What is the slowest mass movement?
The slowest type of mass movement is creep.
What causes mass wasting?
Mass wasting, which is sometimes called mass movement or slope movement, is defined as the large movement of rock, soil and debris downward due to the force of gravity. The causes of mass wasting include an increased slope steepness, increased water, decreased vegetation and earthquakes.
How are mass wasting events classified?
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. Mass-wasting movement ranges from slow to dangerously rapid.
What are effects of mass wasting?
Large amounts of soil and rock enter streams as a result of landslide activity, thus reducing the potability of the water and its ability to support fish and aquatic plants. Biotic destruction by landslides also is common.
Why is mass wasting dangerous?
Movement by mass wasting can be slow or rapid. Rapid movement can be dangerous, such as during debris flows. Areas with steep topography and rapid rainfall, such as the California coast, Rocky Mountain Region, and Pacific Northwest, are particularly susceptible to hazardous mass-wasting events.
Where is mass wasting most common?
Mass wasting occurs on both terrestrial and submarine slopes, and has been observed on Earth, Mars, Venus and Jupiter’s moons Io and Ganymede. When the gravitational force acting on a slope exceeds its resisting force, slope failure (mass wasting) occurs.
What is the difference between a slump and a slide?
Landslides involve rock and debris moving downslope along a planar surface, whereas slumping usually occurs along a curved interface and as a single large unit.
What is the process of slumping?
A slump is a form of mass wasting that occurs when a coherent mass of loosely consolidated materials or a rock layer moves a short distance down a slope. Movement is characterized by sliding along a concave-upward or planar surface. Slumps have several characteristic features.
Is Earthflow faster than debris flow?
A debris flow can dash down the slope, reaching speeds of 100 miles per hour or greater. An earthflow is a flow of fine-grained material that typically develops at the lower end of a slope. Earthflows often ooze down a mountain at a pace of a slow-moving earthworm.