Mass Wasting

Objective

 Explain the processes of mass movement as specified my the content:

 Definition of mass movement (soil creep and landslide)
 Causes mass movement (soil creep and landslide)
 Results of mass movement (soil creep and landslide)
 Definition of mass movement (soil creep and
landslide)
 Mass movement is the downhill movement of rock debris and soil due to the force of
gravity. Water acts as a lubricant, making the debris more slippery and easy to move.
 Soil creep is the slow downhill movement of soil particles. It is a gradual but constant
process, generally slow that it cannot be seen, but over several years the results are
obvious.
 A landslide is a sudden and rapid downslope movement of a large volume of soil and/or
rock. It can carry vegetation and buildings with it, potentially causing huge destruction.
Causes Soil Creep

Creep is caused by the interaction of multiple factors,

 The alternate wetting and drying of the soil
 The alternate freezing and thawing of the soil
The process is known as heaving. Heaving involves the expansion and contraction of rock
fragments, and occurs during cycles of wetting and drying, as well as freezing and thawing. As
expansion occurs, particles move outward, perpendicular to the hillside. During contraction,
the particles move back toward the hillside, vertically, and end up slightly downslope of where
they began. The repeated motion of individual particles results in a downslope movement of
the material. Areas that undergo wet/dry or freeze/thaw cycles are most susceptible to creep.
Results of Soil Creep

There are several indicators on a slope that

shows soil creep is happening
 the formation of terracettes-step-like features
around the hillside 20-50 cm in height,
roughly parallel to the contour lines
 The bending of tree trunks
 Fences or walls running around the slope
may break
 Light poles may tilt and roads become
cracked or even partially collapsed
Trees showing the effect of soil creep
Causes of Landslides
 Unconsolidated material on the slope
 Slippery rocks like shale and clay
 Bedding planes being roughly parallel to the slope
 The base of the slope being undercut by river or coastal erosion
 Earthquakes
 Volcanic eruptions
 Heavy rainfall
 Building on unstable slopes
 Undercutting the base of a slope by road building
 Dumping waste material
 Building dams
Causes of Landslides

 Slippery rocks like shale and clay- shale and clay are both slippery, especially when wet.
Wet clay acts as a lubricant, so rock beds above it slip down more easily. Shale is made of
several layers, so it slides easily, again taking any rocks above with it.
 The base of the slope being undercut by river or coastal erosion- Rivers curve and
undercut their valley sides. If the slope above is made of unconsolidated or very wet
material and becomes unsupported it is much likely to collapse.
 Heavy rainfall- when the surface material becomes saturated it makes it makes it heavier
and reduces friction. This happen mostly during a short period of intense rainfall, for
example from tropical storms or hurricanes. Water does two things: 1. it adds weight to the
material, making the slope less stable 2. it decreases friction which helps movement down
slope.
Results of Landslides