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Mass wasting, also known as mass movement, [1] is a general term for the movement of rock or soil down slopes under the force of gravity. It differs from other processes of erosion in that the debris transported by mass wasting is not entrained in a moving medium, such as water, wind, or ice.
Gully – Landform created by running water and/or mass movement eroding sharply into soil; Hogback – Long, narrow ridge; Hoodoo – Tall, thin spire of relatively soft rock usually topped by harder rock; Homoclinal ridge – Ridge with a moderate sloping backslope and steeper frontslope
It is an intermediate type of mass wasting that is between downhill creep and mudflow. The types of materials that are susceptible to earthflows are clay, fine sand and silt, and fine-grained pyroclastic material. [1] When the ground materials become saturated with enough water, they will start flowing (soil liquefaction). Its speed can range ...
Solifluction is a collective name for gradual processes in which a mass moves down a slope ("mass wasting") related to freeze-thaw activity. This is the standard modern meaning of solifluction, which differs from the original meaning given to it by Johan Gunnar Andersson in 1906. [1] [2]
The term landslide refers to a variety of mass wasting events (geologic slope failures) that include slumps, slides, falls, and flows.The two major types of slides are rotational slides and translational slides. [3]
Both types of flow are generally mixtures of particles with a wide range of sizes, which typically become sorted by size upon deposition. [3] Mudflows are often called mudslips, a term applied indiscriminately by the mass media to a variety of mass wasting events. [4]
This type of mass wasting is the main way the smaller and steeper side canyons transport sediment but it also plays a major role in excavating the larger canyons. [80] Glen Canyon Dam has greatly reduced the amount of sediment transported by the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
It is the removal of the slope's physical support which provokes this mass wasting event. Thorough wetting is a common cause, which explains why slumping is often associated with heavy rainfall, storm events and earthflows. Rain provides lubrication for the material to slide, and increases the self-mass of the material.