Mass wasting, also known as slope movement or mass movement, is the geomorphic process by which soil, sand, regolith, and rock move downslope typically as a mass, largely under the force of gravity, but frequently affected by water and water content as in submarine environments and mudslides
When the gravitational force acting on a slope exceeds its resisting force, slope failure (mass wasting) occurs. The slope material's strength and cohesion and the amount of internal friction between materials help maintain the slope's stability, and are known collectively as the slope's shear strength. The steepest angle that a cohesionless slope can maintain without losing its stability is known as angle of repose. When a slope possesses this angle, its …show more content…
A mudflow is a flowing mixture of debris and water, usually moving down a channel. Flow is divided into categories, depending on the amounts of water involved. Slump occurs when a mass of regolith slides over or creates a concave surface (one shaped like the inside of a bowl). The result is the formation of a small, crescent shaped cliff, known as a scarp, at the upper end. Soil flow takes place at the bottom end of the slump. One is likely to see slumps in any place where forces, whether man-made or natural, have graded material to a slope too steep for its angle of repose. This may happen along an interstate highway, where a road crew has cut the slope too sharply, or on a riverbank, where natural erosion has done its work. (Slump involves movement along a curved surface, the upper part moving downward while the lower part moves outward) Slide is descending rock mass remaining relatively coherent, moving along one or more defined surfaces. A Rock slide is the rapid sliding of a mass of bed rock along an inclined surface of weakness. These are things such as bedding plane or a major fracture. In contrast, a rock Avalanche is a very rapidly moving, turbulent mass of broken-up bed rock. A Snow avalanche is one of the most commonly known types of avalanches. Fall occurs when material free-falls or bounces down a cliff. when most other forms of mass wasting entail movement along slopes that are considerably less than 90°, but most fall takes place at angles almost perpendicular to the
When the gravitational force acting on a slope exceeds its resisting force, slope failure (mass wasting) occurs. The slope material's strength and cohesion and the amount of internal friction between materials help maintain the slope's stability, and are known collectively as the slope's shear strength. The steepest angle that a cohesionless slope can maintain without losing its stability is known as angle of repose. When a slope possesses this angle, its …show more content…
A mudflow is a flowing mixture of debris and water, usually moving down a channel. Flow is divided into categories, depending on the amounts of water involved. Slump occurs when a mass of regolith slides over or creates a concave surface (one shaped like the inside of a bowl). The result is the formation of a small, crescent shaped cliff, known as a scarp, at the upper end. Soil flow takes place at the bottom end of the slump. One is likely to see slumps in any place where forces, whether man-made or natural, have graded material to a slope too steep for its angle of repose. This may happen along an interstate highway, where a road crew has cut the slope too sharply, or on a riverbank, where natural erosion has done its work. (Slump involves movement along a curved surface, the upper part moving downward while the lower part moves outward) Slide is descending rock mass remaining relatively coherent, moving along one or more defined surfaces. A Rock slide is the rapid sliding of a mass of bed rock along an inclined surface of weakness. These are things such as bedding plane or a major fracture. In contrast, a rock Avalanche is a very rapidly moving, turbulent mass of broken-up bed rock. A Snow avalanche is one of the most commonly known types of avalanches. Fall occurs when material free-falls or bounces down a cliff. when most other forms of mass wasting entail movement along slopes that are considerably less than 90°, but most fall takes place at angles almost perpendicular to the