Lecture 13 - Landslide classification and risk management Flashcards
What are mass movements are usually classified by?
the material being moved: e.g. rock, mud, earth, debris
the type of movement: e.g. fall, topple, avalanche, slide (block, rotational, or translational), flow, or creep.
What can mass movements sometimes be classified by?
speed of the mass movement
its water content.
What are some examples of slow mass movements?
earth flows and soil creep
What are some examples of rapid mass movements?
debris flows, snow avalanches and rock falls
What are some examples of mass movements that can be slow or rapid?
rotational and translational landslides
What direction is the movement in a fall?
In falls, the movement is mostly downward.
What does a rock fall involve?
The free fall of separate blocks from a free face, following opening of a fracture.
What direction is the movement in a slide?
In slides, material slips along a basal failure plane, making the movement downward and outward.
What does a block slide involve?
A block slide involves a block of intact rock sliding along a basal plane as a semisolid mass.
What happens during a rock slide?
In rock slides the rock breaks up as it slides.
What are the different types of rock slides?
They can be rotational slides above curved (concave upward) basal surface, or translational slides above planar basal surfaces. Many have a distinctive geomorphology with a head scarp and toe.
When does a debris slide occur?
If the material fragments as it slides, it becomes a debris slide. The debris commonly comprises a mix of broken up rock, soil, and vegetation.
When is a landslide called a flow?
If the material becomes fluidized, the landslide is called a flow.
What are different types of flows?
earth flows (soil) debris flows (fragmented rock) mud flows (wet mud) lahars (wet volcanic ash)
What were the 2013 debris flows at Kedarnath, India triggered by?
monsoon rains