GG101 Lecture Notes - Snowmelt, Slope Stability
Document Summary
Slow to very rapid downslope motion of soil, sediment, and or rock from high to low elevation. Can vary substantially, some coercive and stronger (less likely to see mass movements in coercive/stronger materials: gradient. Mass movements more common on steep gradients: moisture content. Slope failures may occur when forces acting to move materials downslope (stress) exceed the strength of the materials. Classification: based on a combination of motion, velocity, water content and morphology. Downslope motion of coherent material along an inclined plane. Moving materials from a higher to lower elevation along a well defined plane: flow. Downslope motion of noncohesive material by internal shear (deformation) Difference between flow and slide: flow is tumbling/flowing over itself typically start with a mixture of sediment and water: heave/creep. Downslope movement due to expansion and contraction of ground surface. Expansion and contraction produces a slow creeping process. Mass movement types: falls rapid downslope movement when moving materials from a steep slope, topples, slides.