Live Quiz Arena
🎁 1 Free Round Daily
⚡ Enter ArenaQuestion
← HistoryWhich risk increases when an ancient Incan agricultural terrace experiences prolonged saturation from heavy rainfall?
A)Downslope terrace collapse from hydrostatic pressure✓
B)Topsoil nutrient depletion from mineral leaching
C)Reduced crop yield from increased soil albedo
D)Enhanced pest infestations from waterlogged soil
💡 Explanation
When a terrace is saturated, hydrostatic pressure increases because water fills the soil pores, increasing its load on the retaining wall and decreasing shear strength, leading to potential downslope collapse. Therefore collapse results, rather than nutrient depletion, reduced yield, or pest infestations which require different environmental change mechanisms.
🏆 Up to £1,000 monthly prize pool
Ready for the live challenge? Join the next global round now.
*Terms apply. Skill-based competition.
Related Questions
Browse History →- Which function was critically enabled by improved astronomical data for 16th century transatlantic voyages?
- Which risk increased as Mesoamerican civilizations relied heavily on continuous maize cultivation with limited crop rotation?
- Which focusing principle enabled early Islamic scholars like Ibn al-Haytham derive accurate solar imagery using the camera obscura?
- Which mechanism limited the early Bessemer process steel production before 1860s?
- Which agricultural outcome improved maize yield in pre-Columbian chinampa systems when farmers introduced 'waffle' beds with raised platforms?
- Which ecological effect resulted from the continuous, intensive cultivation of maize by the Maya civilization?
