Knowra Mass wasting Mass wasting Mass wasting is the downslope movement of soil, rock, or other surface material under gravity, with or without water, ice, or air as a transport agent.
Landslide : A rapid downslope movement of rock, debris, or earth, often involving a distinct sliding or flowing mass. This familiar rapid failure is one major form of mass wasting.
Slope stability : The condition in which a slope resists movement because resisting forces exceed driving forces. Mass wasting begins when a slope loses this balance.
Oso landslide : A major landslide near Oso, Washington, that killed 43 people in March 2014. This deadly event shows how a river-cut slope can fail catastrophically.
Landslide hazard : The potential for landslides to occur in a place and cause harm. Mapping this hazard identifies areas exposed to mass-wasting events.
Erosion : The detachment and transport of soil or rock by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Erosion often transports material through a fluid, while mass wasting is defined by gravity-driven slope movement.
Creep (geology) : The very slow, persistent downslope movement of soil or rock under gravity. It shows that mass wasting can proceed gradually without a sudden collapse.
Shear strength : A material's resistance to sliding along an internal surface under applied stress. It measures the resistance that must be overcome for slope failure.
Vajont Dam disaster : A 1963 Italian disaster in which a massive landslide displaced water over the Vajont Dam, killing thousands downstream. It demonstrates that landslide impacts can travel far beyond the moving slope.
Landslide susceptibility mapping : The spatial assessment of how likely different areas are to experience landslides based on terrain and environmental conditions. It translates slope conditions into maps for planning and risk reduction.
Fluvial transport : The movement of sediment by flowing water in rivers and streams. River currents transport sediment without requiring a slope failure.
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