ERSC 1F90 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Crowsnest River, Frank Slide, Regolith
9 Apr 2015
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Document Summary
Mass wasting: the downslope movement of soil, regolith (loose weathered. Earth material) and/or rock under the direct influence of gravity. Mountain building (orogenic) processes of volcanism and folding produce high relief earth materials susceptible to weathering and mass movement. Weathering is the first step in the development of sedimentary rocks talus (weathered debris) accumulates at the base of cliffs/mountains. With gravity as the driving force acts on a slop and exceeds its resisting force (friction), mass wasting occurs. While gravity is the controlling force, other forces that trigger mass movement are: saturation with water, oversteepening of slopes (roadcutting, removal of vegetation (roots and plants stopping raindrops, ground shaking from earthquakes. Slope changes through time: most rapid events occur in areas of rugged, geologically young mountains, as mountain building subsides, mass wasting and erosion lower the land, as a landscape ages, less dramatic downslope movements occur (gentle slopes)
