts hydrostatic pressure directed into the slope, which increases the net driving force on the potential failure surface.

  5. The Standard Penetration Test (SPT) N-value correction for overburden stress is called the:

    Answer: Overburden correction factor (CN)

    The overburden correction factor CN adjusts raw SPT N-values to a reference effective stress of 1 atm so results from different depths can be compared.

  6. Which classification system uses the Rock Quality Designation (RQD), joint spacing, joint condition, groundwater, and orientation of discontinuities to rate a rock mass?

    Answer: Rock Mass Rating (RMR)

    Bieniawski's Rock Mass Rating (RMR) system sums ratings for UCS, RQD, joint spacing, joint condition, groundwater, and a joint orientation adjustment.

  7. A Newmark displacement analysis is used in seismic slope stability to estimate:

    Answer: Permanent slope displacement during an earthquake

    Newmark's sliding block method integrates accelerations that exceed the yield acceleration to estimate the permanent displacement a slope experiences during seismic shaking.