Landslide

A landslide is the downslope movement of rock, soil, or debris under gravity. It includes falls, slides, flows, and other forms of mass movement.

Slope stability: The balance between forces resisting movement on a slope and forces driving it downslope. A landslide begins when driving forces overcome the slope's resistance.
Vajont Dam disaster: A 1963 Italian disaster in which a massive slope failure displaced water over Vajont Dam. The slide's impact wave caused catastrophic flooding downstream despite the dam remaining intact.
Landslide hazard mapping: The identification and mapping of areas where landslides are likely to occur. Maps combine slope conditions and past failures to guide land-use decisions.
Rainfall-triggered landslide: A landslide initiated or accelerated by rainfall infiltrating or saturating slope material. Intense or prolonged rain commonly raises water pressure and weakens slopes.
Mass wasting: The downslope movement of rock, soil, or sediment under gravity, with or without water or ice. Landslides are commonly treated as a major subset of this broader process.
Shear strength: The resistance of a material to sliding along internal or external surfaces. Failure occurs when stress along a potential slip surface exceeds this resistance.
Aberfan disaster: A 1966 Welsh disaster in which a colliery spoil tip collapsed onto the village of Aberfan. It demonstrates how unstable human-made deposits can bury settlements.
Landslide monitoring: The measurement of slope movement and related conditions to detect instability. Monitoring can reveal acceleration before some failures and support warnings.
Earthquake-triggered landslide: A landslide caused or accelerated by ground shaking during an earthquake. Shaking can abruptly disrupt slopes already close to failure.
Mudflow: A rapid flow of water-saturated, fine-grained sediment, usually with a high proportion of mud. Mudflows are a narrower flow type, while landslide includes falls and slides too.

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