1. What conditions might cause mud to flow?
Conditions need to cause mud to flow is large amounts of water and soil mixing together and making large amount of mud. The mud then starts to flow down hill due to gravity pulling it downward. Earthquake and other natural disaster can also cause mud to flow
2. What conclusion can you draw from the two images?
The higher the slope less mud is needed for gravity to make it flow down a hill or cliff. More mud is needed for gravity to make mud flow when the slope of a hill or cliff is low.
3. List at least two ways you could make the mud slide off the 30° slide plane without changing the plane's angle.
One way you could make the mud slide off the 30° slide plate without changing the plane's angle is to add more mud on to the slide plate to increase the weight of the mud, so gravity can pull the mud off the slide plate faster. Another way to make the mud flow off the 30° slide plane by adding more water to increase the weight of the mud, so gravity can make the mud flow, flow downhill easier.
4. What conditions in nature would be represented by the answers you gave for question 3?
A large rain storm, earthquakes or other ypes of natural disasters
5. List at least two factors that contribute to the formation of mudflows on volcanoes.
One factor that contribute to the formation of a mudflow on volcanoes is that, if the volcano has glacier ice and snow. Then when the glacier and snow melts the water from the glacier and snow would cause large amounts of water to travel down the side of the volcano. The water and soil mix together and then a mud flow can happen if there if enough mud or if the slope if high enough for gravity to pull it down the side of the volcano and then a mud flow is formed. The second way for a mud flow to form on a volcano is for the soil on the volcano side and the magma inside the volcano to mix together when the volcano release the magma. When lava and soil mix together it forms a lahar which is another type of mud flow
6. How might forest fires affect an area's potential for experiencing mudflows?
A forest fire would burn all the trees and plate with in the area to ash. Leaving a large open area of soil and ash. Increasing the changes for a mud flow from a rain storm because there would be no plate life to absorb the rain water. Making the area of the forest fire have a lot of rain water and turning the soil there into mud and the gravity would pull the mud downhill causing a mudflow.
7. Hypothesize about how mudflows could change the topography of an area after a fire.
The mudflow would change the topography of an area after a fire by making the area where the fire happen more smooth and steep because of the wave of mud flowing downhill.
8. What human activities strip soil of its protective vegetation and increase its vulnerability to mudflows?
Humans flatten the land to build house and building and strip the slopes of there vegetation which prevent mudflows. By getting rid of them there would be an increase in the chances of a mudflow.
9. Write a paragraph describing the conditions that cause dangerous mudflows.
Condition that may cause dangerous mudflows are place where there are high mountains with steep sides. Mountains that have large amounts of ice and snow near the top of the mountain, mountains like the Rocky mountains and the Himalayan mountains because if the ice and snow melted there would be a lot of water flowing down the mountain. Other places that are likely to have mud flows are place where there are active volcanoes because the lava from the volcano and soil from the Earth crust could mix and make a mud flow called a lahar. Countries that are within or near the Ring of Fire because of the higher changes of earthquakes and volcano erupting at the Ring of Fire, which then would cause mudflow and lahar to happen.Places that are most likely to have mudflows are California, Oregon, Washington, Japan, India, and other countries that have high mountains and volcanoes.
