Removal of lateral support can lead to which?

Removal of lateral support can lead to which?

• A. Groundwater contamination
• B. Seismic hazard
• C. Landslide
• D. Slope instability

Answer: (D)

Removing lateral support takes away constraints that keep a slope from deforming under its own weight. Slope stability is a balance: gravity drives movement downslope, while shear strength and confinement resist that movement. Lateral support helps maintain that resistance and distributes stresses within the mass; when it’s removed, the factor of safety against failure drops and the slope becomes prone to movement. The immediate result is slope instability, which can manifest as various forms of mass movement, such as a landslide. Groundwater contamination is not a direct consequence of losing lateral support, and seismic hazard describes earthquake-related risk rather than the mechanical instability of a slope—though earthquakes can trigger instability in an already unstable slope.

Removing lateral support takes away constraints that keep a slope from deforming under its own weight. Slope stability is a balance: gravity drives movement downslope, while shear strength and confinement resist that movement. Lateral support helps maintain that resistance and distributes stresses within the mass; when it’s removed, the factor of safety against failure drops and the slope becomes prone to movement. The immediate result is slope instability, which can manifest as various forms of mass movement, such as a landslide. Groundwater contamination is not a direct consequence of losing lateral support, and seismic hazard describes earthquake-related risk rather than the mechanical instability of a slope—though earthquakes can trigger instability in an already unstable slope.