Mass Movement Processes definition Flashcards
Avalanches
Extremely fast falls of snow and ice down a mountainside
Deforestation
The removal of trees from an area
Lahars
A types of mudflow triggered by a volcanic eruption. Lahars are composed of a watery mix of volcanic ash, rocky debris and water. The lahar flows downhill from a volcanic typically along a river valley
Landslides
The sudden movement of rock and sediment downhill along a well defined surface. Also called a slump
Mass movements
The movement of material downhill under the influence of gravity
Mudflows
Extremely fast and damaging movement of slurries (watery mixes) of mud loose rock and erosion
Overcropping
The constant cultivation of land. It leads to soil fertility and soil erosion
Overgrazing
The grazing of too many animals on the land. It leads to soil compaction and soil erosion
Permafrost
The zone of permanently frozen ground in areas in or close to ice sheets of the Tundra/arctic eg. parts of Siberia and northern Canada
Regolith
Loose soil and sediment on the earth’s surface
Rock falls
Sudden fall of loose rock
Rotational slumps
The sudden sliding of a slab of earth downhill along a curved surface
Scree/talus
The angular blocks of rock that have fallen downhill in mountain areas due to freeze-thaw action on mountain tops
Slumps
The sudden movement of rock and sediment downhill along a well-defined surface. Also a landslide
Soil creep
The slow un-noticeable movement of soil downhill on grassy slopes
Soliflucation
A slow wet form of mass movement in periglacial areas with permafrost
Soliflucation lobes
Curved lobed shaped mounds in the land formed by soliflucation
Terracettes
Small steps in grassy slopes formed during soil creep
