3.3 Slope processes and development Flashcards
Avalanches
Rapid movements of snow, ice, rock or earth down a slope
Climatic geomorphology
Different processes that operate in different climatic zones, producing different slope forms or shapes.
Falls
Movements of rock/debris under the effect of gravity.
Flows
Movement of a mass of soil or rock that contain a significant amount of water.
Heaves
Movements of soil or ice towards the surface in a vertical direction
Mass movements
Large scale movements of the Earth’s surface that are not accompanied by a moving agent such as a river, glacier or ocean wave.
Regolith
Irregular cover of loose rock debris that covers the Earth.
Shear Strength
Internal resistance of a slope
Shear stress
Forces attempting to pull a mass downslope.
Sheet wash
Unchannelled flow of water over a soil surface.
Sides
An entire mass of material moving along a slip plane
Slope
Inclines surface (hillslope) or an angle of inclination (slope angle)
Slope evolution
Development of slopes over time
Slope form
Shape of the slope in cross-section
Slope processes
Activities acting on the slope
Slumps
Form of mass movement which occur on weaker rocks, especially day, and have a rotational movement along a curved slip plane.
Throughflow
Water moving down through the soil.
Climatic geomorphology
Branch of geography that studies how different processes operate in different climatic zones.
Soil
Part of the regolith. It is structure and texture and determines how much
Surface wash
Soil’s infiltration capacity is exceeded
Sheetwash
Us channelled flow of water over a soil surface
Soil heave or creep
Slow, small scale process which occurs mainly in winter. Happens due to moisture and volume change. Form terracettes.
