Which slopes are more likely to have a mass movement?

Which slopes are more likely to have a mass movement?

Steep and unstable slopes are more likely to have a mass movement than gentle and stable slopes. A fall or topple happens when rocks and other sediments fall through the air and land at the bottom of a slope. Flows are a mixture of water, rock and sediment. They move very quickly.

What causes mass movement on slopes?

Mass movements (also called mass-wasting) is the down-slope movement of Regolith (loose uncemented mixture of soil and rock particles that covers the Earth’s surface) by the force of gravity without the aid of a transporting medium such as water, ice, or wind.

What is the most common form of mass movement?

The most common form of mass wasting is creep. Creep is responsible for moving the greatest quantity of material downslope.

What factors commonly trigger mass movements?

 Among the factors that commonly trigger mass movements are saturation of surface materials with water, oversteepening of slopes, removal of vegetation, and earthquakes.  Geologists classify mass movements based on the kind of material that moves, how it moves, and the speed of movement.

Which of the following are types of slope failure?

Types of Slope Failure are as follows:

• Translational Failure.
• Rotational Failure.
• Flow Failure.
• Block or Wedge Failure.
• Rock Slope Failure.
• Plane Failure.
• Toppling Failure.
• Rock Failure.

What are the four main types of mass movement?

There are four different types of mass movement:

• Rockfall. Bits of rock fall off the cliff face, usually due to freeze-thaw weathering.
• Mudflow. Saturated soil (soil filled with water) flows down a slope.
• Landslide. Large blocks of rock slide downhill.
• Rotational slip. Saturated soil slumps down a curved surface.

What are the factors that commonly trigger mass movements?

Among the factors that commonly trigger mass movements are saturation of surface materials with water, oversteepening of slopes, removal of vegetation, and earthquakes.

What causes particles to move down the slope?

Alternatively, if the object consists of a collection of materials like soil, clay, sand, etc., if the shear stress becomes greater than the cohesional forces holding the particles together, the particles will separate and move or flow down-slope.

Which is the main force responsible for mass movement?

The main force responsible for mass movement is gravity. Gravity is the force that acts everywhere on the Earth’s surface, pulling everything in a direction toward the center of the Earth. On a flat surface the force of gravity acts downward.

How is the force of gravity resolved on a slope?

On a slope, the force of gravity can be resolved into two components: a component acting perpendicular to the slope and a component acting tangential to the slope. The perpendicular component of gravity, g p, helps to hold the object in place on the slope.

How does pressure affect the slope of a rock?

This can increase the fluid pressure to a point where the water ends up supporting the weight of the overlying rock mass. When this occurs, friction is reduced, and thus the shear strength holding the material on the slope is also reduced, resulting in slope failure.