What is Mass Wasting?

About Mass Wasting:

• It is the movement of rock and soil down slope under the influence of gravity. 
• Causes:
  • It occurs when a slope is too steep to remain stable with existing material and conditions.  
  • Slope stability is determined by two factors: the angle of the slope and the shear strength of the accumulated materials.
  • Mass-wasting events are triggered by changes that oversteepened slope angles and weaken slope stability, such as rapid snow melt, intense rainfall, earthquake shaking, volcanic eruptions, storm waves, stream erosion, and human activities.
  • Excessive precipitation is the most common trigger.
• Mass-wasting events are classified by their type of movement and material, and they share common morphological surface features.
• The most common types of mass-wasting events are rockfalls, slides, flows, and creep.
• Geologically, landslide is a general term for mass wasting that involves fast-moving geologic material.
• Loose material along with overlying soilsare what typically move during a mass-wasting event.
• Moving blocks of bedrockare called rock topples, rock slides, or rock falls, depending on the dominant motion of the blocks. 
• Movements of dominantly liquid material are called flows.
• Movement by mass wasting can be slow or rapid.Rapid movement can be dangerous, such as during debris flows.