Transcript Erosion by Mass Movement Columbia Pkwy, Cincinnati

Erosion by Mass Movement
Columbia Pkwy, Cincinnati
Mass Movement
DEFINITION:
• Mass movement is
the down-slope
movement of rock
and sediment due to
gravitational forces.
•
•
•
•
TYPES:
Landslide (rapid)
Mudslide (rapid)
Slump (moderate)
Creep (slow)
Landslide
• A landslide is a mass
of rock moving down
a slope
• The top picture shows
a part of the Smokey
Mountains in 1976.
The bottom picture
shows the same area
in 1980.
Mudslide
• A mudslide (or
mudflow) is the
downslope movement
of a mixture of water
and soil.
Slump
• Slump is the
downward movement
of materials as one
unit.
• The material moves
along a curved plane,
it often looks like the
front of a spoon.
Creep
• Creep is the slow
downhill movement of
rock and soil over
time.
IDENTIFY THE
FOLLOWING TYPES
OF
MASS MOVEMENT:
Causes of Mass Movement
Factors that allow gravity to overcome the
resistance of materials on a slope are:
• Saturation of water (ground becomes too wet).
• Steepening of slopes by other forms of erosion or
construction.
• Seismic or volcanic activity.
• Freezing and thawing.
• Fires leaving slopes bare (no ground
vegetation).