What Causes Mass Movement

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What Causes Mass Movement?

Gravity is the main force responsible for mass movements. Gravity is a force that acts everywhere on the Earth’s surface pulling everything in a direction toward the center of the Earth. … So long as the material remains on the flat surface it will not move under the force of gravity.Oct 29 2015

What are the 5 causes of mass movement?

The causes of mass wasting include an increased slope steepness increased water decreased vegetation and earthquakes. One of the types of mass wasting that is an example of the slope failing is a slump.

What causes mass movement in geography?

mass movement also called Mass Wasting bulk movements of soil and rock debris down slopes in response to the pull of gravity or the rapid or gradual sinking of the Earth’s ground surface in a predominantly vertical direction.

What are the 4 factors that influence mass movements?

Factors that change the potential of mass wasting include: change in slope angle weakening of material by weathering increased water content changes in vegetation cover and overloading.

What causes mass movement quizlet?

Gravity causes mass movement. Types of mass movement: landslides mudslides slump and creep. The most destructive kind of mass movement is a landslide which occurs when rock and soil slide quickly down a steep slope.

What are the 6 types of mass movement?

Types of mass movement

Rockfall. Bits of rock fall off the cliff face usually due to freeze-thaw weathering.
Mudflow. Saturated soil (soil filled with water) flows down a slope.
Landslide. Large blocks of rock slide downhill.
Rotational slip. Saturated soil slumps down a curved surface.

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What are effects of mass movement?

Mass movements affect the following elements of the environment: (1) the topography of the earth’s surface particularly the morphologies of mountain and valley systems both on the continents and on the ocean floors (2) the character/quality of rivers and streams and groundwater flow (3) the forests that cover much …

What is meant by mass movement?

Mass movements are defined as processes of erosion transport and accumulation of material that occur on both gentle and steep slopes mainly owing to gravitational forces. Thus mass movements results in levelling and forming of landscapes. Different types of mass movements occur such as landslides or solifluction.

What landforms are created by mass movement?

The angular blockfall debris accumulates at the cliff foot to form a talus scree slope a fan shaped mound of material. Undercutting of cliffs by the creation of wave-cut notches can lead to large falls and talus scree slopes at their base.

Does weathering cause mass movement?

The broken rock fragments (as a result of weathering) move down the slope through mass movements . These can be rapid such as landslides or slow as with soil creep: … They can occur after periods of heavy rain when the water saturates overlying rock making it heavy and liable to slide.

What are examples of mass movement?

Rock falls slumps and debris flows are all examples of mass wasting. Often lubricated by rainfall or agitated by seismic activity these events may occur very rapidly and move as a flow. Landslide triggers may include: Intense rainfall.

What three factors can trigger a mass wasting event explain each one?

Mass-wasting events often have a trigger: something changes that causes a landslide to occur at a specific time. It could be rapid snowmelt intense rainfall earthquake shaking volcanic eruption storm waves rapid-stream erosion or human activities such as grading a new road.

What role does gravity play in mass movement?

Gravity plays a major role in causing mass movements.

Mass movements is defined as the movement of an object on the surface nor the earth by gravity. … *Gravity of two bodies or objects is defined as the gravitational force between the objects is directly proportional to the square distance between them.

What force causes all types of mass movement quizlet?

Gravity: the most important factor in causing mass movements.

How does water trigger mass movements?

How does water trigger mass movements? Water fills the pores in sediment allowing the particles to slide past one another more easily. … If the steepness of a slope exceeds that angle mass movements become more likely.

What is mass movement quizlet?

Mass movement is the movement of earth materials called regoilth down a slope under the influence of gravity. … Water and gravity cause the soil to move slowly downhill. This movement is shown on the features of the surface.

Is slumping mass movement?

A slump is a form of mass wasting that occurs when a coherent mass of loosely consolidated materials or a rock layer moves a short distance down a slope. Movement is characterized by sliding along a concave-upward or planar surface. … Translational slumps occur when a detached landmass moves along a planar surface.

