GEOL 003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Mass Wasting, Regolith, Debris Flow
Document Summary
Mass wasting - the downslope of movement of materials under the influence of gravity. Thicker regolith is more likely to fail. Landslide a term used to describe many rapid forms of mass wasting. Mass wasting is key in modifying landscapes in areas with significant topography. Friction acts to prevent or slow the movement of material down a slope. Steeper slopes are more likely to fail. Analogy - a slide on a playground. The steeper and smoother the slide the faster you go. Gravity has two components (acts on an object in two directions): Mass wasting characterized by type of material involved (rock vs. regolith) and manner of movement (slow vs fast) Rockfall - the dislodging of a rock from a steep slope. Rockslides and rock avalanches - large scale movements of rock traveling rapidly down a slope along a surface. Slump - the movement of material down a slope on a curved slip surface.
