EROSION AND TRANSPORT— GROUP II

11 D’AGUILON

Main Idea: Sediments are eroded and transported by water, wind, and ice.
EQ: How do rocks and soil move downslope?

Erosion — a geological process in which earthen materials like soils, sand, clay and
many more are moved by natural forces like wind or water.
Wind Erosion — is a natural process that transports soil from one location to another
through air. Furthermore it has a negative impact on our native vegetation and the
ground.
Glacier — a permanent body of ice, made of recrystallized snow, has evidence of
movement due to gravity. Has great erosive power.
Transport — processes by which sediments are moved along from the source to
where they are deposited.
Water — Most common erosive agent.

Sediments are moved in 4 ways:

1. Traction - Rolling of large grains aided by the push of smaller grains
2. Saltation - Bouncing of sand grains repeatedly
3. Suspension - Movement of fine particles like silt and clay.
4. Solution - Movement of soluble minerals like salt.

Rivers start as individual streams called tributaries, in elevated areas like mountains,
making a v-shaped valley. The valley gets wider and gentler, while sediments being
transported there are smaller and smoother. Erosion happens outside of riverbeds;
disposition inside the meander. When the river enters the sea, it separates into many
branches, called distributary channels. It deposits most of the sediments, making
tidal flats composed of mud and sand.

Erosion in the coastline is mostly caused by wave action. Submerged rocks

and reefs are also eroded by waves in a storm. The eroded sediments are rounded
grains, much like sand on a beach. Sediments from rivers are also being drifted to
the shoreline via longshore drift. Tidal currents also move sediments to the ocean.
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Mass wasting or mass movement - is the downslope movements of rock, soil,

and ice due to gravity. It is also a natural hazard that can cause damage to
life and property.

The factors that contribute to the occurrence of mass wasting are the
following:

RELIEF – The difference in elevation between two places creates slopes:

gravity pulls materials at higher elevations to lower elevations.

SLOPE STABILITY – The balance between the downslope force caused by

gravity and the resistance force due to friction; slope failure occurs when the
downslope force is greater

FRAGMENTATION AND WEATHERING – Intact rock is held together by chemical

bonds within minerals, by mineral cement, and by the interlocking of grains,
while fragmented rock is held only by friction between fracture planes or by
weak electrical charges between grains. Breaking down of rocks so it could
be carried away.

Mass wasting occurs when the balance between the resisting force and
downslope force is disrupted.

This could occur in several ways:

-Vibrations from earthquakes or blasting activities can break any remaining

bonds between grains or surfaces.

-Change in the slopes angle, load, and slope support add to the instability of
a slope.

-Soil slopes often fall after a heavy rain because the absorbed water makes it
so heavy that the slope collapses under its own weight.

-Wave action on cliffs could cause undercutting or removal of support which

result in mass wasting.
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-The stability of slopes also depends on the composition of the materials.

Some materials are easily weathered such that the bonds holding the grains
or rock blocks are weakened.

-Removal of vegetation and too much water in soil slopes causes the soil to
weaken and turn it into slurry.

-Water that infiltrates into the cracks also destroys the frictional bond along
fracture planes because water is buoyant and it tends to push the fracture
walls apart.

Mass wasting can be classified in a number of ways such as type of material, type of
motion, and speed of movement. The general types of motion include:

Fall includes the free-fall movement, bouncing, and rolling of materials on a slope.

A topple is the forward rotation out of the slope of a soil or rock mass. The rotation
axis is usually at the base of the moving mass, below its center of gravity.
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A slide is the downslope movement of coherent materials along a well-defined

surface of a rupture called sliding surface. A slide could form a planar or curve
sliding surface.

Spread is the lateral extension and fracturing of a coherent mass due to the plastic
flow of its underlying material that could occur as silt layers liquefy during
earthquakes.

Flow happens when the materials are saturated and move downslope as a viscous
fluid.

Complex or combinations of several types of movements could occur.

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This widely-accepted classification of mass wasting is produced by Varnes in 1987

and modified by Cruden and Varnes in 1996 and the modified version the type of
material and type of motion are both considered this new classification by the British

There are many classifications of mass wasting, they are affected by factors ranging
from the Material, which can be Rocks, Debris and Earth and Movement Types.

Rocks - Is a material that is generally composed of two minerals that are mixed
together, they have a unique chemical and physical appearance
Debris - This material is mostly composed of loose coarse-grained accumulation of
rock fragments.
Earth - This material is composed of fine-grained sediment particles like silt, clay and
sand.

Mass wasting can also be classified in terms of rate of movement. Cruden and
Varnes (1996) classified the rate of movement into seven classes from extremely slow
to extremely rapid.

There are several factors you need to take when classifying mass wasting in rate of
movement, they are:
Velocity Class - How the movement is classified through 0 to 7, with 7 being the most
destructive and 0 being the least destructive
Description - Describes the Velocity Class from Extremely Slow to Extremely Rapid.
Velocity (mm/s) - Is the speed of the movement in terms of Millimeters per Second.
Typical Velocity - Describes the speed in terms of Meters / Milimeters per Time
Probably Destructive Significance - It is the description of how destructive the mass
wasting is following the velocity class, with 0 being barely perceptible while 7 being
Catastrophic.
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11 D’AGUILON