Physical Processes
Mass Wasting
Also Known As Mass Movement
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Mass wasting, or mass movement, is the downslope movement of rock, soil and debris under gravity alone, without a river, glacier or wind to carry it. Creep inches a hillside downhill over centuries, solifluction does the same over frozen ground, and a landslide, debris flow or rockfall can move the same material in seconds. Steep slopes, saturated ground, weak rock and earthquakes all raise the odds of a sudden failure.
Facts
Process Type TimescaleSeconds, in a rockfall or landslide, to hundreds of years, in slow soil creep. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Shaped
Steep relief, monsoon rainfall and frequent seismicity make the Himalayas one of the world's most landslide-prone mountain systems.
Sources
1. Mass Wasting (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDefinition sectionQuote, Definition section
Mass wasting, also known as mass movement, is a general term for the movement of rock or soil down slopes under the force of gravity.
1. Mass Wasting (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationTypes section, process-typeQuote, Types section, process-type
Many forms of mass wasting are recognized, each with its own characteristic features, and taking place over timescales from seconds to hundreds of years.
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