Module 10: Mass Movement

Objective:

This module aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. Discuss mass movement and its causes.

Mass Movement

Also termed at “Mass Wasting” is

the movement of soil and rock debris
in bulk down slopes due to the pull
of gravity, or the fast or gradual
sinking of the planet’s ground
surface in vertical manner. Mass
movements are unstoppable if
already mobile and can cause damage in railroads, roads, houses, and building in its paths. Mass
movement or wasting is more common in mountainous terrain due to the slope.

Causes of mass movement include:

 Volcanic eruptions that causes mudflows. The snow cover of a volcano melts in the heat
and mixes with the soil to form mud as the magma in the volcano stirs preceding an eruption.
This causes mass movement.

 Earthquake shocks lead to breaking of the loose sides of mountains and hills causing it to
slide downwards. The vigorous shaking of an already-unstable slope by seismic waves may
cause it to fail. Typically, the higher the magnitude of an earthquake, the more mass wasting
will occur.

 Landslide -formed as the rocks and debris move down slopes. The movement may be small
or massive, slow or at a high speed, carrying along with it considerable amount of soil.

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 These are sudden movements and with the effect of geological agents such as water, wind
and can cause a movement of land.

 Mudslide - is a flowing mixture of debris and water, usually moving down a channel. Also
known as debris flows, mudslides especially after torrential rain or cloud burst, are moving
body of rock, earth, and other debris saturated with water causing mass wasting or mass
movement. When water rapidly accumulates in the ground, during rapid snow melt, it
changes the surface of the area into a flowing river of mud.

 Weathering and erosion -due to modifications of human, mechanical and chemical

weathering, as well as erosion is being enhanced leading to loosening of chunks of Earth
leading to mass movement.

Reference;

https://www.britannica.com/science/mass-movement

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