ERS103H5 Study Guide - Final Guide: Fall Prevention, Slope Stability, Debris Flow
Document Summary
Definitions: mudflow: a slurry of water and fine sediment. Common in tropical settings with deep weathering of soils and abundant rainfall, especially tropical storms and hurricanes: debris flow: a mudflow with many large rocks. Rocks in a debris flow range from pebbles to large boulders: rock slide: a slide consisting of rock only, debris slide: a slide composed mostly of regolith, rock falls/debris falls: vertical freefall of mass. When blocks impact, they fragment and continue moving. Mass movement: the downslope motion of rock, regolith (soil, sediment, and debris), snow and ice, it is driven by gravity acting on any sloping surface. It is an important component of the rock cycle, constituting the initial step in sediment transportation. It is an omnipresent and a very costly hazard: all slopes are unstable, they change continuously and is often accelerated by human activity.