Where does mass movement occur?

Mass movement often called mass wasting is the downslope movement of a mass of surface materials such as soil rock or mud. This mass movement typically occurs along hillsides and mountains due to the influence of gravity and can happen very slowly or very quickly.

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Is landslide a mass movement?

A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock debris or earth down a slope. Landslides are a type of “mass wasting ” which denotes any down-slope movement of soil and rock under the direct influence of gravity. … These landslides are called submarine landslides.

What are four ways to prevent mass movements?

Mass movement control must be primarily preventive: e.g. mapping vulnerable zones drawing up a land use plan banning building work or any modification of slopes and protection in the form of coppice forests.

How does mass movement affect the environment?

How is mass wasting prevented?

Engineering solutions include barriers and retaining walls drainage pipes terracing the slope to reduce the steepness of the cuts and immediate revegetation. Rockfalls can be controlled or eliminated by the use of rock bolts cables and screens and by cutting back slopes to lesser gradients.

What is spread of mass movement?

e) Spreads: A spread is an extension of a cohesive soil or rock mass combined with a general subsidence of the fractured mass of cohesive material into softer underlying material. The rupture surface is not a surface of intense shear. Spreads may result from liquefaction or flow (and extrusion) of the softer material.

What is mass movement in sociology?

an organized effort by a large number of people especially those not forming part of the elite of a given society to bring about pervasive changes in existing social economic or political institutions frequently characterized by charismatic leadership.

What is the most important factor in causing mass movements?

Gravity is the main force responsible for mass movements. Gravity is a force that acts everywhere on the Earth’s surface pulling everything in a direction toward the center of the Earth. On a flat surface parallel to the Earth’s surface the force of gravity acts downward.

How does gravity cause deposition?

Another related form of erosion due to gravity is slide which is when sediments move down a slope. Once erosion reaches a low point and low energy it tends to drop the sediment load (deposition).

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What type of mass movement is fall?

The basic types of landslide movement are: Fall. This is generally characterized by rapid or extremely rapid rate of movement with the descent of material characterized by a freefall period. Falls are commonly triggered by earthquakes or erosion processes.

How does rock type affect mass movement?

Once rock material has been broken down into smaller unstable pieces by weathering the material has the potential to move down slope called mass wasting (also called a mass movement or a landslide) because of gravity. … The steeper the slope the greater potential for gravity to pull objects down.

What is runoff mass movement?

The main kinds of this mass movement are: Run-off: when heavy rain washes material from the surface of a cliff over the edge and down onto the shore. Landslide: an unsupported mass of rock or cliff material collapses onto the beach.

Which mass movement is the fastest?

A rock fall are the fastest of all landslide types and occurs when a rock falls through the air until it comes to rest on the ground—not too complicated.

What causes a landslide?

Landslides are caused by disturbances in the natural stability of a slope. They can accompany heavy rains or follow droughts earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Mudslides develop when water rapidly accumulates in the ground and results in a surge of water-saturated rock earth and debris.

Which of these are potential triggers for mass wasting events?

Mass-wasting events are triggered by changes that oversteepen slope angles and weaken slope stability such as rapid snow melt intense rainfall earthquake shaking volcanic eruption storm waves stream erosion and human activities. Excessive precipitation is the most common trigger.

What are the controls and triggers of mass wasting?

Steep slopes widely varying altitude ranges (relief) the thickness of the loose earth material planes of weakness parallel to the slopes frequent freezing and thawing high water content in the earth material dry conditions with occasional heavy rainfall and sparse vegetation are the factors that contribute to …

How do earthquakes cause mass movement?

Earthquakes. Earthquakes are another factor that can play a role in mass wasting. Earthquakes cause violent shaking over a large area. If this agitation affects an area with already unstable mountain slopes the vigorous shaking may cause the slope to fail sending rock soil and debris down the slope.