CEE 1030 Lecture 21: 10.22_Masswastingnotes
23 Oct 2020
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How did this impact what happened at vajont. When gravity wins, we get mass wasting. There are several different kinds of mass wasting events. They are classified based on what moves and how it moves. Many mass wasting events can be predicted and/or prevented. Mass wasting: the downward movement of rock, regolith, and/or soil downslope, under the influence of gravity. Mass wasting can be slow or fast, and can be, in either case, catastrophic. Mass wasting is a major force shaping the surface of the earth. Example: the 1963 vajont (also spelled vaiont) dam landslide. Over 3,000 fatalities occurred after a massive landslide into a reservoir behind a dam sent a wave of water over the top of the dam, flooding villages below it. Slope failure occurs when gravity, which drives material downhill (our downslope force), overcomes the forces that keep material in place (resisting forces). Forces keeping material in place: bonds, friction, cohesion (molecular attraction between particles), surface tension.
